The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-04-10
From the Nashville Journal of Commerce.
OUR COAL AND IRON IN
TERESTS.
We Need Railroads to Develop
Them.

The future wealth and prosperity of
Tennessee depends in no small degree
upon the development of her coal and
iron interests. Both of these minerals
size possesses in great abundance, but,
unfortunately, they have been hereto
fore too much neglected. 1t has recent
ly been conclusively shown in the let
ters of George 7. Lewis and j. Il. Wild
CT, two experienced iron men, that pig
iron can be made in Tennessee at a cost
of from fifteen to nineteen dollars per
ton, whilst it costs twenty-nine dollars
per ton in Pennsylvania. This is be-
cause the coal, the iron ore and the
limestone are near each other i'm Ten
nessee. The misfortune is that many
of our Iron Works, where the ore is
abundant, are remote from market and
have not railroad facilities. The coun-
ties of Lawrence, Wayne, Lewis and
Hickman abound with iron ore, yet
there is not 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 filed with coal of the finest quality,
and yet, for want of the means of trans
portation, this coal is lying useless in
have heretofore been built have been
used mostly rs commercial roads, for
the transportation OF agricultural pro
duCtiOns and merchandise. Very few
of them penetrate the mineral regions
or transport either coal or iron. The
Nashville and Chattanooga road, which
is the best coal road in the State, trans
ports between three and four millions
of bushels, whilst the Baltimore and
Ohio Road transports two millions of
tons per annum. 1t is stated that the
Pennsylvania roads transport thirteen
millions of tons of coal per annum.
This shows the difference between Ten
nessee roads and roads i'm the East SO
far as the transportation of coal is con-
cerned. IL 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 i'm the counties on the
Tennessee river are not more Shan
hundred miles from the vast coal fields
of the Cumberland mountains, whilst
Limestone abounds between the two.
With railroads connecting these coal
fields and ore banks, coal can be trans
ported from one 70 the other at cost of
one dollar per ton. Between these coal
fields and ore banks lies the richest and
most productive region in the South or
West, growing cotton, corn and provis-
ions of every description in the greatest
abundance. When these roads are built
then Tennessee will become great
manufacturing State, and her wealth
VIII be doubled or trehled in n few
ycars. The Memphis and Knoxville
road, with an arm through Hickman to
Nashville, and with another arm
through Wayne, Lawrence, Giles and
Lincoln, connecting at Fayetteville
with a road leading through Tullahoma
and McMinnville TO Knoxville, and
with an immediate arm passing through
Columbia and McMinnville 60 Knox
vile, will open this great mineral region
and pour its rich treasures 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 1t would produce.
The iron manufactured on the line Of
these roads after they are completed
will each year be worth far more than
the whole cost of the roads. Why will
we stand idle when such magnificent
results are within our grasp. The only
way we can ever hope TO pay our State
debt Is by developing our coal and iron
interests, and this can only be done by
buildiug railroads which viii bring our
coal and iron ore together, and which
viii transport them at low rates 10 mar
ket. As our manufactures increase our
commerce and our agricultural prOduc-
tious Will increase also, aud we win be-
come self-sustaining, independent and
prosperous people. Who viii labor for
these grand rcsultsg