Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1881-03-03

ihon Vufo ufsy w 'AA''tr - 80
have been the best Of friends. He
/ lives with US for the last year or SO.
lie was getting alittle past his work,
an the proprietor pepaioned him off
He is very happy with us; an be IS
never tired Of tellingth children the
story of the way II at attl1sil their mother
cleverness- saved umyalifsa 9,tss.
-... - -, -. !. - : ..hsIese-5- Iese-
TIE SOUTH ATLANTIC OUTLET.
NEW LIFE TO BE INFUSED INTO
THE BLUE RIDGE RAILROAD I
A Project to Complete the Through
Line with, New York and Boston
CapItal--Conditiou Z of the! Road-.'
What Remains TO do ~.
|tt5d
The Blue Ridge Railroad Company
Of South Carolina was chartered in
that State, Georgia, North Carolina.
and Tennessee in 1852. = The road
was 10 extend from Anderson. $. c.,
to Knoxville, Tenn, distance Of
1876 miles. The enterprise vas the
business dream o. john 9. Calhoun,
and has been the pet scheme of the
Trenholms, the Gourdins,. he:Hamp
tons and the leading me;isot South
Carolina ever since the-Soad was fest
projected. The Ollie Of the iicor-
porators was to connect Charleston
with the great North vest by q direct
line o! rails which would shorten the
distance to Chicago and Cincinnati
over the existing linas BY .about.s200
miles. On the South Carolina and
Georgia end of the line over $4,000
900 were expended before the civil
war put an end to the work. OF this
sum the State Of South Carolina and
the City OF Charleston contributed
-$3,OOO,009, and the balance Was raii-i
ed by voluntary subscriptions and
mo, tgage bonds, which are now the
only existing liens. on thea road 'es1n:
South Carolina 43 miles1ot the road
were completed, connecting Ander
son with Walhalla, and this section
Of tie road has been in good running.
ordc, ever since. Beyond Walhalla
the. road was graded as far as; The
Blue Ridge Mountains, and a tunnel;
5000 feet in length, vas begun
through the mountains. Abous4,59o.
feet of this tunnel were completed,
450 feet being bored through flint
rock. BY means, of the tunnel the
grade over the mountains has been
reduced to 10 feet to the mile, which
is an easier grade than that Of any Of
the other railroads crossing the Blue
Ridge and the Alleghanies. In the
State of Georgia Two small tunnels
We're part of the original plan Of the
road. One OF them ia entirely com
pleted, and the other is very nearly
so. A large part OF the grading in
Georgia is also completed, The road
runs directly throughthe Rabun Gap,
which admits Of a passage through
the mountains at comparatively
triaing expense. On the northwes.
fern end of the line eighteen miles Of
road were completed from Knoxville
to Maryville, Tenn, and this portion
has been in running order ever since
it was built. At this end,of the road
about 81 100000 were expended by
the State Of Tennessee, under the In.
ternal Improvement Act. One hun.
dred and thirty.fiye imilesoi the road.
as originally surveyed, remain to be
constructed. The work Was being
rapidly prosecuted when the civil war
b,gar, and that put veto OF the en-
terprise which has not been renewed
up to the present time. A, number
of New York and Boston capitalists
are now preparing to take possession
Of the charter, and push the road
through to completion. -.
q prominent South Carolina eitiaan
nowi in New York told Times re.
porter some very interesting facts 10
regard to the Blue Ridge Railroad
and the roads with which it will COM
pete for business If it is built as orig.
iaally designed. He said; "'Ehe mort,
gage liens on this property consist OF
first mortgage bonds TO- the amount o.
$685. 900, with interes. since 1861
and second mortgage bonds to the
amount Of $59S.O0o. In 1854 first
mortgage loan Of $2,5oo,ooo was au.
tborized by the company, but under
this authority bonds to the amount OF
1926 900 only were iasued. In The
same year the Legislature. of South
Carolina guaranteed bonds to the
company to complete the road to the
amount: OF Sl,ooo,ooo. This guaran.
tee was never used, but in 1868 the
Legislature confirmed it, and added
$5,o0O,0t0 to theguarantee, provided
50 much was necessary. to pay the
outstanding first mortgage bonds and
the floating debt of the company and
to complete tie road. Owing to.the
panic OF 1878. only $598,00 OF these
second mortgage bonds gusrsatsed
bv the State were ever issued. and