Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-04-29
UPPER EAST TENNESSEE.
Bristol Items-Almost n CoIIisIOn-The
Air Brake, Etc.
GREENEvILLE, April %, 1874.

GREENEvILLE, April %, 1874.
Bristol Is very quiet at present; in fact,
too quiet, the merchants say The pecu-
liar quietness we speak of is caused by a
terrible scarcity of money. The people of
that section want the President to sign the
currency bill, and start an agent at once
for East Tennessee, with carpet bag "
full of the precious stuff for promiscuous
distribution
The late fire is still the topic of CONVEX
sation, and after taking look at the ruins,
we feel confident that heroic work must
have been done by not few, to savethe en-
tire Bristol side, IL not the whole town from
destruction. The colored troops fought
nobly, and one colored man stood in the
creek waist deep during the entire fire,
dipping water. His name should have
been mentioned.
Capt. Conway, Of the railway mail ser
vice, is still making an effort, in which he
is seconded by other enterprising citizens,
to organize fire department at Bristol,
and subscriptions have been taken for that
purpose. The talk is that if they can not
raise enough for the purchase of an engine
they will organize hook and ladder COM
pany, and perhaps get some Babcock fire
extinguishers. A call for q mass meeting
of the citizens on Friday has been posted
up in the town, for the purpose of author
iZing the town council to organize hook
and ladder company.
The Nichols House at Bristol, Capt. 1.
A. Nichols proprietor, continues to give
general satisfaction to the travelling public,
is a clever man, the clerk polite, and &C.
commodating walters serve at first-class
table.
Yesterday evening as the "rat" passed
the mail train at Jonesboro' collision
came near taking place. The mail train
by some misunderstanding, was waiting
on the main track, while the engineer o
the ara" expected it to be on the side
track, and consequently came laundering
down upon it, and for moment it seemed
almost impossible to avoid collision. 4
number Of people were standing on thu
platform, and seeing the condition of af
fairs, began to scatter in double-quick. Thu
engineer of the frat, however, took in tn
situation at a glance, and with the assist
ance of the air brakes brought the train t
stand-still before the engines met, mucl
to the surprise of the bystanders. All tn
railroad men agree that nothing but tn
air brakes could have saved the train. /
is certainly one of the grandest invention
of the age.
Matters at Greeneville stand about tn
same as given in my last letter from thi
place, with the exception that few Lie
Greek men were in town yesterday evening
and on "bender." Their conduct las
night was disgraceful, to say the least of ii
One of them, with brick u in his hal
tried to raise disturbance with hots
porter, and as a consequence felt the toucl
of brick against his back, as he retreate
in double-quick.
GIeeneville, like nearly all other place:
has crazy man. He calls himself GeC
w. Cass, and says he is from Rockingham
New Hampshire. He writes splendi
hand, and at times converses very sens
bly, on any subject. He is clothed in rags
eats what he can get from house to house
and sleeps in the woods. He is quite
character.
The news of the death of Judge Mill
gan was received with deep regret through
out upper East Tennessee. Ex-Presider
johnson received a special on Monda
morning, ere the train passed out, givin
the news of his death. 1t soon passed fror
ear to ear, and passengers carried the new
up the road, and with it gloom, and ofte
we could hear remarks to the effect, " Al
all our good and noble men to die at once
r. II. b.