Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-25
DUCK RIVER VALLEY RAILROAD.
What Chief Engineer FaIcOmnet has
AlA aav ahnnf Aania Enfnr.,rano

| GuSy II. II. Ocar OH ne new era IN
railways which was predicted by the Lon
don Times about to begin in 1868, may, at
present, be pronounced as fairly started,
and IN full progress In our country, as there
is hardly any State in the Union at present
IN which some narrow gauge railroad Is not
either in successful operation, in progress Of
construction, or projected. The scientific
discussions which have been carried on in
periodicals since several years, have about
come to close, as they have dWindied
down to microscopic hair splitting, and as
neither party could convince the other that
their views were correct
1t is useless, at the present time, TO enter
into recapitulation of these discussions,
and Of the advantages of the narrow gauge
for railways, as the latter have been prac-
ttcGlly established beyond any doubt, and
as there are enough narrow gauge roads in
the country upon which the most scepticsl
may travel and see for themselves that most
of what is claimed by their advocates is
correct and true.
The narrow gauge Is eminently the gauge
for railroads in new country-in spar
sely settled, thinly populated country like
ours, where millions of people could sub
slst, where thousands are now living, and
where vast natural advantages, enormous
agricultural and mineral wealth lie DOR
mant In the rich virgin soil, the immense
forests and mex Isustible beds of ores,
ready to be developed by the intelligence
and industry Of man.
| In our present condition we are not able
20 build expensive broad gauge roads like
those already in oper ,tiOn, without State
or foreign aid, as such aid cannot now be
expected. Left to our own resources for
the development of internal improvements
OF country just recovering from the shock
| OF civil war, we find that it cannot possibly
| be done without the establishment of ave-
nues of trade and travel penetrating those
portions Of the State which are locked out
| from the commerce of the world.
| On account OF the marvelously wretched
| condition OF our public roads, upon which
during portion Of the year, it takes four
and six mule teams to pull one-horse
! ioad-which public roads cannot be i'm
proved Without thorough change in our
| laws and their execution, which would be
unPopulsr-we are necessarily compelled
to build railroads, especially through those
| portions of the State where mineral I1edlth
lies IN abundance, and where industry and
manufactures may bring about a home
market for the agricultural products by q
| large increase Of population Of consumers
and of the prosperity Of the inhabitants.
By developing such regions We introduce
capital to develop mineral wealth and to
manufacture the same; we introduce pop
ulatiOD, increase the wealth Of the inhabit-
ants, and thus decrease the aggregate taxa
ton Of the State.
As stated before, our limited means do
| not permit the easy and rapid construction
of broad gauge roads, and we therefore
a1Opt the narrow gauge system, because the
same end can be reached with oHe-hdlf and
even in some cases One-third the outlay.
The small capital required to build narrow
gauge roads, which answer all our purposes,
| is especially tempting US to embark in the
construction of the same, and when with
this enormous advantage, we find that, after
their construction, they not only do as well
as broad gauge roads, but eUen do better,
thatis, are more economically operated, are
| just as comfortable to the passengers, and
carry proportiOnately mora freight than the
broad gauge roads, re may be thankful to
know that such 4 system has been started
smo g US, which win produce the most
wonderful changes in the internal improve
ment Of our country in this age. Narrow
| gauge roads will in comparatively few years
bring about changes which but few can now
| imagine.
Many snaii towns, which are at present
Insignificant, and have not improved in the
last twenty years, viii s0ol begin to grow
| in Importance, aud will out-strip some OF
| our cities. The development of the coal
and iron interest alone, will produce millions
! in cur State, and viii largely add to the
wealth Of our agricultural population.
| The Duck River Valley Railroad, the pi-
| Oneer narrow gauge railroad In Middle Ten
nessee, was at first designed to develop thu
| interior of Middle Tennessee, lying between
the established trunk lines, and especially
| 10 connect the coal of the Cumberland
! Mountain with the iron of Hickman coun-
ty.
But gradually the road has grown in i'm
| pOrtanca, aud it may become in time a
! trunk line, because it Is located on the Air
Line bet ween St. Louis and Atlanta, and
| crosses at Columbia the projected Cumber-
! land and Ohio railroad. which is to connect
| Cincinnati with New Orleans, and crosses
also the narrow gauge road projected to run
| from Memphis TO Knoxville. A glance at
the map shows us line of three feet gauge,
starting at st. Louis, the metropolis Of the
! west, which line of road will probably be CON-
! pleted to Cairo in Il months. There, ifexten-
! ed southeast, it will cross another of
! the most important navigable
rivers in the United States and
! proceed through southwest Ken
lucky, aud through Paris, WeS. Tennessee,
crossing at JohusonVille, another navigable
river. From this point the road will pass
over about forty miles Of brown hematite
| iron ore, and will reach at Columbia the
| important connecting roads of the same
three foot gauge for Memphis, New Orleans
| and Cincinnati. Continuing the same course
| the road will tap the supply Of coal from
! the Cumberland mountain at Fayetteville,
and with branch at Tullahoma, and the
| continuation of the road southwark from
Fayetteville will finally bring it to Atlanta,
| Ca, into the heart of the cotton region.
Thus we see that the prospects Of estab
! fishing an Air Line between st. Louis and
Atlanta by this narrow gauge road might
| be considered good, if the people along the
| line would take the necessary interest.
| West Tennessee, located between the
| Illinois coal feds and the iron ore deposits
| in Hickman county would certainly be
much benefited by the road, which would
! furnish direct connection with
St. Louis, Mobile, Tennessee and the South.
Considering the many trunk lines and the
| important navigable rivers il would cross,
the vast business ST the termini, which it
would command, the large coal and iron
| ore deposits over which it would run, and
the rich agricultural regions which it would
aCCOmmG date, every one must acknowledge
that the road will certainly command more
local and through business than many other
roads in cur State, especially on account of
its cGnahcii0Es OF the came gauge, which
vii. establish nGrTOl1 gauge system able
TO divide the business with the broad gauge
lines.
The Duck River Valley Railroad Com
pany will extend their present charter
| through West Tennessee and Kentucky to
q point opposite Cairo, to be able in the fu-
ture to connect with the st. Louis and Cairo
narrow gauge railroad, and it is to be hoped
| thai in the course of next year construction
viii commence, and the enterprise will be
carried into a successful establishment of
narrow gauge connections all over the
country. Respectfully yours,
| Z. f. FALCoNNET,
Chief Engineer y. Z. Y. r. r. Co.
Fec. 10, 1872.
a YOUNG lady in a Massachusetts, town
has taken up dentistry for living. All
| the gentlemen patrunize her. a young man