^ 3 Statement and Estimate of the Cost and Equipment OF THE GEORGETOWN & CHARLOTTE R. R. Columbia, S. C.. June 5th, 1870. Maj. Wm. S. Greene. Chief Engineer G. <£• C. R. R., Georgetoicn, South Carolina. Dear Sir : You will please furnish me, at your earliest convenience, with a map of the proposed line of the Georgetown & Charlotte Rail- road, accompanied with a description. of the country through which it passes; and, as far as may be in your 'power, a statistical statement of the business of Georgetown, and the resources of the country tributary to the Road; also, note the connections at the terminus and intermediate stations, and append au estimate of the cost of the Road. Very respectfully, J. P. SOUTHERN, President G. & C. R. R, Co, Georgetown. S. C, June 12th, 1870. J. P. Southern, Esq.. President G.& C.R.R. Co., Columbia, S. C Dear Sir : In reply to your favor of the 5th instant, requesting a map of the line of the Georgetown & Charlotte Railroad, and a statis- tical statement bf the business of Georgetown, and the resources of the country tributary to the proposed line of Road. T beg to submit the following statement and estimate of the cost of the Road and equip- ment : This Road is chartered to run from Georgetown in South Carolina, to Charlotte. North Carolina, a distance of about one hundred and fifty-five miles, crossing the Northeastern and Wilmington & Man- chester Railroads, at points respectively forty-two and sixty miles distant from Georgetown. The several advantages claimed for this Road over all others, con- necting Charlotte, and points west of it, Avith the seaboard, are: 1st, Shortening of distances, and consequent saving of time, money, und expense. By a comparison of distances, they will be found as follows : From Georgetown to Cades on N. E. R, R.. - - 42 miles. From Charleston to Cades on N. E. R. R.. - - . 72 " Difference in favor of Georgetown & Charlotte R. R.. - 30 From Georgetown to Lynchburg on W. & M. R. R.. - GO miles. From Wilmington to Lynchburg on W. & M. R. R.. - 128 " From Charleston to Lynchburg on W. & M. R. R.. - 128 ■ Difference in favor of Georgetown & Charlotte R. R., - 68 The distance from Charleston to Lynchburg, by way of N. E. R. R. to Cades, thence via G. & C R, R. to Lynchburg, will be ninety-two miles, a saving to Charleston of thirty-six miles over present railroad communications : From Georgetown to Charlotte, N. C, - - 155 miles. From Wilmington to Charlotte, W. C & R. R. R.. - 192 •• From Charleston to Charlotte, via Columbia, - 242 From Charleston to Charlotte, via G. & C R. R.. - 185 " Difference in favor of Georgetown over Wilmington. 37 Difference in favor of Georgetown over Charleston, - 87 Difference in favor of Georgetown over Charleston. 30 2d. It passes through an entirely undeveloped courrtry. except at two points; opening one of the very best portions of the State, and no other road can ever compete with it ; occupying as it will the only available around for a railroad, all other roads must cross it. nearly or quite, at right angles. 3rd. Cheapness of construction ; passing through a country, for one hundred miles of its length that is nearly a dead level; crossing in that entire distance only one river of two hundred and forty feet span, and requiring only two thousand feet of low trestling (from four to six feet high). 4th. It is on the direct line of communication with Cincinnati and the West. An air-line from Georgetown to Cincinnati will pass through Charlotte: whereas a circle, described with Cincinnati as a centre, will only touch the Atlantic coast at two points — Georgetown and Norfolk, Va. At Charlotte, it will connect with the projected Statesville Railroad to Abingdon, Va. ; whilst at that point the connec- tion will be with the Cumberland Gap Railroad from Cincinnati. These connections will put Charleston, S. C, nearer to Cincinnati by over one hundred and 'fifty miles, than by the present projected Blue Ridge Railroad. Georgetown, the seaboard terminus of the G. & C. R. R., is situated at the junction of four rivers — the Waccamaw. Pee Dee, Black, and