Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-09-29
poll 7r0gMl.
The Blue Ridge Railroad.

~ "'' LIDH' IIfUNTt II. runner
Your next objection to granting aid to the
blue lodge Railroad Company is stated thus ::
on bring to notice the South Carolina Cen
trad Railroad, extending from Gourdin's Sta
ton on the Northeastern Railroad to Charlotte.
witch, you say, "will place Charleston in
connection with the North Carolina Western
extension at Statewide, road penetrating to
that very region of country where the Blue
ltd%e is attempted to be built Let me ask
why TINS connection will not Suhscrvc all the
purposes of the Blue Ridge road"
III" IS an assertion, though it is put inter
rcS't'vcIy, you frequently do in your letter.
when you intend to be emphatic.
Inc . very region of country where the
blue Ridge is attempted to be built is down
the valley of the Tennessee River to Knox
VILE, and approaches, at Clayton, within one
hundred and forty miles of Chattauoora
which is the focal point of the Western and
Southwestern roads whose trad is diverted IA
Charleston or savannah Your assertion is
that the Statewide connection will put Chr
icston IN connection with this region of coun.
try, III manner SO advantageous as to sub
serve the purpose Of the Blue Ridge Road.
The advantage of one railroad over another.
Is estimated by the comparative length uf the
roads for the cost of transportation is gcncr-
ally in proportion to the length of the rosd
and You must, therefore, be understood to as.
Sert that 1T will not be further by the Statcvillc
connection from Charleston to Knoxville and
Gnatt'no1ga, than it will be by the Blue
Ridge Roqd
From Charleston to Knoxville. by the Blue
lhdGe Road (ya Aiken), is 40 miles. and
to Chattanooga, by the IIwasscc Branch
(whcn builD will be 4l5 miles.
Will now III t,n 1icf,no,, r..,.. ~
places to Charleston, by the Statevile con,
nection.
The distance from Chattanooga to Knox
vile is Is miles Knoxville to MorriStown
on the Virginia and Tennessee Tailroad II
miles; Morrstown to Paint Rock. 35 miles
PANT Rock to Statcsvillc, 1852 miles. This
distance ls taken from the report of Col.
Gwynn to the Governor of North Carolina, in
loof, OF the survey, location and estimated
cost OF the extension of the North Carolina
Central Railroad from Salisbury to Paint
Rock, which were ordered to be made by the
North Carolnn Legislature. From Statcsyille
to Charlotte, measured on Poor's Railroad
Map, not less than 80 miles, the sum of these
Distances shows Charlotte, by :hc Statewide
connection. to he lS9 miles from Knoxville.
and 40f miles from Chattanooga. The dis
t,nce from Charlotte to Gourdins Station is
i4Z miles, and from that Station to Charles
ton is 50 miles whic! would place Knoxville.
by the Statewide connection, 481 miles from
Charleston, and Chattanooga 500 miles. The
excess of those distances would present scri
Gus objections to your proposed substitute for
the Blue Ridge Road with the citizens of
Charleston; but | suppose you regard it as
insignificant, when it is opposed to the State.
Vile connection
But the greater distances from CHATTANOOGA
and Knoxville by tho Statewide connection
than by the Blue Ridge Road do not present
the most serious objection to your statement
that the Statewide connection will subscrve
all-thc purposes of tho Blue Ridge Road.
Before your Statewide connection can be
available North Carolina must flush its road
across the Blue Ridge mountains to Ashcville,
and from Ashcyile to Paint Rock, which is
ON the western boundary of North Carolina
and then the Tennessee Company must finish
the road from Paint Rock to Morristown.
Col. Gwynn estimated the cost of the road
from Paint Rock to Flat Creek. near Ashe.
vile, to be Sl,l40,000; from Flat Creek