Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-04-18
BLUE RIDGE RAILROAD.
Dream Of Robert Y. Hayne May Yet
Be Realized.


Dream Of Robert Y. Hayne May Yet
Be Realized.
The people of Anderson, led by the
| Daily Mail, are moving for the COM
pletion Of the Blue Ridge railroad from
| Walhalla across the mountains to
Knoxville. Transmontane railroad
construction, linking the Carolina
coast and the coal fields of the middle
west, is the order Of the day and ev-
cry effort in this direction means great
benefit to South Carolina as a whole,
and Columbia and Charleston in partic-
] ular, but none Of the other movements
in this direction mean as much to
these two cities, more especially Co
lumbia, as does the completion Of the
Blue Ridge.
The building of the Clinchfield &
Ohio road has stopped at Spartanburg,
for the present at least, and whether
| this line shall eventually be completed
to the seat at Charleston, or whether
1t will have to content itself with con-
nections through roads already estab-
| lished does not yet appear. The Nor
| folk & Western, through the south
bound, has made a connection with
Charleston by way of the Atlantic
Coast Line at Florence. There Is a
movement on foot, which bids fair to
attain early success, to complete the
Greenville & Knoxville road, which
now runs from Greenville to few
miles beyond Marietta at the foot Of
the Blue Ridge range, and capitalists
are interested who control a similar
line on the Tennessee side Of the noun
tain, but even II this road Is put
through 1t will have Greenville as its
southern terminus and must there de-
pend upon connecting either with the
Southern or the Charleston & Western
| Carolina, which is an Atlantic Coast
Line property. None Of these means
through route by Columbia.
The Blue Ridge is the originally con-
ceived route across the mountains. 1t
was the Blue Ridge that was the dream
Of Robert Y. Hayne, upon which all OF
these others have builded. II 1t should
be completed now 1t would mean that
the Southern railway would possess a
direct line from Knoxville to Charles
ton, avoiding the celebrated Melrose
grade on the Asheville road. Accord
ing to the Anderson Daily Mail, II
would be necessary to build only sixty
Ave or seventy miles in order to COM
plete the Blue Ridge from Walhalla
into the city of Knoxville. The road
Is now in operation from Belton to
Walhalla on this side Of the mountains
and from Knoxville TO within a few
miles of the North Carolina line on the
other side. There Is gap from Wal
hala to Clayton, Ga, a distance OF
twenty six miles, and from Clayton
there is a road already built to Frank
lin, N. c. From Franklin there Is an
uncompleted gap Of about thirty miles
either to Bushnell or Sylvia, N. c.,
and from this point the road Is built
to the Tennessee line. Across the
Tennessee line there Is distance Of
about six to eight miles that would
have to be built. The Blue Ridge road
Is operated, of course, as separate
CORPORATION, butt is owned and con-
trolled by the Southern railway, and
is in effect a branch line of that main
system. Whether or not 1t would be
legal for the Southern to own the Blue
Ridge outright Is an immaterial ques-
| ton that need not bother us at this
| time.
There Is no doubt OF the fact how
ever, that should the Blue Ridge be
completed 1t would constitute the
Southern's main line from Knoxville
to the sea. It would mean that the
Columbia and Greenville branch Of the
Southern, as well as the branch from
Columbia to Charleston, would be laid
with heavier rails and put into condi-
ton for handling the coal traffic for
which the line would compete. 1t
would mean the most direct OF all the
routes from the coal fields to the Car
olina port. Anderson Is greatly inter-
ested in the project for the reason that
Anderson Is now off the main line OF
any railroad, but Charleston and CO.
lumbia ought to be just as much con-
cerned since the carrying out of this
project means hardly less to each Of
these cities than 1t does to Anderson.
II cooperation or assistance is need
ed by Anderson we feel sure that 1t
can be had from both Charleston and
| Columbia,-Columbia Record.