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TIIF, undersigned informs his friends and the Planters
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tion. WM. F. SERRELL,
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Office, No. 4 Telegraph Building, Broad St.
Columbus, Jan. 31, 1850. 5 ly
Williams & Howard,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW,
% COLUMBUS, GEORGIA.
HOBT. It. HOWARD. CHAS. J. WILLIAMS.
April 4,1350. 14 ts
J. I). LEONARD,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
TALBOTTON, GA.
WILL attend to business in Talbot and the adjacent
counties. All business entrusted to his care will meet
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April 4,1850. 14 ly
KING & WINNEMORE,
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MOBILE, ALABAMA.
Dee. 20,1849. [Mob. I'rib.] 15 ts
O. P. LAIRD, M. D., D. D. S.
OFFICE a few doors above Carter’s Drug Store,
<up-stairs.)
Columbus, Dee. 12,1850. 50 — ts
WM? H. KIMBROUGH,
COMMISSION Bt FORWARDING MERCHANT,
APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA.
Mr. .TNO. S. HUTCHISON will act as mv Agent
when I am absent, and all business entrusted to my
Care will be promptly attended to. W. H. K.
Dec. 5, 1850. 49 —4m
GODFREY A .SOLOMONS,
Factors and Commission Merchants,
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.
JAMES E. GODFREY, E. W. SOLOMONS.
REFERENCES.
kEV. JAS. E. EVANS, REV. SAMUEL ANTHONY,
Savannah. Talbalton.
RIDGWAY & GUNBY, N. OUSLEY fc SON,
Columbus. Macon.
July 25 30 Gin.
THIS PAPER
IS MANUFACTURED BY THE
Rock Island Factory,
NEAR THIS CITY.
Columbus, Feb. 23,1850. 9 ts
Marble Works,
Fast side Broad St. near the Market House,
COLUMBUS, GA.
HAVE constantly mi hand all kinds of Crave Stones
Monuments , Tombs and Tablets , of American :
Italian and Irish Marble. Engraving and carving j
done on stone in the best possible manner; suid all kinds j
of Granite Work at the shortest notice.
, JOHN H. MADDEN.
P. S.—PI; ister of Paris and Cement, always on hand \
for sale. 1
* Columbus, March 7, 1850. 10 ts
mutual Life Insurance Company.
LOCATED AT RALEIGH, S. C.
rpHE Charter of this company gives important advan- ;
i tages to the assured, over most other companies.
The husband can insure his own life for the sole use and |
benefit of his wile and children*, free from any other ]
claims. Persons who insure lor life participate in the j
profits which are declared annually, and when the pre
mium exceeds §3O, may pay one-hall in a note.
Slaves are insured at two-thirds their value lor one or
five years.
Applications for Risks may be matte to
Agent. Columbus, Ga.
JSp* Office at Greenwood & Co.’s “Warehouse.
Nov. 15,1849. _
wanted”
-f A A AAA lbs. RAGS. Cash paid for clean cot
lUIUyUv ton or linen rags—4 cents per pound,
when delivered in quantities of 100 pounds or more ; and
31 cents when delivered in small quantities. For old j
hemp, bagging, and pieces of rope, II cents, delivered
either at Rock Island Factory or at their store in Co
lumbus, in the South comer Room of Oglethorpe House.
D. ADAMS, Secretary.
Columbus, Feb. 28,1850. 9 ts
Globe Hotel,
. BUENA VISTA, MARION CO., GA.
BY J. WILLIAMS.
March 14,1850. 11 ts
VOL. 11.
I , ■ l
Report of a Preliminary Survey
FOR THE
GIRARD RAIL ROAD.
~, (
ENGINEER’S OFFICE, GIRARD RAIL ROAD,>
Columbus, Ga., December 24, 1850. )
r TO MAJOR ROBERT S. HARDAWAY,
PRESIDENT OF THE GIRARD RAIL ROAD COMPANY!
Sir : I beg leave to report to you the result of an Experimental
j Survey from “ Girard to the waters of Mobile Bay,” intended as the
Basis of location of the “Girard Rail Road,” and here I take occa
sion to state, that the course of the Experimental L ; ne is, by no means,
) conclusive as to the eventual position of the Rail Road. On the con
} j trary, many of the developments of the Survey prove that a location,
. strictly upon its course, would be entirely unadvisable.
