The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-02-05
Navigation of the Upper Savannah Ri

+;yetsps there we're formerly three ttourlshlng
towns each bearing the high sounding name
of a :Fnnpean capital. The one on the South
Caroline shore was Vienna, the one on the
peninsula lying aud situated in Elbert county,
between the streams, was petersburg, ana tne
one on the south shore of both rivers, ana IN
Lincoln county, was Lisbon. We use the past
tense IN speaking Of these towns, for, at :h1e
present time, not the vestige OF town remains
except on the site Of old Lisbon. Since the
war some two or three stores have been opened
here which are supported by the neighborhood
trade, principally, we suppose, amongst the
blacks; -: -! ,...as... =, -. 49,.
It was, supposed at one time that the juno.
tion of these, two rivers would be the head OF
navigation on the Savannah, hence the won
dsrfni growth of these three towns. large
amount of cotton and tobacco tobacco was
then the staple production of this section) was
shipped to Augusta, down the river in barges
alndspoIe boats. and the towns furnished very
extended population and prosperous territory
with supplies Of all kinds In the town OF
Petersburg alone there were some thirty stores
IT, is marvellous that these towns, once 50
fotrishing and of such Importance, should,
WiEhin the memory of men now living, actually
rot,ydown, and! pass completely out or the
thoughts and minds of men It is a singular
large, and busy places should, within tl!e space
Of one generation, have faded away, not trace
or vestige Of their existence remaining, but
the yery spot Oil which they stood being now
cultivated as farms or overgrown with trees.
And. .what,is,th solution of the great myste-
rv9a Commerce, trade: This point failed to
prove the head of navigation; other and more
rapid and safer means of transporting the ag-
ricnltural productions of that region to market
and of bringing back all needful supplies to
the people took the place of the barge and
pole boat, and our cities faded. - '.-
but these three ancient towns, with their
Understanding names, or one at least, may yet
regain their ancient glory and build houses
and stores which will stand as long as the Land
on. which they will be built. The country all
around may yet have its products carrIedto
market and its supplies brought back by the
river. And: Washington may even open up 9
communication by railway with the riser at
this point and receive her supplies by the same
route. ,..,i,....l4 -a.5 .D,,
These thoughts were suggested by reading
dr., editorial in the Augusta C6nstttutionallst IL
regard to improving the navigation of the
Savannah river. That journal, however, does
not stop or rest satisfied with navigation to our
cities at the junction of. the Broad and Savan-
nah, but stretches on in Imagination up the
stream for one hundred miles above. we
were greatly surprised atithe small cost which
it is said will be necessary to open up the river
to steamboat navigation for one hundred miles
above this point, making in all one hundred
and fifty miles above Augusta. The Const.tu-
tionalsst puts the figures at S450,00O. Unless
it is mistaken in its estimate, this great river
should be converted into Havigable stream
without any delay. Even if the cost should
greatly exceed this estimate the work should
Be done. We were not aware until we read
the article alluded to that the project was
feasible, having heretofore been under the
impression and having been Informed by river
men that the obstacles to navigation to steam
boats of the very. shallowest draft were lnsur-
,nountable. Our informants however, were
not engineers, and were not competent to give
q correct opini6n. "
If it is feasible to make this river navigable
fbr boats drawing . few feet of water, say rour
or five, lille. .cest; unless it be fabulous, should
not stand in the way of a work of so much lni'
uortance, and it. is indeed a great pity that
uartion of the money thrown away by some OF
our Legislatures of the past upon worthless
railways which cannot pay their running ex-
penses after having been built and equipped oy
the State had not been expended upon this
project which would have been of the very
greatest value to the State and to the people OF
tie whole State and not to one small section
alone .or, to airing of public plunderers, and
which would have been permanent IN It's great
good. ~, =" .'.'- -.
The, Cbnst;hstionaISst proposes that Congress
be asked to- make an appropriation tor this
purpose, andtintimates that bill will be IN
troduced into the Legislature asking State AID.
We think there is little hope of help from Con-
qress. the Savannah does not water the proper
section to obtain national aid We are opposed
to the Government, State or Nation giving
pecuniary aid to internal improvements. we
are opposed to this for many reasons, the chief
of which are that it gives too great an oppor-
tunity to dishonest men to cheat, defraud and
pluhder the Government, that one secGonas
often benefited, while the people OF the rest
of the State, Mho are taxed to pay the appro-
priations, are not benefited in the least, and
thstiRternal improvements of sufficient Impor-
tance to be undertaken byithe private individ-
uals who are benefited by them Now, we 40
not think these objections hold in this instance
In the first place the clearing out and keeping
ID order the channel of rivers is very different
matter from the building of railways There
is not the same temptation to or room Tor 1raud.
The opening up of the navigation OF such a
river as the Savannah for one hundred and nifty
miles would benefit directly a very large section
of the State and a very large portion Of the
population. The river could be- made to pay a
reysnue into the Treasury annually which
would tighten taxation, thereby benefting the
whole people. 1t would also indirectly benefit
them BY greatly increasing the wealth and
prosperity Of very large Section of our do
main. And lastly we cannot see how the thing
can be done by private enterprise 1t is always
customary for Congress to make appropriations
for the improvements of rivers and haToors,
and we do not remember ever to have hearo
any complaints on the subject, except as TO the
manner of distributing the appropriations
share. -.
The Importance Of this project is too plain
to all to need any argument to prove 1t, ana
- Lano that nnr T legislature during its pres.