The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-11-10
BLACK DIAMOND RAILROAD.
An Interesting and Successful Meeting
Held in Its Interest.


in the Opera House last Thursday night
and proved to be an enthusiastic and sue
cessful meeting. When the meeting ad-
iourned the impression, almost TO man,
was that the Black Diamond will be
built, and that it will be built through
the city of Anderson, and that the work
will begin in very short time. There
are few, very few, prominent croakers
in Anderson who did not attend the
meeting and who are trying to spread
wet blanket on the work, but they are
mighty lonesome, and may be expected
to fall in line at no very distant day.
This meeting was called, and an invi-
tation extended to Col. Boone to be pres
ent, by the City Council upon request by
petition of our citizens, the petition being
signed by two-thirds of the property
owners Of the city.
Among those present were: Albert L.
Boone, CT gainesville, Ohio; Hon. Will
liam Kirkley, Toledo, Ohio; Judge J. 7.
Simons, Cynthiapa, KY; Gen. j. c. }.
Williams, Knoxville, Tenn; James n.
Boyd, Dover, Ky; John w. Mattox,
Cynthiana, Ky; Col. Duncan c. Wilson,
Beaufort, S. c., ex-president of the Port
Royal & Augusta Railroad; S. II. Rod
gers, Port Royal, S. c., editor OF the Ral-
meto Post; S. B. Thompson, Port Royal;
r. T. Jaynes, ESQ.,, 81. A. II. Gibson,
Robt. a. Thompson and G. W. Pratt, OF
WalhallsI, S. c.
In addition to these, almost every
prominent man Of this city and very
many prominent and representative
farmers of Anderson County were also
present.
After short address OF welcome by our
distinguished Mayor, G. F. Tolly, j. l..
Tribble, ESQ.,, of Anderson, was called to
the chair and J. T. Jaynes, Esq OF Wal
halla, made secretary.
Speeches were made by Gen. Williams,
of Knoxville, Tenn, and Col. Boone,
pointing out the proposed route from
Knoxville to Port Royal through Rsbu1
Gap, Walhalla, Anderson, AbbeVllle,
Edgefeld, Aiken, Barnwell, Hampton
and Beaufort, and showing the vast
amount of tonnage from coal fields Of the
Southwest, the hard wood forests Of Ohio
and Kentucky, the Tennessee marble
belt, the North Carolina slate belt ard the
wheat and corn belts, through all OF
which this great road will pass. They
spoke of the wonderful success Q! this en-
terprise through the States of Tennessee
and Kentucky, Notwithstanding the vast
amount of opposition with which the en-
terprise met at the beginning, and showed
how this opposition had been steadily
overcome until now there were five mill
ion souls north of North Carolina enthus'
iastic for the immediate completion OF
the road 10 the South Atlantic and with
money enough to build it. They made
plain the fact that the route Though
South Carolina to Port Royal would save
thousands of dollars in construction OF
the road and give water facilities which
must attract the attention OF the world,
Col. Boone made the statement that be
had been offered every dollar needed to
complete the road in exchange for the
control of the franchises of the road when
completed, but be had spurned the offer,
determining from the outset to enable
the people, by owning the franchises OF
their several States, to protect their inter-
ests against the mighty corporations
whose freight rates have been sucking
the life blood of the producers; that it
will never be necessary for the B. D. to
pool with any other system, because it
will have double the tonnage of any other
road. He stated the fact that there were
people enough and money enough to
build the Black Diamond and it would
be built, the only question being whether
it should be built through South Carolina
and through. Anderson or whether II
should be constructed through the State
ofGeorgis. along the west bank Of the
Savannah river as il is al. ,ady surveyed
He stated that the road would be con-
structed with double track, and gave
most excellent reasons founded in econo.
my for so constructing it. Gen. VIII
Iams paid glowing tribute to the mem
ory cf John C. Calhoun and Robert Y
Hayne, and quoting them as saying thai
the time must come when railway from
the South Atlantic to the West will be
built and that it must pass through Ra'
bun Gap. He stated that Knoxville was
thoroughly in earnest in this matter, thai
they had in 1895 invited Boone to come
and take charge of the enterprise, that
they had already subscribed $4,000 and
will givesone million more; with the vast
amount Of tonnage in coal, iron, marble
slate, hard wood, corn and wheat, all o.
which would last for ages, the Black
Diamond with 1000 miles of road would
do more business than the great Southern
with it's 5000 miles of road. Much stress
was laid upon the great Jellico coal mines
which lie Immediately in the path of the
Black Diamond in the States of Tennes
sac and kentucky, and the great enter
orises the opening up Of these mine;
must cause to spring up in the country
lying South of them, and the relation o
coal to all manufacturing industries. L
was clearly shown that coal now costing
$3.50 per ton freight to Anderson would
be reduced to s. cents per ton or less, s
saving of Sl.45 per ton and proportionate
Ill