I I The Survey was executed by a party of Engineers, who commen
( ced their labors at Girard on the 12th day of April and reached
I I the waters of Mobile Bay on the 23d day of July, of the current
’ [ year. Returning eastwardly, several Revision Lines were run,
[ which kept the Engineers in the field until the 6th day of September,
s Between the first and last named dates, the party chained and levelled a
1 distance of 314 miles—station stakes were driven and numbered, five
i hundred feet apart —the Route was blazed upon trees and occasional
Bench Marks were established. In addition to these labors in the
field, the party have finished most of the office work pertainingto the
1 Survey, digesting the field notes, Plans and Profiles, and calculating
the quantities of Excavation, Embankment, Masonry and Bridging
• for all the lines surveyed. There has been much delay in the execu
• tion of the office work, occasioned by sickness, which is my apology
for not presenting at an earlier date, the result of these initial steps in
, the great project which, though not as yet sustained in a degree pro
portional to its importance, can still boast of a band of zealous advo
cates who look to its progress with intense and anxious interest.
In so long a line of Road, it will facilitate an understanding of the
’ Routes described, and afford convenience in making up the estimates of
r the probable cost of construction, to consider it in separate portions;
and with this view it is divided, in this memoir, into four Divisions as
follows, viz.:
First Division. —From Girard to the Line dividing the Creek Na
tion from old Alabama; Length, 56 miles, 1820 feet.
Second Division. —From Creek Boundary to the Northern Line
of Butler county; Length, 58 miles, 4440 feet.
1 Third Division. —From the Northern Line of Butler county, to the
, Northern Line of Baldwin county; Length, 76 miles, 4420 feet.
, Fourth Division.— From the Baldwin Line to the South Wes
tern Terminus on the waters of Mobile Bay; Length, 45 miles, 4800
feet.
FIRST DIVISION.
Beginning at Girard on the banks of the Chattahoochee, to get a
■ good direction for Mobile Bay, the first point which demands atten
tion, is the passage through the Ridge dividing the waters of Chatta
hoochee river from those which flow into Euchee creek. An exami
nation was made of the gap at the head of Coche-ka-leech-ka creek,
but it was abandoned upon finding that it would require very heavy
grading and would not admit of a good alignment. An attempt was
also made to get through the Ridge by following Broken Arrow creek,
which was also abandoned on account of the severe excavation which
would be necessary at its head. Still following the course of the
Chattahoochee, a more favorable egress was found near Fort Mitchell,
through which the Survey was directed. A grade of 2 miles in length,
rising at the rate of 42 24-100 feet to the mile, placed us upon the di
viding ridge, with a cut of thirty feet in depth. From this summit to
Big Euchee (as the creek is called below the confluence of Euchee and
Little Euchee) the grade descends for one mile and a half at the same
inclination by which it ascended. The Big Euchee will be crossed
by a Bridge thirty feet high and about 200 in length. In selecting
the crossing point reference was had to such a position on the right
bank of the creek as will afford an eligible route to the high grounds
dividing the waters of Euchee and Hatcheechubbee. This desidera
tum is well supplied by the .valley of Cow Pen creek, which empties
into Big Euchee near the point at which our Survey cepssed. Pursu
ing the valley of Cow Pen creek for tour miles with an easy ascent of
less than twenty feet to the mile, we reach a fork of the creek, which
is also the point where must separate two routes, the respective claims
of which must be duly considered.
The Northern or Ridge route continues up the valley of the North
Prong of Cow Pen to its head, there with heavy cutting rises upon the
Ridge and follows it through a very tortuous course along the route
of the Federal Road, passing through Sand Fort, Euchee V illage and
Fort Bainbridge. After passing the named point, the Ridge un
dergoes a great depression and its hitherto abrupt and forbidding char
acter becomes flatandrolling; here, therefore, we are enabled to make a
deflection to the South, in order to reach—over good ground—a point
in Cowikee Flats favorable to the ascent of Chunnynuggee Ridge. At
this point on Cowikee the two routes come together, which, as above
described, separated in Cow Pen valley.
The- Lower or Cowikee Route to be contrasted with that just de
scribed, pursues a more Southern Prong of Cow Pen creek to its head,
and then, cutting through the Ridge, conies upon the waters of Silver
Run, crosses that and several other branches of Ilatchee-chubbee,
then the main creek itself, and pursuing a very direct route it crosses
the North and Middle Forks of the Cowikee near their head and sev
eral branches, reaching the point in Cowikee Flats where the two
routes converge in a distance of 41 1-10 miles from Girard. The
Ridges dividing these water courses are low and of easy transit, ad
mitting of a remarkably direct line, without difficult grading.
