Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-11-20
OUR CINCINNATI RAILROAD.

long projected cincinnati TalIIOdu Ih'''
they read with distrust all promises look
ing towards it's 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 CHRON-
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
ferent lines have been before the Trustees
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-
termined 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
i'll earnest.
The point naturally of greatest interest
to our readers is, viii Knoxville get an adj
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-
treme Eastern route which is now near
ly surveyed, brings the road on
Il direct line from Cincinnati,
via Paris, Winchester, Richmond, Rock
Castle, Laurel Bridge, williamsburg and
Careyville to Coal Greek This far the
route is almost an air line from the Ohio
river to KNOXVILLE, From Coal Creek it
trends to the Southwest down 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 new branch from
the Knoxville Road from Coal Creek to
the State line, northwest about twenty
miles. These two lines are the Eastern
lines and either of them would give us q
connection with Cincinnati. The shortest
line from Cincinnati to Chattanooga is via
Danville, Monticello and Jamestown.
ADVANTAGES OF THE KNOXVILLE ROUTE.
The advantages of the Eastern line, or
as we have called it above the Knoxville
route, are many. In the first place, it is
only about fifteen miles longer than
the most direct route surveyed. IN the
second place, the work is quite as ligh
and perhaps, on the whole, less expensive.
In the third place, by coming the fifteen
extra miles, at little if any extra expense,
Cincinnati gets oil the connections the
most direct route to Chattanooga gives her,
and, in addition, she gets, by Knoxville,
the most direct and cheapest possible con-
nections with the entire railroad system of |
North and South Carolina and Eastern |
Georgia. By coming the eastern line to 4
Knoxville, at trifiing expense she gets,
by Morristown, Asheviile, Salisbury and |
Charlotte, direct communication with the |
Southeastern Atlantic sea-board. This |
is not one she may get by |
further expenditures, but one she will find |
CriSting before she runs car into Tennes- |
see. The road referred to is assured as GER
tainly as anything of a railroad character |
can be- It will be completed before Gin
cinnati gets here to use it. BY the same |
road she will have, lacking one short link,
the shortest direct line to Charleston |
and Savannah The gap is from
to Spartanburg, seventy-four
miles, A route has been surveyed over |
this gap and can be built at small eX
pense. 1t will certainly be built, if it is
needed to complete the long talked of line
connecting the Ohio river and Charleston.
The advantages of the Knoxville line can
better be appreciated from these figures:
MILES. |
Cincinnati to Knoxville, by
Gums new line, 269
Knoxville to Morristown, II
Morristown to n. Carolina line, AZ
n. G.. line to Ash eville, "A
Ashevllle TO Spartanburg, :. c., "A
Spartanburg to Charleston, 22O
Total from Cincinnati to Charleston, Sol