The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-09-20
New Railroad For Manning.

Hail aulllN fllIS VIC uCNt.
New Railroad For Manning.
It was the writer's pleasure to
be of the party who were invited
by the Alcolu Railroad Company
to take a trip over their line yes.
terday on its inspection by the
Railroad Commission.
:Cn account of the illness OF
the other members of the Com
mission. the inspection devolved
upon it's genial Chairman, Col.
J. II. Wharton, who announced
at the end of the trip that he
was very much pleased with the
condition of the roadbed and
rolling stock, and that he offici-
ally declared the road open for
a general freight and passenger
traffic.
The honors of the occasion
were happily performed by the
following officers of the com
pany: The farseeing Vice-Presl-
dent, Mr.. D. W. Alderman, and
his able co-adjutor, Mr.. Paul
Alderman. one of the Office force:
General Superintendent F. l..
Collins: General Timber and
Right-cf-way Agent Furman
Cole, and Station Master ]. H.
Garland, and W. D. Gamble.
The rest of the party we're
Messrs. H. D. Noise, and E. J..
Browne, of the engineer corps;
Hon. D. L. Green. member of
the House from Clarendon: Mag
istrate Sellers of New Zion:
Messrs. Buddin, johnson, Green,
Cole and others from along the
line.
The train left Alcolu where
the line connects with the At
lantic Coast Line at 1870 and
reached Beulah, Florence coun-
ty, it's present terminus at 1870,
the run of 25 miles having been
made at low speed to give every
facility for a careful inspection.
At Beulah the train was met by
an enthusiastic crowd Of the
Beulahites, headed by that gal
liant old Confederate veteran,
Squire Thompson. After con-
gratulations and a general hand
shaking land by the way the
young .;old veteran" who pre-
sides over the Railroad Commis-
sion is an Adept.) The party dis.
persed to see the varied attrac-
tions Of the embryo city of
Beulah.
One of the points Of interest
is the shady grove with its bold
artesian well where the good
people of FIVE counties assemble
to the number of two or three
thousand on every fourth Satur-
day IN July for grand Confed-
crate reunion and jolly picnic.
Two churches. half dozen
large mercantile establishments,
system ginnery and saw mill,
FIVE public roads that radiate
like the spokes of a wheel into
one of the best farming coun-
tries in the State. the building
of a cotton mill under serious
consideration. it would not be
surprising to see Beulah a court
house town inside the next de-
cade.
At the right time for those of
Us who had breakfasted quite
early. an elegant lunch was
served in the dining compart-
ment of the "vestibule, as the
new train is called. A gratifying
feature was the entire absence
of wines and liquors that some
times mar the dignity and pro-
prieties of such an occasion.
At three O'Clock, "Au revior, :"
for we are going back sometime,
and the return trip was begun.
The party gradually thined out
as we passed stations until at
Sardinia we left very few be-
sides the officials of the road.
The writer took Col. Wharton
by buggy from Sardinia through
the Black river country and the
old brick church to Mayesville.
Now something Of the history
and prospects of the Alcolu Rail
road which is destined to play
an important part in the devel-
opment of the middle eastern
section of the State, and in the
transportation facilities Of sev-
eral important towns. Some
twelve years ago the Messrs.
Alderrnans found it necessary to
cross Black river with their
tram road to secure timber for
their immense lumber plant at
Alcolu on the Central road about
three miles north of Manning.
People along the line who had
to haul their cotton, fertilizers
and other freight from twelve
to twenty miles began to ask
that freight be delivered along
the line. They could not see
why a railroad even if but a
timber line, should pass by their