Brevard-Seneca Route
Suggested
By C.W. Hunt
God-speed and all praise to those progressive citizens who
are striving to give us the inestimable advantage of another railroad.
The “C. K. & W.” is dead, may a better route arise,
Phoenix like, from its ashes.
It is not necessary to write a long argument in favor of
this proposed railway, practically a through route. All can look and read what
great things our one little railway has done for us, but now our great,
progressive country and section is like a giant trying to walk on one leg.
By all means give us another road. It is a vital necessity.
Our prosperity will not only be doubled; it will be quadrupled.
Lest we forget what great things can be accomplished by
imagination, hope, faith, energy and push, it is in place and instructive to
refer to the inception and beginning of our present road, which will be
interesting history, showing us how it was done, what great things developed
from a very small beginning.
Before this road was made all can remember that in winter we
had an ever present deep mud hole 20 miles wide connecting us with
Hendersonville. That Brevard and Transylvania County were dead, no trade or
development from one year to another.
One gloomy day the writer was sitting in Mr. W.B.
Duckworth’s office, in company with him and Mr. Nath. McMinn—peace to be their
ashes. We three introduced and discussed the time-worn subject of getting a
railroad to Brevard, and decided that we must have a railroad and that we would
“make a spoon or spoil a horn” in trying again to interest the people who
seemed to have lost hope.
It was decided to vote bonds for $60,000 to bring the road
to Brevard and not require the builders to take it to Estatoe Ford for that
sum, as had been tried years before.
It was agreed that Mr. W.B. Duckworth should go with the
writer to Hendersonville and interview her business men. This was done at once,
a long drive in a buggy, there one day and all of the next day to return. Mr.
Jonathan Williams was one of the principal men interviewed.
The next step—a railroad meeting was called. Mr. Williams
came up and made us a railroad speech. Only a handful of progressive men
attended this meeting. The writer went to Mr. Duge Hamlin’s school and induced
him to come and act as chairman of the meeting, which he did with dignity and
success.
Then a petition was started, requesting our Commissioners to
call an election for railway bonds. A great many became enthused in favor of
the road and a great many opposed the movement, good citizens, who could not
see the advantage of the road that stopped at Brevard, and those who could not
see the many dollars of gain for a few pennies of tax. The whole upper end of
the county was practically against the road. Bonds only carried by a hair’s
breadth, after the most exciting and hardest campaign ever waged in this
county.
Many subscribed to a campaign fund. Mr. A.E. Boardman upon
being requested to subscribe, did so, but business was then so dead that he expressed
the opinion that if we got the road, it would not make enough to pay for its
grease.
All now see what this road has done for us and I believe
that every man in our county would vote bonds for another road, and all of the
women, if they could vote, and I wish that they could.
Look at the map. The best route and the one that I most earnestly
advise, is a road connecting with our present road at the Curved Trestle, above
Rosman and running through Maple Gap, the lowest gap in the Blue Ridge. This
would save the building from Brevard to the trestle, 12 and two-tenths miles,
then a short line of 40 miles would give us the desired connection with Seneca,
S.C., and thereby almost a direct connection with Atlanta, Ga.
Of course it would be much better if we could come from
Asheville through Sandy Bottom to Brevard, Rosman and Seneca.
Do not forget that the proposed Brevard-Seneca road would
give us practically a direct connection with Atlanta. Coal and other northern
freight would have a road about 100 miles shorter than the steep, dangerous
Saluda route.
On the South Carolina side there are now great quantities of
timber waiting for this road.
After all of the lumber and wood is shipped from our county,
we will need something else, this something else is crowds of tourists coming
from the south, direct to Brevard each season.
Brevard’s geographical position is such that with this road
she would become the greatest tourist center in Western North Carolina. Made
accessible by good roads, her climate and scenery would become an invaluable
and inexhaustible asset.
The above route will give us a real southern connection much
better than a connection with Greenville, though as soon as we get the
Brevard-Seneca road, we should then get an electric road to Greenville, if a
practical route can be found and if the citizens of Greenville will co-operate.
An electric road, I am told, is cheaper to build but more
expensive to operate.
The Brevard-Seneca road would be the greatest thing that
could happen for both places, a steam road, bringing tourists to Brevard from Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, and pulling
innumerable freight trains all of the time.
I appeal to the business men of our county to get busy at
once and discuss these matters, decide upon the best course to take, and get
the work under way. It is self-evident that something must be done at once if
we are to properly develop our resources and keep abreast of the times.
Our rich corporations, successful business men and
prosperous farmers could easily form a stock company and build and own this
road themselves, or our rich county could easily vote bonds. The citizens of
Seneca and Oconee County will doubtless upon proper representation from us, do
their part in building this road. In fact those owning the great timber
interests along this proposed line could even afford to build it themselves.
Please remember that the Brevard-Seneca Road would be the
greatest thing possible for Brevard and Seneca, and I honestly believe that the
people will see the matter as I do and will built the road. Let us hear from
all.
--C.W. Hunt
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