Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-02-05
Tho Blue Ridge Railroad Hopes
Of it's Completion.

The recent activity in railroad centreo
looking to The establishment of throuo h
trunk lines from The West to tho AtlunI,
seaboand has aroused the friends of tho old
Blue Ridge Railroad to the importance of
its early completion, and with view Of
SECURING attention To this nnyo topuiaE, nut
OF lato years neglected enterprise, its claim
to preference Is again put forth in tho most
earnest and confdout manner. It. is the
ronto selected by the projectors of tho
railroad system n South Carolina, when
that system tended to tho development of
the commercial and material interests of the
State. Numerous surveys were made of
all The gaps in the Blue Ridge mountains
which lie accessible to the lines of railroad
crossing these mountains from this Siutc.
and after mature dclihcration it vas seicctt d
as the pest nnu most desirable line to the
West, both in its bearing upon the com
mercc OF Charleston and its importanc, to
the State at large. On the blue Ridge
kallroad the grade is but seventy feet to
the square mile, which is lower than tho
grade of any line that has yet crossed the
mountains, and ffty-sx feet to the mile less
than the grade with which tho Baltimore
and Ohio road passes them. This is, of
course very great consideration in the
adoption OF route intcnded for freight
purposes, aud is one of tho greatest advan-
tagcs the Blue Ridge line has over others
Il is also central line passing directly 10
Knoxville and tho West without demon.
dence, this side of Knoxville, upon any
other railroad until it gets into this State.
where Its connection with Charleston is
natural and easily controlled by tho interests
of the Grccnvilo and Columbia and tho
South Carolina Railroads. Its control in
the interests of Charleston possesses us of
the Rabnn Gap, and shuts off tho Augusta
and Knoxville Railroad which might in
the future provo inimica to the trade of
Charleston and the; material development of
The soundncss Of these views is aenor.l}v
admitted, and the trouble in the case is one
of finance. The road is an expensive ono
to build and many have thought it easier
to reach the West by some other route on
this account. 10 reply tho friends of the
bine fldge Rallrond present the condition
OF tue road as gathered from tho report of
the President, Gen. Harrison, to Governor
Orr in 1868, which may be briefly summed
up as follows:
w hole Icngsh OF road from Anderson to |
Knoxville 1915 miles, of which 50 miles lio
in South Carolina II in Georgia, 73 in
North Carolina, and 81 in Tennessee.
ln South Carolina there was originally
38I49 ,423, cubic yards of grading to be
done, of which 80 por cent. is iioishcd,
leaving only 7G2,G23 to bo done. There
1918 ccbic yards of tunncling of which,
G6 per ocnt. is finished, leaving &c, $50 TO he
DONE There Was 28,400 cubic yards Of
bridging and masonry, of which III per
scut' is done, leaving 1884 cubic yards.
ln square drains and oulvorts there was
l8,47l cubic yards, OF which 81 per cent.
IS done, leaving 1870 cubic yards.
In Georgia thorc wns I,362,643 cubic
2ards OF grading, of which 45 pc. cent is
done, leaving 747,352. In tuoneling
here was 1850 cubic yards, of which Is
ocr cent was done, leaving o1,G57 cubic
ards, of which, however, about three
quarters was finished iu 1870; 30 that, per-
ups, not more than $500 cptiro yards
en"in to be done. In Bridge and arch
masonry thcro was 7,347 cubic yards, of
which 46 per cent. is done, leaving 1910
ubio yards. In square drains and oulvo-ts
hero was 1926 cubic yards Of which,
9 por cent is doao, leaving 1896 cubic
ards