The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-02
Railroad Mass Meeting at Brevard,
North Carolina.

Railroad Mass Meeting at Brevard,
North Carolina.
Pursuant to previous announcement.
the citizens of Transylvsnia County met
this day in mass meeting for the purpose
of advancing the interest of the Bolton,
Williamson and Easley Railroad, which
is to pass through the Blue Ridge Noun
tains at Eastatoe' Gap, and down the
French Broad Valley via Brevard to
Ashevilie. There were also present citi-
zens from Buncombe and Henderson
counties, in North Carolina, and Pickens
and Anderson counties, in South Caro-
lima.
The meeting was called to order at II
o'clock m. by Hon. J. a. Paxton, upon
whose motion Ephriam Clayton, of Ashe-
vile, was called to the Chair. D. T.
Bradley, of South Carolina, and J. A.
Forsythe, of North Carolina, were ap-
pointed Secretaries. On motion Of Maj.
T. b. Russell, of South Carolina, Col. r.
E. Bowen, President of the Road, was
called upon to address the meeting. Col.
Bowen was greeted with applause, and
very concisely and eloquently laid before
the meeting q history of the enterprise
from its inception to the present time.
He spoke of his effort and failure to OBJ
tain charter from the South Carolina
Legislature for Narrow Guage Road
through the Sassafras Gap; of the sub
sequent passage of the charter of the
present Road and the fortunate discovery
by Capt. VIM. T. Kirk, Chief Engineer,
of the Eastatoe Gap. He assured his au-
dience that South Carolina intended to
build the Road to the line, and asked
North Carolina to put her shoulder to
the wheel and meet Us. he said the
Road was now an accomplished fact, and
ere long the whistle of the locomotive
would be resonnding over the fertile VAL
ley of the French Broad, bringing wealth
and happiness to its citizens.
Maj. Thomas B. Lee, who had been
employed by the Company to assist En-
gineer Kirk to make re-survey of the
route across the mountains, was then in
troduced and read the following report:
BREvARp, TRANsYLvAN1A Co., N. c.,
. SeptemDer loIn, 1919.
To the President and Directors Belton,
W;lIamston and Easky Railroad:
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with In
structions received from you, ] have, ia
company with your Engineer, Mr.. VIM.
T. Kirk, made 8; full and careful recon-
noisance of the route of your proposed
Road from Bolton, s. c., to Asheville,
N. c., crossing the Blue Ridge Noun
tains at the head of the Eastatoe Creek
into the valley of the middle fork of the
French Broad River.
From Bolton to Easley, Us miles), 8
smooth and continuous ridge presents it
self, which can be graded at very small
cost.
From Easley to the foot of the noun
tain grade, (l9 niiles), the ridge is de-
waited from and several streams, waters
of IL Mile Greek, are crossed, causing
some heavy work, particularly between
Town Greek and II Mile Greek. Proba-
bly, cheaper route can be had West of
this by passing the ridge lower down,
and running up tributary of II Mile
Greek to Moseley's Gap near Holly
Spring.
From the foot of the mountain grade
to the top of the Blue Ridge at Eaststoe
Gap, (13 miles), the work is heavy and
expensive, but accessible at all points.
The curvature is large, but need not ex-
ceed a radius of 57S feet at any point,
easily passed by locomotives and not at
all uncommon on Railroads. The grades
are remarkably light, not exceeding sew
enty.fve feet per mile, the average grade
being about sixty-fye feet per mile.
This will enable you to pass the divide
with cut about forty feet deep. The
descent from the Gap to the Valley of
the French Broad River is comprised in
a section of six miles, and involves
heavy work, yet lighter and freer from
rock than the ascent on the Eastern slope
of the mountains. This section will re-
quire grade of seventy feet per mile.
This, however, may be reduced to sixty
five feet by lengthening the line, but I
do not think this will be advantageous,
but would rather advise shortening the
route, (which can be done at great re-
duction of cost. and using q grade of
seventy-fve feet per mile. The descent
from the mountain may be made on
either side of the middle fork, passing
over ground very similar in character,
but it will probably be found that the
route on the Eastern side is shortest and
cheapest. From the mouth Of the mid
die fork to Brevard, and down the West
ern bank of the French Broad to the
crossing of this stream above Asheville,
many small streams are passed, but none
presenting any serious difficulties, yet in
creasipg largely the cost of the work.
The grading here is light. Five miles
below Brevard an alternate line presents
itself, which by many is regarded as
shorter and cheaper than the one I have
suggested down the valley of the river.
It Begins at the ford of Davidson River,
leaving the valley of the French Broad
and passing up a small stream for two
miles to high divide between this creek
and Boylston Creek, stream running
nearly parallel with the valley of the
river for some eight miles. The pro-
posed route crosses this divide and fol-
lows the valley of Boylston Creek nearly
to Mill River, when it passes into the
river valley again after crossing the Mill
River. This route should be carefully
examined by an instrumental survey be.
fore its merits or dement's can be passed
on. 1t will probably require grade of
seventy-fve feet per mile for two miles,
and heavy rock cut before the valley of
the Boylston can be reached.
Accompanying this 1 submit an esti-
mate of cost of grading your Road from
Bolton to Swannanoa Junction near,
Asheville, distance of SO miles. Ihave
estimated labor at one dollar per day.
The estimate is an approximate one, and
is made on comparison of cost of lines
already constructed over country precise
" similar in character to that over which