New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-28
WILDS OF TENNESSEE.

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| (vRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRmuNEl
| ROckwoop Tenn, Dec. 15.-Thc Counties OF
| Scott and Morgan, which have just traversed on
| locomotives and hand-cars and on foot, following
the broken line of the Cincinnati Southern Railway
resemble very closely in their typographical features
| the northeastern corner Of Pennsylvania. There
are the same steep wooded hills and low MOUNTAINS
and the same sw 1T streams aud deep, narrow val
| leys The population is exceedingly sparse. oh
the road from Huntsville, the county seat OF scout
Countv to Jamestown the county seat of Fentress,
| n distance of thirty-six miles westward, there are
am told. but six houses. Between Robbins's farm
where STAYED night before last and Wartburg. the
comfy scat of Morgan County distance OF twenty
six miles. only four houses seen. From kismet
! my last halt i'm the wilderness to Crossvllle, the
| conntv scat of Cumberland, the next county
south of Morgan, the number OF iarns
il said TO be only three These figures VIII snow
better than any description, how unbroken Is .ne
vast wilderness lying between the Kentucky i'he
and the valley of the Tennessee through which the
new North and South trunk Railroad runs. what
can be made of this wildernessi The natives nave
made nothing of il save to scratch patch OF corn
here and there in creek bottom and to roam over
IT with their dogs and long rifles in search Of deer
Now that it is cut open by the ia lroad coming III
rectly down from the wealthiest and most enter
prising city of the West the attention of capitalists
and emierating farmers will be directed to it, 10 is
rich in iron and coal In Fentress County is largo
body of manganese iron ore of great value, and
brown hemaite is found everywhere Coal out
Groupings can be seen in almost every mountain
side.
Herds-grass and orchard grass grow abundantlv
when sown and wild grass carpets the ground in
the woods, SO that cattle thrive and fatten
nine months of the year on the mountain
ranges. The region is well adapted for sheep
raisIng 1 met a young Englishman in Scott
County, who had just bought a large tract
of wild land Tor 81 an acre, aud was going TO make
business Of growing the improved English breeds
of sheep. Apples yield abundanty. Potatoes do re-
markably well. The land is not strong enough,
however, for corn and wheat save in the bottoms or
on newly cared slopes There great deal of fine
walnut timber in tho mountains. which Cincinnati
dealers are already beginning to look after sharply
The trees are bought standing Tor from II to -
ap,ec. In Fentfess and Scott Counties Sir. Frank
I'm W. Smiths Boston Board of AID to Land Owner
ship has bought large tracts of Wild land for co oni-
cation purposes. English capital is enlisted, and
the plan il to bring cmgrants from the New-Eng-
land states and Europe to settle the country. J.
they come as herdsmon or sheep-growcrs they will
do well. but doubt whether general farming viii
succeed on the tracts purchased by the Board. ex
| ccpt In a few isolated localities.
DespaIring of making any progress on the rail-
road, NV companion and | endeavored yesterday to
get across the country n wagon hoping to
| reach WartbuTg and tnd some conveyance from
there southwark. The road was a mere track
| through the forest and steep and rough that
| walking was much less violent exercise than cling
ing 10 the board laid across the wagon box, which
served as a seat. We started red deer, which
scampcred away mp n mountain side, but saw no
other sign' of life until came TO The crossing OF
Black Wolf Creek. where there was log cabin.
Here We had To abandon the project OF travelling
by road OWING to the danger of fording the stream
The railroad was close at hand, and its trestle
bridge gave passage over the creek to pedestrians
| Not far down the road we came to an encampment
of laborers, ostensibly engaged in constructing u
water tank and statiOn-house, but in reality
| spending most If their time drinking whis-
key at shanty saloon. On one of the
shanties a sign Bakery and Restaurant"
| invited the hungry travellers. The dinner
served consisted of fat pork, chunks of watery tur
nip. corn-doGgcrs and coffee. An Irishman ap-
preached me with a chunk Of fine coal and said that
If any man with capital wanted TO make money he
had only to open a iour-foot vein Of the best coal
on the road, which cropped out half n mile up the
creek valley. A construction train came up IN the
afternoon and we got passage on tic engine TO
| Klsmet. n station near the broken bridge and the
limit of lis run.
IL was after dark and raining when VIC reached
| Kismet OF course there no hotel Some one
said there was an old man living nearby who took
in strangers: so, Guided by negro with lantern,
we plodded through the mud and water to log
house a quarter Of a mile away. The house had n
window which showed it 10 be the dwelling OF "a
wcll-to-do family. The window. in this region,
marks the division between the poor mountalneers
I. 1,,.-. III,
people do not indulge III. \ young woman
came to the door in answer TO my rap. and
said she could accommodate for the
night An old man, clad only in shirt
and trowsers, was sitting by the chimney corner
warning his bare feor on the broad hearth-stonc.
lie did not rise. but replied politely to my greeting.
| A bright fire OF oak logs burned in the bgcavemous
stone chimney, and though the wind streamed
thronghthc cracks and knot-hocs in the dOOrand the
chnks between the logs. the place seemed quite
| CHEEKY. supper OF yenison steaks. wild honey
and hot biscuits added to the feeling comfort which
the welcome shelter from the Winter storm had III
| spired. The people. as had surmsed, were not of
the poor bite class. Tie old man had been a sur
| veyor and now owned mill. The house had a
| kitchen and dnDg-room separate from the living
| room. On the walls. papered with old newspapers,
| hung pretty chrome and a map. There were two
| beds III the lyng-ro0m and two more In sort OF
alcOve partly screened with u rough board parti-
lion. The old man SAID the lands IN this section
were covered with five strata of titles, and it
| difficult for purchaser to know whether
he was buying good title or only worthless piece
of paper. The State of Tennessee had ISSUED grants
for ten times us much land sue had To dispose OF
| The grantees had to make their own surveys, and
| in many casos the County Surveyors who were
| bound by law to keep maps showing each location
destroyed them order to get fees Tor locating
| grants top OF the old ones. Under the present
law seven years undisturbcd possession establishes
a good title IL there has been possession. then
| the oldest grant holds. Doubtless there many
| persons in the East who lmagIne themselves to be