The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1888-04-19
Unexcelled Advantages as Manufact-
uring Centre.

ShSASChSu AuNaLhABSS 40 . NAaANAaSs
uring Centre.
From the New Orleans, Times Democrat.
Nesting among the hills that have
gained for East Tennessee the naNe OF |
the Switzerland Of America, johnson |
City invites the admiration of all for
its scenic and climate advantages. 1t
is not the purpose of this article to
consider the beauties OF the section,
but, leaving the realm Of poetry and
song, to consider only hard substan-
tial, business facts
Situated in the heart OF ron, coal
and timber district, Johnson City hAs
the raw material that Will make it an
important industrial centre of East
Tennessee. Iron and woodworking
establishments can here find ut their
very doors the material for their pro-
durlS as well as profitable market
Ever! r!tbing is cheap and plentiful,
while as a place of residence Johnson
City is unsurpassed.
The actua! results attained by
Johnson City are almost magical and
it needs no glittering generalities or
beautifully rounded sentences to CON
vince the business man that great
future awaits the plucky town that
stanus at the gateway Of the Alle-
ghanies In 1880 there were two
stores at
"J0HNsoN's TANK"
and about $50 people. Now there are
forty business houses and full 5000 in
habitants, a view from the hill be-
yond showing more new roofs of hand
some residences than in any other
city of its size in Tennessee.
Johnson City is situated in the cen.
tre OF one Of the greatest mineral dis
trict in the world Drawa circle ev-
cry point forty miles distant from
JOIN son City and to the east will be
found vast beds Of brown and red
hematite, some speculiar and semi
magnetic and magnetic ores To the
north will be found the greatest coal
section Of the country, which when
fully developed, it is believed will sur
pass the great Pennsylvania coal re-
gions To the south lie the noun
tains OF magnetic ore that have at
tracted the attention OF the steel max
ing world, vast bodies of timber,
seemingly inexhaustible beds of the
finest marble and silver which prom
ises rich yield. To the west lie beds
Of brown hematite. Thus on every
side nature with lavish hand has en-
riched the hills No city in the world
csn lay claim to more valuable min
erals and forests Of timber in such
quantities at so short distance.
ADVANTAGES IN DISTANCE.
The furnaces Of Missouri buy their
coke at Pocahontas Va; the mines
Of Lake Superior buy their coal from
points 900 miles distant; hence it will
be seen at a glance that Johnson CITY
favored rs 1t is with the finest stee
ores on the continent, both magnetic
and hematite, with this same coke
forty miles away possesses over thes,
points advantages which will make j
steel centre far above competition
Right now Birmingham and Chatta
nooga get coke from P0cahontas, ia
above Jnhuson City, and the Roal
Steel Works at Chattanooga nse u
ther Citico and lockwood furnace
ore from the Cranberry mines, fort
~ilc- beyond johnson City. A fun
nNca Nith this coke forty miles di,
tant aud ore from ten to forty mile
away would certainly, at Johnso
City, have advantages over one whic
has Ia have coke and ore both fror
800 to $50 miles. What chance
here presented for steel rail mill
the Charleston, Cincinnati and Oh
cSgo Railroad will, with the East Tel
nessee system, give johnson City con
petitve freight rates to all point
north, south, east and west. To tn
north and east it will have the shor
est possible routes, while to the sout
the difference in distance from Cha
tanooga will cut no particular fgur
TIMBER.
1t is no exaggeration to say that Il
same amount of territory, Easter
Tennessee, Western Virginia, Easter
Kentucky and Western North Car
lima, of which Johnson City is the ce
tire, is the best timbeIed section
America and perhaps in the worl
especially as to the hard woods.
regard to number of species and va
ieties this section is unsurpasse
More than three-fourths of the abo
sections are yet in ferests One
sirable feature of these forests is tn
so many varieties are found growil
in the same locality. The prlnciE