The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1860-03-07


Now, want to see if We can not get that
interest back by the profits of the road
The following articles, | presume, would
be as freight to the road
$4,000 bales of cotton SOC per bale Sl2,5OO
The back freight the same. l25OO
Lumber, 10000
Turpentne, 10000
Passengers, 5000
Other articles, Fruits, Grain, &c, 5000
$4,000
believe il is generally assumed for rail
roads to cost about IS per cent of the gross
earnings to pay expenses. If this be cor
rect, this road from Camden to Lancaster
will not cost more than 35 or 40 per cent
| from the fact, that it will cost as little TO
build it rs any road in any other part Of the
| country. We will take it for granted that
| ii will cost 40 per cent. then we will have
$4,000, annually, that will be little over
per cent on the capital of the road,
have no doubt some persons will say these
statements are exaggerated, such being gem
orally the case, where railroads have been
built II is the same case where any other
great private or public enterprise is spoken
of or carried into effect | recollect in this
District some years ago, hen the late Col
L. w. Huey, Messrs. Stevens, Hammond
and Massey, were about to erect n Steam
Mill, that great many persons were Of the
opinion, that they would soon have plank
N hnn,i tn rnt tbni bn, i n
| all of the lumber. Time has proycn the
fallacy Of such an opinion for there are
now two steam mills running and no plank
has remained long at either SO YOU per.
ceve, If these entcrprising men had not
have had the nerve to have carried their de.
signs into effect, we, perhaps, might have
been without n steam mill now. 1t is n
general principle, that work bescts work,
as well rs Improvement begets improve
mcnt.
| have the endorsement Of distinguish
ed gentlcman Hon. B. +. Perry. In a
speech at the Celebration Of Tunnel Hill,
he used the following language:
81 venture TO say,that every railroad which
| all calculations "f lis most sanguine friends,
as to its probable income. The truth il.
there is no calculation, and can be none, rs
TO the extent of trave! and freight on rail.
roads. New species Of freight spring up,
and new inducements of travel arise, which
were never contemplated and could not have
been foreseen." "The item of copper rs
| freight WAS unknown in Georgia when their
| railroads were constructed. Now copper
ore stands next to cotton as an article Of
freight over the Georgia Rail Road. When
we were making calculations 10 induce sub.
| scrptions TO the Grcenvilic and Columbia
| Railroad, no one thought of freight on
Corn TO Grecnvillc. All the calculations
were made for its transportation the other
way. But it so happened that this item of
| freight from Columbia has been, for scvc-
raj wears, very considerable.
| ut would be amusing, now, TO look over
| the calculations of the friends and advo.
Gates of railroads, when first projected, rs
to their probable freight aud travel, and
compare those calculations With the actual
receipts of the roads At the time they
were made, they were supposed to bo fool
Ish eXaggeratlons, and yet, time has shown
that they have been doubled and thriccd
| Ten passengers day was the estimate
made for the Hamburg Road, between Char.
lesion and Augusta. This was regarded as
too large but instead of ten, the daily av-
erage has been hundreds
| "When the Greenvlle Railroad was spo-
ken of, n distinguished member of the Bar
in an adjoining district, favorable TO rail
roads, declared publicly, in speech, that
in rs much as Greenylle was not n cotton
| growing district, We had no use for rail.
| road An ,l a
lrishman went so far as 20 predict that we
would not be able to send more than one
freight every year but experience has
shown that a daily freight train is neccs-
sary, and always comes and departs heavily
laden"
Now, these arguments, coming from such
a source, should satisfy every intelligent
mind that we need have no fears of build.
ing n railroad in this District, upon the pre-
sumption, that il will not pay
now propose to 60 INTO some calcula.
tons to prove how the District will be ben &.
efitted, rather in an indirect way. The FIRST
article propose is guano, since have had
some little experience from the effects of
it. | am inclined TO think that il will do
|
know. For | believe the most of the
lands of this District are of clay na ature,
aud are deficient. to some extent, in the
making and maturing of the cotton holl
We can generally with moderate seasons,
make as much weed as ought to make from
1000 to 1900 lbs of cotton and rs Guano
is n tremendous stimulant, think it will
supply that Ingredient in our soil of which
1t is wanting. Therefore, have no hesi
taiion in asserting, that it will be the means
of the District making 5000 bales of cot
ton more than it makes at present. think
that would be reasonable supposilion, il
the people generally would use il. com.
mence my calculation with guano
by the use Of Guano, 5000 600
Increased value of 369,6SO acres
of land at 81 per hcre: 369,6SO
Ferages, 1000
Mills, IN oon
|