Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-03-04
What IL. N.R. SAYS Of Knoxville.


A correspondent Of the Cincinnati COM
.a.rc.dI, "H. V. r, is out on the line be-
tween Careyville aud Chitwoods, and
sives his opinion of things. he stopped
in Knoxville 10y the way and says of us;
The wholesale trade of Knoxville is
greater than that of any two cities in the
state put together, excepting Nashville and
Memphis. She draws her trade from the
rich Tennessee Valley for hundred miles
up and down, and from a half dozen 9TH
er valleys, small but rich, which lie along
the streams tributary to the Tennessee. In
the matter of contiguous agricultural coun-
try, Knoxville has immeasurably the adj
vantage of Chattanooga, and always will.
This has given rise to wholesale trade
which is the basis of her prosperity and
wealth. Her merchants sell far up into
kentucky, and down into North Carolina,
and even into Virginia. The house of Cow
an, McClung d Co. sells to the amount of
over two million dollars annually, which,
for q place the size of Knoxville, is rush.
ing business. The house is a novelty in its
way, selling dry goods, notions, ready
made clothing, boots and shoes, hardware,
stationery and until very recently grocer
les, all from under one roof. But it is a
large roof, covering building that would
do credit to Cincinnati or any other city
ef the first-class. The drug house of San
ford, Chamberlain Albers, is also worthy
Of note. In their efforts TO build up q
wholesale trade the people of Knoxville
have met with great success. But they
have not neglected manufacturing, and
have an iron mill, nail mandatory, q
saddle-treo mandatory and several other
enterprises OF lesser note, all, believe, do
ing well.
In an agricultural point Of view the
finest portion of East Tennessee is around
Knoxville. We may say that Knoxville il
the center of it, and hence the substantial
growth Of the city. Every step forward is
held. There are no jumps and jerks, and fit,
andEtartsi in its progress, or rather starts anC
lrs, with now and then dip into bank.
ruptcy, as is so conspicuously the case with
some other ambitious towns that might bt
mentioned, but caution and the substantial
qualities are its strong points.
The Tennessee Valley above and below
Knoxville is regarded with much favor 10y
Northern farmers seeking homes in tn,
South. A number Of them are abou
Knoxville, each one usually taking abou
one-fourth of an average Tennesseean'
farm, and raising four times as much of
of it as the average Tennesseean with hi
spawned mule and two.inch pillow. TIT
knoxville WEEKLY CHRONICLE mak9
me farming interests of the Tennessee
Valley speciality, and those seeking in
'Ormation can be filled from that source.
THE KNOXVILLE AND OHIO RAILROAD.
Theproject ofconnecting Knoxville will
cincinnati and Louisville is not q new one
u is, indeed, very old one, having at
tanned the age of fifty years or somethin,
Ike that. With this long-cherished end il
view, the Knoxville and Ohio road was be
gan some years before the war. The coun
Try as difficult and the work progresse,
slowly. The State, with what might b
styled criminal liberality, put about thre
millions of dollars into the concern befor
and after the war. 1t was her manner O
dealing with number of new roads, an,
hence her debt of about thirty million
which the people are burdened to pay in
terest upon to-day. She tried to build to-
many, and could complete none to q pay
ing point, and they reverted to her-a grea
load she could not sell at half cost nor oper
she closed out the whole lot ut auction
getting for the Knoxville and Ohio ROa
100000 in State bonds, or hardly ten pc
.ent. on cost.
The road is thirty-eight miles long, an
the parties who bought it are supposed Z
have made good thing. 1t reaches int
5ne heart of n fine coal region, tapping tn
amous Coal Creek mines among others.
am told that the Trustees OF the Souther
Road, with view to early connection wit
knoxville as well as CHATTANOOGA, hav
made bid for it, but the story lacks cor
tirnlatIon. Between the end of this roa
II Careyville and the end of the Leblanc
branch of the Louisville road at Irving
ston, there is only a gap of ninety mile!
10 look at the map it would appear thi
his gap must be filled Immediately, BIT
when the country is viewed the difficultiC
IN the way are apparent.