Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-06-01
THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1882.

Ellis, MrtFry says: "It is highly desirable
that the permanent way be built at first,
aud to this end would recommend at tho
! present advanced state of tho work, that
THE OLD LINE DE ADopTLD,
with the exception of the alter nate lines 10
Georgia, avoiding the crossings Of War
Woman Greek und changing the point of
junction with the Northeastern Road
which would save 1907 OF over tho old
| limo ut total cost of SI,469 ,453 %, in
| Guiding cost of tracks, depot buildings,
water ststions, go. If, however, it is
deemed advisable to build temporary tracks
| avoiding the heaviest work, would re.
commend the adoption of the lines avoid
ing Stump House and Chauga tunnels in
South Carolina and War Woman TUNE! in
Georgia., and substituting trcstlcwork at
the points indica.cd by the engineer, OF a
cost Of sl,043,53 05, and which could bo
operated economically md to advantage
until tho business of tho road became
heavy enough to justify tho completion
of these tunnels. * *
THE STUMP HOUSE TUNNEL
has cost, up to this tic,e, as near as I can
find, from the old records, S473,0TS.5O,
aud will cost to complete it $239,2IO,
making altotul Of $7l2,28S SO. The loop
line (thc tracks located around tho noun
tain to avoid this tuuneD will cost not cx-
ceeding $4,000 leaving balance of
S562 2SS.5O in its favor. While it is 2.GS
miles longer than the tunnel line and has
two ten degree curves, on it the grades arc
no sleeper than those OH the main line,
and are cguated on the zen degree curves
1t may be suid that tho extra length of the
loop line is very objectionable In reply to
this would sny that thoroughly appre
ciate The desrability of having tho line as
straight and short as possible, and can US
well appreciate tue disadvantage Of opcrat
ing 6S miles Of extra track; but, when it
is necessary in order to save this distance to
cxpcnh over half million dollars in the
first instance, and many thousands annually
afterwards, | would strongly favor the
longer line. In this case the excess of the
cost of tho tunnel line over the loop line is
S565, 5,2S8.50, which would neccssitate M
annual interest chargcof S33, 1871. The
cost OF maintaining md operating the Co.
lumbia and Grecnvllc Railroad for the
fiscal year ending 30th Semtcmher, 1881 !,
was 81 ,S0l per milo aud tor the same pee,
rod on the main line Of the Richmond
Rulroad was S3 or per mile. On the
basis Of cost on the Columbia and Green
vile Railroad, the cost for maintaining and
operating the 2 68 miles extra track would
be s4.sl6 8G annually, as against $685.
! 1921 annual interest charges on The tun
mel line, q saving annually of SIS, 800 .63
in favor of the loop line. Or if the
business became as heavy as that on tho
main line of the Richmond and Dnnvilc
Railroad the cost on the 2 69 miles extra
tracks would he SS,232 9G annually against
S33, 1871 annual interest charges on the
tunnel line, saving annually of $25 504,-
35 in favor of the loop line. Tie amount
which could have been saved by bui ding
the loop line instead of Stump IlDuse
Tunnel would complete all the grading now
to be done for permanent track from
Walhalla to within five miles of Clayton.
"The importance Of
TUE COMPLETION OF THIS GREAT work
has been looked forward to with eager in
tcrest for many yenrs. Tho
road now connects at Anderson with the
Columbia aud Grcenvilc Railroad, at
Seneca City with the Atlanta and Charlotte
Air Line Railway, and if completed will
connect at Clayton with the Northeastern
Railroad Of Georgia, which is part of tie
old Blue Ridge Railroad now in course OF
construction, which in turn will
connect at Franklin with the Duck,own
brach of the Western North Carolina
Railroad, also in course of construction,
and through that at Chattanooga with The
Louisville and Nashville, the Erlanger and
East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia sys-
tens. at Knoxville it would connect with
the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia
system. and through the Knoxville and
Kentucky branch with the Louisville and
Nashville and through the Emory Gap
with the Erlangcr system. These conneo-
tons will put South Carolina, now without
Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago, St. Louis,
Memphis and the entire West and North
west, and would be tho shortsst line for the
transportation Of bacon, corn, wheat and
other Western produce, not oply for con.
sumption in tho State, but would give
Charleston n decided advantage asa point
of export and Import. The line runs
throuhg
A GOOD AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT,
opens up the splendid forests in North
Carolina, aboundiBg 10 black walnut, hick--
ory, ash, maple, poplar, chestnut, LOCUST,
&c., as we'll ns connecting with tho copper
mines near Ducktown, and the iron and coal