The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-05-27

Enory Gap to Chattanooga. Observation-Disclosures.
Total. ........,.............'. '.s...'... 30
OF which total Of 869 miles, 112 are completed
and in actual operation; 10 more are graded
and ready for the iron, leaving 2S6 miles
The distance from Knoxville to Chattanooga
by the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad
which 10 IN actual operation, ls 112 miles, max
1 ing q total distance from CINCINNATI to Chatta
nooga, via Knoxville, Of 866 miles, or % mile
further than by the Ohitwood route. The Cit!
Of Louisville, BY roads IN actual operation, Il
bot 8S6 miles from Chattanooga, or "a mile
nearer 70 that point than Cincinnati would b
| by the Chitwood or so-called air line.
Il therefore appears that Louisville, by the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad, with its con
nections, must control the entire region wes
Of Chattanooga. The only region, therefore
left open to Oipc1nnati from Ohattanooga II
that lying to the South, with which Chattanoo-
g. Connects a y y,,.n way q .IdtS Rss aa and The
The distances from Chattanooga to Dalton is
80 miles. making the total distance to tha
point from Cincinnati 888 miles. Knoxville
has also direct Communication with Dalton By
road In actual operation, ITO miles in length
which makes the total distance from Cincinns
IL TO Dalton via Elk Gap and Knoxville, So!
miles. or IL miles less than by way Of Chitwood
and Chattanooga. ~ - $ :.
NthaeIors appears TIA. Cincipust :an reach
Dalton, Georgia, the common point on both
hnee, BY way Of Knoxville with . saving o,
eighty-elght miles Of railroad construction,
which, taking the AVERAGE cost OF railroads,
gin amount to- at least s. oo9 600 o.s"d--'s''1.-
=. Now. no one peetenhs to deny that Dalton,
Georgia, 10 ths key, by roads In aStusi opera.
ton, not uuD 20 sne whole OF Georgia, but
also through The 6ehna, Rome and Dalton Rail
road to- Central Alabsma aud the rich cotton
region Of which Be ma is the centre, as well as
An Inspection of the military maps, which
are certainly free from all bias, as they
were compiled trom, actual surveys by the
sblest ensineers In the United States service
for government purposes during tae war,
proves that ROCKVILLE Is but thilty-dve miles
to the. east OF O. line drawn due south from
Cincinnati. Il also proves that Knoxville is
eeoQrsphically the csntre OF the great valley
OF East Tennessee, and that it must always
control the immense trade which will arise
from the development OF the unsurpassed min
eral and agricultural resources Of that region.
The value Of e lst Tennessee iron has been 30
well established that it is unnecessary TO COM
ment upon it, and We have sufficient evidence
Of the value Of their coal In the fact that the
Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad has been
constantly chipping it to points from which
their MINE are nearly one hundred miles fur
ther than those Of Chattanooga.
We will now euumerate some OF the advan-
tases offered by. the railroads 'oentering at
Knoxville, from which We would be entirely
excluded II we were to adopt the Chattanooga
terminus Through the entire length Of the
Valley Of East Tennessee from the State Line
Of Virginia to Dalton, Gs., with branch from
Cleveland, Tenn, to Chattanooga, extends
the great line Of East Tennessee railroads,
with 272 miles Of track in actual operation,
controlled by the capitalists Of Knoxville. who
offer to contract with Cincinnati to pro rate
over their roads for al Cincinnati freight, thus
practically giving Oinclnnati the control OF
those roads for Its carrying trade. At the
State Line OF Virginia thess roads connect with
natl shorter communication than any
now available with the western and central
portions OF that State, and competing
hne to the port OF Norfolk, until the COM
paetion Of tae Chesapeake and Ohio Road.
A. Morristown, Tenn, a miles east Of Knox.
vile, on the East Tennessee and Virginia Rail-
road, the Glnomnati, Cumberland Gap and
lowing the Valley Of the French Broad to the
State line OF North Carolina at Paint Rock, q
distance Of As miles, OF which IS are in actual
operation. The State Of North Carolina is
pushing it's Western North Carolina Railroad
to connection with the above road at Paint
Rock, and that road in actual operation to Nor
gaptoYp, within 1Q7 mules Of Paint Rock. In
addition to this they have completed their
grade Is mules further to Marion, and have the
iron at Morgshtown to complete this section,
thus practically leaving gap OF but 81 miles
between the railroads OF East Tennessee and
North Carolina. TO fill this gapiu the connec-
ton the State OF North Carolina has appropri-
ated IS 600, 000in State bonds. an amount which
is estimated to be amply sufficient to complete
the work, as over one-half that distance ls in
the Valley Of the French Broad. The compile
the railroad system Of North Carolina. travers-
ing the entire length and breadth OF that great
State: and terminating in the ports Of New
ber0, Beaufort and Wilmington.
From Knoxville the Blue Ridge Railroad is
in actual operation for 16 miles, to Maryville,
aid from Anderson, South Carolina, it's sou;h-
ern terminus, Is also completed and in opera
dred and torty-si1 miles between its rails, upon
which gap there were expended, prior to 1861,
81 500, 900 in gold. This amount was expended
in pushing forward the heaviest work, which
was go far advanced that the entire line can be
completed within tTo years. To close this
gap, the States OF south Carolina and Tennes-
see have pledged their credit to the extent o'
a. $4,000, an amount which lnsures the com
pletlon OF the road within the time specified.
At the point where the Blue Ridge Railroad
energies from the mountains on its way south
ward. lies the town OF Clayton, Ga. The stock
holders Of the Georgia Railroad Company, 9
wealthy corporatioH now paying large divi
dends at recent meeting adopted q resolu
ton, iustrueting their officers to extend then
Athens branch to connection with the Blue
Ridge Railroad at Clayton. and this will be the
true air line TO Central Georgia, throwing out
thecircuitous route by way Of Dalton.
"a At Anderson. the southern terminus Of the
Blue Ridge Railroad, it connects with roads ir
actual operation traversipg the whole interior
OF South Carolina. Terminating at the port o.
Charleston, and also connecting With the Cit,
Of Augusta and port Of Savannah. The City
of Aug gusta Ia large cotton market, and il
the centre OF trade for very large and wealth!
region: .... -. ,s,,.ve that :. x,o,,,,,. :,