Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-09
cLARKsv111E.
The Coming Industrial Center-V Visitors
Noting Her Enterprise and Growth.

To the Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle.
After reading your paper for many
years and rejecting upon your al
most daily assertions that GAINESVILLE
was the coming city, concluded, in
the company of few of my old
time friends, to spend day or two
in taking in the town, and to see for
ourself the many Improvements
you have so graphically described.
Now, to tell you the truth, we had
grave doubts as to the actual exis-
tence of many of the improvements
you were claiming. / am happy to
say we were wonderfully pleased,
and take this method of telling you
so. There is a decided air Of i'm
prOvement overspreading the entire
place; the business houses display
their stocks with taste and judg-
ment, the public buildings and
churches are large, handsome and
well cared for, whilst the number of
new, neat and luxurious homes are
amazing. Not caring for expenses,
we took passage on new and clean
summer car, namedsthe Greenwood,
going up Franklin street by some OF
the loveliest homes / ever saw.
Reaching Tenth street, we disem-
barked and took it afoot to the
Bending Works, near Red river.
Mark it, this establishment is a sue
cess, and is only the forerunner Of
Others of like kind.
From this place we started up the
branch railroad to the old Poston
place to see the Gracey Woodward
Furnace that you have said would
make 100 tons of iron in one day
We all laughed when the subject was
mentioned, for we knew something
about furnaces, having been reared
in sight of one and in hearing Of
three others; we knew whenever q
furnace made ten tons in one day she
was doing boss work. We soon ar.
rived at the place where the old Pos
ton place once was, but behold in
lieu thereof was a mass of buildings,
shops, railroad tracks, cars, stacks Of
brick, domes and towers of iron and
| know not what, all in seeming
confusion, and everybody too busy
to talk. Fortunately we met our old
lifetime friend Sam Caldwell, who
was chaperOning a party and ex-
planning the wonderful mechanism
and with such fluency we marveled
at his knowledge, for we knew he
had never seen any furnace except
Mt. Vernon. AT a later Interview
he explained that much of his infor
nation was received from Col. Tharp
Under the tutorage of the Squire
we soon absorbed all the intricate
workings of the furnace, and unless
Mr.. Perkins, one of the foremen
had explained to us that the furnace
as pointed out by the Squire was no
the furnace, but hot blast stove, We
would have left believing we under
stood the whole thing. AS it is, WI
are very much mixed. If we live
and this furnace runs out 100 tons o
iron in a day, we intend to see it
We did not meet Capt, Gracey Oh
Mr. Woodward, they being al Louiss
opening the ore banks, but wished
them success all the same and thai
they may live long to enjoy it.
1t was our intention to take in the
ice factory, the street car line through
New Town to Greenwood and Other
things claimed by you, but was SC
weary by this time we concluded tC
complete the jaunt another day. ]
have always been proud of Clarks-
vile, but | have never been so i'm.
pressed with her future as now. One
furnace is worth a thousand men, and
one ably edited paper is worth as
MANY more SOIUTI SIDE