[3] Unable to raise enough capital on its own, the line turned to the state for financial assistance in 1850.
This proved taxing on company coffers and by the fall of 1856, while some 40 miles (64 km) of track had been laid and the carrier began handling traffic, material for the remainder was wanting and the line was still not making money.
[4] The state of South Carolina backed the issuance of 6 percent bonds to aid in the building of the road.
The total cost was approximately $1.25 million, of which the state contributed nearly half through stock subscriptions and bonds.
The line suffered significant damage when Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's troops ravaged the state in 1865.