Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-07-28


tainty, it would be unreasonable to suppose
thot when these works are accomplished, Louis
vile aud Knoxville will consent to stor there.
and being brought within thirtyscven miles
or each other, continue tGshs separated bv
that space. No one can doubt that the remain.
ing thirty.sevcn miles would soon be built.
oven it the Blue Ridge Railroad had no exis.
tencc. >-y~st ~
80 Cincinnati being, rs has,hecn already
said, committed to the exteaysf"h OF tic Lex
'hgton Road to Danville (from local consider.
ations also), may be regarded as equally i'm
pllcated in the progress of the events that are
leading lrrcsiStibly to the early connection of
both cities with Knoxville. -
The connection being then regarded MS
certain, let us now compare the advantages Of
trrcd ny the two rival routes for reaching the
South Atlantic ports-that by Cumberland
Gap and the French Broad, and that by the
Kobun Gap or Blue Ridge Railroad. Let
the question be first considered in relation TO
Cincinnati &
In the prosecution of tbf enterprise, the
point of departure for her Would be Paris, this
being the castcrnmost point on the Lexington
Railroad. The distance frop, Paris to Cum.
berland Gap, in straight line, is 120 miles.
From Cumberland Gap to Ashc
vile, n. G., 100 miles.
From Ashovillc to spartauburg,
Thus it is seen that it would require the The
construction of three hundred and twenty
miles of new road to accomplish by way of
Cumberland Gap the greatobjcc in view.
The cost, at moderate estimate, would not
be less than s12, 900, 900. The trade of Gcor-
gia, too, would be lost to the road for it would
be nearly or quite as short for her to carry on
her traffic, ms now, by way:of Knoxville and
Dalton
l'y way of Rabun Gap, on the other hand,
there arc only one hundred and sixty-four
miles Of new road to be constructed, and of
this great deal of the heaviest work has been
done IN detached sections, so that the cost of
completing it will not exceed 81, 500 900, and
y BY this route tho hl SEc4Ssa 4eSS!saa board
brought as near, as those of South Carolina.
1t will be observed, too, that in computing
distances we have given the Cumberland Gap
route the benefit of air lines as far as Ashc.
vile, n. G.; whereas, in the case of the Ma
bun Gap or Blue Ridge road, it is the actual
length of the located line that is given.
In the case of Louisville, deduction of sew
enty miles will have to be made in the lcngth
Of road to Cumberland Gap. When the Lc-
banon extension reaches London, the. distance
then to the Gap will he only fifty miles, in
stead of one hundred and twenty, as it is in
the casc of Cincinnati and Paris. But this
would be Of value only in thcrcvcnt that Gin
cinnati should abandon the Paris project, and
consent to make her connection by way of
Danvillc and London. In the composite view
that is, il she persisted in the construction
of nnindcpendent road from Pars-thcse fifty
miles would, on the contrary, have to be added
to the length of new road, of which the con
structon would be necessary to give the two
cities the connection suught--that is, three
hundred and seventy miles by way of Cum
berland Gap, against one hundred and sixty
four miles by way of Rabun Gap and the Blue
Ridge road. 1t appears to your committee
that these plain and practical considerations
forever set at rest every effort to unsettlc the
conviction, now thoy believe almost universal.
ly entertained, that the Blue Ridge Road pos
scsscs, in every aspect of the case, advantages
that exclude, all rivalry in it's CLAIMS upon the
two great sections of country that have SO long
been struggling for closer union.
. 1t must, nevertheless, be admitted that the
source from whence the capital for it's compile
! ton is to be drawn. remains still unrcvcalcd.
The people of Cincinnati, influenced by the
same discouruging experience that has every
where attended tho first contributions for TIC
construction of new railroads, arc avcrse from
making individual subscriptions and by the
Constitution of Ohio the city of Cincinnati is
prohibited from contributing to such enter
prises. Inipelled, however, by an honorable
rcss, and fully to develop the great natural ad-
vantaees of their city, they are looking, with
an Intelligent eye, toa direct Southern con-
by subsoription subs fund fund.- Of si,ooo, 1000 % '"p (now
nearly completely to be offered as a bonus to
any company that may complete, and put in
operation, the road thoy shall indicate.
It is not yet decided to what particular
work this fund shall be devoted neither can
it be deemed very available, encountered MS it
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