The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-01-29
OUR RAILROAD SYSTEM.

We have frequently contended that the
railroads of South Carolina are without
a system, and instead of building up
commercial centre in our midst are ac-
tually dissipatipg our commerce, and
making us tributary to points without
the State. Every railroad line in this
State, except the South Carolina and the
Greenville and Columbia, have been
operated in the interest of cities in other
States, and have tended to destroy the
trade of Charleston. 1t has been short
sighted in our people to allow this state
of affairs to be fixed upon us, and al
though we have been suffering from it
for years, it has been impossible to induce
our people to believe it. The cause of
the languishing business of Charleston
has been sought for in every reason ex-
cept the correct one, which is its unfor-
tunate railroad surroundings. A recent
combination of Georgia railroad men,
which came near resulting in the location
of through line to Savannah with de-
cided determinations against Charleston,
has, however, fully walked up the citizens
of the latter place, and in fact of the
whole State, and now the danger is that
in the haste to form a combination to
protect Charleston the road will be inju-
diciously located, and thus result in
serious loss to the people of the whole
State and detriment to the growth of
Charleston. A dispatch from New York
to the Mesus and Courier, under date of
January %, conveys the following infor-
nation:
The unusual demand, during the last
few days, for South Carolina Railroad
stock and unsecured bonds is explained at
last. A Syndicate of New York capital
lists, prominent among whom are Samuel
Sloan, President of the Delaware and
Lackawanna Railroad, Moses Taylor and
Richard Lathers, has been formed for
the purpose of taking control of the
South Carolina Railroad and releasing it
from the litigation which now keeps it in
the custody Of the United States Court,
with view to making it without delay
the terminal link in the chain of roads
which shall connect the great railroad
systems of the West with the Atlantic
seaboard at Charleston.
If the plans of the Syndicate are car
ried out, the Road is to be managed with
such energy as will speedily render
Charleston the leading shipping port
south of New York. Sixty miles of road
are to be built Immediately to connect
the South Carolina Railroad via Spartan
burg, Henderson and Wolf Greek with
the Cincinnati Southern Road. A feet
of new and splendid steamers is to be
placed on the New York and Charleston
line. These, it is said, will eclipse those
now plying on the Savannah line, and
are intended, amongst other things, to
accommodate the Florida trade.
The Syndicate already own about 40
600 shares of the stock of the South Car
olina Railroad Company, one OF It's mem
bers alone holding 10000 shares. They
do not look to any unfair combination
with other roads, but expect to win sue
cess by dint of the completion of the
shortest and most direct route from the
Ohio River to the Atlantic seaboard.
They say that the March report will show
the South Carolina Railroad to be in ex-
cellent financial condition.
The Nep, and Courier and the Register
have commented largely upon the ques-
tions involved in the selection of the
route for crossing the Blue Ridge, and
have agreed in advocating the Spartan
burg and Asheville route. In advocacy
of this route the following table of dis
tsnces is given:
Charleston to Columbia........."1S0 miles
Columbia to Spartanburg......... SO
Spartanburg to Asheville.......::. So
Asheville to Morristown.......... 80
Morristown to Knoxville......... 81
Total. ..423
The distances over the Blue Ridge
route are as follows:
Charleston to Columbia..........130 miles