The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-05-23
EDGEFIELD TO AUGUSTA.
Mr.. A. E. Pldgett of Edgefield, in
Augusta Lately, Was Interviews
ed on Live Subject.
Augusta Herald. May 9Th.

Edgefleld'S great hope and desire
is for closer, connections with Angus
ia. It is only about twenty-five miles
between the two places and to be CON-
PEELED to go the roundabout way to get
back and forth places her at a decided
disadvantage in the competition with
other places.
The people of Edgefeld still live in
hopes, according to Mr.. Padgett, that
the road from Greenville to Augusta,
about which there is considerable agi-
tation, will yet be built by the Susong
route.
This road was fist projected by
Mr.. H. P. Hammet, of Greenville,
twenty-five years ago. 1t would run
through a splendid section of coun-
try which now lacks railroad facili-
ties.
The route runs from Augusta to
Edgefeld, thence to Ninety-Six and
Greenville, opening up one of the most
fertile sections in the south and pass
ing through a number of thriving
towns and manufacturing places. It
would give a large number of cotton
mills an outlet through Augusta to
the markets of the east for their out
put.
It was called the susong route be-
cause the Susongs undertook to build
it. Mr.. R. P. sibley, of Augusta, was
heavily interested in it also.
Township bonds we're issued all
along the line and it looked as if it
would go through, at one time. These
bonds were negotiated for just what
they would bring and often they would
be heavily discounted.
The money thus realized from the
sale of the bonds in small lots to pri-
vate parties. was used all along the
route, instead of continuously, and
consequently the effect was dissipat-
ed. If it had been concentrated, pro-
badly the road would have been built.
Many of the townships are still pay
ing the interest on those bonds and
some of the townships are paying the
on the susong bonds and on
the Augusta, Edgefeld & Newberry
bonds as we'll while neither of the
roads were built.
The susong road started out to be
a standard guage. The Augusta,
Edgefeld & Newbevry road, which
was started by Col. R VI. Mitchell who
built the Augusta, Gibson & Sanders
vile narrow guage, which subsequent
ly became the Augusta Southern,
whose guage was standardized
There was hot fight between the
two roads for the right of way as Tar
as Trenton and the grades crossed
each other nine times The row end
ed by both concerns bursting sky
high and the people having to pay
the bonds for which they got no re-
turns.
In drafting the bonds there was no
provision made as to the time they
should be delivered. Consequently
when they were delivered the work
stopped.
This was a fatal error. 1t has cost
the section traversed by the two lines
a great deal of money, and while the
people that we're stung are naturally
they are little shy on
the railroad question. If the bonds
had been drawn little more care
fully, they would have had the rail-
roads in all probability.
Railroads, in this day and time are
a necessity. Just because they made
a fuke is no reason why the people
should be altogether deprived of the
benefits of modern transportation.
Other and less favored sections of
the State are we'll supplied with rail
facilities and are fourishing. With the
advent of railroads a large scope of
territory to the north and west would
be opened up for development, COM
prising some of the most fertile lands
in the State.
The climatic conditions that pre-
vail in this particular section are the
finest and render them all the more
the latitude increasing as