The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-01-25
THE COLUMBIA CANAL.


is unfair to the project, those who sus-
tained it in the Legislature, and those
who are managing it. would premise
that in a wOrk Of this magnitude and Of
such great importance, that everything
connected with it is Il matter Of record +,
which records are accessible, and all
statements made in reference 20 it should
be correct.
l,t The statement tha, one hundred
and twenty convicts were employed on
the work last year. and that the total cost
To the State nf the w"r! wa5 ":.bDu. 500
600" is not true. The work Of construc-
ton MAS begun April llth and to Octo.
Der 3lst, 1882 the end Of the fiscal year,
1893 days Of convict labor WAS put OH
tho work OF this number only 1866
days were made by able bodied conyicts,
such as could have been hired out for
$3.50 per MONTH the remaining lD,l27
day labor were made by convicts that
could not be hired out, not being able
bodied, and w9Ic worked on the Canal for
what they were worth. Work was done
on lGi day., of nine hours each, and the
force employed, reduced to Il basis Of
first class hands, averaged only AZ e 10
hand, per day uf 10 hours. (See Report
relative to Columbia Canal, House
document, page T.. 1873 convict days
at i2i cents per day (avcragc total
cost per capita see Pcnitenliary Report
1882 is $4,000. 60; to this add the cash
expenditures for Canal, $S,jl 60, and
we have the total expenditure on nc
count Of Canal, $li,Sl2.29. The value Of
the work done Is ;s$I2,2l0.25. The value Of
plant on hand $500. Paid for right OF
way $2,ll2GO. 81 ,i22.S5 rs Il return for
the outlay As stated above, besides utili-
zing many convicts that otherwise would
have been droncs in the hive. See Re-
port relative to Columbia Canal House
document, pages 3, 4 and -. Since the
end Of the fiscal year, during the months
Of November and December, G,G40 days
convict labor Of : hours each, (of which
l,73S, only, were made by able bodied
convct,J has been put on the work, with
- cash expenditure "f 81 ,4SS4O; at 42i
cents per convict day, this would make
Il total cost for these two months of SI-
32l.02 The total value Of work done
during this time is $1,000. (Scc monthly
statement for November and December,
records Pcnitcntiary Board.) The total
cost to the State for this work to January
lst, 1883, has been SIS, 1881, (not "about
$50, ,OO0,'' as stately with return in value
of S23 1926. Had it been practicable
without interfering with existing con.
tracts for convcts, to have kept force
of able bodied convicts on the work, in.
stead of the mixed labor that was fur
nished, nearly double the amount oI
work could have been done with the
siiino outlay OF money. 1t costs no more
to work man who can do a full day't
work, than one who can only do hal
days work. The price charged rs cost tc
the State, 42a cents for each convict day
is not the correct one, as many items put
in to make this average is fairly charge
able to every convict on the prison rolls
instead Of only to those within the prison
walls. For instance, such items. among
others, as salaries, inspection Of convict
camps, etc An analysis Of exhibit d
reniten,iary Report, 1882, will make this
evident. The amount fairly chargeablt
is about Is cents per day. The Penitcn
tiary authorities estimate it at 23i cents
AT 25 cents per day, the actual cost o
the Columbia Canal for 1882 TO the
State, has been Sl5,35S.25.
end. AS to the character of the coun
try through which the Canal passes ant
the estimate Of cost. The Canal is to be
q miles long, covering the same grount
occupied by the old Canal, with the ad
ditional width required. The bottom o.
the old is as low and in many places low
cr than that Of the new. 81 miles Of ,hs
work passes through low lands, no rock
to be found on either sde or in The bot
tom Of the old Canal! The .cHai;iiiil
! of mile is along hill sides, where
much solid and loose rock will be found
Your correspondent says that the create,
part Of the Canal il through loose and
solid granite rock, when he has beer
over but very short portion Of the
ground to be occupied by the work
! Three estimates and plans have beer
made for this work at different times, b,
different Engineers, with the nid of tho
best instruments and careful inspection
Of the ground. These estimates aud plan.
are substantially the same, and the work
is being done in accordance with them
I submit, that notwithstanding the pos
sibility that the estimate of these Engi
neers $500, ,0OO-may be incorrect, ye
it is just as apt to be right, AZ that o
81 ,OOO, 900 or 81, ,OOO,O 900 made by one who
has never been over the ground nor hat
access to any notes, who claims not to bs
an Engineer, but to have common sense
Probably some Of the Engineers engaged
on this work have some common sense
ton Of leaat tho confidence rennsed apt