The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-07-14
HICKMAN COUNTY AWAKE
Grand barbecue and Able Speakin
nj CenfreyiIIe.

HICKMAN COUNTY AWAKE
Grand Barbecue and Able Speaking
ut Centreyflle.
The leading citizens of Hickman county
concluded to have grand Railroad Barbecue
at Centreyille on the Sth inst, and invited a
number of distinguished speakers from the
adjoining counties to be present and address
the people on the all.ab 9d and al i'm
Railroad. 1t was our good fortune to be pres
emit, and never since the grand old times the
past, when politics ran high, have VIC seen so
women and brave men came down from the
iron-bound hills, up from the fertile valleys,
and out of every nook and corner OF the hon
est old county. We had gone across the bar
rem ridge from Maury to Centreville, and were
per fectly bewildered to know where all those
swarming multitudes came from: "A ,waggish
friend at our side remar ked that they had res
directed for the OCCASION men VINO naa been zen
believe this fanciful remark, looking as We
did at the time upon men and women, ancient
as the sun, and apparently as agile and lusty.
man, and his buxom, beautiful sweetheart or
wife; old men and women, with manners and
customs of the honest days OF yore; children
of all sizes, sexes. colors ana ages negroes
of every hue looming on mules, horses, IN
buggies, carriages, wagons, ox.carts, chicken
wagons, and every other conceivable vehicle.
ACROSS THE RIVER
immense
way, amid clouds of dust, to spot seemingly
set apart by Dame Nature, IN the KINDNESS of
her heart, for picnic and barbecues. In PEN
insular, formed by Duck River and creek
made by q great spring of sparkling water
that gushes from the base of an immense hill,
is grove of forest trees, which, judging from
their immense size, one would almost Imagine
were Of primevai growth, gnProteeted by
Just before the birth of cyclone; but under
the outrageous arms of the majestic elms,
oaks and poplars. it was cool and refreshing.
" GRINDBR'S SPRING
is great natural curiosity. One or two feet
Immediately over the gushing spring, Is cold
blowing cave, and c0ols of the not ana thirsty
crowd while they are shaking their thirst. 1t
is like a breath from the North Pole cooling
the tropics. At the top of the very high hill,
there is a cave, and it is supposed that 1t con-
meets with the spring below, and produces the
blowing cave.
assembled the stand, and was introduced to the
audience, although he needed no introduce
ton to the good people OF Hickman, who have
Little Andy" He commenced by defining
MANS SOCIAL DUTIES,
to the government, to himself and his chill
dren. and to his neighbors. God did not Gre
ate man to live for himself alone, but made it
his high duty TO minister 10 the comfort and
welfare Of hers. In his own inimitable style
the eloquent speaker strongly intrenched and
illustrated this idea, and thea applied his re-
marks, and brought the subject home to the
GOOD people of Hickman. After stating the
object of the meeting to be, to interest the peo-
pie in the building Of the puek River Valley
Railroad, from Columbia to Johnsonyille. a
distance OF seventy miles, Gen. Whitthorne
county build their. part of this roadp' He an
tive and Established it beyond doubt by those
| things that don't he," and used his figures
| in a manner which showed that he had given
the subject long and earnest consideration.
WEALTH OF HICKMAN.
| The assessed value of Hickmaa county is
| 81 80, JOG; has $50 voters; acres OF land,
| 357 ,OO0, of which only 5000 arr in eultiva-
| ton, which leaves 267 900 not in cultivation,
| Maury, her sister county, has Co. voters, and
property assessed at about ten millions OF dol
| lars. This comparison gives Hickman an I'M
favorable showing, but Hickman county can
entirely reverse positions with Maaryi by
| vito immigration and deyelope the vast min
| eral resources lying hidden in Almost every
hill. The people of Hickman county, with
mineral resources sufficient 10 make every cit
| izen rich, arc imp0yerishing themselves by
paying taxes on 81, 600 acres VI land, and
reaping harYests from only 9, 0lIacrcs, a67 900
| being worse than proftless.
