Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-09-13

more than greenbacks as guarantee OF char
acter. Let US all then, my young friends,
take new heart, from the signs Of the times,
and resolve to find, or make way in life, and
in order to do this, we must master the rudi-
ments of learning g-learn we'll what We DO
learn, and put every faculty and idea into
practical employment.
''The heights by great men reached and KEPT
We're not attained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept
Were toiiing upward in the night"
THE SOUTH CAROLINA RAILROAD.
A GLIMPSE AT ITs EARLY HISTORY.
As the subject of railroads and railroad
management is now being generally discuss
ed, We propose to devote some space TO that
railroad in which we are most interested. A
long time ago, in our boyhood, We heard that
Mr.. Tristan Tupper, Mr.. Alex. Black and
Mr.. William Aiken, the father Of the Gov
ernor, and large capitalist, all Of Charles
ton, had conceived the idea Of building
railroad from Charleston to Hamburg. which
was to carry passengers and freight through
in two days, and at cheaper rate than by
stages and wagons. Everybody locked upon
it as most visionary scheme. We remember
how the old people used to say, "Pooh! ridlc.
ulous, visionary I" and other exclamations OF
doubt and incredulity. But these gentle
men had faith in their idea, and were not
to be laughed out Of it; they called to their
deliberations Mr.. Horatio Allen, an eminent
civil engineer, who entered earnestly into
their plan and enlisted with zeal and talent.
The merchants of Charleston, as class, were
then, as they are now, accomplished, educated
gentlemen, and the three men above named,
possessed as much hard sense, practical expe-
rience, and indomitable energy as any three
men in the State.
They obtained charter, opened their books,
and, by much persuasion, their friends were
induced to subscribe the amount OF stock ne
-..u5ufJ % sccuro vussssor-4f-asrEou uumuer
of these had not tha oil; 49,. a.
enterprise. The road was surveyed Allen,
with his corps of assistants, Dexter, Pascallis,
Clarke, Mccain and others, as fine and jovial
q set of fellows as ever sang song or told
story around q campfire, located it on It's
present line making but one mistake, the IN
clined plain at Aiken, then called "the lev.
els" if we remember Alright. That bill! should
have been turned. But then an inclined
plane was considered q great engineering feat,
and perhaps if they had not made it, the
great health resort of Aiken would not have
been established. We remember when the
cars were run from Charleston to Four.Mile
House, propelled by a large mainsail, and
everybody spoke Of the railroad as the folly
of Upper, Black and Aiken. Bot these ear
nest men had faith, hope and pluck. When
their subscription was spent, they went to the
Legislature and, by hard begging, obtained
loan of 100000, we think. At length all
difficulties were overcome, and the road was
built, on piles, from Charleston to Hamburg.
When the engineers came to hill, they cut
through it; when they came to pond, swamp.
or wash, they drove long piles and laid
their track. so that the incredulous jeered
and called It "a road on stills" But, for all
this, the indominitsble Upper, and Black, and
scientific Aiken, assisted by the equally per.
severing and scientific Allen and his corps,
psrsevered, and the first railroad in America,
and the longest in the world, was built-a
monument to their genius, perseverance, and
manhood. .t'&
The trunk railroad was all they intended;
it was grand and successful enterprise, sur
passing all expectations, and forever silenclng
doubt and distrust, revolutionized the travel
and transportation of the world. The stock
was sought as in investment; the trust funds
of widows and orphans and estates were con-
verted into shares that paid good dividends,
and, but for mistakes in management, South
Carolina Railroad stock would now be the
best in the State.-BarnsoeA Sent'ne9.
- O.
L1BER1A.-We copy the following interest
ing facts from an exchange:
The American Colonization Society was
formed in 1916 by fifty persons many of them
southern gentlemen. In 1924 the territory,
on the west coast of Africa, was purchased
from the native kings BY Commodore Stock.
ton and DR.. Eli Ayers. In 1847, the present
Republic of Liberia was established in the
hands of colored men, having Monrovia for
its capital with six hundred miles ofsea coast,
and extending into the interior say hfty miles
until it meets the pressure of savage tribes.
It's area is said to be $4,000 square miles;
over 9,70O of which jurisdiction is exercised.
The tariff duties collected are 100000 per
annum. Other receipts from government
taxes, we are not able to state. The Coloni-
zation Society has landed in Liberia, from its
origin to July, 1877, 20,820 colored persons,
defendants Of those from Africa and speaking
Englisi. $4,000 ofthe population now there,
or not quite three per cent, are from Amerl-
ca 701 200 are aborigines. Late writers es-
innate the total population of the continent
of Africa at 199,000,0O0, Of whom one per
cent. can be set down as civilized, and little
more than one per cent. as semiclvlilzed.
The rest, say 1877 100000, are either barbar-
GUS or savage.
Incorporated in the constitution of the Re-
public Of Liberia, are provisions which pro-
hibit any white man from holding office, and
disfranchising him. On the 1st Of May, An
thony W. Gardner, of Bassa county, was
elected president, and Daniel B. Warner. Of
Monrovia, vice-president.
Enterprising colored men in South Carroll
na, who are beginning to feel restless and
discontented here, might as we'll 60 to Liberia.
There is certainly an immense field for ener-
gy, if they could get there, and then will only
give up Office seeking and go to work on the
forest lands with axes and hoes as soon as
they land in Africa.
p9 San Francisco bar-senders have chunks
of glass resembling ice which they put into
drinks for intoxicated customers instead Of
the genuine cooling substance. The motiveN
is economy.