Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-29
IMPORTANT RAILROAD EN-
TERPRISE.
speech of Judge wyesi,.

made in that city by Judge Wyeth, {
Marshall county, Ala, which has speci
reference to that portion of the line frel
Guntersville to Gadsden, known as IL
Tennessee and Coosa Railroad. AS Il
building of this road is of very great in
portance to Nashville and Middle Tennel
see generally, we make the following eA
tracts from Judge Wyeth's speech:
From Griffin, Ca, a railroad to Jack
sonville, Ala, is in course of construc
ton and will be finished to Newman, 8
miles, by the 1st of July. This gives u
the shortest route from the Tennessee
Valley to Macon, Savannah and Bruins
wick.
From Columbus, Ga, to Opelika
road has for years been completed, ant
now from Opelika they are extending tn
road to Jacksonville and thence to Gads
den-a road of great importance an(
under very active and efficient manage
ment. 80 Az A "A =
The road from Montgomery to Limt
Kiln, on the Selma, Rome and Daltor
Road, will probably be finished by. Sep
TENDER, and, by our road, supply tho
long desired short route to the seat OF
Government.
The Georgia Western road from At.
lanta to Jacksonville or Gadsden is an
absolute necessity for Atlanta, and move
ments are now being made Interference to
it. Failing that, or indeed Independently
of It, the Gainesville and Van Vert road,
will or may supply the needed connec-
ton.
| have thus as briefly as possible en-
deaVored to show you what roads will
connect with the Tennessee and Coosa
railroad at and near its Southern termi-
nus. Starting from Guntersville at the
Southern Bend of the Tennessee river,
overcoming the Sand Mountains, it
crosses the Alabama and Chattanooga
road, SO miles from Guntersville, this
road gives US way to Chattanooga and
beyond on the North, and Mobile and
New Orleans on the South Four and
One-half miles further we reach the Coosa
river at Gadsdcn where the road from
Atlanta or Gainesville may connect with
us. Twenty-Five miles beyond is Jack
sonville where we connect with the Selma
Rome & Dalton road, and with the
Griffin road, with the Opelika road, and
passing down the former of these three
roads we reach at Lime Kiln the road to
---.... ....--.-
The Tennessee and COOsa Railroad had
of necessity to overcome the Sand Noun
tain, work of supreme difficulty, over a
route sparsely settled and by very poor
people 1t therefore needed and received
from the. Legislature of Alabama very
aid from what is known as the
two and three per cent. funds, amounting
in the aggregate 10 about $3.50, 900, be-
sides this further sum of $50, sub
scribed and paid in by stockholders has
been expended on the road, which was
graded in 1861. The war occurring, work
was suspended, and has not yet been re-
sumed; and it is estimated that it will cost
about $3.50, 600 to prepare the road bed
for the rails. r @
The Legislature in granting aid from
the two and three per cent. funds imposed
the conditions upon the company that the
money should be faithfully applied to the
of the road, and that the
same should be repaid to- the State at the
end of ten years with interest thereon af
ter four years, and required personal Sc
curity, besides mortgage lien on the
road. That the money was faithfully
applied has never been questioned, and pos
sibly the other condition might have been
complied with--its repayment-b the
war interviewed and involved in common
ruin the road, its stockholders, and the
sureties on the bonds.
The claims of the State have been re-
Gently released by act of the Legislature.
This release was coupled with the con-
ditiOns, first, That we should complete
the road in two years-that is by March
2, 1872. Second, That VIC should not
receive further State aid. Third, Some
ON charges on passage and
way freight. No one can regret the first
and third conditions, and as the only
State aid given by general law limited
to the Endorsement of bonds by the State,
and as it is provided by that law that no
aid of that kind should be given to any
road that had received aid from the State
under any special law-and as our road
had received such aid; the inhibition to
us of aid by this condition placed us in no
worse situation than we were without il.
And l am well satisfied from the kind
interest manifested in our road by both
Senators and Representatives that if we
theoretically go to work and act honestly
in the premises we can obtain from the
Legislature all the aid it would be right to
ask or prudent to give.
In 1856 Congress made an important
and valuable land grant in aid of our road,
On condition that it should be completed
in ten years; and it would have been COM
pleted in that time but for the occurrence
of the war. A bill is now pending for
the renewal of that grant, and entertain
great hopes of its passage.
A contract has been made under the
authority of the Board of Directors for
the completion of our road and its fur
nishing with proper rolling stock within
the time prescribed by law, that it is two
years from March 2, 1870.
Assuredly, however, the Tennessee and
COOsa Railroad, though 1t may have con-
ncctions numerous as have mentioned at
its southeastern terminus, and resting its
northwestern terminus on the Tennessee
river, will have accomplished but half its
mission unless it has connections with the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad. It
will need, and must have, at least one,
and probably two connections with your
road, and to the whole country it il
an important question to be considered
where should the connection be made?
Railroads are not nor built In the in
tCrest of individuals, villages, or even of
small cities; there must system adopted,
founded on reasons and ascertained facts,
and roads built in furtberance of that sys-
TEN. Now, the important elements that
arc to be regarded are, first, the topography
of the country and the necessities of com
munities. have endeavOrcd TO show you
the various connections of the 7. & T..
II. II. and its southeastern terminus.
Now, those connections branch out in all
irections-southeast, south, and south
west. You will observe they penetrate
the whole cotton belt proper between the
Mississippi and the Atlantic. The people
of that cotton belt are everlastingly in
need of proyisions-the only railroad lead
ing into that country, and by a most
roundabout course, has been crowded,
choked up with freight, and unable to car,
ry it off. need not tell you that the
Ohio and upper Mississippi valleys are the
granaries of this country-teeming will
provisions. Now; a well devised system
of railroads would be arranged SO as tC