The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-07-16
CALHOUN'S DREAM
COMING TRUE
Blue Ridge Railway Through Noun
tains From Knoxville to Char
lesion May be Near at Hand.
NallaIla keowee Courier.

Wallalla keowee Courier.
How long we have watched and
waited for the realization Of "Cal-
houn : dream. (which is nothing more
nor less than the building Of the old
Blue Ridge railway through the
mountains to Knoxville. And it seems
that again We are close to that reall-
cation. There is no heralding Of great
things. no flourish of trumpets by
the railway officials, as in the past,
which has each time ended IN the
loud bursting Of a wind bag. There Is.
however. a continuous sound OF quiet
work by those in 4 position to do
something, and every now and then
we get an inkling that some one OF
few obstacles has been overcome. To-
tlav it seems that there is more hope
of the Blue Ridge railway being built
than at any time in the past. Speak
inc on this line August kOhn, writing
from Columbia to the News and Cour-
Ter says:
In the coal-carrying road devel-
opuent and the eager interest that Is
being felt in Charleston, it may be
Just as we'll to remember tho old
Southern railway. Just now the
struggle is to avoid grades and to re-
duce the cost Of transportation to the
minimum by the leSSening Of grades.
The Southern is in the midst Of vast
coal fields. 1t has found its Ashe-
vile route valuable, but not altogeth-
er satisfactory. In this development
It is we'll to remember that, when Col.
Andrews was a Young man. his first
engineering work was on the old Blue
Ridge railroad, which stops at Wal
halla. This same Col. Andrews Is
moving spirit and ruling factor in the
great Southern railway system, and
he knows the advantages and ms and
outs Of the Blue Ridge road. He
has in his minds eye how the Pz/
Ridge road can get through <ssl>cmp
House mountain and across@Rabun
Gap. It would not be surprising some
morning to read an official announce
ment that the Southern railway is 60
ing to complete its low grade coal
CARRYING railroad by building the con-
meeting link-the Blue Ridge rsilroad
up with its Western lines"
Just what has been done, just what
Is being done, no one knows definite
", but that there is substantial ac-
tivity along the old Blue Ridge line
is certain.
Last week Railroad Commissioner
Sullivan, of Anderson, made the
statement that, while he knew moth
ing definite from official sources, still
he had seen and heard enough to
know that the old Blue Ridge rail
way project has tak ken on a rather
well-defned shape within the past few
months. and that he looks for an early
maturing Of plans by which the COM
plerion of the road will be assured,
and that in the not far distant fu
tu"e.
This roads completion means much
to the outlying country between this
point and Knoxville. Tennessee. as
we'll as to the port Of Charleston and
points between. The building. Of the
road through Stump House mountain
and across the Rabun Gap means the
close connecting Of the grain fields Of
the West and tie coal fields Of Ten
nessee. with the deep water outlet at
Gharleston-the connection. by the
completion of comparatively short
gap in an incomplete system, Of the
) two sections now most prominently to
the fore in commercial activlty-the
South and the West.
We are not only hoping, but are
confidently expecting, that the near
future will bring forth a definite
statement that will foretell the early
realization of Calhoun's dream and
the greatest hope of this Piedmont
country. . -.