The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1922-02-23

few years.
Wade H. Chastain, general agent
for the Carolina Timber Co., is now
engaged in securing rights-of-way
for railroad to be built from Jo-
cassee, twenty miles above Pickens
and just over the line in Oconee
county, to the town of Pickens, and
if the necessary rights-ofway gan
br secured within reasonable length
of time the next step of actual con-
struction of the railroad will be begun
without delay, according to authentic
information obtained by The Sentinel.
Plans for the building of the pro-
posed railroad have been under way
tor several years and are jas fully
developed as can be up to the point
of securing the right-of-way and
selecting the exact route, but this is
the first news of it that has been
given to the public. The road will
be built by the Carolina Timber Co.
as an outlet for it's timber in Pickens
and Oconee' counties. 8
The Carolina Timber Co., a men,
Der of the strongest timber land fac
tors in, the United States, own $4,000
acres of timber land in Pickens and
Oconee counties, most of which is in
Pickens. This vast tract contains i'm
mense quantities of white pine, yellow
pine, poplar, chestnut, hickory and all
other timbers known to this region
and is the finest single tract of tim
ber in the Southern Appalachians if
not in the United States.
1t is estimated that it will take at
least twenty years to cut and move
the timber now on this tract. The
proposed road would run right into
the heart of the Carolina Timber Co.
holdings and this enormous amount
of timber would be hauled out over
ust above this 64,OO0 acres is an
ether timber tract of many thousands
Of acres owned bv another company
and this timber would also be hauled
over the proposed road.
The Timber Co. has three routes in
view for the roaE9 Present plans &C.
cording to reliable information, are
tc built the road from Jocassee down
Whitewater and Eastatoe rivers to
Pickens and connect with the South
ern railway at or near Easley, or
build to Walhalla and connect with
the Blue Ridge railway there or
build to Calhoun and connect with
the Southern at that point.
While it has definitely been decided
to build the road along one of these
routes the exact one has not finally
been selected. No doubt the attitude
Of the people along the proposed
routes will have much to do with the
final selection of the route.
Plans for the railroad have pro-
gressed SO far that it is known that
electricity is being considered as the
motive power for it. AS high author
tiles state that all railroads in the
United States will ultimately be cleo
triied is is hardly too much TO state
that this new road will be run with
electricity. A semi official statement
is that the Timber Co. may, develop
property or current may be furnished
by the Southern Power Co. There are
several streams in the Timber Com
pany's territory which will develop
thousands of horsepower.
In this connection The Sentinel is
reliably informed that the Southern
Power Co. wanted to string a line
erom Lake Toxaway through the. Caro-
lima Timber Co. property and on
through Pickens as early as 1910, but
could not get satisfactory agree
ment with the owners Of Lake Toxa-
way dam property.
AS stated before, plans for building
the road have been under way for
several years and are fully worked
out. Everything is ready for work
to begin as soon as the necessary
right-of-way is secured and the exact
route definitely laid out.
The Carolina Timber Co. is backed
by unlimited capital and is able TO put
through any project it may undertake.
1t has head offices in Chicago with
branch offices in New York, Seattle
and Portland. During the war this
company was Of invaluable aid to the
government, furnishing much foresfy
information which the government ex-
perts did not have and also gave the
government use of its large spruce
pine tracts In Oregon where most of
the wood material for airplanes was
obtained.
Ii Pickens should get this railroad
it would be the biggest thing that
ever happened TO the town, for within
comparatively short time there
would be built here the largest lumbe, be
mill in this section Of the country
large acid plants and tanneries. ma.
chine shops, ETC., of the Timber Co.
other manufacturing plants would
naturally follow and ultimately we
would have "a railroad across the
mountains.
There is plenty Of time, however
for Pickens to talk about getting the
things which will follow the railroad.
What we want to do now is to let
the Carolina Timber Co. know We
want them to come here and that
they have our good will and coopera-