Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-01-14
THE SAVANNAH AND MEMPHIS
RAILROAD.
Many millions Worth of Marble
Almost ReRched-AlsO the Finest
Iron Ore ina the WOrld-TaIladega,
Alabama

Iron Ore fn Ihe World-TaIladega,
Alabama
Editor Morning Neics: Your late mention of
this railroad aud its purchase by Colonel Wad-
ley leads me to post you in regard to it, which
/ am enabled to do by having lived not far
from Goodwater, on the unrivaled estate,
valley Farms, which owned until a few
years ago, and would still be owning but for
the severe double disasters to crops Goth
freshet and drought) in 1866.
The road was started by Col. Slaughter, a
worthy old citizen of Tallapoosa county, about
the year 1859. He first called it the Opelika
and Childersburgh road, the latter being the
station on the Selma, Rome and Dalton Rail
road with which he proposed to connect.
It is three miles north of the s., R. & d.
bridge across the Coosa river. Afterwards
through the promise or hope of aid from Sa-
vannah, and his ideas expanding as to his en-
terprise, he gave his road its present name
Your contributor was one of the first directory,
but declined to serve on account of youthful
ness and inexperience in such business. Some
grading was being dore when the hoStilities
stopped the work. Not long after the war the
road was revived, and has been gradually
Ing city at its starting point, it has had to go
slowly.
Good water is among the terminal foot
hills of the great Allegheny range, which
sinks beneath the Coosa river fifteen miles to
the westward To the northeast, for many
miles, it runs into ridge resembling Lookout
mountain at Chattawood. 1t runs parallel to
the CoCSa river at the distance of twenty
miles. and from the western water shed
numerous beautiful creeks flow into the river.
These gave the name to the Indians who dwelt
here, who were found by the knightly De Soto
to excel all others in decency ana thrift. They
Hospitality enterta ned him and his little ex-
Dloring army several months near the village Of
Childersburgh. Water power is to be found
In every neighborhood.
THE MARBLE.
One step more and the trains will reach the
great marble veins of Alabama. which extends
from near the town of Talladega-ranging q
little west Of south--to point south of Talla-
dega Springs, the total distance about twenty
five miles. Mr.. George Herd. a Scotchman.
who happened to ramble in this region from
Canada in the early settling OF the country.
recognized the outcrops as marble, wrote for
his brothers to come over and join him, and he
and they went to work with the simplest ma
chinery, propelled by horse power. and in the
course of time made competency Tor each.
1t being before the building of the railroad.
they delivered their marble with road wag ons.
Others opened quarries and worked them
Messrs. CAN'T, Nix, Taylor, Mckenzie, respec-
lively, and finally Messrs Oden, Bowie & Huey,
who were doing business of $25,OOO when the
war stopped them. The Messrs Herd at length
which they obtained their start-for
one of much finer quality. Yet the
former has an immense quantity of material,
so that mammoth lime works might be
opened. The new quarry is six miles east of
Alpine, on the s., r. & d. r. R. The marble is
variegated like that class of Italian marble; is
faultlessly pure, is hard and receives the high
est polish. Through your contributor, Mr..
G. v Marjeran, of Memphis, leased portion
of this for long term of years. He is one of
the Oldest and best marble and stone dealers
in the South. He was in the business in At
lanta in her youngest times. A block of the
last quarry is In the Washington Monument.
1t is g wonder that SO little attention is given
to marble quarries in the South. PGtttdG ntorS
compels the use of it in every respectable
family, and much Of it is wrought into ele-
CANT furniture. The locality where American
quarries are plenteous is remote, being in Vfr-
mont The Carrara quarries of Italy furnish
nearly all that is used by Europeans and all
the finest In America, and the marble is quar-
ried under greatest difficulties Good marble
is valuable, imperisha ole and thief proof. There
cannot be safer investment than large blocks
of fine marble tumbled on the ground unen
closed. Unless there is much excavation of
earth to be done, or much refuse outcrop to
quarry, with their drills, sledges and hammers,
and begin to turn out blocks in a few days.
There need be no delay to erect costly build
in2s and put up fine machinery. The saving
THE IRON ORES
The next station will be at or near the vein
on which depends the Shelby Iron Works,
which, according TO the Atlanta manufac-
turers, makes the best iron in the world. The
Confederacy erected large works here, which
were finally burnt by raiders.
The superior quality of the ore promptly
caused Northern capitalists to lease and re-
build This Is conspicuous case or perSe-
verance being rewarded. Mr. Horace Ware
bOUOht the nF0nAPtV and Gtrlp-
gled along with it, with inadequate means, over
twenty five years, before it brought him wealth.
In the eastern portion or Talladega there are
very fine ores; also good ores in many parts.
Occasionally along the famous vein there are
deposits of magnetic ore Limestone abounds
in Talladega county. Near Childersburgh
there is an exec lent place for lime kiln.
Near the county site gold mines are being
worked, and few miles further eastward
there are copper mines. There are quarries
of slate and building stone. At Valley Farms
there are brown ore, magnetic, QuarrleS or
slate, building stone, marble and limestone.
with mill sites Tor water power) which might
be used to propel machinery to work these
various dormant materials. Coal Only is want
ing, but in its stead are occasional pine
forests, while just across the river it Is in
abundance. Should the present directory fol-
low the old survey to Childersburgh, they will
there get coal in barges from up the river.
This route points to Birmingham, the mineral
centre of Alabama, which had not been thought
of when Col S. began his road. The lands
abound in lime, are rather tenacious, but yield
wheat well, besides corn and cotton. The peo-
pie are notably energetic, moral and law
abiding. This county has contributed more
political and legal talent to the State than any
other. So brilliant list should not be with
held: Frank Bowden the Alabama
orator, Felix Mcconnell. Alexander
White, Judre shortridge, Supreme Court
]. L. NJ. Curry Mr.. Brown, Colonel Martin
(l1illed at Dranesville), Colonel ]. J. Woodward
(lIiled in Virginia), Ex-Governor Parsons,
Jack Hamilton (of Texas latterly), Judge Hen
derson, General L. w Lawler, Colonel Paul
Bradford, Judge Haflin, Colonel John w.
Bishop, General G. NJ. Shelley, the distin-
guished California Judge, editor and humorist,
Judge Marion o. Baldwin, and last, but not
least. General John T. Morgan, the present be-
loved and efficient United States Senator.
What other young county and town of only
seventeen hundred inhabitants can offer such
list? Major Walker Reynolds should not be
admitted in list of prominent men OF the
county-the wealthy, whole-h hearted planter,
to whom the Selma Rome and Dalton Railroad
is dlle for once when all its means had given
out he came up with his reserves and pushed
it on. His total loans to it verge on 10000,
which was exceedingly liberal for an up
country planter. Major James was a success
full banker and merchant there about forty
five years.
TaIIapoosa county is large and thickly 'peo-
pied, mainly with whites. 1t was here that
',Jonce" Hooper, the Alabama humorist, IN It
Byrd Young, the original of Simon Suggs.
In Clay Coosa and Shelby counties also the
whites are so largely in the majority that exo-
busting would scarcely be felt By this road
Savannah is reaching out to a productive and
growing country,
General John Piney Cden has been useful
developer of that country. Respectfully,
G. G. PLAYER.
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