Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-07-16
GAFFNEY AND RUTHERFORD RAILROAD.
From the GafIney Carolinian, July 10.


At the Railroad meeting at Blacks, Mr..
A. A. .Urquhart, the Agent of the Massachu-
sets Construction Company, after assuring
those present of the financial soundness of the
Company asserting that it had millions at
its back, said in reference to the route:
"The original route was from Cincinnati
and Chicago to Charleston and Georgetown.
Its construction was to be under four char
ters, the Georgetown and North Carolina
Narrow Gauge Company's with its amend
ments to permit broad gauge, the Ruther-
ford Construction Company's, the Ruther-
ford, Marion and Tennessee Company's
and the Union, Gaffney City and Rutherford
Company's. Two points had been definite
ly settled upon, Rutherfordton and Marion.
The contracts with Rutherfordton and Ma
rion would be kept in good faith: The
route to Gaffney City had been considered
probable, but could be changed. From
Gaffney City to Chester, the route had
proved heavier than had been anticipated,
hence another had been suggested. The
company would adopt that route that pre-
sented the most commercial advantages and
offered the greatest assistance in the build
ing of the road"
Now, we would like to know upon what
principle of business or morality, Gaffney is
at this late hour only a probable route and
one that can be changed so easily. Did
not that company with "millions at its
back" sign contract as binding as words
could make it, with the representatives of
Gaffney and RutherfOrdtOn to build the
roads between the two places, to begin the
work by certain time and to complete it
within a specified period? Is this COM
pany with ''millions at its back" neither
legally nor morally responsible for it's solemn
written contracts, and is the most that can
be counted on from those contracts only a
probability subject to easy change? II SO,
our people have been gulled beyond all
precedent, and they will have another op-
portunity of indulging in some wholesome
reflections on "yankeetricks" and business
faith.
In accordance with its enunciations made
above, the Construction Company is now
engaged in surveying a new line from
Blacks via Shelby to RutherfOrdton. The
Mountain Banner, Of last Thursday, has the
following local notice of the survey:
1.-THE surveying party are now engaged in
measuring up the old Carolina Central line
of road from Shelby to Forest City, in order
to better enable the Construction Company
to determine whether the road shall run
from ,Gatfney here, or from Blacks via
Shelby. AS soon as this decision is reached
a force will at once begin grading"
We copy also the following editorial from
the same paper, on the subject of the Rail
road, and our people would do well to read
it, and open their eyes to the fact that
strenuous efforts are going to be made to
break faith with Gaffney, and to Wrest the
railroad from us. The Banner says editori-
ally: ,,
"Regardless of what has been or may here
after be said by friends or foes of our Rail-
road, it has assumed such definite shape
and existence that nothing on earth can pre-
vent its being built earlier than the most
sanguine could expect but supreme stub
bornness ON the part of the Directors.
The Boston Construction Company de-
sire the privilege to come here from Blacks
via Shelby, in case they determine this
the most practicable, and unless this very
reasonable request he granted by our Dlrec,
tors, we may yet lose our long cherished
hope. For the Company can-and there is
strong influences at work to accomplish it.
run the road from Blacks via Shelby, and
on to Morganton and leave Rutherford out.
There are many good and substantial rea-
sons why the Shelby route is preferable to
u.s. and we feel satisfied that our agents will
duly consider them. The Shelby route
gives us connections north, south, east'and
west, with two opposing syndicates, where
as the Gaffney route would only give us the
Air Line, which could and would assume to
be dictator, in the matter of freight rates.