Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-10-04
COAL AND IRON
OF North Alabama to Be Made More Ac-
cessible 10 Memphis BY a
Railroad
Crossing the Tennessee River at Flor
ence-An Appeal Mans Interview
With President Gordon.

Meeting Mai. T. G. Gordon in the ro-
tunda II the Peabody Hotel evening be-
fore last, a representative of the APPEAL
asked him if he could furnish anything
regarding the Illinois, Tennessee and
Texas railroad, of which he is president.
Maj. Gordon stated that he had been at
work for some weeks past on
FlAN,
the details OF which would be given TO the
public within 4 few days. In outline, he
said, ii meant cheaper coal for Memphis,
and h manufacture of iron at least 81 a
ton cheaperthan it can be turned out at Bir-
mingham. The railroad upon which Mai.
Gordon is now at work penetrates some Of
the richest Goa and iron fields of Tennes-
see and Alabama. Work is now going on
upon the Kentucky portion of the road, and
about fifty miles have been constructed.
In a few days
A ARG FORCE
will be put at work on the portion between
Florence, Ala, and Birmingham, and the
former place will become one of the lead
ing manufacturing centers in the South, if
Mai. Gordon's scheme is what it is repre-
scented to be. His railroad, when finished,
will lead out from Henderson and from
Evansville, OH the Ohio river, the forks
Joining at d
POINT NEAL TADUCAH,
KY, crossing the Chesapeake, Ohio and
Southwestern railroad, the Chattanooga
and st. Louis railroad about seventy-fve
miles west of Nashville, the Memphis and
Charleston and Tennessee river at Flor
ence, and terminating, for the present, at
Birmingham, Ala, from whence five rail
roads already radiate. 1t is expected that
the road will be continued south from
Florence across the Alabama and Great
Southern and the East Tennessee, Nir-
ginia and Georgia railroads to Mobile.
THE ADVANTAGE
this road will be to Memphis aud to the
iron interests of the South can be seen
from the map, which, as explained to the
reporter by Maj. Gordon, allows Of the
transportation by water as well as by rail,
of coal and iron from the immense fields
south of Florence to st. Louis on the
north, and to Memphis, New Orleans and
the sea on the south. The reason given is
that the Tennessee river is navigable the
entire distance from Florence to Paducah,
at which point it
ENTITIES mt THE MISSISSIPPI.
1t is a very short distance by Mai. Cor
don's road from the iron and coal fields to
the Tennessee river. As to the other
features, to one familiar with this our
try, this line, marked out on the map, will
show the most attractive railroad scheme
which the future railroad map of the
South will present. Leaving Shawnee
town, the road to GAINESVILLE is through
the best
TOBACCO AND WHEAT
region in Kentucky and Tennessee, andbe-
sides, a large part of this piece of the road
is through the very best part of the Ken
lucky coal field. Leaving GAINESVILLE
through the counties of Dickson, Lewis
and Wayne, is the great Tennessee iron
bed, and from Florence to Birmingham is
first iron, then coal and then iron. In.
deed, the whole road is through a country
which, for making a local business, is un
surpassed.
THE GREAT SUCCESS
OF the Paramore narrow-gauge road, OF
1000 miles in length, has encouraged Mai
Gordon to undertake this grand scheme OF
makinga road from the Ohio liver through
to Birmingham. 1t is believed by many
people, since the test of the Paramore
road, that a good system of narrow-gauge
roads in the South will have the effect o.
making an entirely new tariff of freight:
and fares.