Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-01-30
THE NEW ROUTE

HE GOOInEn0e0 Ne hVO1Ea
The famous Saluda grade on the
Southern railroad between this city
and Tryon 1870 be a thing of the
past. According rumors upon q
tain~WelI Fhnda facts it is Rtated
th4t tAgr be discaTd u
gWestero N9tfh @ olina.
T4S Sa~luda g4de is wide1yAnowa
for its grandeur and scenic beauty,
also the unusual steep grade Of rail-
road track which has cost the South
eTh Railroad a fortune in maintaining.
4ke HcwhFqiPp4ngefrdnEhe Fperf'
1ahhaIg AerA1d win kpAip1H
uation as it now stands:
with the view of changing the
route of theASouthern railroad from
TrYon TO tSaIhda in order to avoid
heavy gAda from MelrnseAto.
hSaludas3the90hicials Of the road are.
having new route surveyed, the work
having begun January l.. A crops of
rose and are working towards Tryon.
n HcIh0 Proposed RVubes rs r
Tine pfop6SedAfeK route oEthg rosd.
runs across the mountains To- the
left hand side Of the road between
TrYon and Sa1uda. It is believed that
this route will give a much low
E6rfgrade and, III chnsFuEtadsF WIZ eli
kTAshate the Use AfdAhe& h9lhehSdh1 en-
CINE that ig hitched to every train
at MeIrose to help it over the mountain
will be all that will be necessary to
-eaFfy-a-tfa4a-fFem FRFeR-te-Saluda~
Not only will the helper" be done
away with, but it will not be neces-
faaFV,h DO Maintain the safety switches
which are used every few hu1fdFedffee1
on iSaluda mountain. Freight Eakns
|in4cpmtng down the steep mountain
incline lind use for these switches al
most dailyayand by their use many
serious wFe&ks have been avoided.
E4iEFTFRfekent Route Costly.
~ The maintenance of the safety
tracks and the use of the helping en-
CINE, it is said, costs the Southern
road about $2,600 per month, to say
nothing of the wear and tear on the
engine, and the-rails. Watchmen are
always onrdnty>at the safety switches,
a crew OF several men employed on
the road between Melrose and Safuda,
keeping the Toad-bed in repairs, the
cost of which is a heavy drain on the
road.
It Is believed that if the road is re-
located a grade can be secured which
will do away with the "helper" and
the safety tracks and that it will
prove a big saving to- the railroad
company. While the initial cost may
be considerable the officials of the
road are of the opinion that it will
pay for itself within a few years.
Another Route Talked Of. 4
The engineers who are at work on
the line 10rthe proposed change in
the road Between Tryon and Saluda
started to- work at Saluda on January
4, and have reached a point near Mel
rose, a distance of three miles the
work will be completed within the
next two weeks. When this route is
completed the engineers may be in
structed to~make a survey of a route
or the right hand side of the railroad
to Saluda, cutting aro6nd by Tryon
mountain and through a valley to Sal
uda. ) This route it is said, will AFFORD
a .perfect grade, but will ha-considar=
ABLY Gdnger than the route now being
eurveyAd on 4heale4 side of the road,
The soficiale Eof the Southern have
or many years considered the question
Of relocating the road between Tryon
and Saluda in order to avoid thA- haaxxJ
climb UP the mountain, but the ideas
tflH aauflriRlWzhN1gt
worked out This time 1t looks as II