In arriving at a choice betw'een the two routes, let us have recourse
to the following estimate of the probable cost of construction upon
each, computed between their points of separation.
Ridge Route : —Length, 32 miles, 840 feet.
Grading, grubbing’ and clearing, - - - 8172,360 75
Masonry, - - - - - - - 2,218 59
Bridging, 2,100 00
Superstructure, ------- 142,194 94
Amounting to, - $318,874 28
Cowikee Route :—Length, 27 miles, 440 feet.
Grading, grubbing and clearing, - $149,960 45
Masonry, ------- - 1,426 69
Bridging, - * - - - - - 4,950 00
Superstructure, ------- 119,767 26
Amounting to, - - - $276,104 40
From these comparative estimates it will be seen that the adoption
of the Lower Route will save to the Company the sum of $42,769 88
in the first cost of construction, it will afford a much straighter line,
reduce the amount of ascent and descent, and save five miles and 400
feet in distance. On the other hand, while the Ridge Route recom
mends itself only by its high and dry location, it will involve a heavy
outlay to bring it to a practicable grade, and will be disfigured by con
tinued curvings.
It is not forgotten, that the preference thus given to the Lower
Route will do great violence to the wishes of those enterprising gen
tlemen who, living upon the Ridge, have embarked so zealously in our
great undertaking; but a sense of justice to them as Stockholders,’
| and to the mass of our subscribers elsewhere, who have no local in
terest to be affected by this selection, requires that a candid compari
son should be instituted, and its legitimate results fairly deduced.
Pursuing our line westwardly, the next point of interest is to dis- i
cover a practicable ascent of Chunnynuggee Ridge. By this name i
is styled the remarkable elevation, at the Northern base of which rise j
the waters of Calebee, Cubahatchee and Line creeks, while Pea River j
flows from it southerly and the head waters of Conecuh river (pro
nounced Co-na’-ka) occupy its summit and flow upon it in a course I
parallel tcits Northern crest. After some ineffectual effort to reach
this elevatiou, at length a practicable ascent was found, which carried j
us from Cowikee Flats to Chunnynuggee summit in a run of four
miles at our maximum inclination of 42 24—100 feet to the mile. In j
j accomplishing this ascent some very heavy grading will be required,
which perhaps may be reduced by a careful review of the line.
After attaining the summit, we immediately come upon the head
waters of Conecuh river. This stream here flows westwardly with a
sluggish current for a distance of tea miles, to the village of Union
Springs, at which poiut it bends to a direction but little West of
South. Through the remainder of the division, the route surveyed
followed the course of the Conecuh, keeping to the North and then to
the West of that river.
Further examinations will be required, to ascertain the expediency
a!)c SoHtlfcni .Sentinel,
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 16, 1851.
of cutting off the bend at Union Springs, and saving distance, by in
curring the expanse of twice crossing the Conecuh.
First Division.
Estimated cost of Road formation :
{ Grading, grubbing and clearing, - $256,743 50
! Masonry in drains, 4,968 13
i Bridge over Euchee creek, ----- 3,000 00
Trestle-bridging, 9,800 00
Engineering, Right of Way, Real Estate, and > „
Contingencies, \ 4U ’ 000 00
Amounting to, - - - $344,511 63
SECOND DIVISION.
Up to the commencement of this Division, the controlling con
sideration which influenced the course of our Survey, was the selec
tion of the cheapest route for a Rail Road from Girard to Mobile Bay.
Eastwardly of this point, it is believed that both of the routes exam
ined will possess advantages measurably equal as to the command of
the local business which is to be so essential a tributary to the prosper
ity of the Road. If a location upon the Ridge would secure to us
heavy and valuable freight from the Euchees, on the other hand it
would surrender, what the lower route must ever command, the pro
ductions of the fertile county watered by the Cowikee and Hatehee
chubbee. Thus far, there is no material variation between the line of
cheapest construction, and the fine of valuable business, and it would
be fortunate for the Company if this favorable conjunction could con
tinue throughout the Route. Such, however, is not the case.
