The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-02-20
Some Bits of History.

the march to the north was commen.
ccd and the destruction Of the Char.
lotte and Columbia railroad, now the
C., G. and A. division Of the Southern
was pushed with vigor. The army
struck camp six miles above Columbia,
near Lightwood Knot springs, in the
vicinity Of where the 100 miles siding
is now located. The army remained
in camp couple of days, or until the
road was torn up from this city to
the camp. After this work of destruc.
tion was completed the army took up
their march to north.
The mode Of operation was to tear
up the track, build fires with the cross
ties and stringcrs, lay the iron rails
across the fire until the rails become
rcdhot aud then twist them in all man
ner of shapes with tools gotten up for
the purpose. Another method was
to heat the rails in the middle and
bend them around trees and telegraph
poles, thus rendering them useless as
they thought, but not so, as will be
shown later. IL must be remembered
that there Scre no steel rails in use
at that time; on the Charlotte and Co.
lumbia railroad was what was known
as "chub,' or hangc rails; fiat bar
OF iron with holes in the Aange for the
purpose Of fastening the rail to the
stringeT. The stringer was held in
place by notchcs cut in the tie, largo
tie, called gain tie or main tie by
some
| Between each 'gain" tie there was
G small tie placed Oh which the strin-
ger rested. The switch was of the
construction of most of the railroads
Ill this section of the country at that
time.
The process of tearing up the road
was continued with the advance of the
army to a point few miles south of
Chester. At this point the army left
the road and marched across the coun-
try towards the North Carolina line.
thus leaving the road intact between
Chester to Charlotte. The surrender
came on and the officers found them
selves with no road from Blackst ock.
some so miles north Of the city. After
things had settled down the work of
rebuilding the road was commenced.
There were no rails to be bought, so
the question of Strengthening out the
bent and twisted rails was taken up
and it was decided to undertake the
job. Brick furnaces were built, some
thing like an old Dutch oven, the rails
being laid in the furnaces and heated
red hot, then taken out and hammer
outs traight. Those which were twist
edo would be untwisted by means of
tools devised for the work, then laid
on fat slab Of iron and hammered
out straight. In this way the old
rails we're brought into use once more,
and continued in use for some years
afterward, until the more modern rails
were brought into use.
While squad of men were tearing
up the road and twisting the rails an
old section master was looking on.
The officer in charge of the men re-
marked to the section man: 'Say, old
man. you arc out Of a job; you will
never be able to work these rails
again" The section master replied:
I'LL see about it after you are gone.
| will then go to work and straighten
out those rails and be ready for trains
to run over them in very short
time" For this speech of the Sec
tion man the officers came near put
ting him under arrest, but did not,
and the section man lived to make
good his assertion.
In these times Mr.. William John
son was president Of the road and Mr..
james Anderson superintendent
While the work Of rebuilding the
road from Columbia to Bleoksiock was
! under way the road north OF Black.
stock was bsing operated. a small
shop was built at Chester and such
tools and material as could be scrap
ed up from the burned shops in tk;s
CITY were transported to Chester by
dirt road and used in the shops at
that place. Mr.. Theodore D. Kline
was placed in charge of this shop and
remained there until the shops were
rebuilt in this city. Mr.. Kline is at
the present time general superinten-
dent of the Central railroad of Georgia.
Tile State.
La Grippe Quickly Cured.