The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-05-13


their track! That rs TO say, for the par.
tial and restricted use of eleven miles OF
the South Carolina Railroad track, inclu-
ding their bridge, the Columbia and Au-
gusta Railroad Company shall pay ''some-
thing corresponding" to half million OF
dollars, when they can construct scpa-
rate track and enjoy its exclusive use, for
less than halftbat amount! and these were
the "fair AND liberal terms" to which MIR,
Johnston never came" Admit that it has
cost the South Carolina Railroad Compa-
ny; as alleged, s5O0,00O to connect with
Augusta-admt that the privilege ID
worth to that Company what they have
paid for it-.docs it follow that it is WORTH
the same amount TO the Columbia and
Augusta Railroad Company? In whaS
respect would the partial ase of this track
be worth to them something correspon~
ding to S500,0O0, when they can build q
separate track for S200,000'
Whether or not the South Carolina
Railroad Company have purchased and
now own the exclusive right TO eyoss the
Savannah river into Augusta, is matter
which rests between that Company and
the city. The Columbia and Augustus
Railroad Company is bound by the city
of Augusta to cross the river, and to corr
duct their road into the city; and more
than six To- one of her voters in 1866 voted
for a subscription of 100000 to the Co.
lrs,nbia and Augusta Railroad on this very
condition.
Mr.. Courtnay, in his speech to the Con-
vention, is reported TO have said:
ga road is chartered from Columbia to
Hamburg, the route is practicable one;
for the records Of the courts will prove
that by competent witnesses, but for sonAc'
ulterior reasons it diverges and comes TO-
GranitevilIe, and when it gets there, the
President of that Company makes pro-
position to the South Carolina Road to
enter upon the free use of our road,
bridges ard privileges to Augusta for %
consideration which. really amounts to no
consideration at ALL"
suppose he meant to refer to the route
from the Pine House to Hamburg. IT so,
in reference thereto | beg to say, that
1.-The records Of the Courts will show, by
competent Witnesses that,ln the opinion
of two scientific engineers OF high charac.
ter, who surveyed the route referred to-, il
was found impracticable ut any reasona-
bic cost, and that without any "ulterior
design" those engineers recommended the
route via Granileville. That point was
not only or an air line from Columbia to
Augusta, but was son the most practica-
bic route" within the strict and litcras
meaning of the charter Of the CoIum6its
and Augusta Railroad Company Instead,
therefore, of casting about for the "uite-
rior design" which directed the locatiorS
by Granitevilc, would it not be we'll to in.
quirc what earthly reason could exist for
the avoiding of Granitcville. If doscr'
other "practicabe" routes could bave
been found, was there any one more pracs
ticablc? 10 reach Hamburg through tho
same valley of Horse Greek in which
G,.aniteville is situated, the South Caro-:
lima Railroad Company, in tho locationof
their road, diverged widely from their de
rect line, making their track at least fit.
teen miles longer between Charleston and
Augusta than the old wagon road and
twenty miles longer from Charleston to
Columbia. The divergence OF the Column.
bia and Augusta Railroad from the road
usually travelled adds less than six miles
to the distance between Columbia and
Augusta, and it is now the straightcsC
road in the State Of equal or greater
length. except the Northeastern and ihe
Wilmington and Manchester Railroads.
One word more as to the "insigniicant
thousand or two" which / offered for tho
.,,,..I. of thn South CorOIino
Railroad from Granitevillc TO Augusta.
The length of the South Carolina Rail.
road, with all its branches, is about 2A3
miles. Before the war its income was over
81 500. 900 per annum. Since then it has
averae eed for the last three years over
81 100000 annually. This is over $4,000
tor every mile OF track, including the
Camden Branch OF 38 miles, which is said
to have been charge upon the balance OF
the road-n0t paying its expenses. AS to-
the Columbia ann Augusta Railroad, 1t is
fair to assume that. after it shall have de-
veloped the country along its line and
have attracted, by reason OF it's shortened
distance, much new freight and travel
that never would have passed over the
South ejarolina Railroad because OF it's
most circuitous route--it is fair to as
sumo that their per mi.s receipts will
approximate the per mile receipts OF tho
Sonth Carolina Railroad If sor and es.
tima,ins these receipts at, say, $4,000 per-
mile, the proposition made BY mo to Mr.
Magrath for the use of eleven miles,
would, if accepted, have yielded to tho
South Carolina Railroad an annual In
come of $4,000, or putting tho per mile
receipt at only $4,000, the offer was still
better even then than the one referred to
by Mr.. Courtenay, as having been made
by Col Childs, (to-wit: S35, ,OOO) and whicd
he refused to accept, unless upon the fur
thcr condition that the Columbia and Au.