Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-01-17
t.fn From the Hickory T avsrn Eagle. Is
the FUTUREOF HICKORY
: -'ssF. TAvERN.' '~'ss -sFtr
The wiln,lng.on connection.
I'D. IB1 COL. WALTER LENoIR.

.- 81 COL. WALTER LESOIR. .fF.ar
The first step to increase our Rail-
road facilities, and to make Hickory
Tavern Railroad centre, and the step
which paves the way to all the rest, is
to make this the point of connection
between the Wilmington, Charlotte &
Rutherford Railroad, and the Western
North Carolina Railroad. ....
There is no room for doubt that
there will be connection between
these roads. BY the terms of their
amended charters the Wilmington
road may connect with the other, by q
branch running to any point running
west of the Catawba River; and the
other road cannot discriminate against
it on freights west of the point OF con-
nection. This amendment, aliroitly
obtained by the Wilmington road after
it was forced to suspend indefinitely
its progress through the Reedy Patch
Gap to Asheville, will, III effect. convert
all that portion of the Western North
Carolina Railroad, which is West of
the point of connection into vii
mington Road.
For suppose that the connection is at
Hickory Tavern; from this point it
would be about as near to Wilmington,
by the Wilmington road, as it would
be to Goldsboro' or Weldon by the
other. Thus Wilmington, by this free
ticket to tap tho Norfolk road, would
be able to compete successfully with
Norfolk for frcights passing in either
direction between points west, Hick-
DRY Tavern and the seaboard and
Wilmington would thus secure most of
the trade from Hickory Tavern west,
on our road, and Hickory Tavern
would have Il leading position on both
roads.
1t is plain that the proper conncc-
ton between these roads is by Il line
from Lincolnton along the Crowder
Town road to Hickory Tavern: be-
cause between these two points the
roads are only nineteen miles apart,
with no water to cross except Clark s
creek ut Luncolnton, and all the rest of
the route nearly level and nearly
straight. And because, while this con
I nection cannot be made SO we'll at any
other point as at Hickory Tavern, it is
( equally true that the connecting
! branch cannot be extended beyond our
! road with so much advaItage< i to
, Wilmington from any other point
! For the connection, extended beyond
our road from Hickory Tavern, would
! be on the most direct and practicable
route from Wilmington across the
| Blue Ridge TO the Cumberland Gap,
! and through it Cincinnati. Louisville
! and Chicago; and would gather on the
way the grain, hay, cattle, sheep, hogs,
/ butter. cheese, wool, fruits, vegetables,
manufactures, &c. of Caldwell. Watau-
ga, Mitchell and Ashe counties, and
! shorten the road to the salt and
! plaster of Virginia.
And when We observe that Whining
( ton is much nearer to Cincinnati than
! New York is, and is almost between
t Cincinnati and the West India Islands,
we can hardly exaggerate the impor-
! tance of a railroad from Wilmington
| to Cincinnati, or doubt that it will
finally be accomplished. 1t follows
! that if we secure the connection with
| the Wilmington road, We secure an i'm
| pOrtant position ON railroad line from
| Wilmington to Cincinnati; while on the
completion of the Western n. c. Rail
| hand, we will have an important pOsk
| ton on the line from Norfolk to Mem
phis.
Without pausing to consider what
! further railroad connections would fol-
/ low these. it is sufficient to note that
| the intersection of these two great rail,
road lines at Hickory Tavern, with
! the additional Importance given to oul
. position by the remarkable chartered
! provisn above referred to, would alone
, lt sufficient to make this an important
railroad center.