Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-11-05
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.
GREAT OUTLET OF WESTERN TRADE.
PECULTARrTIES OF BRISTOL.
INTERNAL RESOURCES OF THE
SOUTHWEST
[Prom the Lynehburg Republican,

We leave the Virginia
and Tennessee X iilroad at Bristol, the most
busting town of Virginia, and one of the
liveliest and most amin ited for its size south
of the Potomac. 1t has the peculiar ap-
pearance Of nascent metropolis; aud
what this little town, which has sccumula-
ted a population OF eighteen hundred souls
since the Virginia and Tennessee Riilroai
developed its first Importance, and where a
few years ago sportsmeu hunted wild ducks
on wnat is now the site of the Nckel'a
House, hotel Of metropolitan dime nsions,
may bscome, when the system Of rsiIroi ads
is completed that will establish IL as the
halfway house between the Mississippi VAL
ley and the Atlantic Seaboard, the door
way Of the Central West, standing In fact,
between the centre Of production of the
West, which Professor Maury now cAlcu.
lates to be In the mouth OF the Ohio, and
the outlet 10 the great commercial ocean OF
the wol II through Hampton RJAds, is one
uf those subjects Of vivid Imagination be-
longing to the grand possibilities of the
future progress OF our country. Bristol
may yet no the radiating point OF scheme
of Improvement scarcely less great or bril-
liant than the Pacific Railroad; Of which, II
the reader doubts, let him consult Professor
MAury's Phys Survey Of Virsinia-a
work whose grand imsgiuations Que may
we'll study in surveying this part OF Virginia
which trusts oit as = Cape acros, which
mu,t come the great highway of the trade
Of the bouudless West. The figure Of the
State her /, Terminating Ia the form Of long
cape-the tin tongue Of land thrust out OF
tue Jaws Of the great Appalachian chain Of
mountains, eStendi q through the United
States from New hampshire to Alabama,
< ives distiuctnsss to the i'm agination Of the
commercial import lnce OF that part Of Vir.
g,Ria, of which Bristol is the emporium;
and that without statistics and trade de-
tails which We have no room for in these
pages, aud which would be misplaced there
ANYHOW unless Incidentally. When the
Norfolk ard GrJat Western Railroad Is
blilt, aud the Virginia aud Kentucky also,
II Is very certain that We shall hear Of Bris-
tol agaiu, aud that in a much larger sense
than point of debarkstion or departure
f n toul ist (such as your correspondent
TO an Interesting p Itch of nouutAin scenery
aud natural curiosities la Virginia.
With a. exceeding the limits Of the
design OF our preseat writing, without 60
log into the commercial and industrial re.
sources Of the country, which we traverse
Ia another inteTes,, We may yes standing al
Bristol take that cursory glance which the
general travelrr may aff Jrd in such circdm
stances. Such 3 glance in fact is irrepres
sible. Here at this particular point 9 Wis
ion Of industrial empire bursts on the tour
list, aud mingles with the other interest o
his Journey, even II his mission he not NOR,
serious or more thrifty than to see tb,
natural beauties Of the country and TO max,
the ordinary trip Of pleasure. He stand
| where he cannoG help seeing the element
Of power and OF wealth around him. He !
In the heart OF the richest portion of Yir
ginia. The estimate of II may be in Q 81 o
gle paragraph taken from an intelli - n
jjurnal
"rhe rich and productive counties
| constituting what 10 known rs South
west Virginia are among the m St favored
loc Alities on the American continent. Tnei
climate, scenery, mineral productions, thei
coal, iron, lead, salt. plaster, their splendi'
| valleys watered by neSerfailing streams
their boundless p astures, tie rich noun ai
sides, capable la IN my Instances Of culIi
vation 10 the very sum nits, their vast yiel
| of hay, their nne horses, sheep aud cattle
and last, but not least, their noble breed Z
men aud women, are d's incd, by the bel
OF the great Virginia & Tennessee AIRLINE
and the James River aud ktnawha Cana
to be distinguished as the very creme de
| CfcWc vi NHBlulas OOuhuNCoh NhBuia 4
often called an empire of herself.'
| Yet this 10 but one and the smallest els
| ment Of the vision that floats around Bri,
tol. We are In ono of the greatest gate
ways of the trade Of America. Ia th
| times In which we write, Il rem liued for th
genius OF General Malone 10 display th
value Of this portion OF the State as holdin
the thorought,res Of afAr-reaching aud opu
nt trade. The eye of such a man sweep
| a IN Agnih ;ent scene q breadth of interna
Improvement: the thoi onghtare OF th
Norfolk and Great Western r rad; its neigt
Dor In the ID awhile Road. pushed by . u
dicious and m Lsterly syGtrm VI fritn Al
connections iato the very heart OF the Gu
States-the conso "a alton OF the three line
reaching from NorlS TO Bristol, raised b,
yound small aud freliul LEGAL interests int
a system Of thoroaghisres for q continent
aad, anAlly and generally. tbs terminus 4
Bristol expan led into q great funnel Il
pouring thT ,ukh the sccum uiated freights
the s u hwost, conducting them on 10 the
ultimate markets, then draining the Who'll
region tween Bristol aud Norfolk Of u
vast ~ Odacts, distributing It's due propol
Iion 90 each OF the ciliss of Virginia, an
throwing the remainder upon its long nes
lected sea. hoard, aud lay log the fOundl
tioas there for the elevation OF Norfolk 10 th
hsight Of one OF the great commercial cap
tails Of the world.
Bat 10 return TO the immediate aspect
of Bristo,. IL 10 town that will repay ID
curioua traveller NJ least days delay IN Il
IL Is broadly scattered on some rolling hill
and there is bit Of mountain view IN N
distance. The common accsptation place
the town Just Astrids o the VirgiuiA an
Tsnaessee boundary, the lina runaing fTOl
the NIcksi's House, just through the MD
die OF the main street, 80 that the paasesss
by few steps may cross trom State
State, and may be one moment 10 Virgins
and another In Tennessee. But this bouI
dsFy, though Of legal and traditional sffsc
dividing the town by almost exsat hAlyel
in respect both Of size aud property, is sal
10 no incorrect and 10 WAS reporlsd 70 th
lwfiter that the recent pArty.of GSvernmer