The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1921-08-10
PERMIT IS GRANTED
FOR SANTEE CANAL
Benefit to Entire State-Power Dam
at or Near Monck'S Corner Plan
ned-PrOject to Cost About S5,-
100000.

Columbia, Aug. 4.-The federal
power commission has just granted a
permit for the building of the Santce
canal, joining the waters Of the San
tee and the Cooper rivers. The permit
was issued to the Columbia Railway
and Navigation Company, Of which
G.. A. Guignard is president and Il. G..
Williams is vice president and general
manager.
1t is claimed that this big project
and it's associated undertakings will
mean the complete revolutionzing of
practically all transportation in South
Carolina. In order to bring about
this objective, it will be necessary to
dig. canal twcnty-three miles long,
to build an electric railway line from
Columbia to Greenwood and to put
upon the Congarce and Santee rivers
Il SUI cient number Of barges ard
light draught tOwboats to move thC
freight rapidly
Each of these matters is taken care
of in the project of the company. The
construction plans call for not only
the usual canal locks and other port
age facilities, but for Il power dam at
or near Monck's Corner and another
power dam on the SAluda river, at the
mouth Of Bear Creek, on a line from
details of this enterprise have been
taken into consideration and have
been provided for.
The proposed Santee canal will
shorten by seventy-two miles the dis
tance from Columbia to an Atlantic
port. 1t is twenty-five miles from the
City of Charleston to Moncks Corner,
near which place are the head waters
of the Cooper river. The Santce canal
will have a length of twcnty~thrce
miles from Monck's Corner TO Fer
guson. From the latter point to the
junction of the Congarcc and Watcrec
rivers is forty-ninc miles and thence
to Columbia is ffity-onc miles, a total
water route to Charleston Of one hun
dred and thirty-cight miles. 1t will
require S5,O0O,OO0 in round numbers,
to complete the entire project and two
years is the estimate for the conStruc-
ton work. The power dam and locks
of the canal will be built on dry land,
and an electric line from Columbia to
Greenwood can be built without the
necessity of 4 trcstle or long fill,
for the survey follows the crest of the
water shed, and on one side of the
water shed and on one side of the
survey the water runs into the Saluda
river and on the other side into the
Savannah. Everything seems to fa-
V!or the minimum cost of construc-
tiOn.
Results of Enterprise
Thisis, as sketchily outlined, a
great undertaking. What would be
the practical results? What is then
to justify the expenditure of this
large sum?
In the first place, officials of the
company declare that the income of
the company would amply Justify the
outlay. The distance from Columbia
to Greenwood by rail is nnety-fvc
and one-half miles. The survey of the
proposed electric road shows mile
age of 7O.2, thus shortening this trip
by twenty-five miles and giving prom
lSe or through trains from Columbia
to Atlanta. This would mean the sue
cess of the railroad project if it
were Independent Of other considcra-
TONS, but this undertaking is to he
considered rs 4 whole to understand
what it promises.
Leaving aside the consideration of
local freight between Charleston and
Columbia and other upstate points,
1t is declared that the cotton mills
alone could save enough out of the
operation Of this electric and water
haul to certain points to pay for the
canal IN five wears. Leaving out the
counties of Aiken, Bambcrg, Barnwen
Chester, York, Lancaster, Marion,
Marlboro and Chesterfield, which NAV
not be considered as directly tributary
TO the canal operation, the cotton mills
IN this state have 4,28l ,321 spindlcs,
consuming 425,0O0,O00 pounds of cot
ton per year. \ boat line in suiccss-
ful operation would save the SINNERS
or cotton goods tWcnty-Scvcn and one