Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-12-08
yElIPHIS APgEAJ,
lcLINES OF TRAVEL.


90 ~
NASHVILLE AND MEMPHIS
.e NASHVILLE. TEsN, December 4. lsG7.
Correspondence Memphis Appeal
Two lines Of travel that form links il
the connection of Memphis with Nash
vile are Just now attracting some stten'
ton IS they, in common with fourteen
other roads, are asking appropriations
from the State In order to enable them
to put on sufficient rolling STOCK and
make other needful improvements.
The Nashville and Northwestern Rail
road is part of the most direct route from
St. Louis to- Nashville, 8 route that is
. two hundred miles shorter than by way
Of MeHaphjs aud the Memphis and
Charleston Railroad. This must neOes-
. sarily be- One OF the great channels Of
trade and travel since il opens up TO 81.
Louis not only Tepnessee, but the Gull
Estates. When the Iron Mountain Rail-
road is completed, as il will be st an ear
" dav, to Hickman, il willcoDnect with
this Nashville and Northwestern Rail-
road, which from Hickman to Nashville
is Just one hundred and seFenty-one
miles long. The total cost Of build
ing the road has been shout o VI
millions Eve hundred thousand dol
lars, and the road now owes the State
of Tennessee for loan of bonds and ball
ance of unpaid interest thereon, about
three millions of dollars. 1t is only q
few months since the track WIS put in
4. order, and the cars running regularly
between Nashville and Hickman, and
the road bed still needs a good deal OF
work. The track from Jacksonville
west is very rough, and the danger of
running OFF the track necessitates slower
travel than would otherwise be safe and
proper. + The water tanks are also scarce,
and sometimes this causes definitions.
Col. w. P. Innis, the Superintendent Of
the road, IL an energetic q competent
gentleman, and is doing everything in
his power 10 put the road in complete
running order, but the want Of money
has retarded his operations. To meet
this difficulty the road now asks the
j State for = further loan of three hundred
and fifty thousand dollars.
This road, connecting with the Mem
phis and Ohio Railroad at Mckenzie, IS
se~venty-Diue miles shorter travel between
Nashville and Memphis than any other
route, and itpasses through a country that
is vet undeveioped, but has boundless ca
pscity for improvement. It is one of the
best fruit countries that can be found. 1t
grows grasses well, and is finely adapted
to the cereals. The surface of tie coun-
try is broken and exceedingly pic
turesque. High, wooded hills, winding
valleys, rolling uplands, clear streams,
make up q district that only needs the
hand Of industry to make il one Of the
most pleasant and desirable IN the United
States. There is as yet q scarcity of
depots and eating house accommodations
along this Nashville and North west
eru road. Dinner is usually taken at
Waverly. IL is a cleaniy, well kept
house, but the table is not very extra.
The recent change of time on the Louis
vile road will cause Inconvenience 70
MemphiRns coming here or return
ing home, unless the Northwest
eTn road changes its time to cor
respond. laying over at McKeH-i
zie Is not pleasant. The hotel
is much better kept han it was formerly.
1t still, however lacks q good deal of
being what its present proprietors hope
to make i, They set a good table gene
TaIly,15ut the house is not well fitted up.
Were the hotel all that could be desired
the laying over several hours because
trains fail to make connections is not
pleasant. Under the new programme Of
the Memphis and Louisville road passen-
gers get nothing to eat after leaving
Memphis until they get to Paris, Clarks-
vile OF Bowling Green. Mr.. Fink
would have liked to reserve the eating
until Louisville was reached, but this
was rather toe much for the public to
stand. As there viii be no stoppages to
eat between Memphis and Mckenzie the
laying over of Nashville passengers at
Mckenzie may not be so very inconve
nient. ~Johnsonville, where the Nash
vile and Northwestern road crosses the
Tennessee river, VIII some day be a place
OF considerable consequence. The lands
in the Valley Of the Tennessee, Duck
river and Buffalo creek are exceedingly
rich, and JOhnsOnville is the natural out
let for their products.
The Edgeheld and Kentucky Rail,
road, forty seven miles long, extends
from Nashville to the Kentucky
State line where it connects
with the Memphis and Louisville
Raiir0ads Is cost the State over q
million Of dollars and has never vet
been able to pay any interest on this
debt. Memphians who come to Nash
vile by this route will find it twenty-six
miles longer than the Northwestern
Railroad route, but ifty-nine miles
shorter than the route by the DECATUR
Railroad. The close CONNECTIONS on thet
Decatur road is its chief advantage, but
reaching Decatur st three o'clock in the
morning from here st y p N. is not
pleasant since It involves the breaking
of rest by the change of cars and either
sitting up half the night or paying twice
for sleeping accommodations.
The Edgefeld road runs through 3 poor
and ~undeveloped country. The land
could be made TO yield good crops and is
well adapted for fruit growing. There are
two little villages and three or four way
ststionsonthis road, but there is veryHttie
way freight, and scarce any Memphis
train since the Northwestern road
was opeued through. The EGgefeld
road now asks from the State a loan Of
two. hundred and twenty-five thousand
dollars to enable il 10 increase its rolling
stock and for other purposes. A contract
has been made between Gov. BrownlOw,
the Receiver of the Edgeield road. and
Gen. Boyle, the President of the road
that is in the prOeess Of construction from
Henderson, Ky, by way Of HOpkinsville,
10 the State line Of Tennessee, where
the Edgefeld road intersects the
Memphis and Louisville road. Under
this contract, the two roads have been
consolidated and Col. Heard, formerly
of the Erie Railroad, has been appointed
Superintendent Of the consolidated road
tEDlu hEuuEIeBuf n.y. " AhsuNlliS,
Tenn. The Henderson road has about
seven miles from the Tennessee State line
huilt, and 8 construction train running
upon it. The terminus of the EdReield
road has been moved a mile north of its
original location, so that it may inter
sect the Memphis and Louisville Road,
and connect with the Henderson Road
st a point in Kentucky, where il is sup
posed that an important town may be
built. This town il named Guthrie, af-
ter the king of the Louisville Rosd, the
* Secretsry Of the United Ststes Treas
ury. AS Tennessee not only built the
Edgefeld Road, but Is expected to con-
tribute to the construction Of the Hen
derson Road, it seems singular that the
town must be built in Kentucky, especi-
ally since better sites could have been OBJ
talned IN Tennessee. The argument for
its location in Kentucky, just beyond the
limitsof our State, are, that while its trade
will mainly depend on Tennessee, its
merchants will escape the ionerOus taxes
that they would have to psy on this side 4
Of the line. Iii is expected that tomorrow |,
the locomotive will be running on the Il
Henderson Road from Guthrie to Tren-
ton. If the weather is favorable and
the State aid desired from Tennessee
il secured, the road is to reach Hop-
kiDsville in January, and be extended to
the great coal fields twenty miles beyond
Hopkinsville in season % supply Nash 4
VILE with coal next fail. These coal
fields are Of great extent, and practically /,
iuexbaustible. They are only ninety
miles from Nashville, and once reached,
coal can be cheaply supplied to Nash
vile, Clarksviile and Memphis. Gen. !
BOYLE pledges himself to furnish coal 10
Nashville al fifteen cents a bushel. tits
neWc costing fifty cents q bushel. He
says that he can at Memphis compete
with the coal brought down the Missis- ]
sippi river, when it is Over twenty cents {
8 bushel. The coal field is in Hopkins (
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