Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-01-14
Knoxville ana South Carolina.

The following from the Ne Yer Eve
ming Express is of interest here at this
time: Last year will be memorable in
railway circles for the vast schemes of re-
organ ;zation, consolidation, extension and
completion of railway lines and systems.
These operations have been entirely limit
ed to sections in the west and southwest,
while, strange to say, the southeast was
neglected in this particular. through this
region runs an incomplete line of road of
historical interest and of great importance
to the state of South Carroll a. 1t was
originally the projection of John @. Cali
houn, and its completion was The business
dream of his life. This, however, was re-
tarded by the war, deferred by the panic
of 1873, and further postponed on accC unit
of various unfortunate circumstances. The
road in question is the Blue Ridge railroad
extending from Knoxville, Tenn, to An
derson, s. c. and intended to conn ect the
city of Charleston directly with the west
and northwest Had not the war inter-
vened, the Blue Ridg road would be as
prominent to-day in the railway world as
Nashville and Chattanooga has to Louis
Vile. Four millions of dollars were
expended on the South Carolina and
Georgia end of the road. and fortyrthree
miles of road entirely completed. OF the
tunnel under the Blue Ridge mountains
IS per cent is already bored through flint
rock, thereby reducing the grade to seventy
feet per mile while the tunneling through
the state of Georgia is nearly completed
and large part OF the grad ng finished
At the Knoxville end eighteen miles, from
Knoxville to Maryville is completed, ST.,
10000 having been expended on that part
of the line. In 1854 first mortgage of
100000 was authorized by the Blue
I~n H,,1 a n
of this loan was issued. Subsequently the
state of South Carolina authorized AMI
guaranteed under acts Of 1854 and Is g.
a loan of 100000 to pay off the above
mortgage aid complete the road from
Knoxville to Anderson. This scheme was
defeated by the money panic of 1873 The
The only mortgages on the road nov are
unpaid interest, and 1893 coo second mort
gage bonds and interest, guaranteed
by the state Of South Carolina. The bal
ance Of the $4,0C0,C00 second mortgage
guarranteed,bond are in the state treasury
Cancelled, and the state of Tennessee's lien
is only on the eighteen miles to Maryville
The Louisville and Nashville and the
Kentucky Central companies have united
their interests. and agreed with the Knox
vile and Ohio company to complete their
connections to Knoxville, and the Cinci
natti Southern railway that has just COM
pleted the survey of q short lue from
Emory Gap to Knoxville so that the three
great western and Southern railway COM
panies are now making haste to reach
Knoxville, the north western end of the
Blue Ridge road, The company owns
valuable lands in South Carolina, and the
state exempts the road from all past due
taxes, and from any taxes whatever for
twenty years to come and has authorized
tn counties along the line to bond them
sel> es in aid of the Blue Ridge. Charleston
harbor, by the aid of the national gov
erment, will soon ride any ship that floats.
The cost of the completion of the Blue
Ridg railroad is now estimated at So, 500, f.
900 to 1900 O."