The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-05-09
Our Coal and Iron Interests.

Our Coal and Iron Interests.
From the Nesnvfffe Journaf % 6omEAsRsel
The future wealth and prosperity OF
Tennessee depend in no small degree
upon the development of her coal and
iron interests. Both of these minerals
she possesses in great abundance, but,
unfortunately, they have been hereto
fore too much neglected. 1t has recent
ly been conciusively shown in the let
ters OF George T. Lewis and ]. T. Wild
er, two experienced iron men, that Fig
Iron can be made in Tennessee at a cost
of from fifteen to nineteen dollars per
ton, whilst it cost Jwenty-nine dollars
per ton in Pennsylvania. This is be-
cause the coal, the iron ore and the lime
stone are near each other in Tennessee.
The misfortune is that many of our Iron
Works, where the ore is abundant, are
remote from market and have not rail-
road facilities. The counties of Law
renee, Wayne, Lewis, and Hickman
| abound with iron ore, and yet there is
| not a mile of railroad in any of these
counties. The consequence is that the
| ore banks in these counties, which
| might be rendered so valuable, are al
most worthless. The Cumberland
mountains extending across the State
/ are filled with coal of the finest quality,
| and yet, for want of the means of trans
| poration, this coal is lying useless in its
| heretofore been built, have been used
/ mostly as commercial roads; for the
| transportation of agricultural prOduc-
! tions and of merchandise. Very few o.
| them penetrate the mineral regions or
| transport either coal or iron. The Nash
| vile and Chattanooga road, which IS
| the best coal road in the State, transports
between three and four millions OF
| bushels, whilst the Baltimore and Ohio
! Road transports two millions OF tons
per anum. It is stated that the Pennsyl-
| vania roads transport thirteen millions
| of tons of coal per anum. This shows
| the difference between Tennessee roads
| and roads in the East so far as the trans
| pOrtatiOn of coal is concerned. 1t is
| evident from these facts that we now
need railroads to penetrate the mineral
| regions and TO bring the coal, iron and
| limestone together. The iron ore banks
| in the counties on the Tennessee river
are not more than hundred miles from
| he vast coal fields of the Cumberland
mountains, whilst limestone abounds
| between the two. With railroads con-
Meeting these coal fields and ore banks,
coal or ore can be transported from one
to the other at cost of one dollar per
| ton. Between theSe~coal fields and ore
banks lies the richest and most produce
tive region in the South or West, grow
ing cotton, corn and provisions of every
1 III TIC SiodICSG
| When these roads are built then Ten
nessee viii become great manufactur-
ing State and her wealth will be doubled
or trebled in few years. The Mem
| phis and Knoxville road with an arm
through Hickman to Nashville, and
| with another arm through Wayne, Law
| renee, Giles and Lincoln, connecting at
Fayetteville with road leading through
Tullahoma and McMinville to Knox
| vile, and with an intermediate arm
passing through Columbia and McMinn-
Vile to Knoxville, will open this great
mineral region and pour it's rich treas
ures through Memphis to the great
West and through New Orleans to the
distant South. This whole road with
all its branches can be built and ironed
and equipped for eight millions of dol
lars. What a small amount for the
magnificent results it would produce.
Another road of scarcely less impor-
lance is the Duck River Valley Railroad,
which is to be part of continuous line
from st. Louis, Missouri, through
Huntsville, Alabama, to Savannah,
Georgia. with an arm to Tullahoma and
the Cum berland mountains. This road
also will pass through the iron region
on the Tennessee river, and will connect
it with the coal of the Cumberland
mountains. That portion of this road
| lying in Tennessee from the Kentucky
completed more than three millions OF
dollars. These two roads in connection
with the road form GAINESVILLE South,
| either to Columbia or to Florence, Ala
bama, or to both will fully develop the
| great mineral region of Tennessee, and
| will place our State along side with Pen
nsylvania as one of the great Iron States
| of the Union, and the whole cost of all of
| them when completed and fully equip
| ped will not exceed fourteen millions OF
| dollars. The iron manufactured on the
| line of these roads after they are com>
| pleted will each year be worth far more
| than the whole cost of the roads.
| Why will we stand idle when such mag
| nihcent results are within our grasp.
| The only way we can ever hope to paw
| our State debt is by developing our coal
| and iron interests and this can only be
| done by building railroads which will
| bring our coal and iron ore together and
which will transport them at low rates
| TO market. As our manufactures in>
| crease, our commerce and our agricul-
| tural productions will increase also, and
we Will become a self sustaining, indie
| pendent and prosperous people Who
will labor for these grand results