| Annual Report of the Western North Carolina
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| as of July 1, 1861, |
| Chief Engineer's Report |
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| Report of the Chief Engineer |
| Chief Engineer's Office |
| Salisbury, Aug. 28th, 1861 |
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| To the President and Directors of the
Western North-Carolina Railroad |
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| Gentlemen, |
| The approaching annual
meeting of your Company may seem to require of me a statement of the
progress and affairs of the road under my supervision. I shall
therefore submit it briefly, referring only to what has been done and
reported upon since the last annual convocation, for the purpose of
keeping up a proper connection of events. The survey for the extension
of your road west of Asheville having been completed, the result,
presented for your action and decision, has been duly recorded.
Predicated upon that, an application was made to the last Legislature
for such legislation as was necessary for carrying into effect your
wishes, and as you have already been informed at a special meeting for
that purpose, the Legislature, with enlarged views of the great
importance of the enterprise, made such amendments to the charter as
would have enabled you to push boldly forward this great State work. A
link in the chain of this important scheme was yet to be located, to
wit: from the western portal of the Swannanoa Tunnel to the French
Broad River. |
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A corps of engineers were put in the field as soon as the
weather would permit, who were making diligent prosecution of the
work; other arrangements preparatory to letting the work to contract
had been made, and the friends of the improvement were cheered with
the prospect of its early extension, when lo! the tocsin of war was
sounded in our ears. The unholy Proclamation of Abe Lincoln claimed
our attention -- 75,000 men were called for to violate the
Constitution and subjugate the South. I took the responsibility of
suspending the work, which was subsequently ratified by the unanimous
vote of your board, and with electric speed every member of the
engineer corps offered his services to the State for the defence of
freedom and the institutions of the South; and in that capacity which
it seemed most suitable there should fill, in company with some of our
best contractors and other employees of the road, are now and have
been most patriotically and honorably battling for our rights, our
homes, and our firesides.
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Indeed, to such an extent did this patriotic spirit
prevail, that at one time I apprehended some difficulty in keeping a
sufficient number of the right kind of men on the road to
discharge the duties to a successful prosecution of its business.
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On that part of the road under contract between Morganton
and the Swannanoa Gap, the work has been, in accordance with your
order, suspended. But in two cases the contractors, Messrs. McKesson
and Neal, have continued to work their force on their own account.
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The work done on this part of the line amounts to upwards
of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), for which the contractors
have not been paid anything; and I take this opportunity of saying
that they deserve great credit for their energy and generosity, and
merit every attention the company can bestow to relieve their burdens.
I would therefore most respectfully suggest that every effort be made
on the part of the board to induce the authorities of the State to
grant relief by the payment of the instalments already due the company
on this account.
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That part of the line east of Morganton is yet
incomplete; and, although this work was not suspended, it has, from
various causes been delayed, and there remains about ($40,000) forty
thousand dollars worth of grading yet to be done, and is nearly all
embraced within a distance of five and a half miles east of the town
of Morganton. It is scarcely necessary to repeat to you the causes of
delay, yet it may not be improper to allude to two leading causes --
first, the failure on the part of the State, up to this date, to pay
its proportion of the instalments called for for the prosecution of
the work and secondly; the sacrificing part that the contractors for
this work has acted in the great national and political tragedy now
passing in view before the country. Without the means of meeting his
demands on the Treasury for the vigorous prosecution of this work, we
could not ask him to remain when his country called him to lead, where
his patriotism and bravery inclined him to go, even unto death.
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The cars are now running to Icard's station and west of
that point for five and a half miles. Including some of the heaviest
and most costly work on the line, the road has been graded and is
nearly ready for the iron, which is now being laid down. The grading
on that part of the line yet to be done, is now being pushed forward,
though not as vigorously as we could desire, owing to the loss of some
of the hands hired for the purpose.
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The station at Morganton has been commenced, the brick
and lumber are now on the ground and being put up. This done leaves us
only the iron to lay down, a part only of which is on hand to complete
the road to Morganton -- a consummation devoutly to be wished.
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The rolling stock of the road is now all in good
condition, and consists of five Locomotives, two first-class Passenger
Coaches, two second class or Mail Cars and two Baggage Cars, besides
Box Cars, Flat Cars, Gravel Cars and the requisite number of Section
Cars. We are now building two good Passenger Coaches, so that we
already find an additional advantage in having a repairing shop to
supply our wants; and as we are now dependent upon our own resources
for such things as we have been accustomed to look Northward for, it
is a matter of no small consideration to know that we are so far
independent of them. There are, however, many things for which our
ingenuity will be greatly taxed to supply the place of -- such as
machinery, oil, brass, babbet metal, &c.
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But always remembering that necessity is the mother of
invention, we hope to be able, from our own resources, to supply our
wants as they may arise. The road is now in good order, and with the
assistance of the gravel train and ditching force, we expect to have
it in such condition as will enable us to run with greater safety than
usual during the winter. I cannot refrain from calling the attention
of the board to the fact, and it is one of no inconsiderable
importance, that up to this time, with one exception, we have had no
serious accident on the road.
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The services of every assistant engineer on the line have
been dispensed with, except one, who has been retained to superintend
the tracklaying now going forward. Every other officer and employee in
the service of the company has been dispensed with who was not
indispensably necessary to the successful operation of the road -- the
station agents and section masters alone being retained, in addition
to the shop force and locomotive engineers -- so that the expenses
have been reduced to the minimum figure. But the events that have led
to this reduction, have already, and may still further render it
necessary to employ other assistants to adjust and settle up the
affairs of this Company.
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This great and important enterprise, it is true, is
virtually suspended, but it is not crushed or beyond resurrection, for
the very events which have transpired, leading to this result, may,
and in all probability will, at no distant day, be amongst the most
important reasons why it should be resumed again and pushed
forward to an early completion. Every national government has its Capitol,
and there is certainly none more deserving than the Southern
Confederacy. Cast your eyes over a map of the country and what place
within its limits, and to what locality, can you point with more
unerring certainty for its location, than to some point on the
extension of this road, and perhaps within the boundaries of your own
Carolina.
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I cannot close this report without extending to the
assistants and other officers and employees of the road who have so
faithfully served this company, but now gone to the war, my heartfelt
acknowledgements. Other companies have retained like officers
nominally in their places. But I ask only of you, what I feel assured
they will receive, whether they fall or return to bring peace and
gladness to your homes and mine, an acknowledgement that they have
been faithful officers and tried patriots.
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I have the honor to be
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Respectfully, your ob't serv't,
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James C. Turner
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Chief Engineer Western N. C. R. R.
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