Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-09-08
RAILROAD MEETING AT MURPHY,
NORTH CAROLINA.
barbecue aud Public Speaking.


To tie Editors Of the Chronicle:
The mass-meeting and barbecue at
this place to>day was great success.
The crowd was variously estimated at
from 1000 to 1900 people. No political
excitement-nothing, In short, but the
intense need and desire of the people
in this secluded region to have railway
with the outer world,
could have brought such concourse
of people together.
The place selected for the speakers
stand was eXcellent-some 600 yards
below the town in Il dense grove on
the southern side of the river. A hill
rose in front of the stand, and brought
the audience which occupied it, face to
face with the speakers who successive
ly delivered the addresses. The meet
ing was organized by appointing the
following officers: Rev. T.. ID. Smith,
of Franklin, n. c., President; the fol-
lowing are the Vice residents-Hon.
James w. latham, Hon. J. l.. Robin
son, G., G. Bristol, G.. w. Baker and
DIR. w. l.. Love, of n. c., and Hon.
John England, Hon. III. Nj. Hammett,
Il. A. Withers and Col. L. Ii. Payne,
of Georgia. BY some mischance we
have mislaid the memorandum bear.
ing the names of the secretaries, but
they will be made known through the
published official report. The meeting
was addressed at much length and
with great eloquence by Gen. VIM.
Phillips, of Georgia, President of the
Marietta and North Eastern Railway
Company, of Georgia, whose line is
graded To Canton, "a miles in the di-
rectiOn of the Georgia State Line in
the direction of Murphy. Indeed the
meeting was called mainly in the in
terest of the connection proposed with
this line Of road in a southerly direc-
ton. General Phillips was followed
by Gen. II. b. Vance, of Asheville, n.
g., in very happy intermingling of
humOr and good hard railroad sagac-
ity in the interest of the pros
jected railway from Ashevile to
Ducktown; after which the meet-
ing adjourned unanimously for
one hour to "A grove. hard by to do JUS
tice to the sumptuous barbecue, where
bountiful supply of good things was
ready for the entire crowd.
ton was happily addressed at consid-
cradle length toy the President, Rev.
G. ID. Smith. Next very briefly by w.
G.. McAdoO, formerly of Knoxville,
Tennessee, representing the Knoxville
and Charleston Railroad, and after
ward 10y Hon. J. L. Robinson and DIR.
w. l.. Love, with happy effect. a
subscription paper was then produced,
A, .
was Interesting. Over ten thousand
dollars had been subscribed while we
remained, and this sum, it was estima.
ted, W"uid be more than doubled
" hlle Il ,hrge subscription in the coun.
| ~ is regarded as certainty.
! Direct railway connection with this
region'"f fertile and productive val
| legs, OF ron manufactures and Other
mineral roducts, should be regarded
as very Important to Knoxville. Should
a branch Of the Knoxville and Charles
! ton road be pushed to Murphy, or in
the direction of that place, to meet {
railway from Murphy, or from Mariet
Ia to Murphy, such branch could not
| fail of large and profitable business
| Welearn that dry goods are now bough
at wholesale in your city for retail il
/
ons over the worst roads m the uni
verse from Sweetwater across tn,
mountains.
Already the iron manufacture il
Cherokee county, North Carolina, il
large, and the quality of the iron i
excellent The report of the Cincin
natl Industrial Exposition of 1871
pronounces the.irOn of TomotIaWorks
] In in, 3,
Swedish or Norway iron" We saw
specimens of it, tough and fibrous a
seemed to be possible to that metal
Near the border of Murphy is veil
of marble, beautifully white, and w
should judge, we'll adapted to the use
of the soul ptor, as well as to the vari
Gus other employments to which mar
BILE is applied.
The prices OF many articles OF foo'
at Murphy now in greenback currenc,
remind us of coin prices at Knoxvill
before the war: butter Zoe. a pound; egg
10 cents dozen; while corn NOW
little higher commands, usually, from
40 to so cents per bushel.
We stopped at the hotel kept by MI
Davidson, and we are surprised at tn
exceeding smallness of our hotel bill
and must now bid adieu to the pleas
ant town of Murphy and your readers
We see the greatest necessity 70
pressing the Knoxville and Charlesto
Railroad towards Rabun Gap, till
shall meet the Walhalla (or Blu
Ridge Road; also the North Georgi
Railway from Athens; thus givin
Knoxville direct connection wit
Charleston and Savannah and maxim
the road, now in operation to Mary
vile, one of the great trunk lines
the country. OF course, with this az
complished, Careyville would 500
unite herself with the great Cincinna
Southern at Chitwood and a branc
line from the proper point to Murph
would be very important feeder.
W a NJ