The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-22
BLACK DIAMOND RAILROAD.
Its Prospects and Advantages.

| T1DI oN pT IfIE DEE.-- II WOnUCr II
the thinking, business people Of Rip
ley are aware Of the great struggle
now going on in the financial world
for control Of the grain markets Of
Europe. Tariffs may change, manu-.
facturcs languish, panlcs spread ruin
and distress. but in spite Of all the
nation which control the grain markets
Of Europe will be prosperous and pow.
crful.
Recognizing this fact, Russia las
the last three years been building raii-
roads at "a tremendous rate to deliver
her wheat at scaports. England in
recent year has expended millions Of
dollars on irrigating works and con
struction Of railways for developing
her immense wheat fields in India
Millions OF British money have been
lost in Argentina, South America,
and the greatest banking house Of
London, Barring Bros, swept away in
the vain effort TO develop the country,
establish railroads and make it the
greatest and cheapest grain producing
area in tho world
The conditions which have brought
American wheat to it's present price
may not occur again in twenty years.
Cheap transportation is the only sal
vation for the farmer, and on the pros
perity of the farmer largely depends
the prosperity of the business SO
closely are its business interests inter
twincd. The average cost of trans
porting bushel of wheat by rail from
Chicago to the sea is II cents. A re-
cent writer in the NORTH american Re-
vie,o has demonstrated by facts and
figures that with railroad properly
constructed for that purpose--a rail
road with low grade, light curvatures,
and cyal deposits for its locomotives
accessible at different points along its
lines, wheat can be carried at profit
for three cents per bushel from Chiea-
GO to the sea. This means control Of
the European markets. not only for
wheat. but meat. corn, oats and for.
age.
Business men are awake to the ne.
cessity Of doing something at once, to
meet this pressing necessity, this bat
tie for the markets Of the world.
In New York it is proposed to spend
$500, 900, 900 to widen the Erie canal
into ship canal with 25 feet of water.
St. Louis is about bull ing a feet Of
steam barges, each to carry 800 tons
and draw Is inches Of water. These
barges are expected to carry grain
down the Mississippi at cost Of three
cents bushel.
What I wish to call to the attention
Of your readers is the fact that in this
struggle for cheap transportion the
Black Diamond railway is easily in The
front. The plan and construction Of
the road are exactly on the lines sug-
gested by the writer in che NORTH
! American Reric,c. although the route
is different. With its branches to the
State capitols Of Illinois, Indiana and
! Ohio, its Chicago and Cleveland coD-
nections, its short routes, low grades,
light curvatures and unlimited coal
supplies, the Black Diamond will play
a most important part in this inter
national fight for control of the Euro
i pean markets.
Another battle is also being fiercely
waged-the battle of the seaports.
Hundreds of millions Of dollars have
been spent by the general government
in improving and deepening the water
approaches to cur seaports. Boston,
New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Norfolk and New Orleans, in fact, all
our seaports except Port Royal have
been heavy benefciaries, and all are
clamoring for a goodly share Of the
ocean carrying trade.
Here again the Black Diamond is at
the front. VTo say nothing of the in
creased distance from Europe Of the
Gulf seaports, New Orleans is more
than one hundred miles from the Gulf
UP river difficult cf nsv;getica, md
like Mobile, Galveston aud Port Ar
thur, troubled with shallowness Of
water.
Port Royal, the South Carolina ter.
minus of the Black Dismond, is con.
cededly the finest seaport on the South
Atlantic coast, and far and away
ahead of anything on the gulf coast.
The combined navies Of the world
might find quiet anchorage in its oa-
pacious harbor. Around its land.
locked waters great commercial city
is destined to spring up whose phe-
nomenal growth will surpass even that
-