The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1890-05-15

A few evenings ago, the Tennessee
Poplar Manufacturers Association
gave a bandquet in Nashville and
Lewis 7. Baxter formerly OF Knoxville,
was called upon to respond to the
toast "The Mineral Resources OF
Tennessee" He said: When my
friend, Mr.. Williams, asked me to
respond to the toast, "The Resources
of Tennessee" felt like one standing
upon the sea shore, who should be
called upon to answer, What is the
ocean, What are the laws governing
its tides, and what ale the poss ible
uses to which it may be put TO by man.
These questions involve so much
that volumes could be written in ans
wer, and yet the greater part would
remain untold.
And so when l, with the limited
knowledge OF to-day, am asked to
speak OF the mineral resources OF the
great state Of Tennessee, l feel my ina
bility to give even a faint outline OF
the hidden wealth whose presence we
know OF, but'whose enormous proper
tons astound those who have most
thoroughly investigated them.
Our minds can hardly grasp the
idea OF the accumulated power in
5000 square miles of coal, where in
seam upon seam the Greater OF the
world has placed the fuel for thous.
and years or the 1000 square miles
OF iron ores, where there has been
stored for ages the metal of the high
est civilization or the 1000 square
miles OF marble OF various colors,
from the purest white to the black
beauty Of the Chilhowee range; and
added to which are the copper ores of
Polk, the zinc OF Jefferson and Ander-
son, and the gold and silver OF Monroe
counties.
Beginning with the magnetic ores
of Carter, and ending with the brown
hematites OF Decatur; from the beau
tiful mountains OF East Tennessee
Chat great storehouse Of natures rich
es, in whose valleys, and whose noun
tains sides dwells one OF the most in
dependent, brave, hospitable and pro-
gressive people in our union) to the
fertile valley Of the broad Tennessee
river; on the plateaus of the Cumber-
land noun tains, and in the great iron
belt of Middle Tennessee in almost
every county are stored mineral rich
ss, the development Of which will fur.
n:sh employment for generations, and
make our children the richest upon
the globe.
The quantities are so great that all
of us who are here tonight in the Wig.
or OF young manhood, will long since
have been buried and forgotten, be.
fore one.hali OF our coal, our iron and
our marble will be taken from their
hiding places to enlarge our com
MERGE, beautify our homes and add
numerous comforts to mankind.
The development of these resour'
ces has only begun. The surface OIL
the earth has hardly been examined
What we may find in after years ]
know not. But the continual flow oil
foreign capital into our state, which
has lately assumed such large pro-
portions, will soon quadruple the out
put OF our mines and furnaces, and
bring to light much that is now hid
den and unknown.
When Tennessee is peopled with
her millions, and that garden spot o.
the world-the basin of Middle Ten
nessee, sustains, as it certainly will, 9
population Of 100000 to 100000 o.
healthy and contented people Their
may some one more learned than and
with an eloquent pen, describe in full
what we now so family appreciate
the mineral resources OF Tennessee
He can tell what became OF thu
1900 square miles Of hardwoods o
1890 he can point to the hundred
of furnaces, which by night and by
day turn the ores of our state into thu
: steel and iron of commerce; he car
show the magn+Hcent marble palace
of justice and of education, arounC
whose domes will cluster the happ!
homes OF a refined well educated
; prosperous and liberty loving peopl
"a people whose wealth and refine
ment have been founded upon tn