Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-31
THE sEwANEE COAL MINES AND RAILROAD.


THE sEwANEE COAL MINES AND RAILROAD.
A day or twoago, we gave hasty sketch of ar
excursion from Nashville to the Sewanee Goa
Mines. We are furnished to-day with statement
by the gentlemen who visited the mines on the oc'
casion referred to, of the impressions made upon
their minds by what they saw. 1t is published be-
low.
From circular issued by Mr. SAMUEL F. TRACY,
of New York, the President of the Sewanee Mi
ming Company, we gather the following facts
The property of the Sewanee Mining Company
in situated in Franklin and Marion counties, State
of Tennessee, and comprises Il, $50 acres of land
in fee and the mineral rights and right 10 use tim
Der TO $3.50 acres. The capital of the company is
Sl,5OOOOO.
The Company was formed for the purpose Of
supplying with Coal that section of country lying
between Charleston, South Carolina, and Savan-
nah, Georgia, on the coast; and Nashville, Ten
L. ssee, on the West; the communication between
these points being perfected by direc. lines of rail-
roads, more than 500 miles of which are now in
operation, besides great number of lateral roads.
To effect this purpose, it was necessary to con-
sruct railroad nineteen miles in length, to connect
the Companys great deposits ofcoal at the Wooten
Mines, with the Nashville and Chattanooga Rail-
road
These inexhaustble deposits of Coal, owing to
their surface exposure on the hill sides, can be
worked at small cost and qcitsOut machinery, by
horizontal galleries, now open, entering st level
with the Companys railroad. The Coal is btu
zninous, of quality equal if not superior to the
best Camel Coal, and is admirably adapted for the
manufacture of gas and steam and for furnace and
household purposes.
Nine miles of the Company road are compile ed
and in operation to the "Porter and Logan" Bank,
comparatively small deposit of Coal, which is now
being sent for consumption to the City of Nash
vile. 1t was to this mine that the excursion was
made on Saturday.
Nashville lies 81 miles West OF the junction of
the Sewanee and Nashville ard Chattanooga Rail-
roads, and contains population of between 80 and
10000 souls; its supply Of Coal has hitherto been
very precarious nd.nsuffcient depending entirely
upon the stage of water in the Ohio and Cumber-
land rivers, which unnavigable during one half
Of the year. and during the remaining half are often
greatly obstructed by ice. During the past winter
owing to an insufhcency of water in the rivers
very small supplies of Coal reached Nashville; this
Coal sold as high as SO per ton, and was entirely
inadequate to supply the demands even at that
price
Nashville consumes at least 10000 tons Of Coal
per snnum, which will be largely increased so soon
as reliable and full supplies can be obtained. The
Coal can be delivered at Nashville at cost of two
dollars per ton (the marimuna) including the ex-
penses of mining and freight-a favorable contract
having been made with the Nashville and Chatta-
nooga Railroad Company for the transportation for
term of years.
The rich and extensive Copper mines in Polk
county, Tennessee, distant from the Coal Mines 131
miles, when connected herewith by railroad, of
which a link Of only 81 miles now remains to be
built will require large quantities of coal for the
reduction of the ores (more than GyO00 tons during
the past year having been sent to the Eastern States
and to England and the manufacture of iron from
the inexhaustibe deposits of ore which exist
throughout the adjacent country, will become
important branch of industry 50 soon supply Of
coal can be OBJ aimed.
The Directors are satisfied that upon the COM
peton of their railroad they can easily dispose of
from $50 TO 100000 tons os coal per annum, at
largely remunerative price, and the demand con-
stantly increasing with the advance of the country
in population and manufactures, must make thi.
business ore of uniailing profit to the Company.
In addition to the coal fields, another important
resource presents itself in the luxurisat growth of
timber which covers the entire property of the Sc
vance Company.
&C. ba Sayvauaa coal abo,,, h.,
careful analysis in New York, is ascertained to be
as follows;
Value Of .Se,CaHee Coal