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

Annual Report
Of NE President and Directors of Mc Blue
RdIge Ra6road Company Ia South Cur-
oiind.
The President ani Directors respectfully
submit to the Stockholders of the Blue Ridge
Railroad Company, in South Carolina, the
following Report OF the operations of the
past year, and the present condition of the
Company.
The Legislature, at it's last session, direct
ed II subscription of $4,000 to be made
for the State, to the stock of the Company,
payable in six per cent bonds This sub
scrption was expressly made for the pur
pose of completing the road to Walhalla BY
resolution, it was further directed that the
aid granted by the subscription should be
applied to complete the road to Walhala,
and for no other purpose; aud that the
work beyond the village Of Walhalla be i'm
mcdiatcly suspended, unless further subscrip.
tions be obtained, which may enable the Com
pany to extend the road beyond that village"
After this intimation of the Legislature
tn withhold, for the present, at least, further
aid to the road, additional subscriptions could
not be expected. Every part of the work be.
yond Walhalla, was therefore immediately
suspended.
1t will be seen, by the accompanying re-
port of the Chief Engineer, that the bridge
over Eighteen Mile Creek is finished; and
that over the Seneca River will be compile
ted by the first of January next. At that
time the grading will be done and the cross.
ties laid, 50 as to be ready for laying the iron !;
and lie expects the road will be ready for
operation III February next. All the ma
ternls necessary for the construction of the
hpI Mt nd 81,
have been purchased and delivered, and
await the construction on which the contrac
tor is now employed. The rails, chairs and
spikes have been imported; and no delay to
the completion of the road to Walhalla is an
ticipatcd from any default of the contractors
section of thirty three miles, or nearly
one sixth of the entire line of the road to
Knoxville, will then be in operation
Table a, which is appended, exhibits a
comparison of the several quantities and
kinds of work originally to be done for the
construction of the rond, in the several States
of South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina
and Tennessee.
From this table it appears, that the gra-
ding in South Carolina is more than double
the grading in Tennessee, with the same
length of road, and is nearly equal to the
whole grading in North Carolina and Ten
nessee--one hupdred and twenty miles,
The tunnels in South Carolina exceed all the
tunneling on the line; while the bridge and
arch masonry, in South Carolina, is nearly
equal to all the bridge and arch masonry of
the whole road. The estimated cost of the
road in South Carolina and Georgia, which is
seventy miles in length, and tlErty per cent.
of the distance to Knoxville, is fifty-eight
per cent of the estimated cost of the whole
road.
Table B, exhibits in three columns, the
several quantities and kinds of work, orig
inally necessary for the construction of the
road; the quantities which were done on 1st
September, 1860, and what remainder to be
done at that date. 4 2.
The following statement computed from
table b, exhibits the per cents. of the work
which has been dono in South Carolina,
Georgia and Tennessee
8. Cao.,na. Georgia Tennessee.
Grading 30 per cent 45 per cent. 80 per cent
Tunnels 66 per cent l5 per cent. 90 per cent.
Bridge and
Arch Ma
sonry "a per cent. 46 per cent. SO per cent
Sq'are drains ~ t. 3H-
'..orCulvertss4 percent 20 per cent. 4s per cont.
It will be seen that the principal part Of
the work has been done In South Carolina
and Georgia This is in conformity with
Che policy Of the Board, to direct the ener-
gy aud resources of the Company to the COM
ipletion of the road across the mountains,
which was adopted after Bangs & Co. wore
dismissed, = gccordipgly no work has been done
ia North Carolina. xpS = ~ Ael,
Thework in Tennessee was done in order
to comply with the conditions which were
annexed to the grant of the charter, and of
State aid, by the State of Tennessee. ytil,
(, The road might have been finished by
this time to the Rabun Gap, and far advanced
to- completion, as far as Knoxville, If the
work bad not been interrupted by frequent
suspensions, 49, 4 i s}} s., ~ is4,,
~ The Contract with Bangs & Co., though
made in 1855 contained ? condition that