The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-06-04

The UCfty OF Port Royal" as tt Stands
.Progress and Condition OF the Port
Royal Railroad-A Great Timber Re-
rion-B q n fol ia Well-Managed
Town-The SaIton House-Tho Crops,
SC.
[FRoM OUR TRAVELLING CORRESPONDENT
. BEAUFORT, May 81.
A large class of your readers will, doubtless,
be interested to know something OF the con-
tempated City of Port Royal. The old Elliott
tract, on the extreme southern end OF Port
Royal, or Beaufort Island, known as Battery
Point, was purchased at government sale of
conflscated lands by the Messrs. Appleton, OF
the Waltham Watch Company, better known
atthe South as the gentlemen who have re-
Gently purchased controlling Interest In the
Port Royal Railroad. This tract contains be-
tween five hundred and thousand acres Of
marsh and high land; on the east flows the
Beaufort River, and on the west Battery
Creek. The one broad and majestic stream,
the other.a creek of large size and deep va.
ter. A map of the projected city, published
by the owners of the site, exhibits tWenty-ionr
avenues running north and seuth, flfty.six
streets crosslRg these at right angles, and
eight hundred and ifty-two squares or olocks,
five hundred feet long lby two hundred deep.
The avenues and streets are numbered re-
spectiyely one, two, three, &C.; the former are
eighty feet wide, with sidewalks twelve feet
deep. and the latter ore sixty-six feet, win
nine feet sidewalks. On the Battery creek
aide. lust where the high land terminates, the
Port Royal Railroad Company have Dniit q
substantial bulkhead, with water front OF
four Hundred feet by depth OF Two hnnareo;
A perpendicular sounding from this bulkhead
gives twenty-four feet OF water at mean low
Ide. Directly opposite, on Beaufort River,
the depth of water is said TO Do tWenCy-seVen
feet at the same time. The. present city con.
sists OF iour rough one-story houses, q nall
plantation hoHse, and vast expanse OF weed
and hfamble. The proprtetors are onerlng
lots. one hundred by twenty-five feet, for sale
at two hundred dollars. Several have aireaoy
been sold, and q number OF buyers are now IN
negotiation ior the purchase Of others. Ine
name of a prominent shipping firm Of Charles
ton IA mentioned as on the list OF appllcatlons
for nnrchase. A drawback TO the sale of these
lots has hitherto existed In the don0tfni valid
ity OF titles given by the United states GoV-
eminent under the conf1scation act. TO re-
move this difficulty the Aessrs Appleton nave
This land by the original owners.
The track of the Port Royal Railroad ID now
laid To point about twenty miles north OF the
Savannah and Charleston Railroad, ana
daily train now plies between there and Bat
terry Point, forty-four miles distant. me pres
ent stock of iron is exhausted, so that the
work of LAYING Is temporarily suspended untli
the arrival of fresh cargoes. Those are daily
expected, It Is thought that the road WILL %
10 q condition to bring freight ana passengers
from Augusta by the first Of October next; put
the bridge over the Savannah hlver VIII hot
be completed until some months later.
The line of this road passes directly through
the heart of one OF the finest timber sections
of south. Carolina. Yellow pine is the most
abundant kind. This is Of very superior quai-
ity: trees are quite common measuring Iorty,
fiity,, and even sixty feet from the grcnnd 10
the first limb. No less than nine saW mlIS are
rnnnIng. and In course OF erection, Witala an
area ef fifteen miles on the road, and otners
ara In contemplation. One thoroughly reallIes
here that this Is s'the age OF machinery" ior
hs listens to 1.-THE echo Of Its mighty pulses
throbbIng among the loneliest hills" Large
quantities of lumber are already orougnt 10
Port Roysl and the future increase must Dc
large. as the demand, Just now, Is much
.greater than the supply. At least half dozen
careoes, tor Cuba and tie North, are now
awaiting vessels.
About four miles above Battery Point, on
the river of the same name, Is situated Tag
Town of Beaufort, upon neck of land formed
nv bep6 In the river. Just In front oil the
town the river makes another bend in the
shane NJ a perfect horseshoe. Awhile sand
bluff about twenty feet high, on the western
shore, forms the toe OF the shore, ana dense
DIne forest, on Ladies' Island, constitutes tne
heel. Altogether the situation is one OF the
most charming imaginable. shell road, ex-
tending along the river front of the town Tor
half mile or more, affords an excellent as
we'll as delightful drive. Beaufort contains
great many elegant and spacious mansions,
but unfortunately many of these are now 10
very diapidated condition. Numerous n, aa,1e sna9e
WhIteWaahed, adding greatly.to the appear
ance of the streets. The management OF Inc
municipal affairs has been very good. The
close of the war found the town with deots 10
the amount OF twelve to fifteen Thousand do!-
lars. These have all been paid OF, leaving the
Town out Of debt. Prior to the war there was
an excellent library here, but the books nav
ing been removed to Washington BY the gov
ernment, after the capture OF Beaufort, tneJ
were there destroyed by fire. A bill ls BOW
before Congress to appropriate len Thousand
dollars for replacing these DOCKS; I Ihe saxon a
accommodations are far better than ls afforded
hv most country towns. The lumber mill oil
d q. Wilson & Co., about half mile north OF
the town, is one of the most complete and
ildiciOuely conducted saw mills III tne oCaIe.
There is no waste-the ends of timber which
are unfit for other purposes, and usually given
away as worthless, are sawed into shlngtes Oh
Ane quality and sold from four to Six dollars
per Thousand. The machine used for this
purpose is Muzzs patent; 1t is managed by one
man, and Ia capable of turning out fourteen
thousand finished shingles per day: The iur-
mace is fed By sawdust, thus utilizing very
troublesome encumbrance. The arrangement
of the mill Ia such that lumber can 6e turned
directly from the saw into the hold OF Vessel
at the wharf.
The crops on Beaufort Island consist prlncl-
pally of small patches planted by negroes.
Cotton is rather backward and decidedly
grassy. The reports from the lower Islands
Are to the effect that cotton crops are good,
though somewhat grassy. In the political
arena the cry, on all sides, is hurrah Tor Gree
lev. and down with Scott and Grant.
BIO RuBY.-An exchange says: "Protes-
sor @. q. Shepard, of Amherst College, mas
mat secured for his cabinet the largest ruby IN
The world. TIE largest ever known before Is
the size of q mans fiat, but this is about Two
feet high, one foot In diameter, and weighs