The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-08

BALTIMORE TO CHARLESTON-AN NEW
LINE There is q bright prospect that
the Raleigh and Augusta Railroad will
be extended from Hamlet to Cheraw,
q distance of only eighteen miles. which
will make it a through line from Balti
to Charleston, and a much nearer
one than any other. 1t is expected
that when this gap is completed 40, 600
Florida visitors will pass over his route
from the North, as it is SO much nearer
and accommodations equally as good
as any other route. The president of
the Bay line of steamers is at the head
of the enterprise. Owning as they do
the Carolina Central from Wilmington
to Charlotte, the line of steamers from
Baltimore to Portsmouth and a con-
trolling interest in the Raleigh aud
CASTOR, they saw their opportunity and
are now in possession of a controlling
interest in the Raleigh and Augusta,
and ere many months pass by we may
expect to see the road completed to
Cheraw.-Cherau Sun.
We copy the above in order to add
to it our earnest declaration that if Col.
Robinson lose the opportunity now pre-
scented, of making his roads the main
route of travel from the North to
Florida, carrying 5000 passengers
and twice so many thousands tons of
freight twice each year, going and
c)ming,) he will surely forfeit his high
reputation as a ~far-seeing Railroader.
The route from Hamlet to Cberaw is
an airline of II miles, with but one
bridge, 1.-THE Pee Dee at Cheraw), and
with no difficulties of construction. In
deed. it is easy to tap the Wadesboro
Railroad eight miles from Hamlet, and
follow the road bed, or use its rails, as
is SO often done. Thus Maj. Winder's
cars would run from Raleigh to Cheraw
''as straight as a crow flies"
From Cheraw to Florence is 80 miles,
and a good road running: SO that by
building eight miles of track, and max
ing suitable arrangements with the short
roads, Col. Robinson's passengers on
alighting from the steamers at Ports.
mouth could take parlor cars for We'll
don, Raleigh, Hamlet, Florence, Charles
ton, Savannah, Florida, etc.; or chang
ing at Florence for Columbia, Augusta,
Macon, Atlanta, etc. There is no doubt
that this great Central route, following
the healthy. pine-growing, vine-clad up
lands of the Carollnas would speedily
become the popular route of South
bound travel, and would win back
many thousands of passengers who have
shifted, of late years. from the Atlantic
Coast Line to the Richmond and Atlanta
Line, the better route of the two.
So great is the need for some such ar.
rangement hat Col. Bridgers is looking
toward a shortcut from Wilson to
Goldsboro, through Fayetteville to Flor
ence; and has ridden over the entire
route, accompanied by skilful engineers.
If BriGgers builds that shortcut, Rob-
inson will lose his opportunity. He tells
the Wilmington people hat he don't
mean to do anything soon; but that de-
pendsl
There is another feature worth allud.
ing to. Should the Raleigh Airline
be extended to Cheraw, it could easily
shoot out a spur of Is miles down the
left bank of the Pee Dee to Benefits
ville,. the capital of tho finest cotton
growing region in the State. This road
would bring $4,000 bales of cotton to
Raleigh, or at any rate oyer the Air
Line Railroad, and would make it the
only North Carolina road which brought
trade INTO the State, instead of carrying
it all out.