If -the topograph}* of the country only were to govern the location,
it is believed that a line following the course of Conecuh river, and
continuing in its valley to some point near the Florida line, would best
answer the purposes of economical construction. The straight course
of this stream, in a direction well calculated for our destination, its
generally sluggish current and the broad hammocks which border up
on it, all conjoin to distinguish it as an eligible route in a topographi
cal point of view. But commercially considered, it is barren of at
tractions. The general sterility of the river lands, and the insalubri
ous character of the adjacent country, must prevent its settlement and
successful cultivation. No reasonable hope could therefore be enter
tained of a remunerating business from such a quarter, and in pursuing
this Route, the Company must.forfeit in advance, the prospeet of a
great carrying trade, which constitutes a leading item in the account
of anticipated revenues.
Governed by this consideration, it was deemed advisable to leave
the Conecuh and at some sacrifice of cost, to occupy with the Rail
Road, a position more convenient to the fertile and highly cultivated
lands which are destined to supply it with a valuable freight and pas
senger business. By taking a direction nearly West, at the line of
Macon and Pike counties, the Rail Road will traverse a good up-land
farming region in Pike, Montgomery and Lowndes counties, and, at
the same time, will be within easy reach of the vast body of rich prai
rie lands which, for more than 100 miles in length, stretch out from the
foot of the great dividing Ridge, and extend northerly to the Talla
poosa and Alabama rivers. South of the line also there are produc
tive lands lying upon Patsaliga, Pigeon and Persimmon creeks and
their branches, capable of sustaining a dense population, but not as
yet much settled on account of their secluded situation.
In emerging from the valley of Conecuh with a western course,
the line necessarily soon finds itself either on or near the ridge, though
it is occasionally necessary to depart from it on account of the un
evenness of its summit and the sharp windings in its course. Near the
line of Lowndes and Butler counties an attempt was made to curtail
distance and relieve curvation, by departing from the ridge, cutting
oft’a great bend, and crossing Pigeon and Persimmon creeks ; but the
result of the surveys, forbids the hope of ameliorating the line, by
this expedient.
•
Second Division.
Estimated cost of Road formation :
Grading, grubbing and clearing, - $476,005 37
Masonry in drains, ------ 8,435 76
Trestle-bridging, ------ 8,550 00
Engineering, Real Estate, Right of Way and ? qqq
Contingencies, ) ’
Amounting to, - - $532,991 13
THIRD DIVISION.
It will not be advisable, in this Division, to deviate far from the di
viding ridge, on opposite sides of which, head the waters of the Ala
bama and Conecuh rivers. A line was run crossing Pigeon, Hall and
Persimmon creeks, and passing through the village of Greenville, But
ler count}*, but the great and steep elevations which intervene between
these water courses cannot be overcome by our maximum gradient.
An attempt was also made to pass the survey through Belleville, Con
ecuh county, for the purpose of establishing the Road within more
convenient reach of the rich settlements and valuable lands of Murder
and Bottle creeks. This route also was found impracticable. It en
counters a formidable elevation which extends, with no material
interruption, near the right bank of Sepulgah creek from its souree to
its mouth.
The unfavorable results of these experiments to curtail distance,
may be regarded as conclusive against the adoption of any line which
deviates far from the dividing ridge, in this Division.
By continuing upon the ridge, the Rail Road will be immediately
upon the Southern border of the rich prairie lands of Lowndes, But
ler, Monroe and Wilcox counties, thus increasing the expanse of
country to the North which will become tributary to a Rail Road in
this position, but would otherwise find in the Alabama river a more
convenient outlet for its productions.
Third Division.
Estimated cost of Road formation :
Grading, grubbing and clearing, - - ‘ - - $367,931 88
Masonry in drains, ------ 3,276 99
Trestle-bridging, 3,750 00
Engineering, Real Estate, Right of Wav and ) . An/Y „ on
Contingencies, “ \ 40 ’ 000 00
Amounting to, - - - $414,958 87
dCm
FOURTH DIVISION;
This Division will be wholly in the county of Baldwin. The
route still lies upon the dividing ridge, which here separates the waters
of Alabama and Tensas rivers (pronounced Ten'-saw) from the Perdi
do and its branches. The summit of the ridge is broad, straight and
level, presenting a face of country for forty miles wholly unsurpassed
in the facilities it affords for cheap Rail Road construction. Long
stretches of straight line and level grades, can be obtained at scarcely
an appreciable expense of grading.
