The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-04
ACOMMITTEE OF TWENTY
$4,000 TO BE RAISED FOR THE
SOUTH BOUND RAILROAD.

| -
Once $4,000 Already Subscribed
Col Nike Browns speech Before
Last Nights Meeting-The Special
Committees Accommodation
other Meeting to Be Held Next
Week.
A meeting in the interest Of the South
Bound railroad was held last night, and
arrangements were perfec. to put com
mittee Of twenty at work to raise the sub
scription required in this city.
Tie rooms OF Messrs. Denmark e. Adams
were crowded with gentlemen who had
been invited to attend the meeting. Capt.
John L. Hammond, president of the corpor-
alton, was called to the chair aud explained,
in brief, tho object Of the meeting He then
called upon Col. Mike Brown Of Barnwell.
s. G., to state what no thought of the
project In response to the deviation Col
Brown addressed tie meeting as follows:
| Mn CHAIRMAN And Observation-Disclosures ting
| That might be called upon to present some OF
the reasons why your city should take an in
| terest in the projected South Bound road from
! BackvIlle, S. c.. to Savannah, and not being a
| speaker, have hurriedly grouped some of what
| | conceive to be the results wnicl will flow to
| your people from the completion Of this road :
| although to such r pre- e1tativs body of the
| practical business interests Cf SAY aqulh no eK-
| ten ied Argument should be necessary 70 Impress
| upon you the advantages you may reasonably
expec5 to derive FROM it ia the Increase Of your
| trad and commerce. but a safe inve stment
| for the capital you may enlist in the enterprise.
| First you must consider that this road will
| by short line Of only eighty miles, put Savan-
| nah near. an a. soyne points nearer. than
Charleston to ono of the richest agricultural
| sections OF the sout1, and especially with an
! immediate section whose annual cotton produc-
| tion Will aggregate &0) 00J bales.
BY building this eighty miles of road from
| savannah TO Barnwell, connection is made
/ with the Barnwell railroad already complet ID
| and in operation between Barnweil and Black
| vile, winch co meets at this last named place
| with the South Car lima road running east and
| west between Charleston and Augusta and also
| connecting with the B'a3kvle, Aston and
| Newberry railroad. running north of Backvilie
in the dire ,tion Of Columbia, and the latter road
| can be utilized in making connections with that
| city. Here another connection ia made with q
net work Of railroad systems viz: The Pied.
mont Airline, by which the distance from Sa-
vannah to the cities Of the north would be short
ened about eighty miles; the Northeastern rail
road, and the South Carolina road, both
Of which run from Columbia 10 Charleston;
also with the railroad known as the Three
C's' in rapii process Of construction from
Camden northward 20 the rich mineral regions
or North Carolina and Kentucky and which
has connections at Columbia.
The South bo1ud with its immediate connec-
tons at Biackvill- alone independent of those
nenLOn90 IN LIe central part OF the state, Will
open q wide field for extending the trade of
Savannah in a territory from which She does
not now secure a dollars worth of trade, and it
need not be told you that to build up an main
tain the trade you now enjoy you must IL what
other cities, such as Atlanta Macon and other
inter or cities have done and are now doing to
direct trade to them heretofore tributary to
you.
All the territory north Of Blackville for thirty
miles will be as nea" Savannah when the South
Bound road is completed as 1t now is to Charles
ton, while Blackville, the largest business point
between Augusta and Charlie, ton. will be e1u-
distant from Savannah and Charleston, and
open 10 the competitive trade of Savannah,
practically none of which she now commands
To give you an idea OF the extent Of the bust
ness IA that section, 1t may be proper to state
that Blackville does an annual business aggre-
eating nearly S1,O00,00O and in addition her
cotton shipments are approximately 1000 bales
annually or nearly S50OuC0
The town OF Barnwell handled during the last
cotton season between 5000 and Z 900 bales of
cotton, approxlmating $250,0O0, and in addition
did business last year of $500. 600 in the aggre
gate. The population of the five rich counties of
B rnwel, Hampton, Aiken, Orangeburg and Lex
lngton, and their resources. increasing rapidly
and are not tributary to Savannah Iaey are
richly productive of cotton, corn and melons 900
car loa is of which were shipped from Barnwell
county alone last season.. and other farm and
orchard products wanting to find closer trans
portation facilities by steamer to northern and
foreign markets which your city affords.
The question must lie with the business men
OF Savannah, whether they can enter the terri
tory named, and compete with Charleston, the
only present outlet on the coast If they can do
this. then the wisdom of aiding the projectors
of the South Bound is removed from the do
main of uncertainty.
In addition TO the rich and undeveloped por-
ton of the territory reviewed, and which aver
ages valuation of S15 per acre, hemmed
in as it is by only one outlet to the
sea, there is an undeveloped section rich
in kaoLn mines and virgin timber
which would stimulate the lumber trade Of
your city; nor have taken in consideration the
towns of Allendale and Appleton, both of which
are ready to aid the South Bound by voluntary
subscriptions largely in excess proportionately.
OF what is being asked OF your people, who
should DO much more deeply interested in its
construction.
The interest which has been taken in the sec
ton through which the road passes, may be
more fully recognized and appreciated when
tell you that | have rights Of way from Barn
well TO the Savannah river by two routes one
via Appleton, and also via Allendale and have
Drought them with me to your city. A recent
preliminary canvass along the line resulted in
subscriptions received and assured of $40. OOO
and this will be materially increased by closer
canvass if your people extend the aid required.
That the South Bound road will be a paying
investment from the start ought not to be the
subject or doubt. Mr.. Herman Myers and
myself, when north, were highly gratified with
the favor with which the enterprise
was received by capitalists of promi-
nence in New York Philadelphia, Balti-
more and Richmond and who gave us the
assurance that II we raised a subscription ap-
proxmating $4,000 there would be no
trouble in raising the capital TO complete the
South Bound road
II you can compete with the points now draw
Ing upon the territory mentioned and have no
doubt on that score, as you will be as close to
1t by the South Bound road as your rivals why
should not the road pay as au investment?
IL the trade OF only Blackville and Barnwell
is made accessible to Savannah by the CON
struction OF the South Bound, and you would
get onethird Of the business Of the towns, as a
business proportion is 1t not to your interests to
projectors of the ROAD Ask A cotton belt as
rich rs the counties have mentioned, opens a
field for the Introduction of Savannah fertiliz-
ers from which you are now shut out by reason
of the freghts and round about way to reach
section that is such large consumer of the
products or one OF your most Important manu-
featuring Industries, and | need not add, in
conclusion. that the same argument will apply
to all the Industries and branches Of your trade
and commerce, as IL will also apply to what that
section wants to send you for sale or reship-
ment. Through this exchange between a rich
agricultural section and wealthy and popu-
lous seaport city. not only will you receive
stimulus in your trade, but the railway which
will convey TO and from your city the traffic
sure to follow the building OF the road cannot
fail to pay directly and indirectly tenfold more
than the amount you are called upon TO invest
ono Of the principal features connected with
the South Bound, and one OF the most remuner-
alive as an investment in its stock | had not
dwelt upon, and that is its assured connections
with the Robinson system OF roads approaching
completion, which would give Savannah an in
a. 1t..a