Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-03-24

the CincinnAti southern,
The Biggest Railroad Boom for East
Tennessee Yet Heard OF.
For more than week past the air
has been filled with rumors to the
effect that that part of The Knoxville
and Augusta railroad lunning through
East Tennessee was about to be sold.
The lame OF the purchaser was not
revealed, but it was understood to be a
company that would extend the line
so as to connect with the Georgia sys-
tenn Of railroads. The Transaction has
been completed and the road sold to
the owners of the Atlanta and Char
lotte Air Line. The purchasers pro,
pose, as we understand, at an early
day to construct the link necessary to
connect Knoxville with their line at
Toccoa City, thus giving US another
route to the seaboard. This will
place Knoxville on a great thorough.
fare from the northwest to the Atlantic,
shorter by nearly 100 miles than any
line now In operation. The pur.
chasers, we are assured, are amply
able to successfully carry out their
enterprise and construct, If the Gin
cinnati Southern people do not the
much talked of Emory Gap connec-
tion. With line open from Knox
vile to Augusta or Charleston, the
people of Cincinnati are too jealous OF
their own interest aud too wide. awake
to permit the link necessary to give
them the benefit of such connection
to remain incomplete.
1t Is not necessary that we should
enlarge upon the benefits accruing to
Knoxville and all eastern Tennessee
from such an enterprise. 1t is bound
to become one of this most important
and best paying lines in the south. 1t
will build up our coal and iron trade
ten-fold within two years after the line
Is completed. 1t will be competing
line to the south, and being so much
shorter than other lines, will make
freights cheap, thus enabling our coal
miners and dealers to supply large
portion of the south with our excel
lent coal. 1t will ipjure the East
Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia road,
to some extent, perhaps, but what the
stockholders lose on their stock will be
made up in the increased business of
Knoxville and all East Tennessee.
1t will make Knoxville a grand
centre for iron manufactures. AS
stated few days sso, the branch road
from Johnson City 10 the Cranberry
iron works is to be constructed. This
is equal if not superior to any iron ore
in the United States. This ore will be
brought to Knoxville, as the most
available point for cheap coal, where
blast furnaces will be erected and ad-
ditional rolling mills will follow.
1t will be grand thing for our farm.
ers. 1t will increase the value of their
farms hundred per cent. Besides
creating home market for their sur
plus grain and stock, it will open to
the markets of the world, cheaper and
quicker transportation than they have
ever had before.
The advantages to Knoxville can not
be overstated. The first days work on
the line, with prospect Of Its success
full completion, will add fifty per cent.
to the value of real estate in and about
the city. The population of the city
will be double what 1t now is
in Ave years from the time
the first train crosses the Tennessee
river, and by the time another census
is taken, we will have the most pros
porous inland commercial and manu-
featuring city in the south, with
population of $4,000. Never in the
history of Tennessee as q state, or
Knoxville as a city, has the outlook
been so encouraging. We have never
ceased to speak of the resources of our
section, and have written nothing on
the subject not warranted by facts.
We now believe that our most san.
guine expectations are about to be
realized. a4