The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-05-14

On the north and west lie the mag
nifcent and unbroken coal fields of
Virginia, West Virginia,
Eastern Kentucky and the Cumber-
land table lands of Tennessee, contain
ing inexhaustible beds of block,
coking, splint and camel Goals, cover
ed with virgin forests, of the finest
timber, COOL healthful, rich in grasses
and unsurpassed in the world as graz
ing lands for the raising Of stock or
for dairy farming, producing fair crops
of grain, grasses and large crops of the
finest vegetables and choicest fruits.
This region is capable of proftably
employing a dense population, who
will have abundant valuable surplus
to exchange for whatever they may
need and can not produce
The valley Of Tennessee, two hun
dred and forty miles long, with an
average width OF nearly sixty miles,
has, along its northwestern border, a
continuous belt of fossil iron ore, and
dong its upper portion the 0riskany
o.. connected with the coal by fire.
!le9ent water gaps where streams come
clown into the valley.
Southeast Of this non belt,and across
'lhe valley to its southern sides are yaly
liable beds, deposits and lodges of mar
bles, limestones, clays, iron ores, zinc,
lead and other minerals, and along its
southeastern side it is again bordered
by a broad belt of limonite iron ores.
famous for the toughness and ductility
OF the iron made from them. Through
out the valley fertile lands, fine timber,
clear streams, innumerable mineral
springs, beautiful country, from end to
end and from side to side
The mountain country which lies
along the southeastern side of the val
ley, separating it from the Piedmont
country of the Carolinas and Georgia,
having an average width of about a
hundred miles, is still more remark
able, alike for the value and variety
of resources and the peculiar topo-
graphical conditions which make its
wealth tributary to the valley.
These mountain chains are the high
est and most massive east of the
Rockies. The forests of this region
are the finest in America in the Isize
of the trees, the density of growth and
the value and variety of the timber.
The mineral wealth here is equally re-
markable The rainfall is large sand
well distributed throughout the year.
and it is everywhere SO sub-divided by
the thoroughly mountainous character
of the country as to afford water power
everywhere, making it region un-
surpassed in the world for large OF
small manufacturing Industries.
Its topography is peculiar. Two
great main ranges Of mountains com
prise its sides That along its north
western side is locally known, at the
upper end, as the Iron mountains, in
the centre, as the Great Smoky
mountains, and southwark as the
Unaka mountains Its eastern wal
is formed by the unkroken granite
range of the Blue Ridge. Between
these main chains, and outlying from
them, are numerous minor ranges
ridges and detached mountains, anC
runnzsg across from the eastern to the
western Anain chains afe numerous
cross ranges, dividing the region int,
a series Of parks, The Blue Ridge il
everywhere the water shed and thu
waters falling upon its western slope
flow through all minor intermediate
ridges and through the main western
range-though it is higher and NOR
massive than the Blue Ridge-into tin
valley of East Tennessee, The Wa
tauga, the Chucky, the French Broad
the Pigeon, the Little Tennessee, Hi
awassee and Ocoee river, taking thei
rise in the eastern range, flow mort
and west to the valley, opening tn
way for railways to bring out of thes
great natural storehouses their wealt
, of magnetic and specular ores-bessC
! mers-their states, fire clay, kaolir
tale, fine marbles, maganese, cope
mica, corundum, their magniiicer
= timber, and all the wealth that sha
G grow up out of the remarkable cond
K tions for its production and manufa,
n ture throughout this region and {
e connect it all with the valley and co.
r field beyond.
0 The wealth of the great coal field o
!, the north and the mountain countl
G on the south are as surely to be coun
it ed in estimating the foundation for ii
G growth Of wealth in the valley as 4.
G resources Of the valley itself. The
d must come into it for concentratio
If across it for exchange. No where ell
D. in the world can another body of Ian
d thirty or forty thousand square mil
4, in extent, be found to equal or a
n proaeh East Tennessee and the cour
y ry made a part OF and tributary to
1t by inhexible natural laws.
k Heretofore East Tennessee has on
" been able to talk Of what she had. 81
lie can now begin to talk of what she
If doing with it. Along the center of h
ID valley from Bristol and Chattanoo
ly every town and city is growing rapid
is steadily, solidly, 1t is not "boon