The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-27
THE FIRST STEP.
THE PROPOSED NEW RAILRoAD---CoI-
UMBIA, NEWBERRY AND LAURENs.

THE PROPOSED NEW RAILRoAD--CoI.-
UMBIA, NEWBERRY AND LAURENs.
The FIRST step in everything, if well
taken, means great deal in the ac-
complishment Of purpose. This is
peculiarly the case with railroad
enterprise dependent upon commu-
nitr subscriptions. We must move
TO make things move. The Colum-
bia, Newberry and Laurens Railway
holds a. very liberal charter. The
road is allowed to organize with
$4,000 bosG fide subscriptions, The
people Immediately at interest, viz,
of Richland, the three Fork Town
ships, Newberry and Laurens, are
about 100000, and if among them
they cannot raise this small sum, it
might as well be accepted al once as
q lost charter. But it is too valuable
property not to attract attention.
For the present $4,000 VIII keep one
hundred conyiGts st work for the
year. with $4,000 to spare. At sixty
cents per day for hire ard food, we
see an expenditure of $4,000 for the
three hundred days. This hundred
conyicts, well used, should grade the
thirty-eight miles air line from here
to Newberry within the year. The
crossties, at 4,300 to the mile, put on
road bed, also cents to the tie would
cost S1,29o per mile. Forty ton
steel rail would call for 70.4 tons to
the mile, which at $50 per ton laid on
the eroad shows S2,464 per mile. This
shows 1854 per nile for rail and
ties. With convicts the grading can
be done quite possibly for $3.50 per
mile, and by allowing $3.50 per mile
for such slight structures as the road
requires, we see per mile:
Grading and construction $ 900
Crossties. l,29O
Rail. .. 2,464
Total .$4,654
This shows total cost to New
berry of $276,052. and with $4,000
for bridge across the Broad we see
some $2O6,852.
There is no reason why an inch of
road should be lost from here to
NeBberry. Western builders are
willing to pay $4,000 for every mile
saved. This is the standing order to
engineers. Should we allow but half
this sum for our roads it would pay
the road to expend $4,000 extra to
save eight miles of road from here to
Newbsrry.
We see it stated that the present
Newberry and Laurens road can be
incorporated with the new line. The
old road Strengthened can be reduced
to twenty-eight miles in length.
This work, and relaying the road
with forty pound steel rails should
cost some $4,000.
The next step should be to get the
Greenville and Laurens road SUBJ
scribed to the system, securing to the
Central system the same rates and
accommodation at Laurens as the
new system would enjoy. Then from
Greenville to the North Carolina line,
via Pickens Court House, for Frank
lin, n. c., we would have some thirty
eight miles of road, with cost in
round numbers of 100000. We
would thus find road to border line
of some 40 miles, with an expendi-
ture Of 100000 in round numbers in
addition to subscription value of the
two links incorporated into new line.
From here TO North Carolina the
FIVE counties and three Lexington
townships Immediately at interest
contain not less than 10000 inhab-
itants and $25,000,000 of assessed
values. A subscription of . per
cent. would give 5000. The dis
tance from the North Carolina line
to Franklin by an available route is
twenty-five miles. This link at an
: average cost of $4,000 per mile
would call for $4,000. Some Il
per cent. on $25, 100000 of assessed
values would amount to this $375, ,0O0
exactly. The route can thus be car.
RED to Franklin, n. Q, at a cost of a
million of dollars, or exactly 4 per
cent. of assessed valuation of South
Carolina counties and townships st
interest, in addition to stock of New.