Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-11-17

"eorgla portion u mles) 00S,946-St, ,320 1G4
FROM CLAYTON TO FRANKLIN
Georgia portion Is miles, $l76,887
4 No. Ca. portion GA milcs) 4l4,2IS--5S9 G35
PROM FRANKLIN TO NANTImALA
Twenty eight miles 500 o5s
| FROM NANTITALA TO TENNESSEE LINE
Thirty. eight miles $50, 1872
FROM THE TENNESSEE LINE TO MARYvILLE
Ihirty.seven miles S70 7O6
Finishing the Road
PROM MARYVILLE TO KNOXVILLE.
Eighteen miles 3O79l5
! Total cost of finishing the Railroad from
Wolhala to Knoxville $i,5SG5I2
September 81 1860.
Col. Gwynn's original estimate of the cost
OF the construction of the road was 81, SIS, GIT.
Ills revised estimate, made after the expert
encc obtained by the construction of large
portion of the road, should establish confidence
in the result. BY adding the amounts of cx-
pcndture for construction which are exhibit
ed IN the Ireasurers Statement of the Affairs
OF the Company, to the estimated cost of
completing the road from Walhalla to Knox
vile, it will appear that the road can be fin
lshed with the original estimate.
The estimate has been made bv sections.
which, it is believed will be the stages in the
progress of the road to Knoxville.
The first and important section is from
Walhalla to Clayton. In that distance the
mountains are crossed, and all engineering
difficulties overcome Clayton will present a
point for the connection of roads West of the
mountains. at cost within the means of the
people. TO expect that they should construct
difficult, costly, and Improbable section of
the road across the Blue Ridge, is even more
hopeless than to expect that the same should
be built by individual contributions from the
SjI nf In VI.
OF the mountains must be effected, if at ali.
by State aid. The State of South Carolina
alone is interested in tho construction of the
Blue Ridge Railroad Indeed, the States of
Georgia and North Carolina arc interested that
it should not be finished. No aid can, there
fore, be expected from either of those States.
The enterprise must depend exclusively, on
aid from the State of South Carolina for it's
completion.
When the road is finished to Clayton, the
people of Franklin viii be stimulated to make
connection from that town The citizens
express confidence that, by their own effort,
the road will be graded from Franklin to the
Georgia line, The people of Macon and
Jackson counties have, at several large meet.
lngs, voted in favor of subscription of 500
600, by each of those counties. The indiyid
ua subscription can be increased. Thus, the
South Carolina Company will receive large
aid in completing the road to Franklin.
| The next stage is to Nantihala river. This
point was taken as station, because there the
Western extension of the North Carolina
Central Road will cross the Blue Ridge Road.
This Western extension is very nearly, if not
quite completed to Norganton, at the Eastern
base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From
NlorgantOn the road across the mountains has
been let to contract, and is in progress of con-
struction to within a few miles of Ashevilc.
a corps of engineers have, the past summer,
located the Western extension to Ducktown.
Those who are interested in this extension are
confident of State aid to carry it through. A
Company is organized for the construction of
a road from Ducktown to Cleaveland. From
this last town road is finished to Chattanoo
ga. When the road from Nantihala to Duck
town is completed it will largely contribute
to the business Of .he Blue Ridge Road. The
value of thst trade VIII effect the extension of
the Blue Ridge Road from Franklin to Nan
tihala
When the Blue Ridge Road is thus far cx-
tended, it will be taken up in Tennessee For
experience shows, that as soon as an advanta
gcous railroad connection can be made at
cost within the means of the people. they will
be animated to the effort, and provide the
means to make it,
The State of Georgia has granted charter
to the lliwassee Railroad Company, to con
meet Ducktown with Clayton Those who are
Interested in that road, are sanguine of aid
from that State. They are most dcsirous of
that connection, as the best for them but
they can do nothing unless the Blue Ridge
Road is finished to Clayton If that is long
delayed the impat.once of the people will make
them unite on the Ellijoy Railroad, which will
connect Ducktown with the Georgia road near
| Marietta When this is DONE a completed
road, though much less advantageous than
the Hiwassee Road, will satisfy the people, so
far as to make them desist from the effort and
cost of making the latter. Besides, the IN.
terest of private stockholders and OF the State,
if aid is given to the Elljay Road, will create
strong opposition to the making of a rival
road.
The expectation of these extensions of the
Blue Ridge Road from Clayton is not Wis.
ionary. 1t is supported by observation of the
progress of every existing railroad. To look
no farther than our own State. AS soon as
the Northwestern Road was finished to Flor
once, it was carried on to Cheraw II was no
sooner finished to Cheraw than it's extension
to the Coal Fields, in North Carolina, and to
Fayetteville Immediately engaged attention,
and produced combined effort to accomplish
it. The South Carolina Central has shot out
a branch from the Northeastern to Charlotte.
From Charlotte road to connect that town