The descent to the waters of Mobile Bay is accomplished within
the assumed maximum. The facility with which this descent can be
made, will leave the Company a wide margin of discretion in selecting
the site of their Western Terminus. Several points have been exam
ined, possessing the requisites for this object. A location can be ob
tained, with high banks secure from overflow, easily reached by the Rail
Road and not difficult of approach from the sea. It is understood
that the proprietors of these locations, will offer liberal inducements
to an enterprise which is not expected to confer such great benefits,
without some participation in the profits. This Division is estima
ted upon a line terminating at Beard's Bluff, on Tensas river, about
five miles above Blakeiv.
The lands of Baldwin county, adjacent to the Road, are not of
much agricultural importance, but they are far from being unoMidiiy l
tive. They are covered over with a dense pine forest of almost in
exhaustible extent and surpassing yalue. The lumber trade derived
from this source, has been prosecuted for many years with great suc
cess and profit. From the banks of Tensas river, shipments of lum
bertothe West Indies, Mexico, South America and Europe are of:
constant occurrence. As an instance of the scale on which this bu- 1
siness is conducted, I will take the liberty of repeating what a gentle
man of Baldwin countv informed me—that he was filling an order i
from Spain for one million feet of lumber at the handsome price of j 1
§25 per M. , delivered at Tide Water upon Tensas aver. | :
This traffic is now supplied from the timber cut only on Tide Wa- i
ter, or but a short distance in the interior. Railroad facilities will so
expand the area from which timber may be profitably taken, that
it is not difficult to believe, that our Depot upon the waters of Mobile ‘
Bay, will one day be the scene of a lumber market, without a parallel j
in the country.
Fourth Division.
Estimated cost of Road formation :
Grading, grubbing and clearing, - 6136,368 68
Masonry in drains, • 2,170 85
! Trestle-bridging, ------ 1,200 00
[Engineering, Real Estate, Right of Way and ) 40 000 00
Contingencies, )
Amounting to, ... $170,739 23
Consolidating the preceding estimates for Road formation and
adding the cost of superstructure and outfit, wo have the following:
General Estimate.
First Division Road formation, 5G miles, 1820 feet, $344,511 63
Second Division, do 58 “ 4440 “ 532,991 13
Third Division, do 76 “ 4420 “ 414,958 87
Fourth Division, do 45 “ 4800 “ 179,739 23
Total cost of Road formation, 237 m. 4920 ft. $1,472,200 86
Average cost per mile of Road formation, $6,043 04
Cross ties for 245 miles including Turn outs, $ 77,616 00
Iron Rails, do 880,000 CO
Chairs and spikes, do 98,000 00
Laying track and distributing materials, 104,000 00
Total cost of superstructure, $1,159,616 00
Average cost per mile of superstructure, $4,733 12
Outfit and Equipments.
Engine houses, Machine shops and Car factories, - $ 30,000 00
Warehouses, Offices, Tanks and Wood sheds, - 30,000 00
Locomotives, ------- 150,000 00
Passenger and Baggage cars, .... 30,000 00
Freight cars, ....... 60,000 00
Total cost of outfit, - - $300,000 00
Total cost of Road complete, $2,931,816 86
Average cost per mile of Road and outfit, $ 11,966 70
These estimates are full and liberal and will cover the cost of con
struction ; they will not be found to err on the side of deficiency. It
is desirable that the Company should know and at once appreciate
the magnitude of the project in which they are embarked, and not
be decoyed into expenditures by inadequate of the
probable ultimate cost. With a due observance of this principle
these estimates are framed; they are deduced from instrumental
measurements and set down without enhancing or detracting from the
results as found.
The plan of construction upon which the estimates are based, is
briefly as follows: The Road bed to be 16 feet wide in cuttings and
12 feet wide in embankments. The excavation slopes will be gener
ally three-fourths to one and the embankment slopes will be one and
a half to one. The wooden portion of the superstructure will con
sist of embedded cross-ties two and a half feet apart from centre to
centre. The ties to be eight feet long, ten inches wide and eight
inches thick. The Iron Rails to be secured upon these ties are estima
ted at eighty tons to the mile.
The masonry will consist of single and double “ barrel drains”
and arched culverts to be built of brick. The maximum inclination
will be 42 24-100 feet to the mile, and changes in direction will be
effected by curves of which the minimum radius will be 1910 feet.
The quantity of grading is greater than was generally anticipated,
but it will not be difficult of execution; there will be no costly rock
excavations to delay the work and to augment its cost; the greatest
depth of cutting will be forty-five feet, and there will be no embank
ments higher than fifty feet. There will be no costly structures to
erect. A Lattice Bridge 200 feet in length, will be necessary at the
crossing of Euchoe creek, but, with that exception, the water courses
are encountered so near their heads, that a cheap Trestle work will
span them and allow ample water way.
