The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-19
On THE WING.
or OF tie Charleston Daily Ne,cs:

| To The Editor OF tie Charleston Ddi!y NetcS:
The closing remarks of my previous letter, re-
lating to Branchvne, are perhaps liable to miscon-
struction. When said that Branchville had not
made such progress as We might have reasonably
expected from its favored situation, did not mean
to derogate from any merit or credit, which Is It's
due. Branchville, as you are doubtless aware, was
| on one of the extremeties Of SHERMANs ''sWatn,
and that distinguished general made his mark on
this little unpretentious railroad village Inc war
was scarcely over, however. before enterpr1sing
men set to, and rebuilt the town, SO that now 1t
stands before the traveller in more than Its
pristine, antebellum splendor.
| One of the improvements near BranchVile,
noticed by me for the first time last week, ID the
curve, by means Of which the trains are 'sni1ted
from the Columbia to the Hamburg side OF the
road and vice versa, without turn-taole. Inls
arrangement, understand, was devised and per-
fected during the war; and is of great service ana
convenience to the company.
| few miles from Branchville ne cross the Edlsto
River-very high at present, and the WOODS anu
swamps adjoining all under water. Midway
Bamberg, Graham's Turn Out, all thriving
villages and railroad stations, succeed each otner
at intervals of about two miles. About two O'CLOCK
the cars reached Blackville, ninety miles from
Charleston. Here stopped and looked around me.
Blackville was "located" in 1927, and called after
Major BLACK, an engineer connected with the rail-
road then in process Of construction. The people
of Barnweil C. H., (ten miles from Backvile), it Is
said we're SO Jealous of the rising fame and pros
perity of the nascent village, that out OF petty
spite they only spoke Of its people as tAe bldcS
| V7Aians. This of course was Calling to this good
| and honest people, and they cast about for some
| adequate means to obviate this reproach They
concluded to change the name OF their town for
the more euphoneous "Clinton." This was IN
1S49; but the Postofice Department was not lnl-
pressed with the alleged necessity Tor change
of name, and told them they could change the ap-
peDation of the town to Clinton, but the Postohce
should continue to be called Blackyie and nothing
else. So after ailing under double flag for about
twelve months, the citzsnsreturnedt to an undivided
allegiance to Blackville. resigned thenceforth to
bear the odium inseparable from residence at
this town. Why did they not consult their school-
master, who would have told them to CAL IL Me-
lainopolis, or "Negropolis2" However, let that
pass The town was incorporated in 1S45, and at
present is under the executive administration OF NJ
F. MoIoNY, Esq, the Intendent.
| Blackyille is the iYehest looking pace on the
| line Of the South Carolina Railroad Although
sSHERMAN's Grand Army" burned forty-si1 build
ings, the vestigcs of this destruction have nearly
all disappeared. New storehouses have been put
up, and yet others are in process OF completion.
The following are the chief merchants OF the
place: Messrs. JACOB MEErzE, NJ. F. MALoNY, JAS.
KELLY, P. ". FARRELL, STEWART & NEvELs, s.
BROWN, f. DoDENHoFF G. P. LARTIaUE (M. d.,
Mrs. A. C. LANCE, R. OAKMAN, NJ. RIoH, A. KNoPF
| (Postrnaster), and q. ASHER. MIR. J. G. STRoBEL
keeps the hotel. and if sll travellers fare as well
there as did your correspondent they will have
nothing to complain Of.
Blackville is well situated as business centre.
1t is the natural outlet of the rich lands along
great part of the Edisto, Savannah River and Sal
kehatohie The lower parts of 0rangeburg and
Lexington Districts also formerly did great part
of their trading here. The Columbia and Angus
ia Railroad, if it is ever built, will probably cut
| into the latter, az Orangeburg G. H. and Bamberg
have already come in as competitors Tor the for
mer. More cotton was shipped before the war
from Blackville than from any four or five OF the
adjoining stations along the South Carolina Rail
road. New depots, however, have sprung up since
then, and some Of the old ones have increased in
Importance, SO that it is not probable that Black
vile will in future be as important an enrepot as
she was in the past.
SHrRMANs army remained here Ella days, and
burned about si1 hundred bales Of cotton stored
here. The railroad, as is well known, was torn up
for some sixty miles-from Edisto to Aiken; and
Ifew who did not see the extent Of the devastation
produced by this desolsting march, can have any
idea what difficulties the South Carolina Railroad
Company had to cope with in their efforts to re-
pair their road. Instead Of blame for delay, I
think they merit the highest credit for the amount
OF work they have succeeded in accomplishing
within comparatively brief period Of time, and
under circumstances very discouraging in every
respect.
The merchants and people Of Blackvlle natur-
ally attach great importance to their town. much
greater perhaps than will be readily accorded to 1t
! by others, who are either disinterested or whose
interests will give their opinions different bias.
Thus was told that railroad from Millen to
Orangeburg MA Blackville, about eighty miles,
would be Just the thing to secure the travel from
the South; the distance between those two points
by the present circutous route being one hun
dred an0 orty three miles, This road would pass
through Barnwell c. H., and Blackvilie; and the
ten miles between these two last named places are
already graded.
Heretofore this District produced more corn,
| and often more bacon, also, than 1t consumed.
Between the war, SHERMAN, and the freedmen,
there has been all but an determination Of the por-
cine race. Pork is thing OF the past. The
| ,kat;r ,lyd dao m
not be raised here in future. 1t is held by the
freedmen, 1 believe, that hogs are outlaws, and
| therefore have no rights negro is bound to
respect hence their rapidly increasing rarity.
Everybody now buys bacon, and the quantity OF
this commodity brought here this year is astound-
ing.
| The corn crop here, as everywhere else, was
failure last year. Many farmers made nothing at
all; few more than enough to carry them through
the winter, and believe only one or two, perhaps,
within twenty miles round, who were not COM
PEELED to purchase corn during the past summer.
From the middle Of March to September the aver
age amount Of corn brought to the depot at Black
vile, and there distributed to its different con-
sgnees, was about 1000 bushels week-from two
| to three car loads every day.
The destitute have been relieved both from the
fund appropriated by Congress, and distributed
through the Freedmen's Bure au and also by corn
sent out by the Baltimore and other Northern
Volunteer Relief Associations. From the former
source about 1900 bushels of corn were obtained at
this depot and from the latter about 1000 busneis
The corn crop this year is fair, perhaps still q
little below good average. The district, as whole
will probably make enough to feed itself; the great
est drawback has been the continuous wet wealth
er. In this vicinity it is estimated that enough
corn will be made to last until July; but in the
Savannah river country it is thought there will bs
corn to SELL
| AS regards the cotton crop. the prospect is not
| o. rlo ra;n has heen deetarinlls at every