Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-11-27
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
OUR CINCINNATI RAILROAD.
NO. LXNNvI.


long projected Cincinnati railroad that
they read with dstrust all promises look
ing towards its early completion. We had
the pleasure yesterday of meeting Messrs
Gum and Lovett, of the engineer corps |
connected with the proposed road, and
gathered from them some facts that may
be of interest to the readers of the CIiRON-
IcLE. We give these facts not only for
general information, but also to explain
the seeming delay in the construction of
the road--a matter of justice to the officers
of our Knoxville and Ohio road and to
the Trustees of the Cincinnati fund.
AS most everybody interested in this
project knows, the city of Cincinnati has
appropriated ten millions of dollars for the
construction of railroad from that city
Southwark into East Tennessee. Delayed
by litigation and other embarrassing OBJ
stacles, the Trustees have not yet been
able to finally agree upon the route. They
have felt, that with so large trust in their
hands it was their first duty to obtain by
thorough surveys all the information nee
.essary to secure the shortest, cheapest and
most advantageous route. Some four diff
and all but the one now being explored,
have been surveyed. In all, the engineers
have run over ten thousand miles. They
have fully examined the advantages of all
the lines and when the route is finally de-
Uermined upon it is expected no subse-
-quent changes will be necessary or better
line ever be developed. When the route
is finally agreed upon the work will be
pressed vigorously from both ends of the
line. The surveys will be all completed
by March and then the work will be begun
in earnest
The point naturally of greatest interest
to our readers is, will Knoxville get ar ad-
vantageous and early connection with the
road to be built? We have no hesitation
in saying that we believe she will. We
base this opinion upon the following facts
gathered from the engineers. The eX-
IRENE Eastern route which is now near
ly surveyed, brings the road on
direct line from Cincinnati,
via Paris, Winchester, Richmond, Rock
Castle, Laurel Bridge, Williamsburg and
Careyville to Coal Creek. This far the
route is almost an air line from the Ohio
trends to the Southwest doS II the valley
north of Kingston by lockwood to Chat
tanooga on line parallel with the East
Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad.
This is the Eastern route. This is the best
line for Knoxville, and as we will hereaf-
ter show, the best line for Cincinnati. The
next best line for us leaves the Kentucky
Central Road at Nicholasville comes via
Lancaster, Somerset and Chitwood byRock-
wood. This route, if adopted, will neces
state the building of a new branch from
the Knoxville Road from Coal Creek t.
the State line, northwest about twenty
miles. These two lines are the Eastern
lines and either of them would give us {
connection with Cincinnati The shortes
line from Cincinnati to Chattanooga is vii
DanVille, Monticello and jamestown,
ADVANTAGES OF THE KNOXVILLE ROUTE
The advantages of the Eastern line o
as we have called it above the Knoxvill
route, are many. In the first place, it i
only about fifteen miles longer thai
the most direct route surveyed. In tn
second place, the work is quite as ligh
and perhaps, on the whole, less expensive
In the third place, by coming the fiftee
extra miles, at little if any extra expense
Cincinnati gets oil the connections tn
most direct route to Chattanooga gives he
and, in addition, she gets, by Knoxville
the most direct and cheapest possible col
nections with the entire railroad system {
North and South Carolina and Easter
Georgia. By coming the eastern line
Knoxville, at tIifiing expense she get
by Morristown, Asheviile, Salisbury an
Charlotte, direct communication with III
Southeastern Atlantic sea-board TIL
communication is not one she may get b
further expenditures, but one she will fin
CGiStiRg before she runs car into Tenne
see. The road referred to is assured as ce
tainly as anything of a railroad charact'
can be. 1t will be completed before Gil
,cnnati gets here TO use it. BY the san
road she will have, lacking one short linl
the shortest direct line to Charlesto
and Savannah. The gap is frol
A sheville to Spartanburg, seventy-for
miles A route has been surveyed owe
this gap and can be built at small e,
,pense. 1t will certainly be built, if it
needed to complete the long talked of lii