Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-11-29

lCoMNuSIcATOS.l
NAcIiV5IIE avn KNOXVILLE RATLROAf)

I NASHVILLE AND KNOW GLE RAILROAD. !
Editors ESfon and 1mtrioan. 81 b
Avery erroneous idea exists as 20 the pfaetibilg
of constructing Railroad acress the Cumberland
Mountains, Arising from tie fact that they are gen
orally considered as having almost impossible bar
riers, whchcan only be overcome by vast labor and
an ipfaepse outlay Of money. Unlike the nsopnF'
tains in the Northern States, which are invariably
rugged these present an unusual eyenness OF sur
face, and it has been demonstrated by actual sur
vey that. without any extraordinary cost or incon-
venience they can be traversed, requiring neither
i'tanRels nor inclined planes s7., IN. -s, gfl
During the administration Of President Jackson,
Gen. BERNARD Chen at the head Of the Topogra-
phical Department. made reconnaissance Of the
country from Mississippi river, through Ten
snessee and Virginia to Washington City, for the
purpose of aseertaining its adaptation to Railroad
purposes. A gentleman who accompanied him
writes stliat Gen. B. gave il as his opinion that
there would.be no serious difficulty in crossing the
mountains" Subsequently,, Col Lone, of the same !
department, made an exploration Of portion of the
same route with satisfactory results and at later
date (ls37) ALBERT N. LEA, Esq, Chen Chief En-
gneer of the State) made an able and elaborate re-
port to the Legislature on the subject of Central
Railroad, in which, alluding to the passage of the
| mountains be says, "a location can readily be OBJ
tanned where the ascent can be made at the rate of
fifty to siriy feet per mile. Besides this conclusive
evidence it has been ascertaned that little north
of where these gentlemen assembled the mountain,
though in as direct course, pass is known, by
! which the summit can be attained at still less
| grade. s''ar.. 30 = -'i-il .s.,.ai zi=s 80
| A gentleman who formerly belonged 10 the ar
my, and was stationed in East Tennessee before
the close of the last century, writes as follows
| "In relation TO the contemplated Railroad from
Nashville to Knoxville. can say this, that have
been acquainted, more or less, with the ntermed-
ate country between the two pointsfor about ttty-
t,Co gears. The difficulties in the way of construct
ing a road areof but little moment, compared with
! the incalculable advantages it would produced de
veloping the vast mineral wealth of the mountains,
and bringing into demand and popularity the finest
| and most desirable mountain lands in the United
| States, which are now as 'seaed book" for want
| of Railroad facites-within the ge offrom four
to eight miles North and South of Sparta, which is
| OeItTW betNtttl anu 1SIllltS-
see Riverthere are six different passes, at one or
| twoof which it is believed the grading would be,
within from thirty o.tty feet to the mile without
/ very great curvatures, much loss in distance
here commences the inexhaustable coal feds Of this
region, not exceeding on a straight line sixty miles
/ from Nashvile-when at the top of the mountain,
from either Of these passes the way is clear either
| by the Crab Orchard, or on the divide between the
waters of the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers
These are the opinions of one, who has given much
attention to the subject and who has been referred
to for information by every engineer who has ex-
plored that portion Of the country IN reference to
| Railroads. 3.
With all this testimony it is not only proven to be
practicable to construct Railroad between Nash
vile and Knoxville, but with far less difficulty Than
would attend similar work, through any other
mountain region in this country
The necessity Of this great thoroughfare involves
many considerations which political economists,
whose duty itisto point out the sources and means
OF acquiring wealth and happiness viii hardly over
| look-the mountains will testify to its utility by
yielding up their vast treasures of COAL iron marble
and other minerals, thus increasing every branch
of industry and trade, and making US independent
of competition and exaction from abroad More
! anon. HOME p
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