The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1884-05-24


been suffered to lie in unproductive
idleness 50 long Is one of the strange
mysteries Of this mysterious world Of
ours. Here is a bonanza when once
fairly and fully understood by capital
lists that will eclipse in its gigantic
proportions the bonanza of the Black
Hills, and from the utilization Of
which millions Of solid wealth will be
gathered by the lucky genius who has
sufficient foresight to cultivate the
field and harvest the golden fruit
age.
Let III examine the subject from the
standpoint OF reason and common
sense, and see if there is so much as
a possible chance for failure? 1t is
well known to every intelligent man
in e. Tenn, that the business relations
of KY. with the two Carolinas through
our territory for fifty years past has
been immense, involving many thou
.ands Of dollars annually. A railway
from Ashland, KY, to Asheyille,N c.,
will augment this stream of gold from
the cotton and rice fields of the Caro-
linas to KY. for her mules, horses,
cattle, hogs, tobacco and hemp more
than hundred fold. On the other
hand, Ky. will call for the products OF
the Carolinas, and the music of her
manufactures will echoe through her
mountain gorges and along her beau
tiful valleys madepopulous by a thrifty,
industrious, prosperous and happy
people where solitude now reigns SUI
preme, and nothing is to be heard but
the hooting of the owl or the scream
ing af the raven from the tightening
blasted oak. F
But let us pause for a moment and
consider the country through which
this road is to pass, pouring its little
rivulets of freight into the great rail
way stream from each station along
the line it swells in volume and mag
nitude from year to year. There il
no territory of equal extent on the
American continent so rich III mineral
wealth, and so susceptible of boundless
development by intelligent and diver.
sified industries. Wherever the eye
is directed the scenery is grandbeyond
description, and unique in its OWL
sublinlity. A knowledge OF this FACT
alone will annually bring tourists ant
pleasure seekers in troops over tht
road, and each one will scatter few
grains Of gold in his passage to b.
gathered by our people and treasured
~ II sacred, memento of his presenc,
among lis.
Turn where YOU will, howery dell
lintoNicatC tie senses with ravishinj
ttltljglit, ard bpbling fountains are il
perpetual play. Crystal springs, an(
babling brooks, and pearling stream
80 leapiig, laughing, and dancin,
| down to the sea, giving us water-powe
sufficient to rropcl all the machiner.
fof the world. Cotton and woolel
mills win spring up ike magic al
along the line, and our boys and girl
now living in idleness or crime vii
soon become skilled and useful opera
| tiyes Tapping the vast coal fields 0
| Va on its way out from KY, this lin
of road must, in the very nature o
things, bring the ores of Unalla, Roam
and the Black mountains to som
central point and do an immens
carrying trade Twenty miles Of til
route south of Johnson City to TIL
Red Banks OF Nollachucky, up th
Buffalo Valley and down Indian Creeh
there is but little to do more thai
clear the way and lay the track. An
this passes through the inexhaustabl
iron mines of Unicoi, where Mar
Reeve and Sons fifty years ago pre-
duced an excellent quality Of steC
while the manufacture Of steel wa
still in its infancy and one Of tn
arcana ofnature. With the wonderfr
, improvements OF modern science j
mining and production Of iron an
steel it requires no gift of prophecy
2 foreses that the coal Of Va. and iro
> ore Of Unicoi and Cranberry will met
and willingly embrace each other !
Johnson City, and from their legit
mate union may spring an output {
! steel rails sufficient to girdle til
:'lglobe.
g BUTT is idle to attempt in a sill
gle article like this to enumerate
Z 1.-THE Of the benefits and advantages
: be derived from work Of great publ
utility like the Ohio Tennessee an
North Carolina Rail Road Look
IS our vast forests Of hard wood fro,
e which millions Of dollars worth
j valuable lumber can be cut. See IL
immense grain fields spread out Ike
panorama along the line Of roa
Q view the rich pasturagc and vast her
Of fat cattle all waiting for transport
:, . ton to feed the teeining millions
t. our city population, then tell me,
a