Sampit, where they unite to form Winyah Bay. and has more inland water communication than any other seaport from Norfolk to Mobile. Its harbor is spacious and deep enough to float the largest vessels when inside the bar, which has an average depth of twelve to fourteen feet of water. Vessels drawing eleven and a half feet with two hundred and sixty-five thousand feet of lumber, or three thousand five hundred barrels of naval stores, are constantly crossing it, and arc cleared for Northern, European, and South American ports. At comparatively small cost the bar could be deepened, as it is only about eighty yards wide, and occasioned by the back water of Santee river, which is only nine miles below the Georgetown entrance. The present trade of Georgetown consists of yearly exports of at least : 10,000,000 feet Lumber. 11,000 Tierces Rice. 120.000 Bbls. Rosin. 30.000 Bbls. Spirits Turpentine. Tt^-HMim Shingles. Staves, etc.. etc. And its imports are grain, bacon, lard, and general merchandise. 4 Cotton is at present brought down the rivers in steamers, and passes direct to Charleston to be shipped North, there being no reliable line of steamers from Georgetown northward. The manufactures at present in the town, are Steam Saw Mills, Turpentine Distilleries, Planing Mills, Shingle Machines with a capacity of seventy-five thousand per day, etc. The large quantity of Timber for lumber and turpentine on the Santee river, comprising several millions of acres, is now useless, as the Santee Bar is too shallow for vessels that could carry off these products; hence a canal has been projected from Santee to Winy ah Bay. as marked on the map by which the Crude Turpentine and Lumber can be sent to George- town and manufactured. The estimated cost of this canal is $50,000. and it will open the finest timbered country on the Atlantic coast, and which now in its primitive state can never be developed except by a canal, or deepening the bar. The health of Georgetown is generally good. The town never has been subject to epidemics of any kind, and, yellow fever is unknown. The common chills and fever of the whole Atlantic coast are common to it also ; but high grades of bilious fever are extremely rare visitants, and not indigenous. A freedom, in ten years' residence, from anything like malarious fevers, fits me to express the above opinion. The Depot lot of the G. & C. R. R. extends to the water's edge on Sampit river, with a wharf front of two hundred and forty feet, where there is a depth of twenty feet water. Leaving Georgetown, the Road passes through a thickly timbered section, and about one mile to the rear of the rice plantations on Black river, which stream it crosses in fourteen miles. This timber is now worked for naval stores, as it is also for six miles beyond Black river, where the Road strikes the rich cotton region of Williamsburg County, from whence over two thousand bales of cotton are annually hauled some fifteen or twenty miles to the N. E. R. R. for shipment to Charleston. Reaching the N. E. R. R. at Cades Depot, where large quantities of naval stores, and over one thou- sand bales of cotton, are shipped to Charleston, at a cost of $2.50 per bale. Leaving Cades and passing up the valley of Lynch's Creek to Lynchburg on the Wilmington and Manchester R. R,. a distance of twenty miles, the Road passes through a rich cotton region, where there are some twenty-four thrifty planters raising cotton, and who now have an average haul of six miles on their products, and then Railroad ship- ment of seventy-five miles on one Road, and one hundred and twenty-eight 5 on another, and at same time are only fifty miles from Georgetown. At Lynchburg twelve thousand bales of cotton were shipped to Wilmington in 1869, at a freight of $2.50 to Wilmington, or $5.25 to New York, on through bill of lading. The freight on naval stores and lumber largely exceeded that on cotton, and the return freight in excess of that sent on. From Lynchburg to Bishopville, a distance of fifteen miles, and for ten miles beyond, the Road passes through the finest cotton region