The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-29
THE CUMBERLAND GAP.
NOTES OF A TRIP TO AIKEN, BY T. P.
COTHNAN, ESQ.

Work OH the Road from Aiken t'
EdgeGeIG-..Thc GTmdinG 10 be Fin
isi,ed by the 18th Of ApriI---Eh'
Cars to Kun by Inc 18Th of May
AbbcviIie. Cedar Springs. and I'm
dian Hill 10 nc Asked for Il TaN.
TO come from railroad centres whoro III
is hustle and progress, and wend ones
way to Abbcvillc, via the lightning eX'
press from Hodges, certainly imprcSSCs
the wayfarer with the all-importancc O
these arteries of commerce. There is nc
subject that commands more absorbing
| interest in our town than railroads, as is
evidenced hy the universal enquiry since
nv return from Aiken, "what Of tho
Cumberland Gap?' Not that thcro is
anything very new upon this subject
but for the purpose of giving some light
upon the situation ] will give you line
or two upon my recent trip.
Col. r. T.. Bowen, the President Of the
road, who is keenly alive to all OF its in-
terests, determined upon tour of inves'
tigation, and we met ut Hodges OH Mon
day, the goth, en- route for Aiken, to see
what we should sec.
Arriving in Augusta on time we spent
the night at tho Arlington, and were oil
the next morning ut an early hour OH the
S. G. r. r. for Aiken, which point we
reached at 7 o'clock, a. ln., Tuesday
That day we spent in discussing matters
pertaining to the road with Mr.. Potts, the
contractor, and other friends of the road
Mr.. w. II. Schofcld, ir., had gone tc
Charleston on business, and returned at
IL o'clock that day, after learning OF our
presence in the city.
Wednesday morning we made up q
party consisting of Dr.. Croft of Aiken,
Vice President of the road, Mr.. Potts,
the contractor, Colonel Bowen, and
"your most obedient," to go out upon
the line where The work was being done.
The weather was very threatening and d
force who were at work in Horse Pen
Hollow, two or three miles from Aiken,
were not at work.
The first view that we met of the Cum.
berland Gap road, was near the South
the grading had commenced. At this
point the Company have bought beauti-
| full lot for depot, containing some acre
and half or two acres. 1t was bought
low, and could now be sold at an ad-
vance. 1t lies very prettily, contiguous
to the S. G. K. Il. property, and will an
swer we'll for depot and side track accom-
modationS.
Following tho street out towards Tren-
ton, we kept along the track of the c., G.
G c., which had been very well graded
and almost ready for the cross-ties which
lie around. From Aiken to Bausket' s
mill, distance CT ten miles, the line OF
the road is covered with cross-tics scatter
ed all along, and forco Of hands arc cut
ting them at the rate Of one thousand a
day. The line of road between these two
points is through an immense tract of
land belonging to the Crotts, Chatfield,
and others, which abounds in fine timber,
and upon which thero is an inexhaustible
supply of kaolin.
Aiken reminded mo very much Of the
man and the pan cakes, or Ninety-SiX
and red oats several years ago, no matter
what subject is introduced it finally
reaches kaolin-"chalk beds" as they
call it-and we'll they may talk of it, for
it is, or will be a great industry there,
and will be an important element in the
the freight of the e., &. G. tS G.
DR.. Crofts "chalk bed" is within a few
hundred yards Of the Road, and we visit
ed it. The clay is of very fine quail
ity, and is said to be practically mex
haustible. Near this bed is Shaw's creek,
with splendid water power. We found
the first force of hands driving piles for
the trestle across this creek. The banks
of the creek are worry marshy and these
piles havo to be driven down ten feet
through the mud, until solid sand for
nation is reached. An immense iron
hammer, weighing 1000 pounds, is cle-
waited between two upright pieces which
fit into grooves OIL each sido of tho ham
mer, and when at height Of fifteen feet
above the pile is allowed to descend very
rapidly upon tho head of the pile, thus
l,n H.
Tho machinery is very cumbersome and
unwieldly, and this process is very slow.
Four piles are driven 10 form n bench
upon which tho cross-tics are placed.
The length of the trestle will be about
400 feet, and has to be constructed very
carefully.
Not very far from tho trcstle, perhaps
half milo, Mr.. Potts is at work with his
fOrco Of graders. On account of the
sandy formation Of the soil, he employs
"scrarers' instead of carts and shovcls.
These scrapers are like immense sugar
scoops, with handles like wheelbarrow,
TO which is hitchod two mules and the
dirt is removed in this way. When we
reached them they were moving earth for
the purpose of making fill, and the
yells of the negroes urging their teams
up the embankment walked the slumbcr-
ing echoes.
;. Mr.. Potts informed us he had force
of between ninety and one hundred
hands, and twelve or fifteen teams along
the line, most of them being at work cut
ting ties. For these the darkics are paid
six cents in the woods, and thoy make
from seventy five cents to G dollara day.
The teams are hired from the country
men at $3.50 per day each.
Beyond Bauskct's mill We rode about
a mile along the old grade toward Tren
ton, where Col. Lewis Jones Of Edgcfield
once President of the Edgefield and
Trenton II. r., did some splendid work.
It will bo remembered that from Tren-
ton to Shaw's creek, (Bausketts mill,(
the line has been graded for number OF
years; the grading between Bauskett's
mill and Aiken is all that had to be COM
pleted under Potts contract. Nearly all
of this last block has been finished en-
cept heavy fill at Bausketts mill
to meet tho trcstle across Shaw's creek.
A good deal Of The grading has to be
dressed up ready for the cross-ties, and
then this part of the work will be COM
pleted. Mr.. Potts thinks that this will
be done certainly by the 18th Of April,
and that in thirty days thereafter, the
first train from Edgciield to Aiken will
go laundering along.
AS far as the eyo can reach in every di-
rection, cross-tics can be seeen on the
road bed and lying in the woods ready
for the teams.
Returning to Aiken, meeting of the
Executive Committee was called. There
were present Colonel Bowen and DR..
rroft y onnrun Ar this n,netjn,r wore