Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-25


to depreciate the prices, the wheat speeula-
tors Of Chicago have "sliced" and necessari-
" made a crash In the market, andto VIVA.
greater extent it may be carried within the
next thirty days cannot be told until the
harvest of the Northwest, usually behind
ours, are gone through with.
! NORTH OF HoPKINsvILLE
the country for thirty six miles to Madison
| vile, the county seat of Hopins county is
very rough, the soil being Of a crawfish
character is not very well adapted to agri-
cultural purposes. Much red and white clay
! exist, and the timber is very fine. The
county is rude and the people in a great
measure destitute of that social and educa-
tional culture, and appearance which char
| acterize those of richer sections.
! THE LINE OF THE RAILROAD
runs northwardly along a valley like form
alton, the county, being but thinly settled
and the buildings, more evidencial of want
! than significant of prosperity present
few features that relieve the monotony of
| a ride through a seemingly endless forest.
| The trees are fine, embracing ash, oak,
poplar, blackjack and many other kinds.
! The grass grows well, yet the horses and
and stock are not good looking. After a
run of twenty-five miles from Hopkinsville
we came to
NORT0NSVILLE
a smart chunk of town, having white
hotel two stories high, red station house,
a saloon and stores, all being new and
thriving. This place is situated in fat
and the timber Of the forest, which is ex-
tensive here, is very fine and fit for many
useful purposes. The prosperity of the
place is due to the fuDf its being located
at the intersection of the Evansville, Hen
derson and Nashville Road, and thsI
ELIZABETHTOwN AND PADUCAH RAIL
ROAD
running between the two towns from which
it takes its name. From Nashville by this
road the distance is one hundred and nine
miles, and forty-three miles to the Cumber-
land river, across which is a draw bridge,
one mile and half below Eddyville. The
bridge is finished, the first train, composed
of an engine and work cars, having crossed
| Friday. The track is laid to Tennessee
river, and iron is being laid from the former
river TO Paducah. II is thought through
trains will commence running by July 4.
The gap from Paducah,to Tennessee river,
over which freight and passengers will be
transported until the completion OF the
bridge is the only link now wanting,
and when the iron is laid there trains will
run from Paducah to Elizabethtown, and
thence forty-twO miles on the Louisville
and Nashville railroad to Louisville. The
road permeates the richest mineral section
Of Kentucky, and the local tonnage from
this must necessarily be large and lucrative.
The freight to Louisville and Kentucky will
be large, and assist in the founding Of man
ufacturing enterprises. Though the line is
81 I'D n Nocb
this road will furnish coal in large quanti-
ties South, and be not without an effect in
the coal market of our city. From Padu-
cab connections can be had South; the
Memphis and Paducah road will be com
pleted soon; the Northwestern road will
lead the road to this city, beside the Evans
vile, Henderson and Nashville road will be
completed to make terms of transportation
scarcely less favorable with coal from this
road than at present exists with regard to
the shipment of coal from other mines i'm
mediately on its line.
Going three miles North we 60 through
gap at Martins and thence four m lies to
the
ST. BERNARD COAL CONPANY'S MINES,
of which description will be interesting.
At Hopkinsville we were Joined by one Of
the cleverese and most genial souls your
correspondent has ever had the pleasure OF
meeting-I mean John B. Atkinson, Esq,
Secretary and Treasurer of the st. Bernard
Coal Company. Under his charge, oar
party were landed at the COmpany's town,
DARLINGTON,
named in honor of one of the stockholders,
whose home is in Henderson, Ky, distant
thirty-twO miles, and from jacksonville,
four miles. This place presents neat APP
pearance, and does a thriving business.
Located here is a good depot building, be-
sides an engine house and car shops. OW-
ing to the tonnage of the st. Bernard Coal
Company being larger than all the rest, the
railroad company have decided to locate one
of the divisions here. The town is well
laid of and is populated principally with
miners, their families, and employees of the
road. There are two stores and groceries,
doing a paying trade. The st. Bernard
Company has here large store, well stock
ed with a general assortment of goods, and
under charge Of Mr.. Thos. j. McEwen
whose social qualities are no less pleasant,
than is his business tact appreciated by the
Company. The store house is a large
double frame building, the upper story
being divided into sleeping apartments, and
one room used as business office by Mr..
Atkison. To this room we were shown,
and after improving our tOjjettes, looked
each for himself, into the glass furnished
by Mr.. MCEWeR. We felt more than we
saw; it was a healthy proceeding and came
from Evansville, After passing few jokes,
superior in novelty and humOr than mos:
which are heard, our party, under guide OF
Messrs. AtkiSOn and McEWen, started for
the mines, going about four hundred yards
along the railroad track until we halted
under what at fist appearing bridge, but
was
A DIPPER.
This, to be more explicit, is trestle
work structure (OVer the TailrOad) along
which runs track to the mines. The coal
| is brought in small bOX-cars from the mines
on to the top of the platform and thence
dumped OF dipped out, passing through
| double screen, which separates the lump
! coal from the nut coal, and also rids the lat
| ter of the refuse, when the. coal falls into
! the railroad car on the track below. TWEEN
/ ty steps from the screen shute is the weigh
| er's stand. Here the mine car full Of coal
| is weighed as it stands on the scales, over
which the track is laid, and the weight re-
| corded. The miners, upon entering take
each a separate number and are furnished
| Will corresponding CuCCh HUN d HUN
| inside of the weigher's office. When the
car is filed the miner hangs his check in a
hook of the car and it is then driven out by
boy to be unloaded. The weigher takes
off the check, places it on the hook cores
pOnding to the miners name, and then
weighing the load credits the number or
miner in that amount. Each car : allowed
to carry twenty-seven hundred pounds of
coal, though thirty-fve hundred pounds
can be placed on it. The weigher at this
scale house is a gentleman named Lewis
Weber, Esq, who took interest in fur
nishing the party with specimens of beau
tiful COAL as did also Mr.. Geo. Gray, who
fills the same position at the other office.
This vein, in the geological survey Of Ken
lucky, is reported as vein No. 9, and to I'M
derstand our remarks it is well that we
speak of it in this way. After witnessing
the weighing, dumping ETC., going on e,
we made for
THE NEW SHAFT
| which is being sunk about four hundred
feet distant from the main entry, which
runs in the side of the hill on a gentle de-
scent. This entry is not over one hundred
yards from the scale house, and that the
| reader NAV see how convenient the coal