The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-06-20
Press and Banner
f&.t IEuG!l Wilson,.
Wednesday. June 60, 1858.
Ra:i;'usji ~:ta:u4rS.

dozens Of changes in the route ar" hoped
snr by tho people living IL various lpr.,ii-
ties, and it is equally certain that all per
sons living on the line Of the ROAD which
Ia, been already located. aEH.iu SOM" in
stances. the road bed has rErn graded, arr
nrraycd in strong opposition t. every pro-
POSED change. For Instance, We doubt
not that Aiken woaid he opposed 10 the
change OF route in that vicinity. Among
the proposed changes which will most Iii.
Ycctlv interest us are: That the line VIII
bc run from Cvoft's Mill to MONtmorcnric
GU tho Snuth Carolina itr;iroa:, giving:
Aiken the go-hy and saving six miles in
distance. From Cfoi:'s Mill 10 Aiken
the distance is five miles. ~ irc:n
Crort's Mil tie distance is the same 70
Afort:norencic, OH the South Carolina
Railroad, and M0n:norrnAie is six miles
nearer Charleston than Aiken. In order
- keep faith with Aiken q side track is t,
10 built ont to tiiAt town, from trchs
Mill with money which the people of
Aiken are to furnish. white the main
track will I'll directly - Mo"tmu:rnric,
and on to Charleston.
The second proposed change is said to
lie from where the roa;l crosses Cuif"c-
town Creek in Elgctield, to Abbeviile
Court House, giving Troy the go-hy, and
crossing the 4. Il X. Il. Il. at Midway or
bradley, or White Hall, running to or
near Cedar Spring, and crossing Long
Cane Creek on the rocks and coming up
by the Norris Creek ridge u the jeff pa-
Wis place, through Fort PickenS. crossing
the C.. { G. II. Il. AZ the deep cut near
Mrs. Jones, and going thence on the ridge
10 Upper Long Cane Church. If this
route should be adopted instead Ct the
limo already located, ahorl nine miles of
beautifully graded road would he thrown
away. Bat rumor hath il that from o
and a half to SIX miles il distance would
he saved by the new route, which "o,:id
30 e]quiva;cnt TO a sum Of money much
in excess of tic value OF the work al
ready done.
Another change which i contemplated
IS the running Of the read some distance
from Bolton. This action it is said is in
6uced because OF the refusal Of the Il Y
payers to contribute the expected aid,
and because some thrce-and-a-half miles
can he saved by going III another route.
The change Of route from Nonca Path,
directly to Grconvilie through Laurcns,
is conceded to be 4 fixed fact. From
]t;rccnville the road will seek the former
route at EaSlcy, and thence to Pivkens
and on over the mountains.
We do not speak as by authority, and
know no more about bottom facts con-
corning the above matters than anybody
else, who is out Of the secrets OF this
great company whose ways arc lnys.c-
rions and past finding out. Bat Of one
thing we are certain. Captain kirke,
with I full corps OF surveyors, is &scer-
tanning tho contour Of the heights and
depths Of the hills and hollows, here
about, and, il il said that he is now iiGur-
ilg ut the probable cost OF building a rail-
road through tho incorporate limits of
this town by three distinct routes, viz /:
The Church route. with depot near Judge
McGowan's; the Elmtrcc route, with de-
pot near Judge Ctthran's the poor house
route, with depot near Mr.. J. L. Living
ston's, or the Morse lot. THO birds Of
the air whisper that the Church lot is, by
far, the most expensive. II would nccc>-
state a trcstle sixty feet high, with long
aud expensive approaches, costing per-
maps ten thousand dollars; then the right
of way would cost some three thousand
dollars the Xpense of grading the road,
and Of l~evclimg the grounds about the de-
jct on this route would be something,
and it is said that it lacks only two hum
dred yards of being a half mile longer
than the Poor House route, which is said
to be most easily gradcd-thc objection to
this route being the distance of the depot
from the Court IIouse-a mile and a half
. or more. The Elm tree route is now be-
ing measured. 1t will he less expensive
and, as fa- as we know, this route is fully
IS acceptable tc the stockholders rs the
Church route. While the Poor House
route is the cheapest and shortest, we be-
love that Il majority of our people do not
favor it, because Of the great distance
from town.
The surveys about AbEeyil!c, Of which
we have just been speaking, are being
made, we take it, OF the presumption
that the route is not to he changed from
sfroy. But when the survey Of the road
from Elsefieid to Abbevil!e Court House
shall be made, VIZ presume the location
OF the road will be definitely fixed. OF
course if the new survey should divcrSc
from the old line, where it row crosses
CutTeet0wn Creek in Elgciie!d and seek
new track by way Of Miilwav, Bradley
or White Hall, we should regard it GER
tain that all three of the routes now be-
ing surveyed about Abberillc will be
:%a&aHdoned. The road in that event
would run through Fort Pickcns, when
the present depot Of the c. 4 e.. Il. Il.
might be used as 4 union depot for the
two roads, or if such an arrangement be
not effected, then the new depot would be
but a little further OF.
1t might not he amiss to speak Of the
effect which so many surveys. and so
much talk Of change Of route has had on
some Of our people. II we are able to
diagnose public sentiment VIC would say
that these surveys, and whlsperinSs OF
change of route has had every conceiva-
BILE effect on the various citizens accord
ing to the circumstances. The changes
shortening the route has given some men
increased confidence in the practical abil-
ity of the projectors or builders, while
this course has destroyed the confidence
OF others in the success OF the enterprise
they dceminS such changes evidence Of
fcklcness and Il want Of proper care III
locating the road at first. OF course
when it IS proposed to divert the road
from any line, where it has been conceded
that il had already been located, 1t eXcites
the anxiety, the fears, and the wrath OF
the people who arc to be injured by the
change. On the other hand, tho people
to be benefited arc delighted. and in
many instances, are willing to give tan
aibIo evidence Of Shat delight Ivy contrib
utirg literally OF their money towards It's
construction.
For our own part, we would venture to
suggest that the officers of the road are in
al earnest about tho work. They are
.-%1alic a practical view
practical! mon, an. A. wa under-
OF r-acti "a! questions. ~.,;sct nav IL
stand it, the great and main 0S,;.a - 81,
10 build a railroad which shall Nv.,t
this country. an iron highway to theT&s
through the mountains. AS his great
line is the aggregation. or combination OF
various local roads, i. is reasonable, when
the combination has been effected, that