The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-06-12
AN IMPORTANT LETTER.
The Advantages OF Grscnville and Ander-
son for the New Route from Baltimore
to tui-l-..
TIE following explains itself:

The following explains itself
GEE"SvILLE, S. c., May %, 'Si.
r. II. Ca'IcH, En-, President .St'em q
5. ". Z. Il. o., .Slkem, ia.
Htar Sir: The attention OF railroad
men in This city has been attracted 10
your prospect of connecting Baltimore
| and Atlanta By new line Of railway,
and believing i! 10 be wei! worthy the
attention OF your direction 10 take into
consideration the policy OF locating that
portion Of your road between Asheville
and Atlanta by way Of the cities Of
GIeenyille and Anderson in this State,
some of them have requested me TO write
you upon the subject.
An examination Of the map would in
dictate that the contemplated route through
Western North Carolina and the upper
par. of Georgia is through sparsely
settled and mountainous section. II
this is 50, the local traffic would be small
and the line probably an expensive one
to build, while the prospect of securing
local aid to build it would be proportions
atey diminished.
On the other baud it appears to US
that the route from Asheyilie to Atlanta
via Greenville and Anderson in this
State ard running through the Counties
Of Hart. Madison, Clarke, Oconee, Wal.
ton, Deksib and Fulton in Georgia,
would present fewer natural obstacles 10
its construction, traverse throughout its
entire length well populated and pro.
ductive country, in fact the most progres.
sive Of the entire Piedmont Belt, be To-
Gated far enough from other lines to
command a heavy local freight, and
direct enough to compete with any other
for through freights and travel. The
difference in distance could only be as.
certained by survey. 1t must be very
small when the comparative level of our
route is considered. Greenville is 90
miles almost due South from Ashevlle.
1t is growing more rapidly than any town
in the State, contains 5000 people, with
street cars, gas, and electric telephone );
has two large cotton mills, one plaid
factory, an extensive cotton seed oil mill, +,
furniture factories and ice factory, with
numerou: other industries which The
above would indicate. About one-fourth
eight or nine, are located in this County
Our city has doubled its population
since the building Of the Charlotte and
Atlanta railroad some twelve years ago.
and It's cotton trade of $4,000 bales been
increased twenty fold. Anderson with
some 1890 population is a rival of
Greenvi!le in progress and prosperity.
We have now the Charlotte aud Allan.
ia and the Columbia and Greenvile
Railroads both controlled by the Rich.
mond and Danville combination. To
avoid this monopoly Of which the whole
upper part of South Carolina is restive,
we are now building, with ample means,
the Greenville and Laurens r. r. to
Laurens, 38 miles. There we will meet
the Georgia Central who expect to com
plete their extension to that point from
Greenwood, S. c., oy the lst OF October,
prOx.
1t is the fixed purpose of our people to
extend the Greenville and Laurens r.
Il. across the mountains to Asheville or
to unite with other parties and 60 to
Knoxville. Capt. 5. J. Kirk with his
corps of engineers is now surveying the
route by private subscription, and this
County stands ready to vote 100000 TO
aid the enterprise whenever assurance is
mountain section, the difficult one, is
already surveyed and Capt. Kirk makes
the surprising but altogether reliable re.
port that he can cross the mountains
with maximum grade of 6s feet upon
favorable location. His report of the
entire survey to Butts Mountain Gap,
through which the uncompleted Spartan.
burg and Asheville r. r. is now running
their trains to Hendersonville, will be
made in two weeks. The latter road, also
controlled by the Richmond and DanviIle,
we will successfully compete with from
the fact that its mountain section has a
grade of 600 feet in three miles or of
234 feet in one of them.
The charter Of the GreenvilIs and
Laurens railway authorizes us to extend
that road to any point upon the North
Carolina line.
This city and section Of country rich,
populous and enterprising as they are
are determined to have short, direct rail.
way connection with the West, instead
of the present circuitous route by Chat.
anooga and Atlanta. They are also de-
termined to obtain relief from the mo.
nopoly now exercised by the Richmond
portion of the Stale. What we desire
above all things in railroad matters is
legitimate competition, and we are stand
ing ready with our means and good will
and large volume of freights to unite
with any parties giving us an assurance
of obtaining it.
bc!iove that the nine counties in this
State and Georgia through which your
road would pass and the city Of Atlanta,
would aggregate a asubscription OF 81 coo,
600 towards it if thus located. would
be pleased 10 hear from you at your
earliest convenience, (as it is matter in
which we are going ahead,) and glad il
you think it worth while to have you lay
this communication before your Board OF
Directors.
By this mail enclose you a copy of
, the Greenville Daily Me,Os, in which are
: two articles upon your western extension.
l am yours, very respectfully,
S. 8. CRIrrENDEN.