Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-07
QUA COMMERCIAL THOKOUGH-

HEE# #FEa .
Railroad Meeting az the Courthouse
Remarks of General Boyle and
+ Others-PrOp0sed Transfer OF Louis
willie and Nashville Railroad stock.
A meeting Of business men of this city
was held at the Courthouse yesterday
morning, and was addressed by General j.
T. Boyle, President Of the Evansville,
Henderson and Nashville Railroad, in be-
half Of the proposed transfer Of half the
capital stock Of the county Of Davidson in
the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, to
the Evansville, Henderson and Nashville
Railroad as stock of the county in the new
road
Heppened his remarks by asserting as a
geographical and geological fact, that no
similar space Of territory in this country
was AZ well adapted to the sustenauce and
comfort of large population than the
State of Tennessee. 1t furnished greater
variety ofmineral wealth, timber, and every
thing that would contribute 70 the ease and
pleasure of its inhabitants. II was not
possible that the people of Tennessee could
be isolated, forming, as they did, an inte-
grail part of the whole union of the States.
The interest Of the people demanded in
gress and egress everywhere. He believed
all comprehended the importance of the
road to Nashville and the State, but he
feared there was too much of feeling that
the road was that of another State, when 1t
was really the road Of Tennessee and OF
Nashville. "a .-..-sr. .se.s "a. i .t ~
Kentucky had subsidized portions of
Tennessee to her interest; we might now
penetrate through the best coal region in
all Kentucky, producing coal as exhaust
less, and equal in quality 10 the best west
Of the Allegheny and MonOngahela rivers.
This was efiecting both the city and the
State The great business of the CONSOLE
dated Evansville, Henderson and Nash
Vile and Edgefeld and Kentucky rail-
roads would center in Nashville. The two
roads would become one in point of law
and fact. The consolidation would give
Nashville and Tennessee the controlling
interest of the road.
Should the Edgefeld and Kentucky'rsil-
road be bought by the State, as would be
likely, if it remained in its present con-
dition, the stock of Davidson would be lost
forever. The road would not sell for, and
was not worth, One-half the debt upon it,.
Its sale would not bring half the value of
the iron upon the track or the rolling stock
upon the road. Not a man in Nashville
would give $500 for it. No man would
pay more than $4,000 for it and run it.
No corporation could pay SO much for it
and make so much of it as the Evansville,
Henderson and Nashville railroad. There
was no doubt that the two roads would be
and the interest of stock
holders protected. He did not believe there
would be an objection along the whole line
to aequiescence in the control of the road
by Tennessee. The consolidated road
would be a Nashville road, and the mer-
chants of the city weuld make it peculiarly
a Nashville road, and would draw the whole
trade of the section through which it runs.
Twenty-Five miles of the Evansville,
Henderson and Nashville railroad at this
end had been completed, and six and half
at the other end. He had now the means
to build the road as far as two miles south
of Madisonville, making the distance COM
pleted at this end of the road about forty
miles. All the bonds of Henderson, and
nearly all the bonds of Evansville had al
ready been sold. Other bonds, to the
amount of $50, 900, had been sold at eighty
five cents. Agents were now 10 New York
purchasing iron, and seventy. seven miles
of the road would be completed this year,
leaving gap of only thirty three miles
unfinished. ... u Cd.
At this point the speaker read petition
signed by large number of business men
of Nashville, asking the Board of County
Commissioners to transfer half the capital
stock of Davidson county in the Louisville
and Nashville railroad lover 100000 TO
the Evansville, Henderson and Nashville
railroad.
Tbs meeting here became peculiarly in
teresting, Gen. Boyle, starting out on an
argument of cheap coal, said there was not
a depot on the whole line of road that
would not become coal depot The char
acter of the country was such that large
amounts Of coal would be required, aud
TIE ordinary rates of transportation would
make the stock equal to that Of the Louis
Vile and Nashville railroad.
In answer to inquiries of Judge Baxter
and Others the speaker said that az labor
rates stood at present, coal could be de-
livered in Nashville by the Evansville,
Henderson and Nashville railroad at fifteen
to eighteen cents per bushel, but with the
reduced cost of production that must
come, it could be delivered at from
ten to thirteen cents. Coal was now
selling at the mines at ten cents, but
there was no reason for this except that
there we're 30 few engaged in mining.
If there were any assurance that the road
would be completed, there would be a snf
hcieney to go largely to the supply of Nash
vile. This coal was superior TO Sewanee
coal, and had been pronounced by Robert
Dale Owen, Prof. Stafford, and MIR. Long,
10 be fully equal to the very best Pittsburg
coal. The people of Nashville paid $3.50
for thousand bushels of coal, or 35 cents
a bushel All he asked of them was to give
him Is cents busheI for coal, and give the
other twenty cents toward the building Of
the road. He closed his remarks by ex
pressing the hope that the business men of
Nashville would do all in their power to
forward the enterprise for which he was
working, assuring them that the investment \
would be paying one.
Col. A. S. Colyar, President of the Sc
vance Coal Company, remarked that the
road ought to be built, bnt he did not think
coal could be bought here for twelve and
fifteen cents. This, however, would be 4
best tested by trial. He was getting out
coal at the Sewanee mines at three and
half cents, and had already built four
miles of railroad underground, and no
mines could be more easily worked. He
had few days ago sold $4,000 bushels TO
a manufacturer at ten cents, and was ready
to sell quantities to all our manufacturers
at twelve and half cents. An arrange
ment had been made with the Nashville
and Chattanooga railroad for reduction
in the price of transportation, and il il
were possible, he would sell it at fifteen
cents whenever that would be a living
price.
At the conclusion of Col. Colyar's re-
marks, Judge Whitworth, of the Louisville