The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-12-13
BEGAN ALL OVER
Career Of CoIoati Andrews as Related BY
Colonel August Kohn,
SERVED With HAMPTON

SERVED With HAMPTON
railroad Service OF the Southern
Railways Famous First Vice Prcs.
itlent Interrupted by the War.
During Which He Rendered Con.
spicuoue Military Service to the
Confederacy.
Seated in an armchair at the
Metropolitan Club In Colum bia We'd
nesday night Was Col. A. B. An
,lrews, first vice president OF the
Southern railway system. Mr.. Sam
H. Hardwick and I had little argu-
ment about Col. Andrews first rail-
road experience and we went over to
Col. Andrews to have him settle the
issue. The point was decided in IA
vor OF the newspaper man and, by
way OF explanation.
Col. Andrews took from his trous-
er pocket two well rubbed and shin
ing Mexican silver dollars. There
were two OF them and they had
rubbed against each other for long
time, for there were perhaps no COM
panlon pieces. These two Mexican
dollars represented the worldly pos.
sessions of Col. Andrews when ne left
rhe Confederate army, at the close
OF the struggle. except two mules.
The mules and two unspent Mexican
dollars represented the beginnings
Of his present accum ulations. -,
But the point Is: When did Col.
Andrews begin his railroad service?
1t was before the war, before 1861.
when as lad OF seventeen he was
given charge of the trains that hauled
the stone used in the construction OF
the masonry on the present Blue
Ridge railroad, running from Belton
to Walhalla, via Anderson. Col. An
drews' uncle had the contract to con-
struct the Blue Ridge rallroad-the
pineer road that was to have pierced
the mountains and provided 8
through line from the coast to the
West.
The original contract was for COM
pany to haul the stone to- be used
In the construction work, but the
deliveries, were so unsatisfactory
that Col. Andrews, then mere Lad,
was put In charge Of the train that
hauled the rock. That was his first
service as a superintendent Of rail-
road. Later he was q real superin-
tendent and he has gone the entire
gamut OF railroad service-active
and actual ser riice.
Then came the war and Col. An
drews, as he is now called-and be
Is a real colonel, and not one by
postwar service-entered the 15t
North Carolina cavalry as lieuten-
ant. He served In the Hampton Cav
airy, and with distinction md cour-
age. He was In the stress OF many
OF the serious engagements with
Wade Hampton. and the last time he
saw Hampton that distinguished
chleftain remarked to him: "An-
drews. am going to write something
that l hope will give full credit to
your North Carolina men in my COM
mand, for l do not think you have
ever gotten full justice In recorded
history" Unfortunately that prom
Ise was unfulfilled, for Gen. Hamp-
ton died about two weeks later.
With his two dollars and mules
CO... Andrews went to work. He saw
the destruction that had been
wrought and 1t occurred to him tha,
there would be money and service in
rebuilding bridges-railroa1 bridges.
He borrowed money and got the job
OF reconstfucting the bridges on the
old Raleigh and CASTOR railroad. He
remained with the Raleigh and Gas
ton road for ten years, during which
time hn was its superintendent.
Then he went with what was for
merly the Richmond and Danvi!!e
road; perhaps his devotion to this
system Is accentuated by the fact that
Col. Andrews wife is the daughter
OF Col. Johnson, who Tas the first
president of the Charlotte and Au-
gusta railroad. Thir.y-five years ago
Col. Andrews entered the service OF
the nucleus Of the present great
Southern railway system. 1t has been
largely due to his constructive gen.
lus. his capacity for work and his
knowledge Of men that the weakling
rnads here and there have been
brought together until today the sys-
tenn aggregates over 5000 miles.
When Samuel Spencer and his
predecessors were gathering in weak
roads, pulling them out Of bankrupt
courts and whipping the lines into
shape Col. Andrews was his right
hand and his safety check. Col An
drehs then as now was first vice
president OF the system. He kept
increasingly al work 10 make the
Southern railway a great system and
he as persistently kept In the back
ground When MIR. Spencer was
killed he showed the same keen spirit