Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-03-18
THURSDAY. MARCH Is. 1882.
BwAaIO Tracks and ankee Ped
lars.

Our brothcr of the Richmond Dispatch
has certainly struck on novel II moi sound
demonstration Of the important problem,
nf the nearest aud cheapest route from the
Northern Atlantic States, to those Of the
South aud Southwest. He denies all merit
derived by the route from Lynchburg
through Tennessee. from It's identity will,
the path Of the buffalo and The Indian
chiefly on the ground that the buffalo wa.
rather in search Of good pastures, than Of
Railroad routes. Hear him:
TIE Buffalo Tracks TIE DdnriHe road
Our friend. Mr.. VIM NJ. Burwell. is We.
~ fond Of conccit Of his. that the great
railroad route from Lynchburg through
Tennessee TO Memphis. is the route that
was. in aboriginal days ,akenby the In
dain and the Buffalo, and therefore. that
il is the route ofcasicst grades and best a.
daptation to railroad. We do not pre-.
sumo to question the great advantages OF
the route; but the conceit is little too fan
eiful and poeticsl for the age. The But.
faIo went after q ass the Indian after Buf
fac. The people Of this day are going
after very different objects. The track Of
the Buffalo indicated the easiest route TO a
valley or prairie well supplied with grass
and from that point the Buffalo took the
next hes, route to another place wherein
he might roll in grass. His course was
often azig gag one. and the Indian. follow
ing him, acquiesccd in the angles he had
mlde.
We do. however. know being Of the
present day whose trail is worth more. as
On indication of the true line Of travel and
commerce than all the Buffalo trails that
ever were made. That being is the Yam
kec. The Yankee neither goes to ca,
grass nor TO shoot Buffalo: He goes Ia
trade and we guess he'll be pretty sure
TO go to the best place. by the best route
Now, i, happens that the great Yankee
trail from the North to the South was by n
different route from that pointed out 10y
the Buffalo tracks, which have thrown SO
many charms along the route TO Memphis
The great Yankee Trail from New Eng
land to Georgia. Alabama. Mississippi and
Louisarn. struck Immediately through the
town Of Danville! When Mississippi and
Alabama We're in the earliest stages of set.
Element. and Georg ia was yet part of ii. un
inhabited. there was great field opened
in those States for the operations of Yam.
kec pedlars, and th,her they went, as they
always do, where there is chance for
profitable tradng, in large numbers
They sent their goods by sea TO Charlie.
ton Savannah. Mobile or New Orleans.
while with their wagons and horses they
travelled over land TO their places of dcs-
iinaiion
They drove fine horses. ard their
wagons were handsome and well made
they carried with them cooking implements,
and camping out. avoided all tavern bills.
Thus equipped. they ma1e the journey in
very good time, and at small expense
Danville was. VS. we said, point in their
route. We have seen hundred aud fifty
Of their wagons pass through that town in
enc train. They always made ia rule 10
ford the rvcr-thcv paid toll no where
true 10 the instinct uflhcr race. they al
ways found out how 10 avoid cxpcnsrand
they knew the best and shortest route
Their trail is q much safer and snrer one
for commerce than that of the Buffalo.
Following. then. the trnilof our unrrriug
pioneers. we pronounce the route by Dan
vile the very best and shortest for the pur.
poses of commerce aud travel bctwecn the
Northern Atlantic States and those of the
South and Southwest. Whatever MAJ
be the advantages of the line of commun-
ication via Memphis with the Wesl-and
they are the very best in that direction
yet, when We come 10 consider the best
route 10 the South and the great South.
western Emporium-New Orleans-thai
through Danviflc is the route. Buffalo
tracks. 10 the contrary. notwithstanding.
There may be some weight in all this.
but VIC confess TO entertaining very great
respect for the instinct Of Bison, in this re-
gard. We do not think that the Dispatch
has been very fortunate in selecting the
Yankee pedlar, as the animal whose trail
n SO much better adapted to railroad
purposes. than tina. Of the buffalo. Does
not the Yankee turn into every good pas,
ture by the waysidel In fact. there is
but one animal whose path is more devious
Perhaps candidate for the sutfrages OF
the people. where suffrage is universal.
may travel in more zig.zag trail than a
Yankee pedlar! But, we would prefer
the buffalo to either Of them, as a topo.
graphical engineer.
Granting to the Dispatch, however, all
the geological depth which j, claims, we
still think his logic very far from sound.
He seems to think. that because the Yam
kec pejlar shipped goods to reinforce his
stock at different points along the coast.
Charleston. Savannah. Mobile. and New
Orleans. and then went by Danvlle. South,
TO meet these supplics--at time too,
when little demand for Yankee clocks cx
listed west oflhe Blue Ridgc--,hat. there
fore. his trail was the best route for n
Railroad from the Northeast to New Or.
leans. Such route would have numerous
tGrnouts. and would find many snug cor
ners' FOR Depois.
But is The Dispatch right in point offactl
We profess mol his skill in antiquarian lore.
but our information differs little from his.
We have heard that ths Yankee trail
through Virginia was from Frcdericks-
burg. crossing the James river at Carriers
vile. and the Roanoke a, Sir Pey,on Skip
with's Ferry.
Ihs subject has brough, to our mind
one striking Similarity in the natural
history of the buffalo and the Yankee
Pedlar. They both fly before the Rail
road car. The steam Mhistl. = sr