, 1873-10-13
Origin Of the Undertaking.
What Has Been Done, and What ltc-
mains 10 Be Accomplished.
-Four Million Dollars Needed to Com
pleta the Enterprise
The Two Proposed Lines, Eastern
and Western.
Advantages to Be Derived by the West
from tile Consummation Of
the Project.

IQlu hu6 tUll5uuIAht4uA Va
the Project.
70 The Editor ~ The chicaao Tribune:
SIN: II you will allow mo small space In
your widoty-road aud valuable journal. rsll at
tompt, as briefly as possible. an explanation Of
THE ORIGIN
Of the Chicago & South Atlantic Railroad, so
far as re Of the South are connected with 1t, and
1ts progress among our reople.
You will $780, by tic documents accompanying
this letter. thai ms far back 1885, the project Of
connecting tho Northwest with the Atlantic Hoa-
board at Charleston was agitatod, and met a "a
vorablo response from delegates from nine largo
6tktea Of this Unfou, In convention at Knoxville,
Tenn. Owing to grcat financial oonvulsion oo-
curing Immediately afterwards, the entor-
prise was suspended, but novor abandoned.
In 1862, tho project was resuaoitatod,
and the State Of South Carolina made It State
enterprise. Proper charters wero obtained
from Anderson tho termt nus Of q railroad ex-
tending to Oharleaton), through tho States Of
Georgia, North Oarolihh. md Tonnesaeo to
Knoxville. Largo aid WAS granted by tho State
OF South. Carolina, tho City Of Charleston, the
State Of Tennessee, md private individuals; so
TINT, soon afterwards, tho work was commenced
and gradually pressed forward. Tho amount Of
aid obtained aa above, together With a favorable
contract made, was then supposed to bo ample
to complete tho entire line batwoon Anderson
and Knoxville. Thlrty-two uifcs Of frst-class
road, from Andoraon to Watbala, in South Car
-olina, and TO miles, from Knoxville to nfhryville,
in Tenneasee, hayo boen constructed, and arc
NOW being
SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED.
4hn Ynnaf fiffer1ft IS0ff{nn t1,a ,rsrr 1Aa hn,
tween WalhRlla mud tho summit OF tho Blue
Ridge Mountains, ut Rabun Cup. a distance OF
3215 miles. Upon this portion Of the line, re-
quiring for completion the longest time, large
amount has hoen expended; 80 that now tho
whole intervening work from Walha1la to Mary
vile. distance OF 1870 miles by recent Aurvoys,
can be completed In tHelvo or cighteen months
with proper force.
Tho estimated cost originally Of tho whole
1iue by Col. Walter Gwynn, was about 8,000,-
000; expended on it, near 81, 100000. In the
opinion Of competent persons, the remainder Of
the work can be done for about
FOUR MILLION DoLLAnB
by reducing the gauge to four aud half feet
and using cheaper masonry md eurerstruoture;
for the road now completed, and other work
necessary in the opening of 8 new limo.
Tho war between the States again suspended
operations from 1861 to 1870. South Carolinn,
not dsheartened, revived the project aud granted
tion o1. Southern securities, tho aid WAS found
unavailable, and only about $500, 300 expended,
sand the work is now suspended again. It ID
proper hore to state that tits additional aid WAS
mortgaged bonds to tho oxtont Of $4,000, ,00o but
those bonds have boon returned to tho State
AND CoSCELED, ..~
and no longer exist. eithor aa a dobt against tho
Company. or as q liability Of the State.
About the beginning OF the present yoar. q no
'tice was published In various papers, requesting
tho friends Of grand trunk road from Chioago
ito tue South Atlantic Ocean to meet in Augusta,
u lis Hon. W. j. from
tho Vest. and othor representative mon, woro
cordially received by tho authorities Of tho city
OF Augusta and mon OF lntluenco and caplsal.
After discussion, voluntary association wnB
formed to give shape to the enterprise aud bring
it into general notice.
CHICAGO AND AUGUSTA
wero selected as objective poiuts,-Augusta, ut
the bonthern oud, for reaHouH then deemed good,
md which have not yet hoard successfully
controversial. It (AuguHta) IL about 100 MilcB
from Port Royal on the South Atlantic Coast
and, at this point. you can strike deep water
to Augusta has, iron, that point four great lines
ct railway, leading OF to Columbia, 5. G., uud
Wilmington, to Charleston. to Port Royal and
savannah and, from tho latter city, to South
N9aLcEu tU0EElA unQ ElCTtun, ,--tnG 1ll9ronGo IN
distance over this line, to Charleaton. being go
immaterial as to be unworthy Of notoo. Tho
association IN Augusta suggested, nj
TIE PROPER LOCATION
OF thlH grand trunk Fond, tho following, viz;
From Chicago to Lexington, Ky; thence to
Knoxville, Tonn.; thence, over the Blne
Ridge limo, to Clayton, Ga; thence to AuguAta.
'Ga over the shortest. cheapest, and best limo;
Of Lexington, Ky.,, through Cumberland Gap, in
tho direction OF AHhoYillo, N. G.
:, Tho proceedings OF this mootng In Augusta
thoroughly aroused considerable portion Of
the people Of Georgia, South Carolina, North
Carolina, and Tonneszee. Public meetings have
been held, survoya Of now lines made subscrip-
tioua Of stock and pledges OF aid takon, and
many able nnd interesting reports submitted to
ing it's affairs aud It has 80 far progressed a. 70
call together, in tho laat few days, q
CONVENTION OF AEpnIsENTATIyE DELEGATES
IN this city from soyen different States. ALI
Northwestern men, as represented by the Hon.
w, s. Haymond and othera, 10 correspondence
and attendance in person at tho Convention in
Augusta, Ga.
point, think 1t mistake to Hay TINT the PROPOSE
tion to build this road cane from our section,
and that 1t restH with the South to build this
road from tho sea to the lake. Aud, If It Is OK
ssted in this great enterprise shall furnish IN
md only look k", to ohtcago, the mighty
then We may wcll reply, TINT, giyen ono
half tho cost Of tho work In caah In hand, it
would require no extraordinary financial skill to
raiae the othor half in almost any locality
But this ,nust DO an extreme Wow, for this
enterprise,
TO Re suCDE9sFuL,
must rest On mutual wants, mutual intoreBts,
md mutual aid, tho stronger helping tho woak;
the rich and powerful In resources in wealth
H. &~NA
to the impoverished and heipless, and only 1e-
quiring from the latter their mlto and no moro.
Tho Convention held ut this plaoe vaa
most Harmonious and agreed generally
noon q location from this cftv fChf-