The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-05
THE ROAD TO CUMBERLAND GAP,
The True Gate of the West to the South
Atlantic Sho-e-Newberry on the
Line.
[COlumbia REGISTER. I


Let Columbia, Newberry, Laurens
and Greenville keep Cumberland Gap
in view all the time. It is the true gate
Of the West for the South Atlantic
States. A line from that great Gap to
the South Atlantic shore is surely i'm
pending at no distant day, and they
who get the first line built, if it bears
any reasonable relation to the wants Of
the interior cities and the ports of our
shore, will hold the situation for all
time.
Now, let us see what we have before
us. The distance from Savannah,
Port Royal and Charleston is $50 miles
to Cumberland for each of these points,
and from Wilmington $50. A bee line
from Charleston to the Gap passes
through Columbia, Spartanburg and
Asheville. But line passing through
Columbia, Newberry, Laurens and
,Greenville and by the. Big Pigeon
route through the mountain belt is
prac' i::ally as near an air line as any
other, the slight detection costing per-
haps three miles or less in distance lost
and securing the most favorable route
through the mountain belt. We may
as well then accept the Charleston,
Columbia and Gleenville route as
practically the Air Line route from Re-
bellion Roads to the great gate. From
Columbia to the Gap is 230 miles.
With our Columbia, Newberry- and
Laurens road finished to Clinton, we
see some 63 miles of the route an ac-
complished fact. We already have this
limb of the great route thoroughly in
hand, with all the means in view for
the completion of this part of the line
at an early day. This shows US one
fourth of the Cumberland Gap line. as
good as an accomplished fact. Green
vile must have some ten or fifteen
miles graded between that city and the
mountain pass.
With this before US, what is there to
hinder our going to Cumberland Gap
without delay? All it wants is that
the several communities at interest
should put their heads and resources
together and the money can be raised
just as easily and speedily as on any
other line in this country. If we do not
move at once in this matter, we lose our
hold on the situation, which we plain
:ly now have. A line from Savannah
via Barnwell, Laurens and Greenville
is practically an air line from Savan-
nah to the Gap: It's less than a hun
dred miles from Laurens to Rarnwen.
And from Laurens to Savannah the
air line distance is some17 miles, and
measured on the same map the air line
from Laurens to Charleston is 14O.
No less than seven companies have
been organized to take advantage of
the great mineral resources that have
been so long locked up in the; lone
some hills behind this Gap now opened.
It is the greatest mineral region of the
known world.
A city springing up in the wilderness
beyond the mouth of the Gap in Ken
tucky. 1t will be literally sprung upon
the world with every facility ofmodern
civilization complete, just as if the new
city had been fifty years in existence.
Great business men with millions be-
hind them see that here the trade of
the great West will concentrate for the
nearest outlet to the sea. We stand
ready to move first, and to move on
the shortest line from the Gap to the
sea. This was the inceptive idea of the
Midland route advocated by the Regis
ter years ago. The Columbia, New
berry and Laurens road is the old Mid
land idea revived and well in hand.
No people ever lose such an opportu-
nifty as now awaits US and have it
offered second time. We warn Co.
lumbia, especially {; her whole future
hangs upon her moving now, and NOV
ing as one man, in seizing this oppor-
tunity. She will get the cooperation
Of the other communities at Interest
very surely, if she goes after it. And
she goes now with sixty odd miles of
road in her hands as good as done. We
should not lose day in pressing this
matter home on our. neighbors and
friends above US. There is not mo-
ment to be lost in this important mat
ter. Let us move, and move at once