The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-10-03
Greenwood md Aususta Railroad


GREESwoon, :. e.. September 81, 1877.
Editor Press AMI BHHNcr:
MIR. Ep1roR: The interesting ceremo-
ny Of breaking dirt on the Greenwood
and Augusta Railroad, was witnessed by
Il large c%oncoursc of people assembled ut
the stockade. three miles from the town,
on the 9th instant. The meeting was
formally organized by calling DR.. +. r.
Calhoun 80 tho chair, and requesting w.
II. Rlakc to act as Secretary. On taking
the chair DR.. Calhoun said, that thirty
seven wears ago, when the building of
the ~tirccnvillr and Columbia Railroad
was a9itatau, the charter designated only
three points Of connection, viz, Column
bia, Newhcrry {. H., ANIL Grcenvillo.
The people OF I.aurens Thought, that, or
necessity, the Road must lr.SS through
their county, it mattcrrd not who contrib
utcd the funds to build il, they therefore
omitted 10 subscribe 4 sufficient AMOUNT
Abbcvillc 0aS not slow to see in this de-
fault in I.aurcns, her opportunity, and I'M
mcliatclv set to work to avail herself Of At.
The first meeting Tor bringing the road
through Abbcvillc county, was held IN
Greenwood i'll lS47. We nave the result
in the completion and daily operation OF
the Grccnvilie and Columi'ia Railroad.
In ISL the enterprise which we are
now met to inaugurate was conceived, 1t
was agitltcd in social circles, then in the
public uecting. 1t has advanced step. oy
step to the present, and this is the !.i,crt-
inr OF all meetings to conSummatc the
end. Blessed in its beginning, blessed in
its progress, aud Soo to be blessed in its
completion. You OF the directory arc
char god with a weighty responsibility,
don't swrrve from Your duty. Remove
every obstacle. puad-heads and lavish
expenditures were the evils which con-
frontcd the Greenville and Colullbla
Railroad. If You will take her expert
cnce as warning in the conduct OF this
enterprise, your efforts will be crowned
with success. I.op off every semblance
Of the one, and restrict to the utmost, the
! other. Let tho directors stick to the en-.
tcrprisc throug all opposition from with
out and ALL d~issentions and selliSiiness
within, and tho anniversary Of this day
will witness a gratifying progress TO-
wards its completion. At the conclusion
of tho chairnlan'S remarks, he introduce
cd the Hon. G. ID. Tilmau who held his
audience spcll-bound for an hour. by ms
cl0nuencc and the force of his logic. He
said he had driven forty miles to witness
the proceedings of this day. He had
seen them and extended a thousand con
gratulations. \ new era had indeed
dawncd upon us. He paid 1 CLOWN!
tribute to the ''plucky little town o
Greenwood, which WAS always In tn
front ranks of every good enterprise
There he himself had been educated, ant
he knew whereof he spoke. She w;t
first in education, first in patriotic III
pulses and first in material enterprises
lie spoke of the influence of commerce
on civilization, and said that railroads
the street highways o~fcomlnercc, were III
so the highways of civilization. Com
pared with which the press, the publ
schools and other civil institutions dwi,l
died to insigniticancc. He said he ncvc
knew but one man in EdGcticld who op
posed railroads, and that man WAS Col
Marshall Frazier, yet Edgcticld had bull
more railroads than any other place, Oh
paper. She had monopolized tho situa
ton, had Il charter to every point OF TIL
COMPASS. He showed that Augusta lhat
far more interest in the completion of thi
road than any other that could be pro
jrctcd. That with this and the conncc
ton from Anderson, and the Elkcrto1
Road which should cross over and con
meet with the anderson Road, Sll
would tap the Airline ut three ditlcrcli
points and thus make the Airline tribu
tary to her. He handled tho Georgi
Road severely, showed that it had pre-
vented Augusta from extending he
Railroad communications to the interio
in other directions, but Augusta had Il
last thrown off her shackels and a,scrtc'
her independence of monopolies. viii
not attempt a further analysis Of TIN
speech. In conclusion the speaker aske'
the privilege of naming the first depo
calhoun" in honor Of his venerable
friend the chairman Of the meeting, an
the I'd depot "Bradley' i'll recognition 9
the services of its president, Gen. P. II
BRADLEY, and proposed three cheers TO
the Greenwood and Augusta Railroad
which was given with q hearty good will
After viewing the convictS ut work tn
large assemblago dispersed full OF hop
and satisfaction. :