The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1907-08-14
ANOTHER RAILROAD
From Kingsport, KY, to Gaffney,
Columbia and Charleston.

Will Pass Through Orangeburg Coun-
tv Between the City of Orangcburg
and the Santee liver.
letter from Gaffney to The State
saws the citizens generally and the
business element very especially of
that progressive city are on the alert
and and judiciously doing all in their
power to accomplish their share of
work in an undertaking which holds
much for Gaffney and for South Car
olina. This is the building Of the
South {; Western rallroad, with its
western terminal at Kingsport, Ky,
on the Ohio river, with Charleston,
S. c., on the Atlantic coast, via Gaf-
ney and Columbia, as the objective
point for coal distributing terminal
at this end. Mr.. ]. E. Norment, who
! wrote the letter to The State, says he
is not at liberty to divulge his sources
of information, but the facts given
are absolutely reliable and can be
j vouched for
Mr.. Norment says that the road
will soon be completed seems to ad-
nit Of little or no doubt. 1t is in
tended to distribute coal all over the
route travelled and the surveys in
clude such a route as will develop
valuable territory. Charleston has
been selected as the southern terml-
nal because of the unrivaled port
facilities first and also because of the
effect the completion of the Panama
canal will have there.
1t is also argued, in making Char
lesion the objective point at this end,
! that this will make that city the nat
ural outlet of the coal fields of Vir-
ginia and Kentucky. logical Sc
quence. one could Judge, from the
route as has been determined upon.
1t is claimed here that the iron and
mineral deposits of Cherokee county
will be speedily and fully developed
because the new road can deliver coal
at greatly reduced prices. 1t can be
authoritative stated that this is one
of the purposes of the promoters.
Before going further into the de-
tails of the undertaking and the ter
ritory through which the road will
run it may be best to give some
equally important facts. Work has
been going on for quite while, even
in this section, and this is the manner
in which information concerning the
work came to the business men OF
Gaffney. The second consideration
is of peculiar significance.
A railroad is actually being built
80 miles from Spruce Pine, n. c., to-
ward the western terminal, now be-
ing completed and in operation-and
no bonds nor subscriptions are asked
for. On the contrary, the offlclal';
are refusing offers for cash and bonds
from town adjacent to their lad,
saving they have plenty of cash and
that they intend building the road
throught the best route and the best
territory. regardless of other induce
ments. Another strange thing IN cor
uection with The work is that the
officials are avoiding publicity, but
are quietly working like beavers.
It. can be arthoritively stated that
the Seaboard and the Baltimore and
Ohio roads are behind the scheme
and both have direct connections WITH
the new road. To sum up .Lcf
some of the read is finished and cars
are running: the work is being RAPID
! " pushed in other sections; no Mon
ey. bonds or subscriptions are asked
TOR: the route decided upon opens 4
l splandid territory,b eyond question.
and the body Of business men, sent
out officially to represent this busl-
ness community, did not go upon any
idle nor uncertain mission. The f'r-
ther fact that the Seaboard Air Line
and the Baltimore & Ohio roads a:'e
interested, logically confirms all '!e-
4 tails involved. especially the maGnl-
Itnde of the scheme. the consequert
business interests involved and IS
perhaps, an explanation OF the re-
markable fact that no bonds, sllh-
! scriptions nor cash are asked for.
Kingsport. Ky, on the Ohio river
will he the western terminal, Win
Charleston, via Columbia, as an OBJ
iectiye point at this end Of the line.
The proposed route, after several s'lr-
vcvs. has practically been decided up
ON. as follows: From Kingsport, KY,
the western terminal, where cohnec-
tion is made with the Baltimore Y
Ohio road, the South and western
starts by following Clinch river, go
ing over the Tennessee mountains Hy
Clnch river gap; then on TO Johusc'-
CITY. Tenn, going thence to Spruce
Pine, n. c.; then on across the Ale
ghanies to Bostick, n. c., IL miles
from Gaffney, north.
The contract has been awarded and
calls for the completion of that part
of the road between Bostlck and
! Kingsport by the first of December.
Ninety miles the road, from Spruce
Fine on to til western terminal, have
already been finished and this is now
in operation. Work is rapidly pro-
crossing in grading the roadbed and
laying the track on unflnlsneo por-
tions of the route surveyed.
At Bostick, n. c., connection IS
made with the Seaboard Air Line
thus putting the coal fields OF the
West in direct connection with the
| Piedmont section.
An important detail of the plan IS
said to be that connection Will be
made by a branch road with Spar
tanburg from Bostick as soon as
work is completed as far as this point
The main me, as surveyed, goes on
direct by Gaffney y Lockhart SHOALS,
rnence down Broad river to Prides
station, on the Seaboard --lr Line,
near Carlisle, connecting again with
the Seaboard. Union will be lnclud-
ed also. of course, the Buffalo &
Glenn Springs road from Carlisle be-
ing used for this valuable connection.
The distance from .ostick to Spar
tanburg is 80 miles ana it has been
determined that a branch road be-
tween these points will be used for