The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-10-18
A Line From Charleston.

Morgan interests having killed the
hope that a line across South caro-
lima. with a terminus at and specldl
interest in Charleston would be built
with the cooperation of the owners
of that system, we shall have to think
of other plans for cutting through
the Gordon of railroad discrimination
which oppresses us here. And what
better plan than the most direct
Why not cut straight out into the IN
i, terior. throwing out a line to those
VINO will not throw in line to US?
We have frequently considered with
high expectations the coming Of great
systems to Charleston. They have not
come Sometimes we have considered
going to great systems. We have not
zone. Now, there has been subscrib-
ed in the expectation Of the building
of the c., H. and D. connection, sum
Of money almost sufficient to insure
the construction Of railroad from
Chester to Camden, as link IN sys-
tenn of roads from the coal fields OF
Tennessee. Why not proceed with the
organization of the construction com
pany projected for. that scheme ana
employ it's resources to another line.
The people who were counted upon to
back the undertaking seem 10 longer
at service, but they are not the only
men with money. There is plenty OF
money in the country and it seems
ready to embark on enterprise with
reasonable promise of profit. Many
railroads have been apparently on air.
Let's build an air line.
Where shall we build to? POSSIBLY
along the line projected for the Char
lesion, Virginia and Ohio River rail-
road, picking up the connections as
we go, until ultimately we reach the
coal fields Of Tennessee and join. even
with their grudging consent, the c.,
II. and D., which Mr.. Morgan has
bought to prevent unwished for COM
petition with his other lines. Per-
haps to the Seaboard Air Line, along
the line Of the Charleston, Augusta
and Chattanooga railroad, which was
projected a few years ago and was
abandoned when Mr.. John Skelton
Williams lost control Of the Seaboard
sytem to the Morgan influences again.
! The Seaboard is under the same gen.
eral influences that operate the South
ern. but the laws of South Carolina
preserve it in the character of COM
petine line with that system and it
would have to furnish some traffic
to the line which tapped its rails.
And we should then have three sys-
TENS of railroad running into Charles
ton, none Of them, perhaps, with
whole hearted interest in the port,
but all of them forced by the very
logic of business to make some effort
at service. Even the small rivalries
Of local managements are not with
out advantage.
The point we make is that now that
the people Of Charleston have pre-
pared themselves to build a certain
length of road they should go ahead
and build that length, even if it takes
a. different route from that marked
out for it in the project which has
failed. But the essential consiiera-
ton, from which there should be not
the slightest deviation, is that it
should be built from Charleston. The
projectors of the Charleston, Virginia
and Ohio River line have acquired
fine terminal properties on the Cooper
river. Let the first cross tie be laid
and the first spike driven there. II
the road goes no further than Ten
Mile Hill it will at east pass
through the hinterland of the city
| which some day will develope into
rich suburban territory. IA small
thing but mine own can be said Of
it. When we get to the end Of it We
can at least come back to Charleston.
The trouble with all these other lines
which have been projected is that
they have started for Charleston, but
have never reached here. The only
railroads which we now have, after
seventy years of rairoad building, are
those which began at Charleston.
If line is constructed from
Charleston into the interior it will
not have to go far before it meets
with some recognition. If we should
build to the Seaboard Air Line the
Southern would sit up and take no.
tice. If we should build to st. Paul
there is Col. Tom Wilson's little road