Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-01-29

another merchant moves into the city, and
the older ones lay in larger supply of goods
and sell them cheaper, because he can sell the
more; ten new steamboats, are called into the
carrying trade; the engineer screws down the
safety valve little harder fer he has more
freight and passengers to carry in the same
given time; new doctors come TO town, law
yers spring up,-more divines are called, the
poor man shouts and the rich man smiles
amid this little commercial millennium which
cheap coal bringsl
Had we been supplied, the factories which
have died out and crumbled to ruin, would
now be in the very side of success" and Nash
vile would be to-day what she ought to have
been twenty years ago, and what she will be-
manufacturing CITY.
The mistake has been in the attempt, promp-
ted by noble and patriotic spirit, to build
up and put in operation factories with the
price of coal at rates which finally ate them
out like q slow cancer. Cheap labor, cheap
bread and raw material formed the too conf
ding basis of success-these are not sufficient :
and as ARoHIMEDEs only wanted a fulcrum to
move the world, so the manufacturingin
only required cheap coal to build up the city.
had scarcely penned the above paragraph,
when my eye fell upon an article in the Mem
phis Appeal from which venture to make
the following extracts -
''Nothing tends so surely to convince US of the
progress of Memphis the growing humber Of
manufactures spriaging up as if BY magic in every
quarter of our city. The statesman may exhibit
every day, national patriotism, in a national arena
but such is not presented to every citizen,
his love of country may embrace this vast empire
OF republics but his acts must be local in their
effects. Such is patriotism which conn
prehend, which does not develop and exhast itself
in words and noisy defamation about political
rights and wrongs, but goes steady to work to en-
rich our city, to keep money at home, to feed
our poor to furnish employment to the idle, to be
get in all habits OF industry to clOthe the naked TO
shelter the bouseless, homeless wanderers who con
gregate here from every quarter of the globe.
If noble, generous impulse, like that to which
have appealed in behalf of the enterprising
manufacturers of our city, will not induce all men
in all the business relations OF lfe TO aid and en-
courage them there is still another consideration
which will present itself to the mind of every
thinking man. Whenever establishment like
one of those to which we have aludeds destroyed
for want OF support or patronage, every holder OF
real personal estate in the city is thereby Injured
Men are thrown out Unemployment; they leave the
city; population and trade is diminished; other
manufacturers deferred from coming hiIher, and
men everywhere look with distrust upon the future
greatness and prosperity of Memphis.
Now to accomplish this great end various
modes have been often suggested, and some
experiments have been made; and giving all
due credit to individual energy and enterprise,
it is not saying TOO much to say that public ex-
pectation has been disappointed to some ex-
tent.
1t was confidently predicted few years ago
that the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad
would be able to furnish ample supplies of
good coal at far less rates than we had been
paying; it was attended with the good will of
the whole community and / have been in
formed that such rates for freights on coal
were established by the Railroad Company
which those interested in coaling were salts
fed would enable them TO lessen the price.
This enterprise has not suffered from want of
confidence on the part of the community.
while some apparent advantages have been
afforded. River coal meu were alarmed at the
predictions made for their final destiny but
even to-day the main dependence is upon the
Cumberland golfers.
1t is proposed to supply Nashville by means
of the Henderson Railroad. This road is vet
in the future, and it will be some time yet be-
fora .ts Al.
but supposing it to be now in running order,
can it supply Us with good coal and at cheap
rate Surprising the mines on the Henderson
Road now open, and awaiting transportation,
a distance of over one hundred miles, let us
see what will be its cost delivered here.
do not know what will be the rate OF
freight, but this fact gather from authentic
sources may DO to calculate upon the Read
ing, and other roads in Pennsylvania, have
been charging 2 cents per ton, per mile,
and in all cases the Collier furnishes his own
car. These roads do a regular daily business,
and get as much work as they eau do, and
look to coal freights as one of their principal
sources Of revenue. Such would not be the
case here, for the collier has only limited !
market, aud that is to be found only in this /
city and may be set down safely at one million
bushels annually. The Henderson road, will, |
in all probability, charge 2 cents per ton per
mile, putting it, however, at one and bali
cents, makes it cost for mere transportation /
alone, cents per bushel here, and the cost /
and wear of coal cars would add something to |
that-say cent. Now add cost of mining |
2 cents, cost of loading into the cars cent,
(and cost of side tracks aud repairs would be
an item.) and you have the price of coal put
down in the city at 8 cents. This, regard,
as a liberal view.
But, now, another question presents itself;
/ don't think the Henderson Railroad can make
any money carrying coal at 2 cents, aud as it
is fact admitted by all practical railroad men
that coal is the most dangerous and most un-
profitable of all other freight, and wears out
track much faster, is it not reasonable to sup
pose that there is danger some day of the road
refusing TO haul coal cars, and thus leave US
where we began. Besides, Nashville is not the
nesrest or largest market for the MuhlenburE
coal region, and win not men, seeking their
own interest, ship coal to such points SIS will
command an unlimited market, and where
they can save expenses in distance.