Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1868-12-04
VIRGINIA & KENTUCKY RAILROAD
LIGHT AHEAD.
Report and Resolutions of the
NO13Oih DeieOdtion.
Action of the cur of Louisville.

~ '" "a iNfttfl ihhh ANf Aafki~tdiuEt 81 htn-
tucky will, at its next session, CONNIE nciug
the 9th of January, make liberal loans to
all of the railroads OF the State under con.
struction, inclading the two running to Vir-
GINA, ore Of which win connect with the
Virginia and Tennessee road at Bristol or
some point east, and the other with the
Chesapeake aud Onio ~ the mouth OF the
Big sandy.
Since writing this much, we have read
On the Louisville Courier journal, Of the
24ih,) the report o. the Louisville delrga-
Ion 10 the Norfolk Convention, submitted
10 the Council Of L luisvill,, hy whom they
we're appointed The report bears he Sig
iure OF Charles p Rudd, VI w LaRur.
f.. b Sheridan and John C. Giles W.
maxi the following xtracts.-R'chmond
Wing.
We most firmly believe that those branch
roads Ito Bristol and Knoxville 10y way of
Cumberland tiap) win do more to Ouild up
the prosperity at Louisville than even the
main stem OF the Louisville and Nashville
railroad has heretofore done, which the
wisest men have often exclaimed wSs in
calculable. Those branch roads will indeed
he to Louisville what the Baltimore and
| Ohio Railroad has been to the citv of Bal.
timore. That road has made Baltimore
! WndJ she u tp-thY-A NTpuu CITY OF IOuF
hundred Thousand inhabitants, with her
commerce extending TO every part Of the
| habitable globe, while, we know, before said
road was constructed said city contained
/ less than one hundred thousand people,
with comparatively little commerce. What
has made the town 50 prosperous of late
| years We answer the Baltimore and Ohio
| railroad. The wealth of the country through
which our Bristol and Knoxville roads are
| to pass is untold, and cannot tru.hfuly be
! portrayed, as the greater part of il still lies
undiscovered, and buried in the bowels Of
our mother earth. Iron, coal, lead and
| timber of almost every kind abound in East
| Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia
| Those parts of the States are great corn,
wheat, bay and cotton growing countries.
In fact the country abounds in wealth and
overfows with milk and honey.
BY running oyer the map and studying
the distances, you will at ouce perceive
that, II we perfect our Bristol and Knox
Vile branches through Cumberland Gap, we
save over three hundred miles nf travel t.
Norfolk, and bring the city within IA miles
Of Louisville, which, at the SLOW rate of
twenty miles per hour, would make MS with
in thirty six hours of that grand old city,
which is stated by a gentleman well versed
in its Advantages to be the great central
seaport of the Atlantic midway between
the Canadas and the Wtst Indies; on the
finest most convenient, safe and capacions
harbOr on the continent; open at all periods
of the year; accessible from any point,
with any wind, and better calculated for a
m ghty trade than any harbor in the world.
Now, Of that railroad connection we have
only from Monut Vernon b. the State line,
via Cumberland Gap, to complete, and our
portion Of the contract will be fulfilled.
Most of that GAP, from Grab Orchard to
L ndon, which is "a fraction over f0rty-ihree
miles, is already finished, Of which Mr.. Geo
Macleod (chief eugiueer) statos the actual
cost will not exceed 81 100000. He says
that the location from London to the Ten
nesseo line has not yet been formally ac-
cepted and adopted by the Board Of Direc.
tors 1t will suffice to say that the surveys
show a more favorable line in every respect
than that between Crab Orchard and Lon
don. The distance is A. miles, making
total distance from Crab Orchard 81 miles
aud from Louisville 2O2 miles. We can
by energy ant perseverance, finish our road
tn the Kentucky State linz via Cumberlanc
Gap in sixteen months, and If either thu
Knoxville or Bristol branches guarantee I,
meet us, we should urge and force tn,
Nashville Railroad Company to carry on
their contract with the city Of Louisville
and make that road as quickly as possible
After pointing out the advantages to re
sult from the connection with Knoxville
the committee recur to the connection will
Bristol, and say:
: The distance and time saved +, paSspn
gers aud freight going toward Richmond
Washington aud Norfolk by completing th
Bristol branch is even grester than that O
Knoxville, because the railroad hue
\ straighter aud the routr more diree' B
" 6nishiug that link, We will be within IL
miles ct Nur'olk, that H. 3j7 miles nrorr
lhan It is b. NV York, more than 80 mile
nearer than Baltimore, and more than 8
!, miles nearer than Washington city by IL
' present routes owe the Northern road
> win NOT these Advantages inevitably fore
. all the Southern travel over our road an
y make IL the grand Southern trunk road
. win not its complexion do more to hut
y up the prosperity of Louisville than the +
y y & o. Il. r. did TO bu,d up the city of b
" " timore.
The distance from New York via Morrill,
aud Knoxville, after the completion of IN
> Knoxville branch, will be the Aamr as IN
distauce from New York 10 Nashville, an
~ should the Lebanon branch he extended {
u Bristol instead OF to Knoxville, the distane
would he reduced 81 miles. Turse fact
II would indicate that we could establish
great freight line between Louisville an
New York via Norfolk, and transport good
2 between these two cities at lower rate
than they could he brought from New Hor
d to Cincinnati. From the present erowde
y condition Of the four trunk lines conuectin
the East with the Northwest, and consider
ing the rapidly increasing development ,
the resources of the Northwest, we ma
reasonably conclude that the four gree
l. trunk lines will soon be able 10 carry all n
freight. Have we not shown from III
"a above qOtations, taken from men skilled ]
:" railroads, and who have made the Interest
~ OF railroad a lifelong study, that the'
gre It contemplated lines aud chains Of raj
" roads will be of incalculable advantage
M Louisville, and do more to build mp h
No wealth ana prosperity than anything IN
m has vet been done or contemplated. W
M almost said that absolute necessity n
M mother of invention, demanded these COT
~ nections. They must and they will /
"a made. Our motto aud our hope are To s.
m them an accomplished act right speedi
Do Won not consider ii our duty TO use On
~ utmost endeavors TO urge and lend assitan'
fe to the louisville and Nashville Company
push onward 20 an early completion OF the
4 roads. lf Il becomes necessary VIII u
:. our city fathers pledge her credit 10 onl
u. them quickly
A. You an remember that We passed an ord
nance some two years AGO 10 give II ,oU'W
60 the Louisville aud Nashville company
assist Them ia building this Cnmberhl
Gan railroad, and ii was submitttd % I!