By Larry Felton Johnson

The Western & Atlantic Railroad played a large role in the development of what became metro Atlanta. It was formed to build a state-owned railroad from what later became Atlanta, to the Tennessee River, opening Georgia to trade connections with the Tennessee and Ohio river valleys. In 1845 the partially completed railroad began regular service between Atlanta (which had been renamed from Terminus to Marthasville at that time) and Marietta.

The railroad was established in 1836 and its route completed in 1851, meeting its goal of opening trade between north Georgia and the two major rivers.

The Courier often digs into issues of 19th and early 20th century newspapers on the Georgia Historic Newspapers website housed at the University of Georgia, searching for items on the history of Cobb County and its cities.

A recent item we found was a report from Marietta about the progress of the Western and Atlantic railroad.

The report was prepared by the railroad’s engineering staff in October of 1840. It outlined the challenges that faced the crews and engineers as the railroad built bridges and tunnels and laid track from Terminus (later the City of Atlanta) to Tennessee.

It was published in the January 01, 1841, issue of a newspaper called the Standard of Union, which, until it ceased publication sometime in the late 1840s, was based in Milledgeville, at that time the capital of Georgia.

Here is the report:

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Engineer’s Office, W. & A. R. R.

Marietta, Oct. 16, 1840

To His Excellency Charles J. McDonald:

Sir—
I transmit herewith a copy of my report to the Railroad Commissioners concerning operations on the road during the last quarter.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
Jas. Williams, Chief Engineer

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Engineer’s Office, W. & A. R. R.

Marietta, Oct. 16, 1840

To the Board of Commissioners, W. & A. R. R.:

Gentlemen—
I have the honor to submit a report of operations on the Western and Atlantic Railroad during the third quarter of 1840. The accompanying documents will explain in detail the nature and cost of the work executed.

From the quarterly return herewith submitted, it appears that the work done since the 1st of July consists of:

• 250,000 cubic yards of excavation and embankment
• 3,112 perches of masonry in bridges and culverts
• 800,675 feet board measure of bridge timber delivered
• 16 trestle piers framed, and 5 erected
• 672 feet of bridging erected
• 514 feet of bridge superstructure framed and prepared for raising

The amount paid for this, according to contracts, is $71,597.42. In addition, the return shows $4,849.88 payable on account of repairing finished sections.

From the abstract of final estimates, it appears that the grading of six sections and the masonry of two bridges—namely, Etowah and Armuchee—have been finished during the quarter. The amount of reserved balances paid upon their completion has been $16,901.

The total amount expended up to this date, from the commencement of operations—including surveys, location, construction, repairs, the engineer service, and various contingencies—is $1,794,473.60.

The amount that will probably be required to complete the grading, masonry, and bridging of the road according to existing contracts is as follows:

• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Divisions: $97,640.00
• 4th Division: $42,032.00
• 5th Division (including the Tunnel): $106,401.00
• Tunnel through Little Blue Ridge: $84,000.00
• Contingencies on the Tunnel: $10,000.00
• Tennessee Division: $170,400.00

Total required: $510,078.00

Many circumstances have contributed to restraining vigorous operations during the last quarter. Chief among them has been the severe sickness which has prevailed in the region adjoining the Tennessee line, where the principal part of our excavation work is located.

The details of the excavations on the several sections are similar to those in my last report, with only a few exceptions.

In the deep cut approached at the western extremity of the tunnel, a material of softer nature than that found near the surface has been encountered as the depth of cutting increases—particularly at the section immediately adjoining the tunnel. Some annoyance has been experienced by the contractor due to the appearance of water, arising doubtless from springs originating at higher elevations within the ridge. Though the water percolates through the sides and bottom of the cut in scarcely perceptible streams, it nonetheless renders the otherwise favorable material more difficult to remove. In a drier season, it is not improbable that this water would disappear altogether.

This western approach is now excavated to a level with the roof of the tunnel, and requires but little more work to prepare for the commencement of the heading.

In the eastern approach, the material excavated continues to be very hard. However, it is favorable for tunneling operations. Three sections of this division—namely, the 9th, 11th, and 15th—will probably be completed within the ensuing month.

I would again urge upon your consideration the importance of providing for the execution of the culvert masonry yet remaining. The prices now allowed are not sufficient to induce responsible contractors to undertake the work. It is plain that one uniform price, as presently established, does not meet the objective. What may afford fair remuneration in one locality may be entirely inadequate in another.

While on the subject of masonry, it may not be improper to remark that the above observations regarding the inadequacy of prices fixed for this part of the road also apply—more strongly—to the bridge masonry. Abutments, which are to sustain the pressure of immense bodies of earth, and piers, which are subject to severe shocks from floodwood during freshets, should be built in the most substantial and permanent manner. To ensure this, sufficient inducements must be provided to attract responsible men who will execute the work faithfully and in accordance with their contracts.

A large amount of masonry yet remains to be executed on this division. I am firmly convinced that it would be greatly to the interest of the state to increase the rates of compensation for this kind of work, in proportion to the local facilities for procuring stone, lime, sand, etc.

Since the date of Mr. Campbell’s report, excavation of the western approach to the tunnel through Little Blue Ridge has revealed, at a distance of 400 feet from the tunnel entrance, a stratum of fine limestone located 10 feet above the grade line, lying with such a dip that it will pass above the roof of the tunnel.

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About Georgia Historic Newspapers

Georgia Historic Newspapers is a part of the GALILEO project and is housed at the University of Georgia. It’s an amazing resource for anyone with an interest in the history of Georgia and its regions.

According to the “About” page on its website:

The Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG), a part of Georgia’s Virtual Library GALILEO and is based at the University of Georgia Libraries. Since 2007, the DLG has partnered with universities, archives, public libraries, historical societies, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions to digitize historical newspapers from around the state. The archive is free and open for public use and includes over two million Georgia newspaper pages between 1763 and 2021.

Newspaper titles are regularly digitized and added to the archive. If you are interested in including a particular title, you can visit our participation page. A majority of the newspapers on this site were digitized from the microfilm produced by the Georgia Newspaper Project (GNP). For more information about the microfilm available through the GNP, please visit their website.