of Sumter County, and equal to any in the State. The yield of twenty thousand bales is distributed between Sumter. Camden, and Lynchburg, and necessitates hauls of fifteen and twenty-three miles. From Bish- opville, on for forty miles, the Road would command the trade of the western portions of Darlington and Chesterfield Counties, as it would only be a haul of six miles ; whereas now. cotton is hauled over twenty to the Cheraw and Darlington Railroad, and then shipped one hundred and thirty miles to Charleston ; whilst from this point it would be only seventy-five miles to Georgetown, and one hundred and five to Charles- ton. Leaving Bishopville, the Road passes along the valley of Lyuch's Creek, within four miles of its rich cotton fields, and through the best pine timbered section in the State. The timber is virgin, and has never been cut for Lumber, nor yet boxed for naval stores. For thirty miles this timber extends, and is a source of boundless wealth and revenue. One naval-store manufacturer, on the line of a railroad, will pay as much freight yearly as the average of fifty cotton planters. One party at Lynchburg, in 1869. paid $2,500 freight on his naval-store pro- ducts, which was equal to the freight on one thousand bales of cotton. In Lancaster County, and within this pine region, the Road will pass the valuable mineral region, where several gold mines and mills are in suc- cessful operation; and at Haile's gold mine, the supply of copperas is inexhaustible; lead mines (of which there are several near the line) only want Rrailroad transportation to make them valuable both to worker, and as revenue to the Road. This section has no facilities for transportation, but haul twenty-five miles to Camden, and fifty miles to Charlotte. From this point to Charlotte several thousand bales of cotton are annually raised. The land is excellent, but the roads bad- and markets distant, it only needs a railroad to developc one of the finest sections of our State. Allowing eight miles on each side of a railroad, as the distance from which it draws its support, and we have two thousand four hundred and eighty square miles, or one million five hundred and eighty-seven thousand two hundred acres, tributary to the Georgetown and Charlotte Railroad. This allowance is much less how- ever than the Road would command. Of the entire distance to Charlotte, the 1st Section of forty-two miles was graded in 1862. The banks are still in good condition, and un- washed or hurt in any way, and a very little cost will renew them. Below I append estimate to renew and complete 1st Section, and also of entire line : Section 1st— From Georgetown to X. E. R. R '., 42 miles. Clearing Roadbed and renewing grading, - - $ 8.-100 Renewing trestle, - - - - - 9.200 Renewing wharf at Georgetown. - - - 2,000 Bridge at Black River, ...... 55,000 Cross-ties at 30 cts., (part furnished), - - - 32,000 Iron, (80 tons per mile at $70 per ton), - - - 235,200 Laying track, and chairs and spikes, - - - 2-1,000 Engines and cars, ..... 50,000 Depots and water-tanks, .... 10,000 Salaries and contingent, ...-'- 25,000 8450,800 The amount expended on 1st Section in 1862, for clearing, grubbing, grading, trestling. cross-tics, etc., was $103,000. Section 2d — From N. E. R. R. to Bishopvillc and 25 miles beyond — 58 miles. Grading. .... . $40,600 Cross-tics. - - - - ' - 46,400 Iron, - - - - -• - - 324,800 Chairs and spikes, ----- 16,000 Laying track, 18,000 Rolling-stock, 50,000 Depots and water-tanks, - - - - 10,000 Salaries and contingent. - 25,000 $530,800 Section 3rd — To Charlotte. Grading and masonry. "'"'""« $440,000 Cross-ties, .-.-.. 44,000 Iron, - 318,000 Chairs and spikes. ..... 14,000 Laying track, ... . 18,000 Rolling-stock, ...... 50,000 Depots and water-tanks, .... 10.000 Salaries and contingent, ----- 25.000 $919,000 1st Section — Total cost. 2d Section — Total cost, 3rd Section — Total cost. SUMMARY: . 1450,800 . - 530,800 . 919,000 81,900,600 Respectfully submitted. WM. S. GREENE. Chief Engineer. Georgetown. S. C. June 12th, 1870. Microfilmed SOUNET/ASERL PROJECT • ■