TIE DUCK RIVER VALLEY RAILROAD
will run through one of the mos fertile Sec
| tiOns in the world. There is About one hun
| bred thousand acres Of river bottom land in
| the Duck River Valley, between columbia and
Johnsonyille, famous for its eIn producing
|
rich corn lands. are the inexhausible
| IRH BANKS,
| in the barren hills. There is enough iron in
| Hickman county to keep twenty arge furnaces
! in constant 0Peration for untold iears TO come,
| and one or more rolling mills. thousands Of
| dollars have been fruitlessly spnt by men OF
vast capital and untiring energy, II VAN at
| tcmpts to develop these rich mines without
| the aid Of railroads; and now taose furnaces,
| with one or two exceptions, are silent monu-
| ments Of such folly. Ena iroI, within seven
| miles Of Centreyille, commanded three or tour
| cents more In the Cincinnati market than any
| other iron; and yet the manufacturers had 70
| cease operations after losing many thousands
of dollars endesvoring TO get the IRON TO the
river and tho railroad. 4nese iaots SPEAK
| trumpet-tongued in favor OF the people OF
| Hickman county helping 70 build the Duck
| River Valley Railroad.
CAN Tue PEOPLE or HICKMAN
build this narrow gauge Railroad through her
| borderS? without doubt they can, II every
voter would pay one hundred dollars. II would
S Pc he Duck River ' Reyp
Railroad The speaker believed they
IDENTIFY Of the other counties interested, 20
| far as Maury is concerned, no fears need DC
| entertained about her. One or Two persons
were opposed TO the road, because II II was
IHiIt heir n,irhbors would ship their own
| producc, and reap the profits themselves But
| Inc peOple are in favor OF the ROAD, ana theTe
j. not -, iaiont opposition 10 u 10 get Up Inueu
Wv NARROW GAUGE RAILROADS.
The sneaker said he was not, practically, a
Railroad man, and he therefore could not
| know all the advantages Of the narrow gauge
| system. Ii had been tried in Wales, and one
road had Noted more than the Louisville and
NashyilIo Railroad Company had received
| from their road. Experienced engineers be-
| lieve it is not only cheaper but better
road than the broad gauge. The Duck River
| Valley Railroad Is a narrow gauge; road OF
| three feet and is estimated to cost, by Maj or
| FaIconnet, civil engineer, ten thousand dol
lars per mile, which Is two-thirds less than the
| cost of the Nashville and Decatur Railroad.
| broad gauge. Narrow gauge roads are the
| only Railroads that ever paid the original
stockholders, and with s)me exceptions the
| only roads that pay at all.
We have not attempted TO give General
Whitthorne's arguments, but merely his line
| of argument-some of the points he touched
upon. II was an able and convincing speech,
| and had visible and telling effect on the
| large and respectable audience.
HON. DORSEY 3. THOMAS
ncxt addressed the people. lie was quite IN
| we'll. but made very able and convincing
| Railroad speech. l. was full Of PLAIN, unan-
| swerable facts, and profound reasoning, and
| his lips. lie spoke Of the value of the mine
| rails living in the hills of Hickman county, and
| showed how o Railroad through her borders
| wOuld develop all her hidden wealth. which
I "A
| There are vast quantities of lron ore OF as hne
| 0uality as can be found anywhere IN tho nit
| cd 81 ties and If the Duck River Valley Kali
| road Is built, Hickman county will soon be
| crowded with furnaces and rolling mills,
| which will soon make her one of the richest
| and most populous counties IN the state,
| Instead of growing, like her sister counties,
| Hickman county has retrograded, just because
| Of her self-isOlated position. Centreyllle, the
coInty site, is not as large and does not do &C
! business it did twenty years ago. Enterpris-
| IN ret near Railroad, and the speaker him
| self aid likewise. The speech of Mr.. Thomas.
| like that of Gen. Whitthorne, had good eff
| feet on the people. Mr., Samuel Williams, a
| verv prominent citizen of Hickman and a
| man Of great influence among his people, had
| hccn doing great damage to the Railroad pro
| ;ect nv his opposition to ii. We learn that
| after listening to the speaking, he says he is
| not opposed to the Railroad. Major Falcon
net was e. pectsd to speak, but requested to be
| excused.
o, A. NIXoS, ESQ,
,be accomplished and efficient Secretary for
| Tho Board of Railroad Comm issioners, came
| Forward with his subscription books, and ask-
| eli the people to subscribe, whether they were
married or single. or whether they lived i'm.
mediately along the line with the track at theiI
| door. or If their homes were among the hills.
| lie aid the Duck River Valley Railroad
| would cross Duck River twice, and that there
| was not one deep cut to be made in its whole
| length. After Mr.. Nixop's eloquent appeal
| the people came up and subscribed literally
DINNER
was announced, and the immense crowd wa;
soon busily engaged in deciding which Wa'
Il L.. NHorhf