The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-04-02
A VITAL QUESTION
FOR NEWBEkRY PEOPLE
NEWBHRRY SEOCLD AROUSE HEX.
SELF At THIS TdME.
Opportunity Is Knocking at Her Door.
May Not Knock Again In
Century.
(By Ernest Anderson.)


lisi ed an account of peeition for a
railroad from Augusta, Ca, to Green
wood, s. c., by way of Edgefeld anu
Saluda.
The Record followed it up with an
editorial sharply protesting against the
apparent greed of Greenwood in her
designs on the commerce of the two
rich counties Of Edgefeld and Saluda,
and earnestly urged that Columbia
Wit. out delay assert her right to the
business Of this territory by promot-
ing the construction of a railroad from
Little Mountain, or some other point
between here and Columbia, southwark
through this undeveloped. section. Suoh
road, lie urged, would turn back to
Columbia the trade witch the proposed
Savannah, Piedmont and Western rail
way would carry to Greenwood.
The Augusta Chronicle has several
times referred to this matter. 1t says
that Mr.. J. Peyton Clarke, who was
c:ief engineer in the building Of the
interurban lines in upper Soutl Carp
line, has the confidence of New York
capital in his undertakings; that an
attorney and the president of the
chamber of commerce of Greenwood
are representing Greenwood's interests
in the project; refers to it as Green
woods long-cherished desire for rail
road through the fertile undeveloped
territory through Saluda and Edge
field counties to Augusta; says that
the charter is for a railway between
Greenwood and Augusta and may BE
either steam of electrict; "that Green
wood has more to gain from road in
the proposed section than from any
railroad project that has ever been
proposed. 1t would open up magnifi-
cent territory and the benefits that
would follow would be great"
The foregoing goes to show that,
even if the war is on, the time has
come for definite action as to the long
discussed railroad to the south of New
berry. Now TIE question is: what will
Newberry do about it? A glance at
the map should convince any one tnau
Newberry is certainly one of the log
ical points of objective for the road
from Augusta through those counties.
This vast untraversed area is trian-
gle. Augusta is its yertex.- The line
from Columbia to Green wood its base.
Newberry is almost at the middle point
of Il base, being 43 miles from Co.
lumbia and 81 miles from Greenwood.
It is one of the largest rich sections
of country in the South without rail-
road. A road built from Newberry to
Augusta would open up the whole
country with straight line, and would
afford an outlet for the people along
the line to all points react ed by the
two roads tnat now pass NeWberry.
The line from Edgefeld to NeWber":!T
hy Saluda is straight; the line from
Edgefeld to Greenwood by Saluda is a
right angle Why build this crooked
road to Greenwood? There is already a
direct road from Greenwood to Augusta,
the C. and w. c., That affair run
around to Greenwood would necessa-
rily end at GreenWood-as though t. al
fair city were the hub of the universe.
On the other hand, if the road is built
straight to Newberry, there is another
almost as important and as needy sec
ton to the north of us through which
TIE road could be extended. 1t could
go to Carlisle, junction point OF
the Southern and tie Seaboard. Or it
could go across the Seaboard at Whit
mire, the Southern at Union and an
other junction point at Blacksburg.
From BlacksDurg to Augusta would
be long line, straight line, a trunk
line, and q profitable road. Augusta
is at the mead of navigation on the
Savannah, river. The government is
spending much money in improving
this valuable waterway. The fact that
before the day of the railroad most oi
the I.auling of this section was done
to and from Hamburg, and the fact tEat
an old roadbed was constructed in dcat
direction for miles by the past genera
ton help further to congrm the com
mon sense of railway from NeWberry
to Augusta.
Did you ever consider trip by rail-
from Newberry to saluda? From New
berry to Edgefeld? From Newberry so