Having thus summarily described the country through which your
improvement is to pass, and briefly touched upon its resources, it will
not be out of place to advert to the objects to be attained, by the pro
posed expenditure, and to enquire whether their importance is com
mensurate with their cost.
It falls also within the province of the Engineer to estimate the an
ticipated revenues which are to determine the value of the stock.
The advantageous effect of this Road upon the Territory immedi
ately contiguous to its course, can not well be over-estimated. It will
vent the productions of a fine region of fertile and cultivated lands
now almost secluded from a market. The planter who now wagons
his produce through a sea of prairie axle-deep in mud, half loaded,
doubly teamed and consuming weeks to perform the labor of days,
willfind in this Rail Road a safe, sure, cheap and expeditious trans
portation, and he will hail its advent as a measure of deliverance.
Not only does the dread of these execrable market roads prevent the
settlement of the lands of which they are the only outlet, but in
stances are not rare where settlers have abandoned the country', rath
er than suffer any longer the expense, vexation and delay incident to a
journey over them.
If the Rail Road could appropriate to itself a small modicum of
the advanced price which lands will realize under its influence, it would
need no other means to complete its construction. Broad tracts of
land no-y unimproved and tenantless will be brought into cultivation
occupied by a dense and thriving population. The Rail Road will
bring into notice and settlement a region of country but little visited
and not at all .appreciated; while the rich lands to the right and left
will leave the planter nothing to desire in the prospect of ample remu
neration for his labor, the elevated ridge which the Road will generally
occupy (600 feet above Tide water) will offer him a healthy situation
for his residence. Those who have luxuriated in the pure air of
Chunnvnuggee and partaken of the refined hospitalities of its citi
zens, will know how to value a recommendation which offers a pros
pect of planting similar colonies, endowed with like advantages, for
many miles along the ridge. In enumerating the local benefits to
be conferred by the construction of this Road, the valuable mineral
springs of Butler and Monroe counties should not be overlooked.—
The medicinal merits of these waters are now enjoyed only by a
few, but through the agency of this Road, they will administer to
thousands their health-dispensing blessings.
But the advocates of this Road would cherish less confidence in its
success if its elements were bounded within the local sphere just
briefly contemplated. Happily, they are not confined within a scope
so narrow. The imposing national relations which it will hold, and
from which no effort of rivalry can dislodge it, have commended it to
its projectors as an enterprise which stands far in advance of any
scheme of improvement now addressing itself to public favor. This
declaration is hazarded with a full sense of the little estimation
awarded to such sentiments when uttered by those concerned in the
enterprise so sweepingly extolled. The Girard Rail Road does not
seek to establish itself through the force of empty boasting, yet, as
every project now-a-days engendered, arrogates to itself superlative
merit, we submit, that our favorite scheme may, without disadvantage,
contrast its pretensions with those of any cotemporary.
It has been remarked, and with some truth, that every improve
ment set on foot of late, in the Southern States, claims the possession
of superior advantages for the transmission of the great mail and
metropolitan travel which circulate to and from New Orleans and
the Northern cities. In conformity to this usage, the Girard Rail
Road will venture to put in a claim for this distinction without fear j
of being charged with extravagant pretensions. !
The superiority of on t position for this sendee and its revenues are i
manifest and'in disputable. The traveller from New Orleans will not
hesitatein availinghimself of thisdirectline of Rail Road, in preference
to the meanderings of a river with its dangers, delays and uncertainties.
If he does not regard the time lost in fogs and upon sand-banks, his care
for personal safety will not fail to remind him of the fires, explosions
and other disastrous accompaniments to Western navigation, and to
whichever point in the great segment radiating from Nashville to
Savannah he may be destined, he will take his departure from the
Gulf upon the Girard Rail Road. So also coming South—by whatever
route the great tide of through travel may commence its flow, it must
eventually set upon our line —whether it comes by Savannah, ‘by
Charleston, by Wilmington and Manchester, by Raleigh, or (leaving
the coast still farther) by the lines of the Virginia Valley and East
Tennessee—come as it may, it must find an outlet by this Rail Road,
the main trunk towards which thsy all concentrate. So long as ex- ;
pedition and economy are consulted by the Post Master General, and
tho travelling public, our proposed Rail Rond will
command a monopoly of the through mail and travel.
