The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-09-29
From Hc Cvuritr.
THE HIWASSEE RAIE ROAA

Northern section "f G enrgin, rs a branch of the
Blue Ridge Ruii Road, TO CONNECT Clayton with
Chattanooga, by way Duck Town and Clevc-
land.
Claytm is n town in Ralun county, Georriu,
ON the line "f the Blue Ridge Rail Road, about
four miles this side Of the Rnbun Gap I;y
wagon roads. the distance frnm Clayton to Duck
Town - seventy miles, and from Duck Town to
CLEVELAND, forty miles and from Cleveland to
Chattanooga. ny rail road, is thirty miles Tn.
liiwassee branch Of tho Blue Ridge Rail Ruu,l,
will make Chattanooga il5 miles distant from,
arleston, by the way Of Aiken and New
Market. Charleston. by the Georgia rail roads.
II 4IG miles from Chattnnoogn; sI,owin M adj
vantage ~ distance, by the uIwassce Rail Road
VI 81 miles. The distance from Saw aupah 10
Chaitanooga. by Macon. is 43I miles, and hv
Augusta, Ill miles. The liiwassre ruad vii
give charleston an advantage iu distance fr,n
Chattanooga, over Savannah, by WAY Of Macon
at IL miles, aad by may Of Augusta, Of 2G
miles.
The distance from Charleston to Duck Town
hy the liiwassee branch will he 3i7 miles, while
tic distance from Savannah, L" Duck Town hy
uie Gnoigia aud Tennessee Rail :nn.ls will b- i,.
Cleveland 439 mil"s. with 10 mile. more Of
wagon road from Cleveland to Duck Town, mia
KING IN nli 119 miles from Savannah to Duck
Town. This gives to Charleston an alvant age
over Savannah for the Duck Tow, t,ude of 1872
miles.
AT aud around Duck Town are situated the
celeh:"te, copper mines "f Polk c.,,,nty. IN Ten.
nesSee These extend int" Georgia across the
line b"tween those States. very lnrgc caI,ital
rom Europe and the North is invested in tl,eSo
mines. The products of the mines Yield u very
large freight to the Georgia Rail Roads Mr..
Ferry, III his speech ut Tunnel Ill., stated that
copper ore ranked next to Cotton in III" Ircirh,
IT furnished TO those roads. III the report nf the
:Gcorsi" Central Rail Road" for 1906 il appears
That 7,172, 233 barrels Of copper ore were car-
ried over that road by way of Macon alone, rx-
elusive Of what was carried over the Gcorgia
RnIl Road, by way of Augusta, tn Savannah
nnd ChnrIeston. The cost of carrying n ton of
the ore from Duck Town hy turnpike To CIcve.
land varies from sO TO 5 l5 and from that place
by rail road tOSavannuh or Charleston 81 ir,oie
Iinking total freight of $50 TO SO per ton,
The ores have, beSidcs, to bear the c,st Of freight
from these cities 10 New York or to Liverpool To
bs smricd.
These charges for freight of tho orc greatly
reduce the profits of the mincs The great Cum
Oerland Coal Bed crnI,s out above the surface
about eight miles west Of Chattanooga. il is
most important to the profitable working Of the
MINES that the coal and copper ore should he
brought near TO each other ly rail road. 1t is
therefore essential that n rnl road should con-
nrcC Duck Town with the Cumberland Coal
htd The distance between them is about IS
miles. The coal and copper freights would not
support the expense Of rail road. dependent on
them alom", as Il rail road from Duck Town tu
the Goal Beds would be- but if the Iliwassrc
Road were built, the general trade between
branch aud Blue Ridge Rail Road, would make
the Road from Duck Town to Cleveland ii pru-
dent investment So important is il to the pro-
hucttveness nf the large capital invested in the
Duck Town Copper Mines (said to amount to
many millions Of dollars) that a large contribu-
ton from the owners Of the Mines may conf
deniy he relied OH. for they have deep Interest
IN The construction Of that part Of the IItwa assee
Rail Road which would cunnect Duck Town
with Cleveland.
The counties through which the IIiwassee
Ian Road Is located, are fertile, much more fer
Tie than would he inferred from their produc-
tlons, for the distance from mark ct discouraces
from any more agricultural labor than suffices
TO supply the necessaries OF life. County and
individual subscriptions 10 n considerable amount
NAV be confidently expected.
The first movement towards the undertaking
OF this Road, will be seen in the following px-
tract from the Chattanooga Adrerfiscr of the
18th instant:
Rail Road Meeting il, Union County-In ac.
cordance to previous notice, large and respect.
able po-lion Of the citizens of Union county,
met III the Court House ut Blairsvillc On mo
ton, tho Hon. s. S. IIorsnw was called to the
chair, and Captain Alfred Butt requested to act
as Secretary. DR.. Andrew Young was called
on TO explain the object Of the meeting; after
which lie introduced the following Preamble and
Resolutions, to wit:
We. portion Of the people of Northeast G cor.
ga, feeling from our isolated position our great
need Of rail road facilities. and having assembled
1"r The purpose of dcvising means to forward the
construction Of the IIiwassee Rail Road, un: nj
nously adopt the following resolutions:
j. Hesoived That the lIiwassee Rail Roal
charter together with the charter from Duck
Iown Copper Mines to Cleveland, Tenn essec, "a |
d'stance not exceeding one hundred miles) form |
The nearest and most practicable line Of conncc.
ton between the Great Valley Of the Mississipp |
ana Charleston. South Carolina, (thiS being |
nearer than any other line Of roads whicl, is, or
can be built by from 1876 to $50 mrs) |
:. Rcsotucd, That nature having provided this |
route by Causing as it were, the lofty mountains
to bow to our necessities. evidently directing us |
h the great connection referred 10 above, we |
would prove recreant to the duties which We |
owe ourselves aud our decendauta should we |
longer remain inactive on the subject, and un- |
worthy those Rail Road facilities which the beu-
eticence Of nature has placed within the reach |
or our energies and our capital.
. S' fcsofUcd, Therefore, that we pledge our
selves 10 Use all available means for the cOnsruc
ton Of the IIiwassee rail road. and that capi- |
tnsts he invited to investigate and compare dis
tances by this aud ot,er roads, either completed
contemplated.
4. Resoircd, That our Senator AID Represent
ative to tile General Assembly be instructed To |
cooperate with the friends Of State and upon |
equitable principles. but to oppos" the adoption !
Of any policy the tendency Of which would be |
10 discriminate against This or any other port ton
Of Georgia.
S. Resoired, That the Secretary Of this meet
ing forward copy of the above resolutions TO |
the Chattanooga Advertiser. Cleveland Banner
l.nurencevilie News, Southern Banner, CIarks. |
vile Journal, WoIhalIs Banner, and Keowce !
Courier. with a request to publish the snme
The meeting was then addressed by Dr. An
drew Young and T.. J. Weborn, in support Of
the same; when, on motion Of John Butt, Esq
they were unanimously adapted
8. $. HORSLIAW, President.
ALFRED Burr, Secretary.
Meetings in the other Counties and in Duck
Town. it is expected, will soon b. held.
The earpestness Of the people who are interest
cd in this road for its construction, is shown by
their perseverance TO obtain the charter from the
Georgia Legislature. The 6rst petition for |
charter was rejected. II was renewed at the |
next session and WINS granted CIoyernor Jnl,n |