Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-18
TUE CINCINNATI SoUTHBRN.
A Project by which 1t May Reach
the sea-


the sea.
The New York Times tells story Of
''proiect which may help the Cincinnati
Southern to reach the sea-" The Blue
Ridge Railroad Company Of South Caro-
lima was chartered in that State, Geor-
gia, North Carolina and Tennessee in 1852.
The road was to extend from Anderson,
S. c., to Knoxville, Tenn, a distance of
1876 miles. The object of the incorpora-
tors was to connect Charleston with the
great Northwest by direct line of rails
which would shorten the distance to
Chicago and Cincinnati over existing
lines by about two hundred miles. On the
South Carolina and Georgia end of the
line over 81. 900, 600 were expended be-
fore the civil war put an end to the work.
OF this sum South Carolina and Charles
ton contributed $4,000, 900. and the bal
ance was raised by voluntary subscrip-
tions and mortgage bonds, now the only
existing liens on the road. In
South Carolina forty-three miles of the
road were completed, connecting Ander-
son with Walhalla, and this section of
road has been in good running order ever
since. Beyond Walhalla the road was
graded as far as the Blue Ridge Noun
tains and tunnel 5000 feet in length
was begun through the mountains.
About $500 feet of this tunnel we're
completed, 450 feet being bored through
flint rock. By means of the tunnel the
grade over the mountains has been re-
duced to seventy feet to the mile, an
easier grade than that of other railroads
crossing the Blue Ridge and Alleghanies
In Georgia the two small tunnels were
part of the original plan of the
road One is entirely completed
and the other very nearly so. A large
part of the grading in Georgia is
also completed. The road runs directly
through the Rabeen gap. which admits
of passage through the mountains at q
comparative trif1ing expense On the
northwestern end of the line eighteen
miles of the road were completed from
Knoxville to Marysville, Tenn, and this
portion has been in running order ever
since built at this end Of the road one
million dollars were expended by Ten
nessee under the internal improvement
act. One hundred and thirty five miles
of road, as originally surveyed, remain
to be constructed. Work was being
rapidly prosecuted when the civil war
began, and that put veto on the enter
prise, 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 to completion. A prominent South
Carolina citizen, now in New York,
said to Times reporter Sunday: "The
importance of the action about to be
taken towards the completion of the
road will be appreciated by those who
understand the system of railroads con-
Meeting the great Northwest with the
Southeastern Atlantic ports. The
Louisville and Nashville and
Kentucky Central Railroad Com
panies have recently combined with
the Knoxville and Ohio Company,
Tennessee line, so as to form direct con
for work are about to be awarded.
The Cincinnati Southern finds
itself at Chattanooga dependent
on the Louisville and Nashville
to reach the Atlantic ports of the south
east, and in order 10 make itself indie.
pendent, the Cincinnati Southern has
already surveyed a line from Emory gap
directly east to Knoxville, a distance Of
40 miles. So you see the three great
Western and Southern corporations are
making haste to reach Knoxville, the
northwestern end of the Blue Ridge
Railroad. AT Anderson, the southeastern
end, there are two railroad connections
with Charleston, Port Royal and Savan-
nah. One Is over the Greenville and
Columbia Railroad, which has recently
been purchased by the Clyde party of
this city, and Stewards of Richmond.
The other is by way of Savannah Val
ley, which is to be built, and the route
this way will be so miles shorter than by
the Greenville Road. The Edge
field, Trenton and Aiken Rail
road is rapidly approaching COM
pletion. The South Carolina Railroad,
the great corporation of the State. is
about TO pass into the hands of New
York and Boston capitalists. 1t should
be remembered, continued the speaker,
that the only complete railroad from
the Northwest TO the Southeast is the
Chattanooga and Atlantic, now con-
trolled by the Louisville and Nashville
Company. The freight business of this
line is so great that trains almost touch
each other, and the facilities for doing
the business of the section are totally in
adequate. The completion of the Blue
Ridge Road will supply want long
felt. 1t will be trunk line, fully able
to compete with the Chattanooga and
Atlanta Line, and will reduce the dis
lance from Chicago and Cincinnati to
the Southeast ports by about two hun
bred miles. Parties controlling the
Blue Ridge Road at both ends are now
organizing for its rapid completion. The
estimated cost of the work is $3,000,.
OO."