The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-07-15

ed. III Is eSLlIlateu oy shiiIIut 0nu WIN
petent engineers, that the entire sum re-
.ouisite to complete the road, put it in
running order to Knoxville, and stock 1T
with motive and car power, will not ex-
ceed So, 100000 From Knoxville to Ma
rysville, there is already nearly completed
a section of twenty miles of the road, and
it is understood that the Legislature OF
Tennessee has appropriated u sufficient
sum per mile to purchase the iron ana
erect the bridges necessary to complete
its construction to the North Carolina
line.
The advantages of this route over the
Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New
York and Eastern roads, are most mani
fest. The trains will not be intcrtered
with to the same extent during the win
ter season by the heavy freezes which
prevail at the North, and this road may
therefore be worked more regularly ard
economically throughout the year. In
addition to these advantages, very ma
terial saving Will be cffeeted1in the trans
portation of all supplies seeking market
upon the seaboard from The West, and
upon all goods, passengers and emigrants
coing from the seaboard to the West.
Cincinnati and Louisville are brought one
hundred miles nearer the coast by this
route than by any other now in operation
or which has been projected. The adj
vantage which this road will possess over
every other terminating upon che Gulf OF
Mexico, is manifest. All the supplies car
rcd by these roads to the Cult ports for
foreign markets must necessarily round
the capes of Florida, where the navigation
is difficult and dangerous, to say nothing
of the larger consumption OF time in
reaching the markets Of the world, and
the increased cost of transportation upon
steam and sailing vessels, by the increased
rates OF insurance required.
Every consideration, therefore, Which
can move people in the promotion OF a
great enterprise, should operate upon the
citizens of South Carolinu and induce the
speedy completion Of the Blue Ridge
Railroad. When, finished it becomes the
great feeder OF every other railroad in the
State. 1t will not only furnish treights
for transportation, but in great degree
adj to the trade and prosperity of evory
village, town and city in the Common
wealth. ...
Tie present bonded debt Of the Com
pany, for which a mortgage has been ex-
ecuied, amounts to about $4,000. But
us the road terminates upon The edge of
tile mountains, stops short OF any con-
Meeting lines and is dependent alone upon
the production OF small tract OF country
between Anderson and WalhaIla, it has
not Welded sufficient revenue to pay
even the interest upon the first mortgage
bonds. The bondholders have not yet in
stituted any proceedings 10 foreclose the
mortgage, and it will be a most unwisv
financial policy for the State to allow it
to be done aud tue Road to be sold ont
for so paltry sum, when It's sale would
transfer all that has been donc, together
with the estate and franchises of the
Company, to strangers, and thereby lose
TO the State and her citzcns-to the in
divdu.,l stockholders and TO the city of
Charlcston-the enormous sum OF S.. 225,-
900. 1t is, therefore, indispcnsaby ne
cessary that some steps should be taken
to redeem this outstanding debt of $23o,-
O0O-the first mortgage bonds-which
constitute the only existing.lien upon the
Company The Legislature authorized
the Company to issue bonds under their
first mortgage to the amount of one mil
lion of dollars; but the Company, exer.
cisng prudent precaution, suspended
the work about the commencement of the
war, when they had issued, as already
stated, only s2S0O0O. 1t is highly I'M
portant that these bonds should be prompt
iy renewed, by substituting bonds guar
anteed by the State for the principal and
interest, and that steps be taken to re-
sumo the work at the earliest practicable
day, looking to its completion.
THE SOUTH CAROLINA pENITENr1ARY
transmit you herewith The report of
Major It. B. Lee, Engineer, Architect and
and Superintendent of the Penitentary.
covering the operations and progress of
the work up to the lst of January. 1868.
Also, Il supplemental report of the opera
tons of the Penitcntiary from the lst OF
January to the 1st of May, 1868. Also,
the report of the Commission appointed
by Maior-General Candy to investigate
certain charges of harshnoss and cruelty
towards convicts made against the Super
intendent; embracing the minutes OF the
Commission, the evidence taken, the
opinion of the Board, and accompanying
documents.
From The report of Major Lee, it will
be observed that, although by the Act OF
September, 1866, authority was given the
Governor toappont three Commissioners,
to select site for the Pcnitcntiary, and
an appropriation of $4,000 was made for
the erection of temporary cells, there was
little or no progress made with the work
until January, 1867. Since that time the
work has been pushed forward with re-
markable energy and economy, and the
construction, as far as it has been extend
cd will show q .-lar.,cr amount of llhor