Under existing arrangements, a traveller leavinjfipby
bile on Sunday at 5 o’clock F. M. reaches Augtiste,
Georgia, on the following Friday at 3A. M. Upon
the completion of the Rail Road between Montgo
mery and Atlanta, ho would be able to reach * ugusta
on Thursday at 6 A. M., and that is the best he can
ever hope to do on the upper route, unless, as very
few do andean, he consents to be jolted through 160
miles of staging from Stockton to Montgomery. But,
as feware hardy enough to undergo this martyrdom and
NO. 3.
many could not be allowed it, it is fair to make comparisons upon the
usually travelled route.
M hen the upper route is completed, then it will consume
tarec and a half days in making the journey from Mobile to Augusta.-
By the Girard Rail Road and connecting routes now in course of con
struction, the same journey can be performed in one day and a half,
which shows a difference in favor of the lower route of two entire
days, a difference which cannot be diminished unless the Rail Road
lrom Montgomery to \V est Point should make a connection with the
Girard Rail Road, and even in that event the lower fine, from the di
rectness ol its course, must retain great advantage in time and distance
the circuitous route in Georgia, by which tho mail is now convey
ed. MaHs and passengers from Mobile, destined for New York, by
taking a steamer at Savannah, can be conveyed through in four days,
upon the completion of your Road and its Eastern connections —a
speed that will distance and defy all competition.
The construction of a Branch Road thirty miles in length, will con
nect your Road with the two great lines to Nashville and Lynchburg;
thus at once opening a Rail ltoad communication between Mobile and
the Great Most. Ibis is a connection now designed to bo accom
plished by a Herculean enterprise involving the construction of 500
miles of Rail Road at an expense of nine million dollars.
Our route passes within forty miles of Pensacola, the great Naval
Depot of the South. From this port, also, an improvement is project
ed at great cost; the full benefits of which will be realized to its
movers by a connection with our li oad requiring but forty miles of
Rail Road construction.
We have thus hastily glanced at the relations in which our Road
will stand towards projects of improvement • now completed, or far
advanced; but when the great enterprises now rapidly emerging from
a mere embryo condition, which demonstrate upon the Pacific, and”
even* aspire to an interest in the wealth of India itself, shall have,
reached their consummation—when the grand highway shall
erected upon which America and Europe shall communicate with the
empires of the East—there will be no position upon that magnificent
line so impregnable as that occupied by the improvement whose earliest
developments have been committed to your hands. And although she
is struggling into existence without extrinsic aid or patronage, her in
itiatory steps supported only 7 by the associated energies of those
whose very doors open upon her pathway 7 , she will yet live to reach an
exalted destiny—greatly surpassing the hopes of her progenitors, and
amply rewarding their toils, their expectations, and their anxieties.
Both locally and nationally viewed, your Road will enjoy a most
eligible position, in view of which it is not.visionary. io believe that
the Stock will be valuable as an investment. In conferring benefits
upon the country at large, it can not fail to realize to its owners ro
numerating profits. But as it may be more satisfactory to particular*
ize the sources from which your receipts are to be derivod, the follow-'*
ing estimate is presented, without any misgivings on tho score of ex
travagance :
Estimate of annual receipts.
50,000 through passengers, © $7 00 $ 850,001)
20,000 way passengers, q $3 50 70.000
75,000 bales of cotton, $1 25 93,750
Merchandise and groceries, 200,000
Lumber and miscellaneous products, 20.000
Gross receipts, $783,750
Expenses 40 per ct. on receipts, 813,500
Net profits, $470,250
Equal to sixteen per cent, on the Capital Stock.
With such prospects in view, Alabama will not hesitate to embrace
the high destiny almost within her reach; she will awake from the leth
argy which has too long oppressed her, and, true to the parentage
from which she sprung, she will enter with Georgia the contest fur
supremacy—she cannot be insensible to the eminence attained by tlk>
“Empire State of the South,” nor to the means by 7 which she readied
it. Side by side geographically, and side by side in their progress to
prosperity, Georgia and Alabama, the parent and the daughter, hand
in hand, \yill advance to the enjoyment of a long and bright career of
happiness and greatness.
Respectfully submitted.
JAMES F. COOPER, Chief Engineer.
RANDOLPH’S DUEL WITH CLAY.
