The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-02-16
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to the careful perusal of ouPreadefs.
The subject of rail- connection with +
the North and West, by-IWay--o
Cumberland Gap, is certainly one OF
great moment to the people of Ham
bIen and adjoining counties Col.
Gregg in our opinion sees thelsub-
iect in the proper light, and knows !
that there must be an interest awak- !
ed alongrthe entire, line in order to !
the success ofso great an enterprise. |
This interest heis fairly arousing ind
the very quarter where it is just now
esirable-among the capitalists of
the North and West The CONNER
cidl of the 9TH has this editorial ref
erence to the correspondence :.
" The correspondence between the
F.! President of the MorristOwn, Cum
berland Gap and Ohiorailroad COM
pany and Col Alex. i. Greer, of this
city, which was published in the
railroad column Of yesterdays Com
mercidL, in reference to the building
Of a railroad from CovingtOn through
Cumberland Gap to connect with
others leading to Charleston, S. c.,
and other important points on the
| Atlantic seaboard, is attracting large
attention from our citizens general
ly. The advantages Of such route
would be to Cincinnati, and to Gov
ington especially, scarcely inferior
to those derived from the Cincinnati
Southern railroad. 1t would open
up a country unsurpassed in its
wealth Of timber, coal, iron, lead and
zinc. 1t is a subject that deserves
the attention of the people of the
three cities, as we'll as Of capitalists. "
Another and still more favorable
indication of the healthy interest
awaking to the proposed line crops
out III the proceedings Of the meet
ing Of the new directory of the Ken
lucky Central, held at Covington,
| Ky, a few days since, and to which
the particular attention of Mayor
Gregg is called in a very able edito-
rial in the Knoxville Dispatch In
that meeting, the printed report says
that there were able advocates Of
the theory that the Kentucky Cen
trail should diverge far enough to
90 to the South via Cumberland
Gap. We invite the paticular atten-
ton of the friends of the Morris
town, Cumberland Gap and Ohio
road to this suggestion. 1t was not,
as we would infer, a casual sugges-
ton, or one made on the spur OF the
moment. There were able advO-
Gates of the theory, showing, as we
view the matter, that there was
strong and decided feeling to di-
verge far enough towards the South
in ORDER to reach Cumberland Gap.
This would plainly indicate that
there is a disposition on the part Of
at least some of the Directors of the
Kentucky Central to accommodate
their system to the MOrristOwn eX-
tension, SO as to strike the McGheo
system leading into North Carolina
andfrom thence to the sea board. Of
course there was no decisive action
in the matter, but evidently an un-
mistakable leaning towards the
point indicated and which may be
made available by proper vigilance
and prompt action on the part of
| the management of the MorristOwn
and Cumberland Gap extension. At
any rate, let them all pull at that
string,
The correspondence between May
or Gregg and Col. Greer is as fol-
lows:
MoERIsTowN, Tenn, Jan. 8, 1881.
Col. A. L. GREER:
DEAR SIR am in receipt ofyour
favor of the LIST inst, and am pleased
to note the interest you manifest in
the building ola railroad from the
Ohio river through Cumberland
Gap to the South.
l think this country possesses
more of the crude elements of ma
terial wealth than any I have ever
visited, and my business has led me
into and through nearly every State
in the Union. I find the people
kindly disposed and tolerant, the
climate mild and equable, the soil
fertile and productive, water power
abundant, timber Of various kinds of
superior quality and inexhaustible !;
brown and red iron ores ofthe finest
quality and unlimited quantity, Iy-
ing in close proximity to coal for
smelling and limestone for f1uxing !;
lead and zinc ores in almost every
sectiOn-in short I find here almost
every natural source Of wealth.
The country needs capital and en-
ergy to develop its wealth.
l am persuaded that these viii
soon come. By the LIST day of July
next, the Western North Carolina
railroad will be completed, thus
giving US direct communication with
Charleston, Wilmington and the
other seaports of the South. The
New York capitalists who recently
purchased that road from the State
Of North Carolina have given bonds
fer its completion by that time, and
they will comply with their agree
ment. There are only about 28
miles yet to grade, and they have
between 500 and 1000 hands at
work. We are preparing to build
road north from here to Cumber-
land Gap, a distance of 80 miles.
| Our Company is chartered under
the name Of the Morristown, Cum
ber1ahd Gap and Ohio Railroad
Company, and we have already
secured the right of way from here
to Cumberland Gap, We have
secured q liberal subscription to
the stock, and expect to begin
the work of grading in few weeks.
Our people are alive to the work.