The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-04-06
RAILROAD CONVENTION.
THE NEW MOVEMENT TO COMPLETE
THE BLUE RIDGE RAILROAD.
Four States in Council-Encouraging
News from Across the Mountains
Enthu siastic Mass Meeting-Re-
ports and Resolutions.

which it was resolved to meet at this
point on Thursday, SOth of March, g
number of influential and representative
men from the several sections interested
assembled in the Court House at the
time specified at II o'clock a. m, as rep.
resentatiyes of the various points con.
cerned in the revival and completion Of
this grand railroad scheme, which has
been the dream of South Carolina fol
more than forty years, and which to-day
is the most important problem of oul
future success and prosperity in COM
merce and material development.
The Convention was called to order by
Col. R. A. Thompson, of Walballa, who
was President of the Knoxville Conven-
ton, and in taking the chair he an
nounced that the objects of the Conven-
tion were familiar to all present, so that
he would not detain the body with any
lengthy remarks, but call Immediately
for the enrolment of delegates. Under
this call, the following delegations were
reported and enrolled:
LIST OF DELEGATES.
Knoxville, TENN. w. Gaut, Presi-
dent Board of Trade.
Maryville, Tenn.-Capt. J. NJ. Greer.
Blount Co., Tenn.-Col R. 1. Wilson.
Col. W. G.. McAdoo, Secretary and
Treasurer Knoxville and Charleston
Railroad.
Franklin, N. Cdr. w. L. Love-,
Prof. c. D. Smith, and Capt. J. L. Rob-
inson, Speaker of the N. G.. House of
Representative.
Rabun, Co., Ga.-H. w. Cannon, F.
A. Bleckley, D. ]. Duncan and R. E.
Cannon.
Walhalla, S. C.-Col. R. A. Thomp-
son, Col. ]. ]. Norton and D. Bieman.
Seneca City, S. Cdr. J. w. Spear
man, DR.. S. J. McElroy and Col. ]. w.
Livingston.
Charleston, S. C.-E. h. Frost. w. J.
Magrath, James T. Welsman, Ellison A.
Smyth, W. A. Wardlaw, Geo. r. Walker
and Louis thinner.
Anderson, S. C.-J. N. Brown, S.
Bleckley, N. K. Sullivan, J. S. Murray,
John B. Moore, J, A. Hoyt, w. w.
Humphreys, o. II. P. FAINT, B. F. Cray
ton, T. B. Lee, ]. W. Daniels, w. G.
Watson, Jacob Burriss, John B. Watson,
E. A. Bell, S. McCully, w. S. Sharpe
and E. NJ. Rucker.
The Convention was then announced
ready for business, and upon motion of
James A. Hoyt, a committee of five to
nominate permanent officers was appoint
ed by the chair, as follows: Messrs. J.
A. Hoyt, W. L. Love, R. l. Wilson, Geo.
R. Walker and R. E. Cannon.
PERMANENT OFFICERS.
After an absence of twenty minutes,
the committee returned and submitted
the following report, which was unani-
mously adopted:
Preadent-Col. J. w. Cant, of Tenn.
Vice Presidents-J. L. Robinson, of
North Carolina; Maj. H. w. Cannon, of
Georgia; Capt. J. NJ. Greer, of Ten
nessee; james T. Welsman and J. S.
Murray, of South Carolina.
Sseretariss-W. W. Humphreys, J. w.
Livingston and John w. Daniels.
Col. Thompson then vacated the chair,
and introduced Col. Gaut, the President
elect, to the Convention. Upon assum-
ing the chair, he said:
Gentlemen of the Convention: My
gratitude for the favor conferred upon
me by your choice is only equalled by
my surprise at the selection you have
made. Had / been requested to serve, l
should have declined to do so, except
upon the condition that the President
should not be expected to make any
speech. All who know me are aware
that am en- earnest worker for any en-
terprise in which 1 engage, but am no
OIdtOI. IV OuC las CfCl dOSuoCu AlO VI
being an able advocate upon the floor,
but as you have imposed this duty upon
me, I shall endeavor to serve you to the
best of my ability, knowing that I shall
have able assistance in the Vice Presi-
dents you have selected. presume this
honor is given me more on account OF
my constituency than any supposed fit
ness, and in behalf of them my earnest
efforts shall be given to this work. 1t is
hardly necessary to recount the great i'm
portance of the completion of the Blue
Ridge Railroad, for / presume the dele
gates present are alive to their interests
in this matter and to the interests of their
country. am more impressed with the
Importance of the road than ever. Its
completion would put your State in direct
communication with East Tennesse, and
the distance from Charleston to Middle
Tennessee is shorter than to any other
market. We now have large surplus
of products for market, but cannot COM
pete with other points because our facili-
ties for transportation are inferior. Not
a car load of produce has been shipped
from Knoxville to Charleston in the last
eight years, because st. Louis, Chicago
and Louisville have better positions tor
freights. The completion of this road
would shorten the distance one hundred
miles and give us competing lines. This
direct through line was contemplated in
1886. 1t was three years before this that
the first railroad in this country was built.
The reason of the long delay in its con-
struction is that the road traverses e
mountainous country, and it was easier
to 90 around than over the mountains.
Hence we have roads running through
the valleys and parallel to the mountains,
but the time has come when this road
must and shall cross the mountains to
reach the great mineral and agricultural
resources which are bound up over there,
and afford them q convenient outlet to
market. We are here to devise means