Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1870-12-16
The Blue Ridge Railroad.


g disappointment at tho slow progress of
10 work and disgust at tho great expense
OF making and unmaking contracts and chang
rs routes; yet tho great Importance to us Of
y completion of the road keeps up a oontinui
T Interest IN it. 1t. is true, not near so M,
y has beon accomplished as wo would Wi
's yet there have been many difficulties
l. contend with, which should 90 far to
a cuse past shortcomings. sIts minimum pr
J. was fixed on the bonds below which tb
: were forbidden to be put on the market o
! Gre credit Z. was not SO good as could be desire
una tha war in Europe comes in for sha
o' the olame in our not being able to reuli
inc money promptly to carry on tho work
with these difficulties opposing, it is orat;f
ing to know that something has been don
mo Surveys have been completed, work
D'ok s Creek Tunnel has beeu progressin,
a"d every thing is ready for vigorous pros,
cutlon OF the work In the future. ~ 4
We clip, from tho Columbia f7,,;;o, -,
following extract from tho annual report
VOL Low upon tho location of the new rontI
Inc discovery and adoption of this route
auo to the energy aud ability Of Major Lei
| II nave caused tho line between W,lbo)A
ana Clayton Depot to be finally located nm,
revised estimates to be prepared >
AS to the snviug Of distance predictea +,
INC report OF May 3D., the line AS finally royis
ou o,o not snow 80 great gain us was antici
Pn,eu' hoped tho new luc would be :,
"'.o ana three quarters shorter tluu tho old
.ue o actual saving has boen one milo ond
1'fio tect, or about miIe and h,,f as
; &c INC saving III money it has been ore,tor
than was expected. II was stated in INV re-.
port Of May 3D., that on ina, location the
saving would probably be about sloo, 900.
The ru,npw,aat:ve estimates show s,y;np
of s324,474 so. :
AS stated in my last annual report saving
had tien been made Of large amount by q
change of line on Section twenty four.
Summing up these improvements, we have
saved SfO0,S26.7l, and on ono mile and
2.7lo feet distance between WaIhalla aud
Clayton, and to accomplish this we have in .
crensed the grade by an amount which will
diminish our freight trains not more than
two cars.
The grade from west to east has been ms
heretofore maintained ut 4o feet per mile on
50 curves.
Not the least important feature in this in.f
OF the line is the reduction ins
length of tunnels from 0,47G feet to 2,l64t
feet
The work dopc by Dir. Steer. has been
confined principally to ihrks Creek tunnel.
The changes made in the lt.ation hive left :
hard rs WAS Ieareu, auu waUcr IuS grycrr s-'.-f'
little trouble.
In my last report tho time required to com
plctc the tunucl was estimated upon rate
of forty feet per month. The actual progress
made as been forty two feet per month since
the lst day Of June last, and rate of two
feet per day has been attained for some time,
and can probably be maintained. There re,
main now (Nov. lst,) 1858 feet OF headinyl
to drive.
Including the time which will be occupied
in opening tho eastern approach twenty
months will be sufIi ,ient for the completion
of the tunnel by hand
Some portions Of the earth work W III require,
longer to finish than this, and therefore it il
unnecessary to introduce machinery or to sinl
the SHAFT as heretofore contemplated.
ROAD.
The estimate for that rortou of the roat !
beyond the boundary line between Georg,
ard North C,roinn, is still b ,sed upon the r
cords Of surveys and estimates made prior
tho way have confidence that great re III
ton can bc made, both in cost and distnno
by notifications of grade and curvaiui,
such ns have been adopted in South Carolia
and Georgia. and [ have vcnturncd to ni-
cate i'll the tabular estimate herewith prcse-
tod some such reductions, particularly ut to
points, one at or near Franklin, the othcru
Tennessee. Surveys only can give US ccrt;n
information, but the success which hast
tended our examinations between Wah2a
and Clayton is good nugury for the fatso
In addition to the reductions in probae
cost arising from improvements in locatn
heretofore mentioned, I have made an e-
mate Of saving that might he made by ad,t.
ing wooden structure or tresl e.works inotd
of masonry along the whole limo.
present this as matter of informa,n
for tho Directors, but am not prcparoto
recommend such structures except at exp
tional points suoh as' Chauga Creek nd
cha'uga River ~
Hon. HANDED AFrAIR.-Ye esterday rni
ming, Sheriff Frazee, having in charge
| Lnurens prIsoners-ten in numbcr-atteoI
ed to take the train for I4aurcns, in order
carry tho prisonro, before Judge Vernon, NJ
whom writs Of haJeas corpus hid been issul
in their respective. cascs. Before he couI
getupon the cars, he was arrested by the SV