Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-01-22
and Tennessee Rail Boad
WAsHIsGToN, CITY, Dec. 20lh, 1913.
DEAR SIR


DEAR SIR,
have read with great plpasure the letter
of Mr. F. b. Deane. Jr addressed to Yourself upon tbs
subject If the Lynchburg and Tennessee railroad anc
which you were kind enough 20 hand me a few dav.
since have witnessed with no ordinary sa sfacton ,hf
growing interest which You manifestng in this
important work. Indeed the states If VIRGINIA and Ten
neSst have too long been slnmberng over their bonnd
les ana neXiausib'e sources Of wealth, and also
indifferent aid unc"ncerned as TO the means by hct
ihev NAV be developed and turned 10 profitable account
" he Virginia and Tennessee have beea dreaming ana
spcHang ahut the n'urp, other states under less IA
vuaoe circumstances have availed themselves If advan
tageS which mIre properly belonged to Georgia. with
her tar reaching sagacty peceiving the importance oil
securing to herself the trade and commerce Tennessee
mas extended one arm Of her great railways almost
Very doprs by which furnished with direct and
speedy communication with the Atlantic s-aboard. The
wisdom Of her policy is being daily developed. 1t
has gwen direction To- the commerce of Fast Ten
nessee portions OF " Virginia and North Aaba-
ma. Five years ago your commission houses in W in
chester, Richmond and Lvnchbuig, were crowded with
merchant lie for Western Virginia and East Tennessee
Your roads were filled with wagons the only means
OF inspiration your stage coaches Loaded down
with passengers going north and returning south. These
have almost entirely disappeared South Carolina and
Georgia have quite monopoized that commerce which
You at one time so proflablv employed
The question now is, you regain that which you
have lost, as all will BOW admit. by policy se and
SHIRT sighted. Every all familiar with the geog-
raphy ui The country would only answer this ques-
lion IN the affirmative, but would observe glance
that the road IN contemplaton ii completed. dis
tan day would become the great horoughare from the
north 10 the south Look al the map and you will %
serve that straight line from New York to New
Orleans passes Immediately the country thruu9 h
which this rad is proposed to be ade. These Two
great commercial cities will at very day,
may nationally conclude be connected by railroad conf
lnunlC alton. ShuDlu The Iynchhuru and Tonnes
rua' form one link in this great chain of railway the
delightful climate of Western Virginia and East len
lessee, with their towering blue mountains and roman
tic scenery would invite and secure for greater
mount OF travel than any other road in the Union; while
1t would arouse and direct the enegy and industry
ct our peu lie in fields Of wealth hitherto but lille ex
plored.
Knoxville the centre If East Tennessee Richmond
and Charleston form almost equllateral Triangle
From Knoxville 10 Richmond is AIS miles; from Knox
Vile to Charleston $50; from Richmond Charleston
$50. Thus you will precelve that it is nearer from
Richmond 10 Knoxville by A. miles, than il is from
Cha Knoxville Yet almost the entire travel
from the North East Tennessee passes through Rich
mond and Charleston. The merchandise for the coun
lies SO and 90 miles east OF Knoxville. and in some III
stances for Of The counties in Uestern Trginia
takes the direction
have shown you the importance of the road to the
travelling public. but there another light in which
should be considered. Your county of Washington
contains within her bosom more gypsum or plaster than
would ne necessary L, reclaim all Of the old out
lants' III Nlrgnla and Tennessee The difference be-
tween their presentand increased value by spro
per application and would build the road The table
compan yng the lei Ter Of Col Rogers formerly Of Ten
neSsee, who familiar with line country through which
the road would pass and which is herewith encosed,
will give you idea of the productions of tuse coun-
ties more immediately interested in the work. These
statistics showing the population agriculture manufac-
lures and other resources of the country, taken
from the of 1910. The census of 1850 will ex-
hblt very large increase of the articles therein emu
meraed AS an evidence Of the abundance Of minerals
EMBEDDED IN our mountains. would nfIrN you that Dr.
Toos, geoog for the state who has made an accur-
ate examination Of the country has declared that Garter
county alone contains enough iron to supply The world
for thousand years. Several of the counties through
which the road would pass. contain ineXtausble beds
OF MARBLE ut very superior quality and of the richest
varieties. Let me refer you 10 SPECIMEN of mar
bic, deposited in the the Patent Office in this city, BY
Orville Rice. Esq of Hawkins county. And This con-
neciun would add that have many quarries IN
law kns and Claiborne counties, of which mill stones
mauutac ured equal every respect if not superior
10 the French buhr. i
Every Tennessean, am confident would rejoice 10
the Oh Dominion ihroughly aroused the impor-
t'hce OF tins work. aud engaging III 1t with spirit which
will eusure success. Knoxville be the terminus Of
the line. The entire road from Knoxville inersectirg
the Geo and Chattanooga railroad under contract
and portion Of the road from Chattanooga TO Nash
vile. think linay safely say that these two roads
will be built before Virginia extends hers to the Tennes-
sea line. The distance from the Tennessee line. where
Your Toad would probably inersect it, to Knoxville, is a
but hundred and ten miles, over which 1 am sails
fled that Tennessee will road so soon as she
finds that Virginia in earnest. Then let us unfold
arms, and 20 work in enterprise which, while
it prosperity and wealth both VIII unite Us as
brutheIs, aud make common destiny.
With sentiments OF high esteem
am, very respectfully,
Your o5edient serv't
WM. NJ. COOKE.
Hon Thomas R,cocL