Wilmington journal., 1875-07-30
The Caroilma Central Hallway.

NEhIOh1b cuA 1|oA ~~'O'
EDITORS Journal You will confer
a very great favor to forward to my
address copy of your paper contain
ing the map of the Carolina Central
Railroad"
Tie people of my section are very
deeply interested in the speedy COM
pletion of the Western North Corolina
road to Point Rock. Nay more, We
look with an almost feverlsh anxiety
to any project having that end in view.
You are we'll aware that the "Cincin-
natl Cumberland Gap and Charleston
Railroad. now owned by the East
tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Rail
road Com pany, is in running order
from Morristown, Tennessee, as far
East as Point Rock, and all that Is
now needed to carry our products to
your doors is the little gap between
Morganton, or perhaps Old Fort and
the Tennessee line at Point Rock At
present We are forced to ship our
grain and stock either way by Morris
town. Thence on the East Tennessee,
Virginia and Georgia Railroad to
Bristol, aud from thence over Ma
homes line to Richmond and Nor
folk, making wild detour
to reach those markets, or If
we seek to leach the seaboard at
Charleston and Savannah. We ship
from Morristowu West, thence by
way of Dalton AID Atlanta, still
more round about and costly route. 1t
is apparent that We are great suffer
ars from th, want of a near and more
lirect route to the seabOard, and the
truth is. that from the distance TO be
traverse.! in reaching either OF these
marts, and the high rates of freight
which those roads charge IN the ab-
scence of a competing line, that pro-
ducers can't raise grain with us ana
ship it III bulk ahd pay expenses, with
however, the Dad from Paint Rock
East, completed you unlock as 1t will
the very gates of the West, and VIII
niington with but an ordinary effort
would be the grand entrepot OF the
South. The country from Morr1stoWn
E st is not of that barren, sterile char
acter that may ascribe to mountain
ous section. on the other hard 1T IS OF
the most fertile nature, For instance,
in the county in which L live, (the
county of Cocke) and which is upon
the line of the Railroad running from
Morristown to Paint Rock, we raise III
the article of corn alone over and
above the amount necessary tor home
consumption nearl y million bushels.
Our river lands average from 40 to 10
bushels (shelled,) per acre. We raise
large quantities of wheat for market,
and drive yearly large numbers OF
hogs, cattle, horses and sheep on foot
over the mountains of Western North
Carolina, into the State ofSCuth Caro-
lima. | give this illustration looking
alone to the matter of local frelghts
that must pass over the road right INTO
the heart of your State and is indie
pendent altogether of the more lmpor-
tant fact of the connection direct by
rail road with theWestern States. And
of still greater importance to your
State to the connection with those
States North of the Ohio, which will
Immediately follow the completion OF
the road. Cincinnati is always alive
to her interests, and she is but wait
ing for the sound of pick and of shovel
upon the road leading to Paint Rock,
to perfect a line that will at once
place her SO near the Atlantic, Ten
nessee, Kentucky and Ohio are ma
terially interested and there IS but
little doubt in the mind of the writer
that if after an honest and manly ef-
fort upon the part of North Carolina
| to complete this road, if means are
still! lacking they can be raised amply
sufficient for all purposes, AMI that too
with bnt little effort outside of the
State / sincerely hope that the i'm
portanc Of the building and eqmpe
ment of this road will not be lost sight
of for a day, that right speedily, not
only the State OF North Carolina, but
the States of Tennessee. Kentucky,
Ohio, and Indiana may see the reaii
zation of their hopes in this particu-
lar.
Very respectfully,