| From the Charleston Mercury |
| |
| September 11, 1862 |
| |
| Report of the Chief of the Department of Justice and
Police to the Governor and Executive Council |
| Part III |
| On the Special Action of the Department of Justice and
Police |
| To His Excellency, Governor Pickens, Presiding over the
Executive Council of South Carolina: |
| ***** |
| I was charged with the execution of a
resolution, adopted March 1st, to wit: |
| "Resolved, That the sum of twenty
five thousand dollars be loaned to the Charleston & Savannah Railroad
Company, upon the condition that any future indebtedness of the State to
the Company, for transporting troops or carrying provisions, or any
other purpose, shall be considered a payment by the Company of a part of
the said loan, and that the cars or other property purchased with the
money loaned as above, shall be mortgaged to the State." |
| This was adopted at a time when the region
of country through which this railroad passes was considered in imminent
peril, and the removal of negros, provisions and other property, was
deemed of the utmost importance. The road, it was represented, could do
a much larger business but for an insufficiency of cars, and of switches
and turnouts. |
| I insert the report of the President of
the road upon this subject, but recently received: |
| "President's Office, Charleston & Savannah R. R. |
| Charleston, August 16, 1862 |
| Hon. I. W. Hayne, Chief Department Justice and Police,
Columbia, S. C. |
| Dear Sir: On the 22d March last I had the honor to
report to you the result of my effort to purchase twenty (20) cars,
under the resolution of the Council (March 1st). After a thorough
inquiry, I could only obtain the number authorized with great difficulty
here. Roads everywhere refused to listen to proposals for the sale of
any portion of their rolling stock. |
| The price agreed upon was $12,250 (twelve
thousand two hundred and fifty dollars), but in consequence of a
difficulty in delivering the cars, I have not yet called for the
appropriation. I expect to do so, however, in a few days. |
| Under the resolution above referred to, we
were also authorized to construct additional turn-outs, for the purpose
of aiding the removal of provisions and other property from the line.
The work, so far as we felt warranted in proceeding, has been done. And
I beg to enclose you statements of its cost in full detail. The amount,
$8,262.03, you will please cause to be remitted at early convenience. I
take the liberty to add that it would not be easy to estimate the
importance to the public of the aid thus furnished by the Council. |
| With great respect, |
| W. J. Magrath" |
| The amount of the advance will, I have no
doubt, be made good, ultimately, to the State. |
| About the same time the attention of the
Governor and Council was called to the advantages which would accrue
from uniting the Charleston & Savannah Railroad with the South Carolina
and Northeastern Railroads, and more particularly the completion of a
bridge allowing rolling stock of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad to
cross the Ashley River. Gens. Lee, Pemberton and Ripley expressed the
greatest interest in the work, and the two latter pronounced it a
military necessity. Time has only served to magnify the importance of
the enterprise. The rolling stock of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad
must alone be worth, at this time (that is, if money can be made a
measure at all of that which, all important in itself, cannot be
supplied elsewhere) at least a half million of dollars. If that road
would get even into temporary possession of the enemy, the rolling stock
must inevitably be lost. But the connection proposed is of the utmost
importance. After a great deal of negotiation, and the failure of many
efforts on the part of the Governor and Council, the following
resolution was adopted, to wit: |
| Resolved, That the Chief of the
Department of Justice and Police be authorized to take all necessary
measures to have the connection completed between the Charleston &
Savannah Railroad and the South and Northeastern Railroads: Provided,
in his judgment, it can be effected for anything within the sum of
thirty-five thousand dollars, General Pemberton having pronounced the
work a military necessity. |
| Upon the report of competent engineers, I
concluded that the work might be accomplished for the thirty-five
thousand dollars, and accordingly appointed a Commission, to consist of
Messrs. W. J. Magrath, President of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad
Company; and Alfred Ravenel, President of the Northeastern Railroad
Company; and H. T. Peake, Superintendent of the South Carolina Railroad,
to executed the work. I have recently received from Mr. Magrath the
letter appended, together with the report of the Engineer, which I
likewise append: |
| President's Office, Charleston & Savannah R. R. |
| Charleston, August 16, 1862 |
| Hon. I. W. Hayne, Chief Department Justice and Police,
Columbia |
| Dear Sir: I have the honor to submit, for your
information, the accompanying report of B. D. Hasell, Esq.,
Vice-President of the Charleston & Savannah Railroad, on the progress
and present condition of the Ashley River bridge. |
| When, in May last, I undertook, at your
request, in connection with Messrs. Ravenel and Peake, to arrange for
the execution of this work, I immediately placed it entirely in charge
of Mr. Hasell, whose large experience and ability as an engineer would,
I felt sure, accomplish all that could reasonably be looked for. |
| It is hardly necessary that I should add
anything in confirmation of the Engineer's statements of the obstacles
he has had to encounter, and which have greatly retarded the work. It is
well known to you, and to all, how difficult just now it is to forward,
with energy and rapidity, enterprises of any magnitude, and his work has
been peculiarly embarrassed by the necessities of the Confederate
authorities for the very material, machinery and labor indispensable to
its speedy completion. |
| I am gratified, however, in being able to
state that so far, in this month, the progress of the work is much more
satisfactory than previously. We are all animated by a most earnest
desire to bring it to as early and successful conclusion as possible,
and will unite all our energies for the purpose. |
| With great respect, |
| W. J. Magrath, Chairman |
| |
| President's Office, Charleston & Savannah R. R. |
| Charleston, August 11, 1862 |
| W. J. Magrath, Esq., Agent of the State of South
Carolina |
| Dear Sir: Up to this date, the piling for sixty-eight
piers of the Ashley River bridge have been driven, fifty-four piers have
been capped, and three hundred lineal feet of longitudinal braces have
been put on the caps. The original estimate calls for one hundred and
fifty-two piers of the main bridge, and, therefore, 46-100, or nearly
one-half of the piling, is finished. None of the corbells or stringers
have been put on the bridge, but the timber is mostly on the ground. The
value of the work done, and materials furnished, may be estimated in
round numbers at ten thousand five hundred dollars. |
| The slow progress of the work is mainly
attributable to the difficulty in procuring hands and labor, and also
additional pile-drivers. |
| The contractor had, at one time, two
pile-drivers engaged on the bridge, but was compelled to give up one, to
be used by the Government on harbor defences. |
| With the present difficulty in procuring
labor, tools and materials, I doubt if the contractor will be able to
finish the bridge much before the time when we may expect the enemy to
renew his demonstrations against us in the fall. |
| Very respectfully, yours, |
| Bentley D. Hasell, Vice President |
| ***** |
| Respectfully, your obedient servant, |
| I. W. Hayne |
|