The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-09
AN, INTERESTING STORY.


One of the Original Corps of Survey
ors Tells About the Building and
Equipment Of the Old South Caro-
lima Railroad
The Augusta Herald gives the fol.
lowing story as related by q pio-
neer railroad builder, which the
young folks will read with great in
terest:
DR.. W. W. Smith, of Williston, s.
O., holds the distinction OF being one
of the corps of surveyors who built the
first railroad in the United States-the
old South Carolina railway. He was
born in Barnwell County, South Caro-
lima, in 1918. and is, therefore, IS years
Of age. He. ID both q minister and q
physioian.
According to DR.. Smith the first rail.
road in the United States was the
South Carolina Railroad, afterward
called the Charleston and Augusta
Railroad, running from Charleston to
Augusta a distance OF one hundred and
forty miles.
DR.. Smith was one of the corps of
surveyors of the road, beginning at
Charleston in the year 1926. He says
that they were seven years building
the road, and that ;he helped in the
work throughout that time. The road
was completed in 1888.
Below are given some Of the facts as
furnished by DIR. Smith
The first motive power used on this
road was wind, uttl lized In sails made
of cloth on the cars. " 81. : J >t.':: ~, :.
*s1r. Smith is the inventor of the lever
switch. Before his invention they
moved the rails by means of wedges.
In building the road q heavy grade
was encountered at Aiken, S. c., where
there was a stationary engine that
pulled the cars up the grade by ropes
and windlass. There was @ double
track at that place and q car loaded
with rocks furnished the weights to.
help pull up the cars. -, - q!
The locomotives had two smoke
stacks, one at each end ,In igofhgi to
Charleston one Of the stacks wRa used
sIafHl &g back the othsr. J YSssmM !
There we're no spark arresters, and
everybody along the route had to
watch :: tnsir," property toipreaeit:'fts
being burned up. :t:;.a :-..:
+ :, One hundred miles a day was good
| trayel ling In those days:
when night came ON ill hands struck
camp and waited. for daylight to come
in order. to :prooeed. ,:A'.: -. 50 ~
Tho track was composed of ties and
| 32.fOot stringerS, on which baud Of
iron about like q common tire was
laid and;4ailed down.to the. wood.
A track walker went ahead of the
engine every day to knock down the
snake-heads," or nail heads to pre-
vent accidents. The dread of the en-
protruding above the iron rail, for they
we're prolific sources Of accidents. The
conductors collected the fares from
the outside, walking on boards about
like the open street cars ere nowSar,
ranged.
Edward Roath and Nathan Colder.
banks were engineers on this primitive
road. They died few years ago.
There were no conveniences on the
cars as in this day and time. The cars
stopped at stated intervals for the con,
veuience Of the passengers.
The mail facilities were meagre anG
very primitive. A split stick served
for D mail bag, rs letters were put ir
sticks and handed up to the conductor,
and were thrown out the same way.
DR.. Smith intr reduced the plan o.
having the outer rail on curve made
higher than the other rail.
The coupling links were made O
wood, 30 that when Car ran Off Il
would break and save the others from
running of. ,...
Tristan Tupper was one of the pre-
sidents of this road and introduced
some novelties during his administra
tiOn.
He had the cars remodelled ant
shaped like q barrel. This was don,
80 that In case they ran off they would
roll down the hill and not hurt so man,
passengers. It was thought they coult
} be rolled back with the samo degret
! Of case.
There was afterward an effort mad
to shape the cars in order to "spli
the wind" thus increasing the speed
One Of the great mogul engines o
the present day would have crushed
, the track beneath the eartE.
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