SOLON ROBINSON, 1850 389 



of a visit from every intelligent traveller, and offers 

 strong evidence of the benefits of railroads to agricul- 

 ture ; for, where facilities of transportation are most con- 

 venient and cheap, unless the soil is unforbidding, it will 

 be improved, and where manufactories are located and 

 flourishing, there will agriculture be found most im- 

 proving. 



The trip from Charleston to Hamburg, 136 miles, is 

 Sy2 hours, and price of passage, $5. This road was char- 

 tered in 1828, and in 1830 the first locomotive was put in 

 operation. This was about the first application of steam 

 upon railroads in the United States. In 1833, the road 

 was opened to Hamburg, and was then the longest road 

 in the world. This was the first railroad in the United 

 States upon which the mail was transported. 



The Columbia branch was commenced in 1838 and fin- 

 ished in 1842, and the Camden branch some years later. 

 The following figures will show the increasing usefulness 

 of the road : — 



In 1834, the number of bales of cotton transported, was 

 24,567; in 1835, 34,760; 1836, 28,497; 1837, 34,395; 1838, 

 35,346; 1839, 52,585; 1840, 58,496; 1841, 54,064; 1842, 

 92,336; 1843, 128,047; 1844, 186,638; 1845, 197,657; 

 1846, 186,271; 1847, 134,302; 1848, 274,364; 1849, 

 339,996 — showing an increase, in sixteen years, in this 

 one article, of 315,429 bales over the number transported 

 the first year. What a vast number of horses and men, 

 the carriage of the last year, alone, would have with- 

 drawn from cultivation, to transport all these bales in 

 wagons! The proportionate increase in some other 

 things has been equally great. 



In consequence of the facilities of getting turpentine to 

 market, which formerly would not pay transportation by 

 wagons, a few individuals began to levy contributions 

 upon some of the valuless pine forests, and in 1846, the 

 railroads brought down 48 barrels; in 1847, 3,189 bbls; 

 in 1848, 5,753 bbls; in 1849, 13,918 bbls. 



In 1849, 66,904 bushels of corn were carried, and 



