| Annual Report of the Charleston &
Savannah RR |
| as of January 1, 1861, |
| Superintendent's Report |
| |
| Office Engineer and Superintendent |
| Charleston & Savannah R. R. |
| Charleston, February 18, 1861 |
| |
|
Hon. Thos. F. Drayton |
| Pres't Charleston & Savannah R. R. Co. |
| |
| Sir, |
| I herewith respectfully
submit to your notice, detailed statements of the freight and passenger
business, and maintenance of motive power on this Road, during the year
1860. These statements are not so explicit as would, perhaps, have been
desirable; but the many duties which have presses upon me during the
short period that I have been in office, have prevented me from giving
these matters the attention that would have been necessary. Such as they
are, however, they will show with sufficient clearness, that thus far
the revenues of the Road have been almost totally derived from its local
business, and that it has not yet received a tithe of the through
business that it must ultimately control. The table of the cost of
maintenance of motive power will compare favorably with other Southern
Road. |
|
The freighting business of the Road has considerably
increased wince the beginning of the year, though not so much as
would probably have been the case had not the present political
difficulties interfered in a great measure with the usual shipments
of cotton from this port. |
|
The roadway has, until the last few weeks, been in
remarkably good order for a new Road, though the late heavy rains
have temporarily affected it, on such portions a have not been
sufficiently ballasted. The character of the soil of which the Road
bed is principally composed, will require the employment of a larger
force for some years to come than is generally considered necessary
for the maintenance of roadway. It would appear, however, that the
increased duration of the rails, ensured by thus keeping the Road
bed in a proper condition, will fully compensate for the additional
expense which it demands. |
|
At the beginning of the present year, the work upon the
permanent Bridge across the Savannah river was in the following
condition: Cylinders Nos. 7, 2, 3, 4, and 5, were in position. No. 6
had been accidentally overthrown while the workmen were engaged upon
it, and now lies upon the riverbed, the state of the water having
been such since that time as to have rendered futile any attempts to
raise it. No. 7 had also been partially sunk, but from some cause
had assumed an inclined position when the process of sinking it was
stopped. During the month of January, Mr. W. S. Smith, the energetic
agent of the Contractors, hired a double gang of hands, and after
making the necessary preliminary arrangements, proceeded to
straighten it. The river had been kept at a high stage by continuous
freshets, and therefore required considerable pressure within the
Cylinder to overcome its resistance, which severely tested the
machinery employed; and several times some trifling accident, as the
bursting of a joint or the blowing out of a valve, just as the sand
and water had been nearly expelled from the Cylinder, retarded the
progress of the work for two or three days; finally, upon the 7th
inst, the bottom of the Cylinder was reached, when it was discovered
that the obstacle which had hindered the vertical descent of the
Cylinder was a large cypress root, which had probably been carried
down from the surface of the river-bed by the Cylinder, until it
reached the hard sub-stratum upon which it now rests. After
considerable labor, the root was at length cut asunder and removed,
and Mr. Smith is now engaged in sinking the Cylinder to the required
depth. |
|
It should be stated with reference to the temporary
structure across the Savannah, that it has withstood the late
freshets, the highest since 1852, remarkably well, yet, though under
ordinary circumstances it may serve the purposes of the road for
several year to come, the uncertainty attendant upon the existence
of a bridge of pile work in a rapid current, subject to obstruction
from the accumulation of drift wood, and liable to severe shocks
from drifting rafts during freshets, as well as the disagreeable
difficulties constantly occurring with persons interested in the
navigation of the river, and who imagine their business obstructed
by the present temporary bridge, induce me to respectfully suggest
to you the paramount importance of a speedy completion of the
permanent bridge. |
|
In conclusion, I would say that I have observed with
pleasure the zeal and interest manifested by the officers in charge
of the several departments during my brief connection with the Road,
and also to the faithful discharge of duty by the employees
generally, which has, I believe, conduced to the singular exemption
from accident with which the Road has up to the present time been
favored. |
|
Respectfully submitted, |
|
H. S. Haines |
|
Eng'r & Sup't |
|
Respectfully submitted
|
|