The following is an extract from the life of John Randolph, writ
ten by Garland:
The night before the duel, says General James Hamilton, of South
Carolina, Mr. Randolph sent for me. I found him calm, but in a
singularly kind and confiding mood. He then remarked : Hamilton,
I have determined to receive, without returning, Clay’s fire ; nothing
can induce me to harm a hair of his head; I will not make
his wife a widow, or his children orphans. Their tear3 would be shed
over his grave. But when the sod of Virginia rests upon my bosom,
there is notin this wide world one individual to pay this tribute upon
mine. His eyes filled, and, resting his head upon his band, wc re
mained some moments silent. I my dear friend, (for ours
was a sort of posthumous friendship, bequeathed by our motiic.-.,) i
deeply regret that you have mentioned this subject to me ; fur vou
call upon me to go to the field and sec you shot down, or assume the
responsibility, in regard to your own life, in sustaining your determin
ation to throw it away. But on this subject, a man’s own conscience
and his own bosom are his best* monitors. I will not advise, but un
der the enormous and unprovoked personal insult you have offered Mr.
Clay, I cannot dissuade. I feel bound, however, to communicate to
Col. Tattnall your decision. He begged me not to do so, and said
he was very much afraid that Tattnall would take the studs, and re
fuse to go out with him. I, however, sought Col. Tattnall, arid we re
paired about midnight to Mr. Randolph’s lodgings, -whom \ round
reading Milton’s great poem. For some moments L did no; permit
us to say one word in relation to the approaching dud; a dhe at
once commenced one of those delightful criticisms on a p -sage of’
this poet, in which he was wont eo enthusiastically to indulge. \iter a
pause, Col. Tattnall remarked—Mr. Randolph, I am told you !,„ve de
termined not to return Mr. C.’s fire; I must say to you, n • dear sir, if
lam only to go out to see you shot down, you mu.it fiud s.n< W
friend. Mr. Randolph remarked that it was his dotermina'mn. A, i( >r ’
much conversation on the subject, I induced Mr. Tattnall .... , . ir
Randolph to have his own course, as his withdrawal, as one of tho
friends, might lead to very injurious misconstructions. At last Mr.
Randolph mildly said, Well, Tattnall, I promise you one thin"; if 1 see
the devil in Clay’s eye, and that with malice prepense he means to
take my life, I may change my mind. A remark I knew he made
merely to propitiate the anxiety of his friend.
Mr. Clay and himself met at 4 o’clock the succeeding evening on
the banks of the Potomac. But he saw no “devil in Clay’s eve,” but
a man fearless, and expressing the mingled sensibility and firmness
which belonged to the occasion.
I shall never forget this scene as long as I live. It has been my
misfortune to witness several duels, but I never saw one, at least in its
sequel, so deeply affecting. The sun was just setting behind the blue
hills of Randolph’s own Virginia. Here were two of the most ex
traordinary men otir country in its prodigality had ever produced
about to meet in mortal combat. Whilst Tattnall was loadin” Ran
dolph’s pistols, I approached my friend, I believed, for the last time.
I took his hand; there was not in its touch the quivering of one pul
sation. He turned to me and said, “Clay is calm, but not vindictive
I hold my purpose, Hamilton, in any event; remember tl.fs.” On
handing him his pistol, Col. Tattnall sprung the hair trigger. Mr.
Randolph said, “Tattnall, although I am one of the best shots in Vir
ginia, with either pistol or gun, yet I never fire with the hair tri"-
ger; besides, I have a thick buckskin glove on, which will destrov the
delicacy of my touch, and the trigger may fly before I know where I
am.” But, from his great solicitude for his friend, Tattnall masted on
hairing the trigger. On taking their position, the fact turned Cu, ns
Mr. Randolph anticipated; his pistol went off before the word with
the muzzle down.
The moment this event took place, Gen. Jesup, Mr. Clay’s friend,
called out that he would instantly leave the ground with his friend if
that occurred again. Mr. Clay at once exclaimed it was an accident,
and begged that the gentleman might be allowed to go on. On the
word'being given, Mr. Clay fired without effect, Mr.** Randolph dis
charging his pistol in the air. The moment that Mr. Clay saw that
Mr. Randolph had thrown away hi3 fire, with a gush of sensibility he
instantly approached Randolph and said, with an emotion I can never
forget, “I trust in God, my dear sir, you are untouched; after what
-has occurred, I would not have harmed you for a thousand worlds.”
The clos& of jtfahyjassago in Randolph’s career makes too complete
a picture to be omitted. Returning from his mission as Minister to
Russia, broken in health, sick at heart—at death’s door—he went into