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.

The hi. .,celir. in the interest of the
grea! Black Diamond Railroad Was held
III tho opera House last Thursday night
and proved - he an enthusiastic and sue
ccssful meeting When the meeting adj
iourneI the impression. almost to man,
was that the Black Diamond will be
bulk, and that il will he built through
the cl:y oi Anderson. and that tho work
wi, begin ina very short time. There
are Z. few, very few, prominent croakers
III Anderson who did not attend the
meeting and who are trying to spread ~
wet blanket on tho work. but they arc
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, tho petition being
signed 10y two-thirds of the property
owners OF the city.
Among those present were: Albert T..
Boone, Of gainesville, Ohio; Hon. Will
liam Kirkley Toledo, Ohio; Judge j. r.
>imons, cynthiana, Ky: Gen. J. c.
Williams. Knoxville, Tenn; James y.
Boyd. Dover. Ky; John w. Mattox,
Cynthiana. ky.; Col. Duncan G. Wilson,
beaufort, $. c., cx president of tho Port
ROYAL Il Augusta l;nilroad; s. j. Rod
gers. Port Royal 5. g., editor Of the rat
u''fio ipst $. Il. Thompson. Port Royal;
r. r. Iaynes ESP, II. a. II. Gibson.
I;obt. A. Thompson and q. w. Pratt, Of
Walhalla, S. &.
In AL. IN .ilr
prominent man Of this city and very
many prominent aud representative
farmers of Andersen County were also
present.
After a short address OF welcome by our
distinguished Mayor, &. +. Tolly, j. l..
Tribble, Esq, Of Anderson, was called to
the chair and J. r. Jaynos, 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 Rabun
Gap, Walhala, Anderson, Abbey lilo,
i:dgeiield. Aiken, Barnwell, Hampton
and Beaufort, and showing the vast
amount of tonnage from coal fields Of tho
Southwest, the hard wool forests Of Ohio
and Kentucky, tho Tennessee marble
belt, tho North Carolina sinto belt anti tue
wheat and corn bells, through All Of
which this great road will pass. They
spoke OF the wonderful success OF this en-
tcrprise through tho States Of Tcnncasi,o
ana Kentucky, notwithstanding tho rast
amount Of opposition with which the en-
terprise met 1t tho beginning, and showed
how this opposition had been steadily
overcome until now there were five mill
ion ann1s north c! NSs::ii Carolina oiithii5
iastic for the immediate completion of
the road to the South Atlantic and with
money enough to build 1t. They made
plain the fact that the route through
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 he
had Oeen offered every dollar needed to
complete the ToaG Ia exchange for the
control of the franchises of the road when
completed, but he 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 tie mighty corporations
whose freight rates have been sucking
the life blood of the producers; that it
will never ne necessary Hcr the y. .. &c
pool with any other system, because 1t
will have double the tonnage of any other
road. He stated the fact that there were
people enough ahd money enough to
build the Black Diamond and 1t would
be built, the only question being whether
it should be built through South Carolina
and through Anderson or whether 1t
should be constructed through the State
Of Georgia along the west bank of the
Savannah river as IL is already surveyed.
He stated that the road would be con-
structed with double track, and gave
most excellent reasons founded in acono-
my for 80 constructing it. Gen. vii.
liams paid glowing tribute to the men,
ory Of John c. Calhoun and Robert y.
Hayne. and quoting them as saying that
the time must come when a railway from
the South Atlantic to the West will be
built and that 1t must pass through Ra-
bun Gap. He stated that Knoxville was
thoroughly III earnest In thig matter, that
they had IL 1895 ;nvissd Boone 10 come
and teke charge Of tho 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 of
which would last for ages, the Black
Diamond with 200 miles OF road would
do moro business than the great Southern
with its 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 tho States of Tennes-
sse and Kentucky, and the great enter
prises the opening up of these mines
must cause to spring up in the country
lying South OF them, and the relation OF
coal to all manufacturing Industries. It
was clearly shown that coal now costing
$3.50 per ton freight to Anderson would
be reduced to 85 cents per ton or less, q
saving of sl.45 per ton and proportionate-
ly all along the proposed route,