The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-06-30
Proposed Southern Railroad.

the gentlemen sent as delegates, or
as q committee, from. the State of
South Carolina, to confer with the
merchants of Cincinnati i'm regard to
the project of obtaining direct rail
road communication with the South,
were received OH Change yesterday
afternoon. They were introduced to
u great many of our most influential
business men, and stated to them, in
detail, all matters pertaining to the
proposed work.
At half-past 2 O clock, the President
of the Chamber, Theo. Cook, Esq,
called the Chamber to order, and
stated, in few words, the object of
the meeting. Mr. Cook then intro
duced Hon. G.. A. Trenholm, of
Charleston, S. c., who proceeded to
address the merchants substantially
as follows:
I beg leave, in behalf of the com
mittees whom L have the honor of
representing, to return You, Mr.. Pre-
sident and gentlemen of the Chamber
of Commerce of Cincinnati, their
sincere thanks for the favor of being
| allowed to address and consult with
you here to-day. The subject which
we present to you for your considera-
ton is one in which i believe we ali
have common interest, and one
which the welfare and prosperity Of
the whole people almost, I might
say, absolutely demands
Nearly forty years ago, Il distin-
gulshed citizen of ~ neighboring
State, gentleman of great financial
and business capacity, with n keen
eye peering into the future of our
great country, told us in Sonth Caro-
lima that Cincinnati, then compare
lively Il small place, situated on the
banks of the Ohio, river which, he
said, dried up i'll summer and was
frozen over in winter, would, at no
distant day, be the queen city and
great commercial centre of the West.
He told us that, by the construction
OF railroad, we would be enabled to
draw closer together, in the bonds of
social. political and commercial inte-
rests, two great cities, Cincinnati and
Charleston; and in obedience to these
views, we are here to-day to see if the
bands cannot be drawn closer, and SO
welded together that time nor cir
cumstanceS can intercept us from the
desired end.
Smce the time of the arrival i'm
this city of the delegation, whom
have the honor to represent, we have
ascertalned that your views in regard
to the project do not exactly harmon
lze with those heretofore entertained
by the committee, and had | been
unaided, I would not have laid before
you the views entertained by the peo-
pie of South Carolina. AS it is. I
feel delicacy in presenting them to
the Chamber as body, knowing that
we do not entirely agree in urvicws.
Nevertheless, by your kindness.
will state briefly the details Of the
subject, which we We're sent to lay he-
fore You.
Our especial scheme at present is
the construction of what is called the
Blue Ridge Railroad line This road
commences at the town of Anderson.
5. c., and is intended to run through
to Knoxville, Tenn, where it will
terminate IN a connection with the
Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad.
The length of this road is 1914
miles, or in round numbers, for CON
venlcnce sake, we will call it 200
miles. The condition of the route,
amount Of money subscribed and cx-
pended, &c.s l will explain to you in
moment. The original estimated
cost Of the railroad was $500, 900.
or about S37, 500 per mile. No other
road was ever built across the noun
tains that cost less than 100000 per
mile, and having n grade of not less
than seventy feet to the mile. The
Blue Ridge Road will have a grade
going East Of forty-tive feet to the
mile, and going West of sixty feet.
These figures are plain truths, and l
address you upon the subject as bu-
slness men, or rs one business man
endeavoring to make trade with an
other. am neither politician nor
public speaker am merely a mer-
chant, and desire to deal with Won as
body as would with n single indi-
vidual. 1t would be vain. if not
wicked, to expect of you to do any
thing contrary to your own interests.
and it would be wrong in you to do
that for our welfare which. as bilsi-
ness men, would not enhance, even if
1t was not detrimental to your own.
1t would be impudent in me to ask
you to do so, unless l could show Won