The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-04-05
A vera a. RSehmoma ana IN stse Rsch-
1eua and Alseghaey Railroad Corn


scorrssnondcnce Of the Richn cnd Dispatch.I
Wre COUNTY, Va. March -, 1881.
wuhout eeotism tue writer may claim
,hs, he knows more about the undeveloped
resources of the border belt OF southwest
err counties Of Virginia than any other c'ti-
ZEN Of the State because he has studied the
subject more earnestly and investigated u
more thoroughly IN the 6eid than any one
else has ever attempted 20 do. Eight or ten
wears ago the unparalleled resources OF to's
repio,. were presented 10 and urged upon
the people ~ Richmond as worthy OF their
most strenuous efforts to control; Dut tne
matter made no Impression on the ppDhc
mind. II was left for strangers, with no
local Interests 10 stimulate them, 10 step IN
and acquire title to what proves on most
exhaustive scientific examination 10 pe TOE
largest and richest mineral property per-
hans in the Union held by single corpora
tion. excepting only the lands OF inc heao'
ing Railroad Company, In PennsyNania.
The Tinsslis Coal and Iron CompanS,o'
this countv--ail northern mep-owh oe'
tween GO. 600 and 10000 acres OF land, prin-
c,n.lIv In wise county, containing above
wa,er.leyel over 600 coo 900 tons OF coal.
which Is from Q 10 Z per cent. richer IN the
6red carbon OF IT'S coke than the PennsyI.
yauja. Narylsnd, Wet Virginia, and Ala
hama Goals, aud as q fuel for metaurgicai
purposes II is nearer charcoal than any min
eral fuel so far discovered In the whole
world; and within thirty minutes hauling
distance trey own quantity OF unsurpassed
tron.ores that IL will take ages TO work out
So vast are these elements OF wealth that
the company have not only acquired Inc
railroad now building out to Bristol, but
line 10 the Atlantic through The Caroiinas'
upon which the engineers are now at WORK,
aud within less than two years the whole
line will be In opersfIon. Is kichmond de-
priyed OF all interest In this part OF the
Stale: Not necessarily, az we shall see.
Il is true that ibis new cros'-cut road
from the Ohio TO Wilmington and Charles
ton will be the main outlet for the Tinsilia
Company, eas, and west but " The Rich-
mond and Allegheny roid will now adopt a
policy which every consideration OF inter-
est would see m 10 impose upon 1t your city
still bias the prospect OF drawing largely
upon the resources of this wonderful region.
n Is mainly to call attention TO the VAT field
omen 10 that road that this letter Is written.
The Richmond and Allegheny road Will
soon be In operation TO Clifton Forge. Let
them 90 on few miles no Jacksob's river
TO tie mouth OF Potts's creek, aud then
turning up the VALLEY OF that stream strike
for CHATTANOOGA. The route Is not only
practicable, bur easy aud cheap. Keeping
up Potts's creek along the eastern base OF
the Sweet SprIOgs mountain Into GILES. they
passed over an e.sy "divide" 10 Stony
creek, which takes them 10 the New river;
thence down that stream 10 the mouth OF
Wolf creek below Pearisburg. Turning
up Wolf creek an easy line brings them To
a low "divide" in Bland, where they VIII
c)me upon the head waters OF Clinch river,
and follow 1t down through TazewelI mic
Russell as far a. The mouth OF Dumps
creek. From these down to the Ten
nessee State line the Clinch mas
sunk its channel so deep into the
SiIurian lmestones that it is bor
dered with high cliffs, first on one
side and then the other. which iuterpOse
an almost insuperable barrier TO railway
line along the river, 10 say nothing OF It's
crOokedhess. But leaving the Clincl at the
mouth OF Dumps creek an entirely practi'
cable line can be had TO Guests river at or
near the mouth Of Tours creek, and thence
ascending Princes fat, tributary OF
Guests river from the southwest, the coun-
try ~ almost level 10 the head OF the Roar
ing Fork OF PowelPs river back OF Stone
mountain. Following this latter stream six
teen miles, grades Of fifty feet to the mile
will bring the road out at Big Stone gap
into Powelps Valley, through which splep'
did railway line can be had for sixty miles,
traversipg the best part OF Lee county tol
the Tennessee line. From there TO Chatta-
nooga IT Is said that the country is not only
admirably adapted 10 railway construction,
but Is one OF the most productive regions
In Tennessee.
But IL IS mainly to the Virs inia interests
h. tod hot off ie
called. You already know the mineral
wealth Of the upper James-River Valley
traversed by the Richmond and Allegheny
road as far as Clifton Forge. and II Is need
less to refer TO 1t here. Now. from the
mouth Of Potts's creek. all the way through
Giles, Bland, TaZewelI. and Russell, to
Dumps creek, superior iron.Ores abound, |
and soil OF great fertility yields large
crops. 1t Is, too, a great grazing region.
From Dumps creek to Big-St::Ge Gap The !
road would run through tie great coal-feld |
OF Wise for 40 miles, and traverse virgin |
forest OF probably the finest unculled tim |
Der left standing In the Union; and for go |
miles down Powelrs Valley the great fossil |
Ore.beds OF Lee county would lie alongside |
the railway line, and so for 100 miles fur |
ther in Tennessee.
A road located as above indicated would |
forever he protected from close competition |
over more than three fourths of its line. |
The nearest possible parallel road is the line |
from Lynchburg TO Bristol, distant, on an |
average, sixty miles. The only crOss-line |
after leaving the Chesapeake and Ohio road |
would be the Narrow. Gauge road BOW |
building here. Two hundred and fifty |
miles OF the line In Virginia aud one hun
dred in Tennessee could be lined with fur
naces at the ore-banks OF every county. and
furnished with unsurpassed fuel from Wise
and all needed supplies be drawn from the
immediate neIghborhood. The business !
thus developed would naturally find its con.
nections with the outside world through |
Richmond, and in ten years a baIf.dozen |
border counties, hardly known TO the rest |
OF the State, would become the wealthIest |
and most popuious in the State.
II Richmond does not soon secure a rail
connection with these counties their trade |
will all be drawn to the crOss-line by late
raj branches, and seek its outlets through |
Wilmington and Charleston. These views |
are not speculatioas and theories. They |
are facts. VIII they be dealt with as such !
by the Richmond sad Allegheny road and |
the people of Ricbmonds SOUTHWEST.