Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-01-30
FACTS ABOUT EAST TENNESSEE.
What a Northern Editor says
About Our Country.
NO, LVI,

ter (Pa.) H1teUigencer, gives such fair
and favorable report of the many attrac-
tions of East Tennessee, that we reproduce
it in full. We ask our thousands of North
ern readers to look over it carefully, for it
comes from one wholly disinterested and
impartial, and confirms in every respect
many statements we have heretofore
made. We are indebted to Mr.. Smith for
a COPY of the article, for which we return
our thanks.
Passing through the country lie has
been misinformed as to the size of our
rivers. They are not navigable to quite
the extent stated:
EAST TENNESSEE.
Passing southwark from the line of Nlr-
ginia into Eastern Tennessee OH the last
Saturday in November, we saw many evil
dences that icy winter had not assumed his
rigorous reign. Many of the forest trees
still retained their leaves. The hickorys
Haunted in robes of flaming yellow, and
some of the oaks still wore garments of
sober hues Clover grew luxuriantiy in
protected spots, the briars and branbles
that skirted the fence rows bore green
leaves, and we saw gardens of roses in full
bloom at ROgersville, the county seat of
Hawkins county. The last Saturday and
Sunday of November were decidedly warm
with us, and the atmosphere was as pleas
ant as it is in May. On Sunday we sat in
church with the doors wide open and lis
tened with spirit in accord with the bright
weather to an admirable discourse, de-
livered by a Presbyterian preacher, who
had served as q Captain in the Confederate
army at the breaking out of the war, and
afterward as Chaplain to his regiment.
If we are to Judge from all we have heard,
read and seen, the most pleasant and health
full climate in the United States is to be
found in the beautiful valleys which are
sheltered by the mountains of Eastern Ten
nessee. Here spring opens in February.
March may bring with it clustering winds
and some chilly days, but April is as soft
and balmy as poets conception of May
day.
The summers are long and delightful, the
thermometer rarely rising to 90 degrees
during the warmest days, and the nights
being deliciously cool. Autumn frequent
ly fingers until November is past. We saw
twenty varieties of roses blooming in an
open garden on the Sunday which preced-
ed the income of December. Think of
the delights to be experienced during such
an autumn; call up in imagination the
cloudless days full of golden sunshine and
the peerless nights when the moon looks
its loveliest through warm haze, and the
stars seem to radiate heat enough to melt
each frost flake as fast as it forms in the
night air which cools your blood but does
not chill YOUR frame. There is snow during
the winter, butit seldom lies for any length
of time; there are cold rains, but they are
speedily followed by bright days, in which
an OvercOat is an and during
which outdoor work of every kind can be
prosecuted to advantage. This section has
been styled the Switzerland of America,
and it has enough of the romantic and the
picturesque to entitle it to the appellation.
Mountains, wooded thickly to their sum-
mits, rise in grandeur, and wall in beauti-
full and fertile valleys, through which flow
streams as clear as crystal. And these
streams furnish an amount of water-power
not surpassed in extent or availability.
The hills are full of iron, copper, coal, zinc
and lead, while the finest marble and the
most enduring building stone project above
the surface.
WATER POWER AND HEALTHFULNESS.
There are thirty-three counties in East
ern Tennessee, and it is said that every
one of them has navigable river running
through 1t. Within its area are twenty
two navigable streams. Of these the Ten
nessee and Holston are navigable as far up
as Knoxville at all seasons of the year,
while the Clinch, Hiwassee, Little Ten
nessee, French Broad, Nolachuckey and
the Holston above Knoxville, are naviga-
BILE for steamboats, from four to six months
of the year. The smaller streams are nav
igable for keel and fiat boats during half
the year. To supply these navigable
streams are innumerable creeks and rivu-
lets, which are formed by springs Of cool
and delicious water bursting from
every hillside. 1t is estimated that tb ere
is sufficient water-power in this section to
turn all the machinery in the United
States and Great Britain, and much of it
lies contiguous to railroads already COM
pleted, while other routes which have
been projected with the certainty of being
speedily constructed will traverse the
country in different directions, opening it
up and rapidly advancing the price of
lands.
The healthfulneSs of this East Tennes-
see country is unsurpassed. Here you are
alike removed from the rigor of Northern
Winters and from the enervating heats of
Southern Summers. The whole region
being elevated the air has that delicious
freshness which the votaries of fashion
seek in mountain retreats. The streams
being rapid and clear and the slope of the
1oAAN SehANAOhO W pAOouCS p6IISCU uIdludS0j
there are no swamps to produce malarious
diseases. Consumption and rheumatism,
the dire plaques of the North and the
bilious diseases which curse the South are
alike uncommon. Many physicians pro-
nounce the climate of East Tennessee to
be one peculiarly calculated to alleviate the
sufferings of the consumptive. With prop
er care life lasts longer here than in less
favored sections, and the deliciousness of
the climate greatly increases its enjoy
ment. It may be satisfaction for some
to know that there are many fine mineral
springs issuing from the hill sides, some of
which are reported to have effected re-
markable cures of various diseases. Red
and white sulphur, alum and chalybeate
springs abound and some of them have
long been places of resort for invalids.
PRODUCTS, SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES.
In country as diversified in its physi-
cal geography as East Tennessee is, there
must necessarily be great diversity OF
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