The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-11-03

Of the mountain. On the way back to
my Naval Station l fell in with Major
Long. l told him that at the Whiteside
the character Of the mountains changes
from an unbrokcn range northward to
isolated masses toward the South. That
n CANA communication with the West
should be sought for among the head
waters of Tugalo River. That the Cha
tuga comes down at a right angle rs a
feeder. and breaks through the ridge.
and that it's great fall gives CHI DICE of
level. We arranged to make an carly
reconnaissance, for it SO happened that
his mind had been long occupied with
the project OF uniting the waters Of the
Mississippi with those of the Atlantic,
somewhere through tho AllcghanicS.
But, as he wrote me. n certain influence
with the government had procured his
employment far away. | was promoted
and went to sea. Mr.. Poinsctt. Prcsi-
dent Van Burcn's Secretary Of War,
recommended the establishment of bar
racks in the South, to be co-relativc with
those at Carlisle, Penn. He had in view
the region Immediately beyond Wal
halla, for thr reason that, bang an apex
Of country, there is descent from it in
directions through more than half the
points of the compass. The sources Of
the streams running to the ocean inter
lock there with tho heads Of others
turned iowa the Gulf: their waters
have been brought together for indus
trial purposes. Hon. Geo. G.. Dibrcl.
M. G. from Tennessee, introduced Il rcSo-
luton for the improvement Of the navi-
CATION Of lliwasscc River, perhaps
looking to this interhow. The l"wcr
portion Of the HiwasScc is the most ia
vorablc, while the upper OF the Little
Tennessee is superior. n slight cut
across the'Rabun Gap would pour thirty
five miles Of smooth water OF this latter
into Tugalo River. Four years ago
a%ffluent of Tennessee River, across the
Gap to lzell's Mills, on Checkcro Creek,
An atllue1t Of Savannah River. Less
than the expense Of a single railroad Of
equal length would give the Northwest
Il water transit more efficient than Il
dozen railroads. ut has been proven
on the Western waters that Il light tug
can tow bargeS laden with 29.COO tons.
10 remove the same bulk by railroad
would require 1905 cars, 100 locomo-
tives and GOO men," Chicago become
the entrepot for Canada West, and all
the great lakes would Soon be without n
rival among interior cities. The produce
tons Of the great Northwest arrived at
the distributing point, Augusta, would
be competed for by Brunswick, Darien.
Savannah, Port Royal, Charleston and
Wilmington. They are ports of an inn
mcnse plain, extending from Chesapeake
Bay to the Florida line. traversed bv
streams, at average intervals Of less than
thirty miles. practicable for steamers $50
miles to the first falls Of the rivers. 1t
is the extreme verge Of the true cotton
region, nearest to the marts Of the world.
1t fronts the ocean the safest and the
readiest to navigate. 1t is most con.
venIent for with South Amer
ica. the West Indies, the Mediterranean.
the East Indies and China.
The company making the canal and
slack-water improvements would derive
a double benefit, from tolls and from let
ting water power. To illustrate the in.
conceivable profit from leasing water
power by the square inch, Gerrit Smiths
bought for $4,000 yielded him an in.
come equivalent the interest on $sOO,OOO
The Passaic Falls, located in this quar-
ter, would not be remarkable. The
proprietor, hearing | was in New York.
sent to invite me to visit him ut Pater-
son. | found him in n house still un-
finished, that had already cost $112, 600.
His income was such that he allowed
his wife $14.OOOsa year alimony. Yet,
to bring his water in shape, he had to
build the highest stone wall in the
world. except n on the Langucdoc
canal. An equal outlay on these shoals
would utilize IL thousand times the WA
ter. Savannah River with its aflu-
ents would furnish power enough to
manufacture all the cotton that can be