Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-05-07
GAFFNEY AND RUTHERFORD RAILROAD.
GAFFNEY CITY, S. G.. May, 5.

GAFFNEY AND RUTHERFORD RAILROAD.
GAFFNEY CITY, S. c. May, 5.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE IORKvILLE
ENQUIRER: In your issue of last week,
jected Railroad existed only on paper and in
the minds of few imaginative individuals,
was attributed to a citizen of Gaffney City.
Instead of ''gOing away from home to learn
the news" it would seem that the old saw
is reversed, ''to go away from home to tell
the news" in this especial case. News
truly very startling-news which we desire
viewed in the light of the following facts.
A New England syndicate whose solidity
and strength have been abundantly estab-
lished after thorough investigation, have
contracted to build railroad of the stand
ard gauge, between Gaffney City and Ruth
erfordton. They receive their pay after the
completion of their work. They have al
ready expended several thousand dollars in
surveying the line, and according to con-
tract, have begun grading the road at For
est City, a central point. The grading was
begun by respectable, though not very
large force, with a guarantee, however, of its
vOuchsafe the the speedy cOnsummatlOn OF
limits of the contract.
The unfortunate death, q day or two be-
fore the date fixed for beginning the grading,
of Mr.. Mills, the president of the syndicate,
caused temporary delay in the transaction
of business, and the introduction of an ade-
quate force awaits only the filling of this
vacancy, which is necessary for the system
attic conduct of the business of the company.
In the shock of Mr.. Mills unexpected
death, the wonder is, that any force at all
was put to work. and the fact that, under
flash of disturbing distress, work began any
how, is stoutest evidence of the high resolve
and fine system of the syndicate, to carry
out to the letter, its contract under most
trying circumstances. The smaller the force
the longer the delay in the reception of any
pay by the syndicate, and if anything is in
dicated by small force, it would be the
monied strength of the corporation for the
outlay of whose capital they could patiently
await return. However, we are reliably
informed that forthwith work is to be Wig
orously pressed all along the line.
We will further state that the survey, at
heavy cost, is still being energetically prose-
cuted southwark, and before this note reach
es the readers eye, will have reached Ches-
ter Court House. And in all this outlay, re-
member, there is not cent of remuneration
w NV" I'LL e'iN VIVA
of grading and ironing the road in sections,
is completed, and then, only tWo-thirds Of
their outlay is paid, one-third of their entire
expenditure being withheld, till the entire
line is graded and ironed.
It may be we'll to call attention to the fact,
that for half century, it has been the dream
of our foremost thinkers to link by an iron
band the great Northwest to the Atlantic
Ocean, and strange to say, this grand dream
is about to be econsummated, before the mag
nifcence of the enterprise is apprehended at
our own doors. The Railroad announced in
the caption of this letter is only link in
the splendid line projected-a line which
though new, yet singularly enough is two
hundred and four miles shorter than any
other contemplated, crosses the Blue Ridge
at the only natural opening the Creator has
made within distance of two hundred
miles, and this on direct airline.
The great project is to run railroad from
Georgetown to SUMTER thence to Camden,
thence to Chester, thence to Gatfney City,
thence to RutherfOrdtOn, n. G., and on to
Marion, and Cranberry, and johnson City
on the Georgia, Virginia and East Tennessee
Railroad, Many of our citizens may not be
aware of the fact that this road is graded to
Cades in williamsburg county, and isgraded
thence to Sumter. On the north, tits graded
and ironed from Cranberry to johnson City,
distance of ninety-eight miles, and here it
makes a western connection, now running
it's innulnerable trains night and day. Be-
sides this, Georgetown has lately voted one
hundred thousand dollars to the enterprise,
and Sumter one hundred thousand dollars,
and Kershaw one hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars, and townships in Union and
Spartanburg counties one hundred and ten
thousand dollars, and Rutherford one hun
dred thousand dollars, and Mcdowell fifty
thousand dollars, and Mitchell county one
hundred thousand dollars. Thus, in addi-
tion to a considerable line graded, and the
long distance already graded and ironed, the
vast sum of seven hundred and ten thou
sand dollars is now raised for the great work.
The grading is progressing daily, as is also
the survey, and from influential men in the
various sections, we feel confident of liberal
prospective support from the townships in
York and Chester, through which the pro-
posed line will run, thus securing to them
selves the incalculable benefits that this
grand trunk line will yield in trebling the
value ofall property it touches, and in bring
ing it's thousands of blessings as the greatest
of educators, and the peer of any railroad
in the South in the magnitude of it's pur-
poses and scope.
The development of the water-poWer of
Broad River, by this railroad will giveto the
adjacent territory of York, Union and Ches-
ter counties, an increase of wealth beyond
our reckoning, for theinexhaustible water
supply of Broad River (an alarming desld-
eratum of other streams in northern South
Carolina-streamS already largely utilized
by railroad contract for manufacturing pur-
poses) has already attracted the notice of
capitalists, and as little as it may be known,
under the sure prospect of the railroad,
some of the most valuable Water-poWers
of Broad River have been already quietly
bought by northern money.
John Huss was burned at the stake for the
promulgatiOn of the self-same doctrine that
a generation later gave to Martin Luther
an immortality Of fame. Professor Morse
was burned in effigy because he told the pos
sibilities of the electro-telegraph, and only
sienced contempt by the first telegraphic
message Of the world, between Washing
ton and Baltimore, that Polk was nomina-
ted for the Presidency. 1t was as late as
1885, when Gen. John c. Fremont passed
through part of York carrying a surveyors
chain, laying out route for the Columbia,
South Carolina and Cincinnati Railroad
that one of the wise men Of the South Car
oina Legislature made much-applauded
speech, in which he declared that "the
State, instead of aiding this imaginary
scheme, had better donate it's money to the
construction of lunatic asylums to hold all
the ID fools who believed men could
ever be able to travel fifteen or twenty
miles an hour" The attention is directed
to the embodied moral.
Uncle Billy DoWdle, $50 like Sterne's IN
Gle Toby of Bulock's Creek, used to advise
parties who spoke of sowing turnips in the
moon, to SOW in the patch, as that was his
rule; and so it was our purpose to differ
u.;tL OLE crond friand in Local tin0 the rail-