The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-09-13
WEST TENNESSEE TRADE.
How Nashville Can secure a
Large Portion Of Tt.
The Tennessee Central and the
Advantages il Offers--A Prop
OsifiOn TO Our Merchants.
From the NashriIIe American. g-h

]
From the Nashville American. 9th.
At the Merchants Exchange YES
terday morning, after the regular bus
mess hours, President Mcclure intro>
duced Hon. Wise 4 Cooper, of Tren>
ton, who proceeded to advocate the
proposed operation of the Tennessee
Central road from Huntingdon TO
Trenton. The distance between these
two points is thirty-three miles, of
which large portion Of it is graded.
The section is one Of the richest por-
tions Of the State, and its produce
will come to Nashville if the exten>
sion is established. To be more spe-
cifc, it would give to Nashville
trade from the west side Of Carroll,
Gibson and large part of Crockett
and Dyer counties, while thesexten>
sion from Huntingdon to Trenton
would be thirty,three miles. TreE-
ton, with her then shipping facilities,
would draw produce twenty miles
further westward, until she would, in
factapprOach within sixty>nine OF sel-
enty miles Of Memphis in trade secur>
ed for this point. Looking to the adj
ditional territory thus secured, it viii
be at once conceded by every one IA
mlliar with its productions, that COM
mercial and mercantile communica,
ton would be opened up with a sec
ton in the aggregate producing some
thing like 10000 bales Of cotton and
over half million bushels of wheat,
with tobacco and corn, hogs and cat
tie, also, for sale to very large ex-
tent.
At present Trenton is the objective
point. Now, to reach Trenton, by
the way freight goes from here, the
distance 1SS miles. Ry this extens
sion it will be 40 miles, a saving Of
4S miles. But II stronger fact than
the saving of this distance is high
freight charges from Union City TO
Trenton by the Mobile d Ohio road.
On the frst-class freight the charge
per hundred from here to Trenton is
GO cents, 80 of this going to the Nash
vile, Chattanooga ~ St. Louis road
for the haul of 155 miles, and 33 to
the Mobile & Ohio road for hauling
the same freight 80 miles. On the
same haul to Trenton by Union City,
on whisky the Nashville Chattanooga
& st Louis road gets Is cents and the
Mobile q Ohio % cents per hundred.
On grain for the same haul the Nash
vile, CHATTANOOGA d St. Louis road
gets 10 cents per bushel and the Mo-
bile d Ohio - cents. On cotton the
Nashville, Chattanooga d St. Louis
road gets 80 cents per bale and the
Mobile & Ohio S1.50, from Trenton
10 Union City, 4 distance Of SO miles.
From these figures, at present no
trade can seek Nashville from the
section referred to, of which Trenton
is the center. The same differences
hold good as to present rates to Milan
aud other points. The road-bel, sub
stantially finished between Hunting-
don and Trenton, is about twenty two
miles, and as it stands ut present is
worth SO, 000. There are other good
and solvent assets to the amount Of at
least $4,000 that can be expended Oh
the road from Trenton to McLemores-
VILE, and does not include any part of
the stock taken west of Trenton, the
projected road running much beyond
Trenton. With as much as S25, 600
of aid from Nashville, the road-bed
can be completed to Trenton. When
this is done, the Nashville, Chatta,
nooga & st. Louis road viii at once
iron the road and put the outfit upon
If and commence operation.
Mr. George L. Knox, General
Freight Agent Of the Nashville u
Chattanooga road, followed, reading
number Of statistics supporting the
scheme, and showing the immense
good which would result to Nashville
should her merchants take advantage
Of the present opportunity.
John SpeTy, l.. II. Lanier, jr., and
john c. Gordon were appointed n
committee on behalf of the Exchange
to investigate AM report on tie propo-
sal.
In the afternoon meeting was held
in the Circuit Court Room, but it adj
journed without definite action to a
meeting to tie hereafter called.
The merchants at the Exchange
meeting seemed much interested in tie
proposition, and many expressed
themselves decidedly in favor Of it.
Much of the t.ade Of West Tennessee
that should come to Nashville has been
heretofore diverted to Memphis, New
Orleans, Cairo, st. Louis and other
places. Several Of our dealers who
have travelled in that section have
found a desire to trade with Nashville,
but the rates have been against us.
With the new route, we have 4 direct
line to Trenton and can secure through
freight charges, giving rs the advan-
over the cities heretofore taking the
produce of the country surrounding
that town. The new enterprise pre-
sents great many attractions, and
should receive the close attention ana
consideration Of orr merchants.