Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1890-10-23

rFntA-ifTegtEa sI.Er EEN-A- ~
THE AMERICUs CONSTRUCTIONS AND
RAILROAD COMPLEMENTARY BooMI1N
TOWN LOTS ALREADY INAUGURAL
TED.
Ces.uMR,As G. 0cteher 8 The
dreams of half a century seem about
to be realized, and the finest water
gateway on tho Atlanaio coast is to
be thrown open to the commerce OF
the world at last. Tho South Caro-
lima sinking fund E >mmission has
sold to the Macon and Atlantic Rail-
road Company three hundred acres
of marsh land at Foot Point, Beau
fort County, sixteen miles from Port
Royal, on the opposite side of the
bay, and about cightoen miles from
Savannah as the GROW flies.
The selling price is merely nomi-
malone dollar per aore-as the land
is valueless either for agricultural
or phosphate mining purposes, and
is bought by tho above named corpo.
rations for the purpose OF securing
deep water terminal facilities. Tho
purchase was made through James
B. Robertson, as negotiating agent
for Willis b. Sparks, President of
the Macon and Atlantic Railroad.
This road is the last of an extensive
system connecting Memphis, Macon
and Birmingham with tho Atlantic
coast.
1t is learned that several adjacent
plantations have recently been pnr-
chased by the same corporation, to
be used as the site for a city, and
that the work of building wharyes,
dopots, warehouses, etc., and tho
laying out Of town lots will be in
augurated at an early day. Al
though there are no phosphate or
mineral deposits on the lands sold,
tho State, rs a mere matter of form,
reserves to itself all phosphate and
mineral rights. There is also a
clause in the decd of sale which pro-
vides that if the railroad is not com
pleted to Foot Point in three
years the land will revert to the
State. 1t is confidently expected,
however, that the road will be in
operation and trains running into
Foot Point within eighteen months.
A dispatch from Macon, dated
the 9Th instant, gave the following
information concerning this transac.
tion:. H,....
Zone of the biggest railroad
schemes ever projected in the South
came to light here to-day on the re.
turn from New York of President
w. B. Sparks, of the. Macon Con.
struction' Company. President
Sparks announces that Foot Point
on Collector River, about sixteen
miles from Port Royal, and the same
distance from Savannah, has beer
settled On as the water terminus O.
tho Macon and Atlantic, which, il
was once thought, would 60 to Sa
pelo Sound or Savannah.
"Thc plan is to complete tho linz
now, building from here to Guyton
and thence by an air line to tn,
Colleton River. The harbor at Foo.
Point, it is claimed, gives tho deep
est water South of Norfolk--twenty
two to twenty-four feet at low water
There big docks and grain elevator
will be built, and it is claimed that
with the Western connections of tn,
Macon and Atlantic, the new por,
will become a leading exporting ant
importing point on the South Allan
tic coast. Work is going right aheat
now on the new line and the enter
prize is not a visionary ono. Fiv,
thousapd acres Of land have alread,
been bought at the terminal point
Foot Point"
The Mews a,ad Comrier's repre-
sentative also learns, from a privat.
but authentic source, that the Amcri
Gus Construction and Railroad Com
pany has just purchased, for termi
nal facilities, 5000 acres of land il
the same vicinity, on Colleton Neck
fronting four miles on May River
with an average Of five fathoms 0
water at low water. The sale wa,
made by Dr.. HIGHWAY, of Nashville
Tenn, and Thomas Martin, of Bluff
ton, who held tho property in com
mon, the purchaser being John Gar
nett, of Savannah, agent for tn,
Americus company. The price pait
was $4,000 cash and a one-tenth in
terest in tho company. Titles wer'
passed yesterday.
This makes thirty-two square mile,
in oil recently purchased by thes
two railroad and construction com
panies for terminal purposes on Col