Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-05-15
HOW,S CARDlEE2

lrelSnlcu WluH New EnRlanu Senuleulen,
pull out for Cardiff, Tennessee, to attend
the great auction sale of lots of the Car
diff Coal & Iron Co. 1t was on that
bright spring morning of the 2lst of
April, after a long and tiresome nights
travel over the Queen & Crescent route,
that these same trains, emerging from
the tunnel at Emory Gap, drew up the par
TALLY completed station of this new in
Ridge. Long before the train came to
stop, the yankees" had crowded to the
car platforms, hanging from them like
Columbus in the shrouds of the Pinta,
waving their hands rapturously and
circulating, sit is Cardiff 1t is Car
diff, indeed"
From whence was gathered this repre-
sentative crowd of New Englanders?
Who were they and for what purpose had
they come to this lonely valley of Ten
nessee? They came from among the pine
trees of old Maine, from the granite hills
of New Hampshire, from the Green
mountains of Vermont, from the chestnut
ridges of Massachusetts ard Connecti-
cut, and even little sea-encroached Rhode
Island sent her delegation. A number of
them were men of note, many were
possessed of wealth, while nearly all of
them were thrifty, influential citizens of
the North. doubt if there was ever a
body of New Englanders gathered at an
auction sale of town property in the
South, who represented such power So
cially, politically and financially, as did
this party of Cardiff excursionists.
Their visit here was due principally to
the influence of one man, to the energy
and efforts of the master spirit of the en-
ter, W. p. Rice. On the strength of Mr..
Rice's successes in the building of Fit.
Payne, in the "boomng" of Denison, and
in the loaning of eastern capital in Kan
sas, they were induced to visit Cardiff
with the intention of investing in its
realities, after becoming convinced that
their value was most amply secured by
the bountiful natural resources the COM
pany's properties afforded, by their rich
ness in iron, coal, limestone and timber,
and in the belief that surely here was to
be a large industrial city. Stopping but
briefly at Cardiff on that morning of the
2lst, the eXcursionists journeyed on to
Fl. Payne, Ala, when they were aston
ished at the growth and development III
that, the first of Mr.. Rice's southern
boom towns. Returning to Cardiff on
Tuesday, the great sale of lots was open
ed on that afternoon at = p. M, and dur
ing that and the following days IA large
amount of property was disposed of.
The bidding was spirited and consider
able excitement prevailed. Prices reach
ed, for what was considered the choicest
business property, 500, $50 and 5000
per front foot, and even $3.50 was paid in
one instance. More than 5000 people
were present daily. Building was active
on every hand. Grading was progress
ing at a rapid rate and sanguine predic-
tons were everywhere prevalent.
TWELVE MONTHS LATER.
Twelve months have elapsed since the
memorable auction sale at Cardiff. 1t is
again lovely springtime. The trees are
bursting into leaf. The flowers on the
mountain sides and in the valleys are in
full bloom, filling the balmy April air
with fragrance. The day is bright, al
most perfect save that the sun shines a
lttt1 far 60, la -nl
: ley, from the southwark. comes "wai-
faring" man. He has heard of Cardiff
and its "boom', and as matter of curl
> osity he comes to inspect the actual con-
dition of affairs. From personal observ-
alton and from people in position to
know, he has the following to say con-
, corning the town and its promoters:
In April of last year Cardiff had only
two houses; to-day she has many, but
there are plenty for rent. There were
then no business blocks to-day there are
several substantial ones, but nearly all
of them are unoccupled. Why? Be-
/ cause there is no business. \ year age
there was no hotel worthy of the name
to-day there is no hotel of any kind oper
to the public. The small hotel which
has been run In anticipation of the open
; ing of the new one, in process of con
struction, has been closed for some time
2 and the new hotel which it was estimat
ed would cost 900 is in exactly the
same stage of construction as it was
when last visited Cardiff in November
r viz, the framework about two-third,
erected.
The vice-president and general man
ager of the company, Mr.. Henry c
Young, informs me that the Cardiff Goa
a & Iron company executed mortgage
April 6, on their entire property fol
{ 100000, the trustee appointed being
t Albert G. Browne of Cordley & Co., Bos
e ton. asked for what purpose thi'
!, mortgage was placed, and was told by