The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-05-22
Speeches by Governor Scott, General
Harrison. y. II. g.aG..c, e. ID.
Mansfield sn, Others.


Chattanooga;) Colonel Adrian Terry, Engineer
Of the Knoxville and kentucky Railroad; DR..
J. W. T. Parker, VIM. Harvey and Wm. Wood
cock, Of Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky;
Colonel Cav, OF Chattanooga, representative
of the route from Chattanooga northwardly
via Emory Gap, Chitwood, &C., besides Mayor
Torrence, members of the City Council, prom
inent railroad men and citizens, who, during
the morning session, completely packed the
room.
W. 81. Harrison, Esq, chairman Of the COM
mittee, called the meeting to order at ten
o'clock, and announced that they we're again
assembled to listen to propositions and sug-
gestions from representatives from the South,
who were interested in the projected Southern
railroad.
Colonel John II. Crozier, Of Knoxville, was
the first speaker in favor of the Knoxville
route, and was followed by Colonel Terry, Chief
Er gineer of the Knoxville and Kentucky Rail.
road. who urged the claims OF the Chattanooga
route.
SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE sEABoARD.
Colonel John P. Low, Chief Engineer of the
Blue Ridge Railroad Company, next add essed
the meeting.
He said there were three main advantages
offered to Cincinnati by Southern railroad
communication:
/. The extension of the area to which she
may supply her manufactured articles, the
grain and provisions Tor which. she is O. great
market, and over which she may distribute
goods.
2. A connection with South Atlantic ports.
through which she may with advantage export
and import.
8. A connection with Gulf ports for West In
All considerations ofpubic policy and COM
mercial interest, then. seem to unite IN urging
you by no means to neglect the Knoxville con-
nectlon. we ere not hers 10 dsparage the
merits Of other routes which are here advo-
Gated. II the means were at hand for their
construction, all of those proposed could be
built with advantages toyour city beyond the
most extravagant statements which have been
made to you; but you can designate but one
s Ssep Peat adin; a,,1sSsw whish Ii
.iost III seeing DGslness men
a. ~ statesmen for iorty years during which the
subject has been discussed.
1t appears tn at you can secure the most i'm
portent OF the advantages that you seek by
line OF III miles less in length to build, and
$3, ,OOO, 900 cheaper than>by the line which would
abandon Knoxville.
CHARLESTON CONDITION., HARBoR AND FUTURE
PRosPECTs-eINCINNATI CHIEFLY INTERESTED
IN CLOSE ECTION-sPEECH OF MR. La
FITTE
J. b. LATTE, ESQ.,, of Charleston was next
called upon. and said that as those who had
preceded him had fully explained the advanta-
distance and comparative cost were concerned, !.
he would confine his remarks to the CONNER.
cial advantages to be derived from close con-
nection with the port of Charleston. He would,
ion that should Knoxville be selected as the
| Southern terminus Of the Cincinnati Road. the
Blue Ridge Railroad would be completed quite
as soon as the former road would be built to
taf limo IN ~, l. Il
should Chattanooga be selected as the termi-
nus, the Blue Ridge Road would, he thought,
be abandoned. The people Of South Carolina
ll9. had pushed forward the work upon their road
sonable prospect that Cincinnati would fulfil
her part of the original agreement; and had
the road TO- Knoxville have been completed,
been finished to that point to meet them. The
failure to complete the Blue Ridge Road long
since was owing. entirely to the apprehension
it they would still be as Tar from reaching their
much deslred connection with the great North
west as they were at present.
He said that since his arrival in this city he
had learned that the great object aimed at by
the people Of Cincinnati in building The pro-
jected road was to command the interior trade
OF the States lying south and east and south
west Of this city, thereby Offering new markets
and making Cincinnati the great distributing
point for supplying all those sections, which
should naturally obtain their supplies from
this centre.
He recognized the geographical position of
Cincinnati as being such as to warrant her
merchants in claiming for her the position of
the great distributing centre for all the central
part of our great country; but to accomplish
them with the articles OF her own manufacture,
and with her surplus products. but must also
De prepared to supply them with all other arti-
cles they may need, whether. Of domestic or
foreign production or manufacture. Ii you
wish to make this city the great central distri-
buting point, Of the country. you must be pre-
may need; for IL you cannot do that, he must,
OF necessity, 60 to other markets where he can
supply those wants, and in doing so will be
apt to make all of his purchases there, to the
serious detrirnent Of your trade in articles OF
your own product and manufacture.
Cincinnati being port of entry and already
importing q considerable amount Of goods from
Europe, it is only necessary that she should
open communication with some Southern
Atlantic port, through which she could import
all her foreign supplies at the lowest possible
cost.
ZIG. felt warranted in saying that no port
in this respect, and felt sure the more the mat
ter would be investigated, the more clearly
would this be made manifest.
Charleston, he claimed, had always been ac-
knowledged to be tho cheapest port on the
Southern Atlantic coast. and the ports in the
Gulf could bear no comparison in this respect,
as they were all much more expensive than the
Atlantic ports. Freights from the Gulf ports
were as q rule much higher than from Charles
ton. For brief periods, and owing to excep-
tional causes, this might not invariably be the
case; but usually the difference OF Enropean
freights was twenty-five per cent. in favor of
Charleston, al compared with the Gulf ports,
and TO less extent as compared with other
Southern Atlantic ports.
The cause OF this difference in freights was
the moderate expenses OF ships visiting that
port. Our bar is quite narrow, but 30 situated
that vessels need srcely ever employ the SER
wees OF q towboat; and when once over the
bar: the capacity OF and depth OF water In our
harbor is such that they can move about ut will
under sail alone. Tho depth OF water at the