Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-10-05

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|P|'RE|O]IS'Pl'.E|!a'US is PUBLISHED BELON
Walhalla to Be the Conneetina Point 10,
Halt a Dozen Big Railroads -fiurrah
On September 21st the Chattanooga
(Tenn. News printed $ map of the pro.
posed Missing Link railroad. In the
same issue that paper gives the follow.
ing prospectus Of tho road. . IN. 6
Let us examine the map of Georgia
and see. Let us take Blue Ridge as a
nucleus, and from thore examine the
country about. From Blue Ridge west
lie the counties Of Fannin, Union, Rabun
and Towns, a territory 100 miles long
and 70 miles In width, which has no
railroad. The IMMORAL wealth of this
district is unsurpassed by any in the
known world, and 30 declared by tho
greatest scientists of the present day.
1t Is not only the abundance of gold that
has boon found and mined fifty years
before California had boon discovered.
and which is yet mined in great quanti-
tics In this seotion-but aside from that,
tho following Minerals arc found in pay
ing and workable quantities, viz: Cromic
iron, manganese, magnetic iron and rcd
and brown hematito, in great quantities.
Corundum and its crystals, tho ruby,
asbestos, mica, copper deposits in large
quantities near the town of Hiawassoe,
III Towns county; Immense deposits of
sulphurots, kyanito, heddinite kaolin,
tho purest in tho world, and largo talo
veins, and the timber for 100 miles
through which tho road will pass sur
passes for quantity and quality anything
south of the Ohio river. Aside from the
mineral and timber, these counties havo
tho finest climate and tho purest wator
to be found anywhere, and tho agricul-
tural and grazing possibilities are great.
And, tor the purpose of further showing
what may bo rolled upon for traffic be-
sides timber and mineral, it may bo
stated that thousands of sheep and cattle
arc yearly shipped from Union, Towns
and Rabun counties, and which arc
either driven to Murphy, N. c., dist
anoo of thirty and fifty miles, or across
tho Blue Ridge, to Gainesville, Ca, q
distance of fifty miles. All produce,
such as rye, wheat, corn, cowpoas, pota-
toes, eggs butter, poultry, oto., are
transported ally by many wagons to the
samo markets. Tho passenger traffic
will be great. Thousands of people an
nually come from all parts of tho South
Atlantic and Gulf States to spend the
summer season in tho mountains of
North Georgia, and, in order TO got to
their respective localities, they have to
DO hauled by teams for many miles.
Thousands would yearly visit horo,
whero hundreds undertake the trip now :;
besides all tho travel from Augusta, Ga. ,
Port Royal and Columbia, S. O., would
como this way.
10 reach Blue Ridge by rail from At.
lanta tho distance is 100 miles, and from
Knoxville to Bluo Ridge, 1O7 miles. Tho
nearest present distance from Chatta-
nooga to Bluo Ridge by rail is 1877 miles,
which requires two changes, ono at
Athens to Jellico junction, and then on
tho Atlanta, Knoxville & Northern, quite
a roundabout way. Whom tho Missing
link railroad Is completed, the distance
from Chattanooga to Blue Ridge will DO
friction over 55 miles. Besides this.
1T opens up short line to tho Gulf from
Chattanooga, reducing tho distance 15O
miles. You vii! 500 by examining tho
map, that there is no railroad crossing
tho Blue Ridge mountains from Atlanta,
Ca, to Asheyille, N. c., distance of
2O0 milca, to con cot tho great railroad
systems of the east and tho west and il
Is for this reason that we suggest NAM
ing this road the "Missing Link" This
road, on the contemplated limo from
Chattanooga to Clayton, Ga, is nearly a
bee line-and what is another favorable
fact is that tho line strikes the county
seat of each county through which tho
road passes; besides other small towns,
Young Harris, q college town, built and
endowed by rich Georgian somo fiftoon
years ago, and built right in the woods.
This institution has from $50 to 400 stu
dents ovcry year, and tho majority of
them arc haule cd from Murphy in hacks
to iouIg narris, distance Of twenty
miles. At present all tho traffic from
tho Gulf States is carried by the South
ORR Railway to Atlanta, and if any of it
is intended for Chattanooga, it is by way
of that city. If tho Missing Link is COM
pleted, all this will DO changed, for it
opens up q shorter and moro direct
through limo to the North and South, by
way of Chattanooga. This road, whom
built, will bo as important IL line to Chat
tanooga as is tho Cincinnati Southern of
to-day. Twenty years ago, just suoh q
prevailed at Cincinnati, which
city, at that time, had no Southern out
lot, except by the Louisville & Nashville,
and by which road Cincinnati was boy
cottcd, which brought about the build
ing of the Cincinnati Southern, which
has proved such great and material bone
fit tc o. t~" tiles, Cincinnati and Chat
tanroga.
sinco the last war with Spain, it has
be como apparent to no great Northern
aud Northwestern railroad systems that
tho South Atlantic and Gulf soaports
are worry desirable points to connect
wiz: and all the great trunk lines arc
seeking outlets that way. They torcsce
that when tho great ditch ia dug that