The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-01-05
A Big Railroad Deal.


control of che property at once. A
rumor to that effect came out of New
York yesterday morning, and the Neaes
and G6uyiier set to work at once to
verify it. A dispatch sent to the
headquarters of the Atlantic Coast
Line system in Wilmington brought
forth the response: Your informa-
tion is correct.
The deal will be news to many peo-
pie in Charleston, among them being
a number of railroad men. Every
body knew that Messrs. Thomas and
Ryan did not mean to hold ON 20 their
Charleston and Western Carolina
lines. but just what they did propose
to do with them has been mooted
question for many month. The av
erage railroad man. when appealed to
on the subject. was accustomed to
predict that sooner or later the prop
erty would fall into the hands Of the
system: even provided it
were not true that Messrs. Thomas
and Ryan were silent representatives
of that corporation all along. No one
who was at all we'll informed on traf
fc affairs believed Mr.. Ryan often
assertion that the property
had been bought for operation and as
an investment. In the very nature of
the case the Charleston and Western
Carolina system had to consolidate
with some other company-as an in
dividual system.it occupied an anoma-
lous position. It's business was strict
ly local, and the only hope Of render
ing it profitable lay in having one or
another of the big systems touching it
take it up as a feeder.
Now that the deal is an accom-
plished fact, it seems perfectly nat
ural that the Atlantic Coast Line
should be the company to absorb the
Thomas and Ryan lines. The Coast
Line has been in the absorbing bust
ness for some years. The policy OF
It's management has been one Of ac-
QUESTION wherever opportunity Of
fered. The system has long wanted a
direct inlet to Georgia, and the traffic
originating in the southwest, while
this purchase also puts it into the
heart of territory in which it has
never before competed for business
actively-the western part Of this
State.
This deal will upquestionably add
greatly to the Atlantic Coast Line 8
prestige as a factor in the traffic af-
fairs Of this section of the country.
While there is now no direct connec-
tion between its old and new lines,
one may be easily made at more than
one point. The close relations exist
ing between the Plant system and the
Atlantic Coast Line might readily
convert the Charleston and Savannah
into connecting link by trackage
arrangement, similar to that which
was commonly supposed to be in pro-
cess of perfection between the Plant
system and the Charleston and West
crn Carolina Company. The Coast
Line has branch which touches Den
mark. point little removed from the
route of the old Port Royal and Au-
gusta road. The same company has
for several years had more or less in
terest in.the Columbia, Newberry and
Laurens. In these and other ways
closer relations NAV be brought about
between the parts of the Coast Line
as it was and the Coast Line as it is.
Last night the Ncms aad Courier
had it's Spartanburg correspondent
call upon Mr.. John B. Cleveland,
president of the Charleston and West
ern Carolina system. Dir. Cleveland
had retired for the night and conse-
quently could not be seen. but his son
said his father had heard the rumor
of the sale of the road. and had tele-
graphed to New York for information
on the subject. The dispatch from
Wilmington referred to above, how
ever. leaves no doubt that the owner
ship of the property has been changed.
The people of this city will. Of
course, hope to see the Coast Line
convert its new branches into direct
feeders to Charleston. The Charles
ton and Western Carolina could. if
rightly handled. be made very valua-
bic to this port and city, and in order
to operate it in another way the new
management would have to go out of
its way to slight Charleston COM
mercial interests.
The Charleston and Western Caro-.
lima Company has a total mileage of
33339 IL miles. ll2 of which extend
from Port Royal, S. C.: to Augusta,
Ga: l33 from Augusta to Spartan
burg. S. c.: 577.775 from Mccormick to
Anderson. 5. c.. aud 36.30 from lau-
rcns to t,reenyillc. S. C. The road
was practically owned by Samuel
Thomas and Thomas f. Ryan. of New
York. j. B. Cleveland. of Spartan
burg. S. c.. was the president. 1t
was capitalized for 81 200. .000.-Ncms
and fourier.
j. j. Kelly. Of New York, appeared