Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-06-17
THE BALL SET IN MOTION
BIG RAILROAD MEETINs IN
ASHEYXI.I.E TODAY.
II IL Decided to Ask The County
Commissioner to Call an E;Iec-
tiOl to Vote ON 100000 For
Additional Railroads..

tiOn to Vote ON 100000 For
Additional Railroads.
There was large crowd OF citizens OF
| Buncombe and adjoining counties in the
court house today when Gen. Robert b.
| Vance called to order the railroad mass
meeting which was the result of the
initiatory meeting i'll the Ashevillc club
rooms recently, the object being the
taking OF definite steps that would lead
| to better railroad facilities for Ashcville,
| Buncombc and Other counties adjacent.
| Gen. Vance i'll opening the meeting said the
| lay was ono most iii port tant to not Bum
Carolina, and hoped the people would
fully appreciate the importance of the
work to bc done. He gave several
| instances of discrimination against this
section by the Richmond and Danvilc in
| the matter OF ircights. and said the only
way to bring down freight rates was to
| have competition. Bunc rmbc was able
to subscribe $1,000 to the projected
railroads, and the speaker gave figures
| Sho wing that the tax on this amount
would be but 20 cents on the 500 worth
| OF property for each taxpayer in the
county. lie extended a warm welcome
| to visitors from Other States and coun-
tics.
D. A. Thomas of Gaflncy City. S. c.,
the first speaker, said that his county
had already surveyed line OF railroad
1 II n Polk 1tlI ,S,Dutpl pr lot
| through Buncombe to the west. His
county, Spartanburg, would be ready
| with a subscription of bonds for this
road. The road would give this section
| connection with the South and the sea
board.
Capt. Pearson, delegate from Polk,
said his county was willing and anxious
| to have Il line from Bristol through AShc-
vile and Polk and on to Chester, S. c.
With such line his county would be
able to market its vast fruit crops.
Fifty thousand dollars worth of bonds
had already been voted that was availa-
BILE fer a railroad on the lines laid out.
The best point for the line to cross the
| mountains would he Reedy Patch gap
and running through the Chimney Rock
| and Broad river country.
w. A. Cash, ~ Transylvania county
delegate, said his county had reached
that point where railroad was abso-
lutely necessary. In his county, he said,
he could show several gaps through
which road could cross the mountains
that could not DC equalcd as a crossing
bet wet n his county aud Rabun, Ga. One
mining company alone i'll Transylvan'a
is now paying more than 81 900 a
month to teamsters for transporting its
rreights. The difficulty of want of
competing railroad facilities contronts
our people in all their enterprises and is
| an effcctual block to the progress of this
favored section.
!. X. Freeman of IlcnLC son said !:
The development Of Western North
Carolina is the question OF the hour.
Henderson county stands ready to
do her great part in the movement
for new railroads; you may put her
down for q subscription to the full
amount that the law allows.
Dir. ]. a. Reagan, Wcavcrvile, said he
had studied the railroad question and
felt that n new line was Il coming ncccs-
sity, but that he only favored the issue
of bonds to such roads as would meet
Buucoinbc at her lines and to such he
would give a good subscription.
DR.. |. A. Harris, of Flat Creek, said
that he was sure that when a good plan
was presented to the people, looking to
the immediate pushing OF the work of a
new road they would undoubtedly 20
ahead and build the road.
Capt. Matt Atkinson Offered set of
resolutions which provided for the is
suarcc of $5O0,00O worth OF bonds for
the benefit of several roads.
In support of his resolutions Capt.
Atkinson said that he was for a road to
Bristol first. The amounts named for
subscription look large, but when the
immense benefits to be derived are taken
into consideration they are very small.
The road to Bristol must be FIRST class
one i'll every respect a one.horsc affair
won't do. The road South is equally
important and will deposit the rich aud
abundant products of the French Broad
valley i'll the lap of the mountain city.
Nobody need be scared. for not ono cent
of the bonds will be issued till the roads
arc built. The counties must contribute
literally to meet the contributions of the
capitalists who provide the cash Inter
est the people of every nook and corner
of the interested counties and in this way
only will the contemplated project carry
to success and benefit all the people for
The resolutions were further discussed
by S. r. Keeper, X. P. Walker, Rev. Jas
Atkins, president of Ashevillc Female
college, Col. l.. NJ. Hatch, Geo. S. Powell,
Thomas Dula and 7. c. Starncs, and the
following, as part of Capt Atkinson's
resolutions was adopted:
The Atkinson Resolution
"Resolved, That the Hon. ]. IL. Mcrri.
mon. Capt. NJ. L. Carter and ]. S.
Adams be and they are hereby consti-
tutcd Il committee whose duty it shall be
to prepare a suitable and proper propo-
sition to he submitted to the commits
sioncrs of Buncombe county to submit
| to the voters of this county that we as
| Il county may subscribe stock Ito such
railroad charter as may be deemed the
Aiost advantageous $1,000 to aid in
building railroad towards Bristol or
| some other point on the Norfolk and
Western road"
| Capt. Atkinson's resolution favoring
an appropriation of $10O, 900 for road
| to Brevard was introduced, discussed
and finally adopted unanimously.
Aldermen I. {. Starnes offered the fol-
lowing resolutions:
| THAT the County Commissioners be
requested to order an election on the
question of appropriating 100000 to a
| road towards Knoxville via Leicester,
and S1OO.0 900 for road towards Ruth
eriord via or near Fairview. In the
event that no through line shall he COM
| pletcd towards Knoxville, then $50 ,00O
| shall be subscribed to build narrow
| gauge or other road in the direction OF