The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-11-13
lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.
TOTHE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.

For the last two or three years have been
an attentive spectator Of the course pursued
by the Ring that at present rule the destinies
of the Blue Ridge Ridge Railroad. Hitherto
they have had all their own way, but at the
coming election 1t may be possible tor honest
men to wrest the railroad from their grasp. A
short review of their conduct, from one whe
has had considerable opportunities for investl,
gatlng 1t, may not be vaueless.
In February, 1869, Major T. B. Lee, per-
sonal friend OF the president. j. w. Harrison,
was engaged, at salary of $4,000 year, as
.'prIucipaI assistant engineer" to resurvey the
line. AS far as have been able to discover,
his entire railroad experience consisted In
having been employed for year or two pre-.
vious to the war as rodman, chain-carrler and
transitman under the surveying engineer OF
the Blue Ridge Railroad. Organizing q corps
he reran the old line, (two-thirds completed,
and also a line round the tunnel that had
been examined and condemned by the
previous engineers.
The survey and estimates completed. con-
tractors were invited to tender for the whole
line, one of the conditions being tnat tney
we're to advance $500, 900 to the company De-
fore receiving any pay for the work. Cress-
We'll. Peterson & CO. took the contract, en-
blowing Thomas Steers as subcontractor. MOI
ful6lline. however, the terms of their agree
ment, and thus greatly damaging the interests
of the company, Cresswell & 20. were paid
s75. 900 and all the debts they had incurred oa
the railroad. on condition that they would
abandon the contract.
Instead of again putting the construction OF
the line to public competition, the contract
was privately given TO the individual (or cor
noration) working under the title of "Thomas
Steers" on far more advantageous terms than
those given to Cresswell & Co. The new con.
tractor was to be paid In cash at the end OF
each month for all work performed. Notwith.
standing the tremendous fall in gold that had
inst occurred, the actual prices in dollars and
cents paid for several descriptions of material
was higher than In the previous contract. In
the remainder 1t was about the same. The
price of bridge masonry was Increased hfty per
cent Materials that could not be called
sIearth." and yet that might be worked and
handled with almost equal ease and cost, In
stead of being paid for at the express yalua-
tIon In each case Of the engineer, as in the
former contract. were to be classified as loose
rock at seventy.fv Cents a cuoic yard. The
prices averaged at least double those paid to
any former contractor on the line before the
war. whose rates / have been able to OBTAIN,
and there are very few who have taken con-
tracts iE the line that will not come under that
category. Steers's prices arr, as a rule, also
at least itty per cent. more than cash prices
paid on the AIR Line and other honestly con-
Quoted railroads In the South. The price on
the AIR Line Tor earth Is about twenty cents a
cubic yard (halt In bends Of lhe cDlnpany.)
1T. Step 81 gets thirty cents cash. ROCK, tun-
nelling and masonry are high In ike propor-