The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1899-11-08
AN INTERESTING STORY.

| 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 pio-
neer railroad builder, which the
young folks will read with great in
| terest:
DIR. w. w. Smith, of Williston, S.
| c., 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, 85 years
| OF age. He is both minister and a
physician.
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 1893.
Below are given some OF the iacts as
furnished by Dr. Smith
The first motive power used Ou this
road was wind, utilized in sails made
Of cloth on the cars.
DR.. Smith is the inventor of the lever
switch. Before his invention they
moved the rails by means of wedges.
In building the road a heavy grade
was encountered at Aiken, S. c., where
there was stationary engine that
nn1ln6 tho fhn nrulo h,
and windlass. There was q double
track at that place and car loaded
with rocks furnished the weights to
help pull up the cars.
The locomotives had two smoke
stacks, one at each end. In going to
Charleston one of the stacks was used
and in coming back the other.
There were no spark arresters, and
everybody along the route had to
watch their property to prevent its
being burned up.
travelling in those days.
When night came on all hands struck
camp and waited for daylight to come
in order to proceed.
The track was composed Of ties and
81 foot stringers, on which baud of
iron about like common tire was
laid and nailed 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-
gineer was the snake. heads" or nails
protruding above the iron rail, for they,
were prolific sources OF accidents. The
conductors collected the fares from
the outside, walking on boards about
like the open street cars are now ar
ranged.
Edward Roath and Nathan Colder
banks were engineers on this primitive
road. They died few years ago.
There wore no conveniences on the
cars as in this day and time. The cars
stopped at stated intervals for the con.
venience Of the passengers.
The mail facilities were meagre and
very primitive. A split stick served
for mail bag, as letters were put In
sticks and handed up to the conductor,
and were thrown out the Same way.
DR.. Smith introduced the plan of
having the outer rail on curve made
higher than the other rail.
The coupling links were made Of
wood, so that when car ran off it
would break and save the others from
running Off.
Tristan Tupper was one OF the pre-.
sidents OF this road and introduced
some novelties during his administra-
| tion.
He had the cara remodelled and
shaped like barrel. This was done
30 that In case they ran off they would
roll down the hill and not hurt so many
passengers. 1t was thought they could
be rolled back with the same degree
of ease.
There was afterward an effort made
to shape the cars In order to "split
the wind" thus increasing the speed.
One of the great mogul engines OF
the present day would have crushed
the track beneath the eartE.