Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-09-25
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From the Atlanta (Gcorgia) Herald. 18th instant.

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From the Atlanta (Gcorgia) Herald, 18th instant.
THE AIRLINE RAILROAD.
This great line of railroad, materially short
ening the distance and time from New Or
leans, and from this city to New York, an ell
terprise which has been regarded as one of the
most important that ever was commenced east
of the Mississippi river, for forty years, is now
finished. 1t lacks only the arranging Of a
schedule from New Orleans to New York, to
have regular trains running through. TO
make this arrangement, convention OF rep.
resentatives Of all the railroads interested will
assemble in this city tomorrow.
This great work has been nearly twenty
years in hand It's failure has frequently
been predicted, and few labored persistently
to defeat it; but we believe even these now
join in the general rejoicing at its completion
Yesterday one of our reporters, learning
that Colonel B. Y. Sage, the Chief Engineer,
was in the city, called upon him to obtain for
this issue of the Herald succinct history of
this road. The interview was short, but very
pleasant and highly satisfactory, as follows:
Reporter Colonel Sage, the proprietors of
the Herald have requested me to call on you
and ask you to furnish them with the leading
facts in the history of the Airline Road and
if you can spare few moments for this pur-
pose I will be obliged.
Col. Sage-Be seated, sir, and will cheer
fully give you all the information / can.
Reporter Colonel, would be pleas
ed to know when the road was organized
Was there any work done on it before the
war?
Col. Sage-The road was chartered by the
Georgia Legislature in the winter of 1856,
and the company organized in 1857. Jona-
than Norcross was elected President A sur
vey was made by Alex. Warrell, the engi-
neer, during that year. He ran down the
Georgia Railroad to News Station, and from
thence to Lawrenceville and Jefferson, cross
ing the Oconee River at Hurricane Shoals,
passing near Madison Springs, and through
Hartwell, in Hart county, to Andersonville,
South Carolina-a village at the junction of
the Seneca and Tugaloo rivers.
During the following year B. G. Morse,
another engineer in the employ of the compa-
ny, located different route, commencing on
the line of the State Road about Winship's
Foundry, running up Peachtree ridge, follow.
ing The same along the Hog Mountain route
to Gainesville-thent through Gillsville, Cor
nersville, and to Andersonvlle.
Reporter-Neither of these routes were f.
nally adopted. Who located the present
route; and was it done before or since the
WARP
Col. Sage-In 1860, I located the route
from here to Pinckneyville very nearly as
the road now runs. Mr.. Harkey was then
chief engineer and I was his assistant The
line, as then proposed, was to leave the State
Road at Winship's Foundry, going by the
old Collier place, north of Atlanta crossing
Peachtree Creek, east of the bridge, striking
the ridge above Buckhead, and following it
to Gainesville.
A small amount of grading was done be-
fore the war, at three points-at Flowers
Station, near here, then near Gainesville, and
again near Hartwell, in Hart county. The
war stopped all work on the road, and thor
oughly disorganized the whole enterprise.
After the war, in 1866, I called meeting of
the stockholders, which assembled and effected
Il new organization. The Directors, after
this, in July of 1866, assembled in New York
and authorized me to begin the work anew,
which did in the cSeptember following. Ow
ing to the financial troubles of one of our
leading men in the enterprise, the work was
again stopped in the winter Of 1885, and not
resumed till December, 1867, when the COM
pany was again ro.organized, and Colonel Bu-
ford elected the President, with myself as En-
gineer
Reporter-At what time was the work of
grading actually commenced after the reor-
ganization
Col. Sage-I was going on to say, that in
1868 the company obtained an amendment to
their charter in the States of Georgia and
South Carolina, and procured charter in
North Carolina, and in the fall Of that year
surveys were again commenced, and after
long and laborious work and much careful
selections, the present line was located and
finally adopted by the company. In March,
1869, bids were advertised for the grading of
the first twenty miles, and contract made
with Messrs. Scott, Bondurant u Adams, and
ground was broken in the work in April.
The first rail was laid in September, 1869.
The first engine that ever went upon the track
was the old Georgia Railroad switch engine
"The South Carolina )" and the first Airline
locomotve-the" "Dispatch" "--was placed upon
the track OH the first day of October, 1859.
The first train reached Norcross in May,
1870. There was then only little log cabin
and whisky shop at the place Now it is
beautiful thriving village of considerable trade.
In the fall of 1869, contracts were made
with Scott, Bondurant & Adams, and with
Grant, Alexander & Co, to complete the gra'
ding from Norcross to Gainesville; and in
December of that year, the latter company
removed all their forces to Gainesville.
Before Christmas that year the cars reached
Buford. There was then on ly single build
ing-a double log og-cabin-at the place, with
one end rotted down, and Il widow woman
with five daughters living in it.
The first train that went to Gainesville was
in June 1S70-an excursion of the Knight
Templars-the Grand Encampment of Geor-
gia being then in session at that place.
In the spring of 1870 a contract was enter
ed into with P. P. Dickson to grade the entire
line from Gainesville to Charlotte, North
Carolina, and in July. work was commenced
simultaneously all along the line from Char
lotte to Spartanburg- -seventy-tive miles; but
in the following year he sold out his contract
to Thomas A. Scott
Early in the year 1871, a contract was made
Il p. r. ID{ {l,o