Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-08-23
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
More About DucktONyn.
NO. XXXIV.


Duektown, sends us the following addi-
tional facts about that interesting locality
Some of the other mines not heretofore
mentioned and described, are Eureka,
Mary, Culshote, Old Tennessee Copper
Hill and Mobile. The history and condi-
tien of these are about the same as those
given; none are now being worked, having
been exhausted of the black ore. A test
for yellow ore was made at the Copper Hill
mine, and, as | learn large quantities and
good quality of this ore found. The mine
was abandoned Immediately after this dis
coVery and has never been worked since.
The people at Ducktown cannot easily be
made to believe that it was abandoned be-
cause it would not pay the company to
work it. In fact there are experienced
miners here who say this mine is rs rich,
if not richer, than others that are being
worked and paying.
In concluding what have to say on the
mining operations at this place, allow me
to say that it is the prevalent opinion Of
those here who are capable of forming an
opinion on this subject, that there are mil
lions of dollars of wealth lying in this cop
per region never yet discovered There is
much capital being expended here now, all
of which, have no doubt, is yielding its
bountiful return but there is room and OPP
portunity for thousands and thousands
more. East Tennessee needs all her min
eral resources to be developed. We invite
and welcome both capital and labor from
sections to do this, with full confidence
that an abundant remuneration to capital
ist, laboror and the country at large, will
be the result.
Ducktown needs
RAIL ROAD.
And there is at the present a fair pros
pect in this direction. General Phillips
of Georgia. the President of the comtem-
NlOtn AInr intN 10 lao.
Ducktown, intersecting the East Tennes-
see River, n short time since visited Duck
town, while there he made a speech to the
people in which he said that the State of
Georgia had appropriated Sl5, 900 per mile
for the distance from Marietta to the State
line, a distance of about eighty miles, that
the town of Marietta had subscribed $780,
600 and that with this amount and what
might yet be secured in few months he
hoped to complete the road to Ducktown
in eighteen months. The mining com
panies have not yet subscribed any thing
to the road, which, of course, they will do
if tbs thought by them practicabl one and
its completion at an early day probable.
a railroad to Ducktown will render the
mining business less expensive in securing
fuel, shipping, &c. 1t will also reduce the
expense of living by reducing the cost of
everything shipped from Cleveland, their
nearest depot. And almost all the pro-
visions are shipped which is unfortunately
the case. This leads me to speak of the
consideration of the country from an
AGRICULTURAL STANDPOINT.
The soil is partly white clayey nature and
pretty sandy. The rocks that appear on
the surface are generally slate-stone, sand
stone, or gossan which forms the outcrop
of copper veins. Near, and on the noun
tains granite and some limestone arc
found, and with these the soil is IA dark
and richer loan in some places The land
is hardly stony enough for one of our sta
pie crops of corn. Eetsome corn is grown
here and l have seen on the Ocoee river,
fields that would compare with those OF
many other sections of East Tennessee
The people here say the soil is not adapted
to wheat culture. But on taking pains to
make inquiry, | find that scarcely any ci-
forts or experiments have been made in
this direction. Some, it is true, have
tried to raise wheat but no careful
selection of the seed nor thorough
preparation of the ground was made.
One gentleman gave me his eXperiance on
this subject, and stated that he could
raise wheat here but that it was always
full of cookie, cheat and smut. This of
course is the result anywhere in East Ten
nessee, where seed of an inferior quality is
sown and the ground is not well prepared.
| do not contend that this as a wheat grow
ing section is equal to many others, but
know with proper management wheat
might be raised here to q better advantage
than has been done heretofore; also that il
would be better fer the people to do so
than to pay one dollars extra on every
hundred pounds of flour. / think the
land is more adapted to wheat than corn,
and with little manuTing / know wheat
would do nicely. 1t is high land and lays
fair to the sun. Oats grow only tOlerabe
well. ] never saw finer Irish potatoes any
where All garden vegetables do well.
But what pays best here is fruit culture.
Almost every kind of fruit | have seen in
this mountain country cXcels II little in
size and especially in quality those noticed
in other portions of East Tennessee. The
apples are about as fine rs those sometimes
shipped from the mountains of North Car
DINA. DIR. Ketchersid is now intending to
give some attention TO the apple culture.
On his farm few miles from DucktOWn,
he has now growing about a thousand
young apple trees. Peaches are fine and
so abundant the trees are everywhere
breaking down. Grapes grow here even
without cultivation. My attention was
called to large vine growing on n tree in
DIR. Ketchersid's yard, never having been
cultivated nor even trimmed, which was
hanging full of the finest quality of grapes.
FIR nm some cause, perhaps the purity and
dryness OF this mountain atmosphere, they
seldom ever rot here. Small fruit of all
kinds, so far as has been tried, does well.
From the fact that there are so many en-
gagged at mining and have To buy all their