Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-24
TENNESSEE AND PACIFIC
RAILROAD.
a Branch 60 GainsbOrO Proposed
and Urged.

A Branch 90 GainsbOrO Proposed
and Urged.
To the Editors of the Union and American:
CRY HOTEL, Nashville, Dec %, 1867
Permit me, through your columns, TO call
the attention of the President and Direct
ors of the Nashville and Knoxville Rail
road, and the business men of Nashville,
to a question of vast importance to the
people of jackson county, and, as l be-
iieve, one of equal interest TO those inter
ested in said road. The project which l
propose is, to run branch-TOad from the
the main-stem, from AliSon's, nine miles
west of Cookville, along the route known
as the Gainsboro and Buffalo Valley
Road, through GainsbOrO, so as to tap the
Cumberland River at the GainsbOrO Land
ing, distance of about fifteen miles.
If this branch road can be con-
structed, Jackson county will vote
large subscription to the road, say
from 5000, 900 to $500, 900, and besides,
a considerable private subscription will be
taken.
As the matter now stands, the road, as
surveyed, will not touch any portion of
jackson county. And any reasonable de-
Election which could be made, so as to run
the main stem through any portion of
Jackson county, would not be of any con-
siderable advantage TO the people of the
| county. The condition of the country is
such as renders it impracticable to run the
main road through Jackson county; and
this being so, we cannot expect the main
road to run any nearer us than the route
now proposed, and therefore the only
chance for us to have railroad IA
cilities which will be Of material
advantage to the wholepeople of the coun-
tv is by erecting the branch road.
/ an a citizen of Jackson county, and
can safely assume that the people of that
county will not vote a subscription to the
road. unless this branch is to be built as a
part of the contract.
Now, let us see if the proposed branch
would not be an important and paying
feeder to the main road. In the firstplace,
it strikes the heart and centre of one OF
the richest and most fertile counties IL
Middle Tennessee; a county which every
wear produces a large surplus of corn,
wheat, tobacco, pork, bacon, beef cattle
and every other article of produce
usually raised in Middle Tennessee
and il is one of the finest timber
counties in Middle Tennessee, and II is
county which consumes largely of grocer
les, drygoods, etc, which would give tn
road considerable freight. And what
still another important matter, 1t woult
enable coal TO be shipped from the Cum
berland Coal Mines at all seasons of tn
wear. except when the river is at its lowest
The Cumberland river from Gainsboro t
the WAYNE county coal mines is more Opel
and easier of navigation than from Gains
boro TO Nashville. Small light draugh
steamers could ply up and down the rive
above Gainsboro nearly sll the year. Tn
depot at Gainsbor0 Landing would be &C
cessible the year round, to the uppe
Cumberland and Obid rivers, by sma
flatboats, etc, and with what the cOuntr
would export and import, together wit
the advantages of transporting b
the river and wagons to the depot, wOul
unquestiOnably afford freight sufficient
tax said branch TO its utmost capacity
. | and make it the most important feeder
the main road that could possibly be COZ
structed on the road from Nashville
Knoxville Hence, | can safely assume
that it would be paying branch. l wi
} here remark, that it is by the river abol
t sixty miles from GainsborO to Carthag
e. and the river between those points is flu
= of islands and shoals, consequently IL
: railroad striking The river at Carthag
= would afford us but little additional facil
ties in the way of transportation. W
could only ship on tide, in which evel
= we would always prefer the river trans
- portation all the way to Nashville.
1 1t seems to me that the merchants {
e Nashville ought TO interest themselves
= behalf of this branch road. All of OF
S produce is now shipped to Nashville, al
e nearly all of our groceries, dry goods, etc
are purchased in Nashville, and if we III
railroad facilities for transportation
largely additional amount would be e
ported and a correspOndingly increase
amount of supplies would be purchase
: and imported to our county. l could a
duce many other arguments in favor
the construction of the proposed brant
s road, but as ] have transcribed alreaC
the limits of letter, / viii close for L
present. ROBERT a. CoA.