The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1895-01-17
ce will cheer any Responding in

ence will cheer any Responding In
valid.
j was invited by Rev. G.. r. Car
ter to assist in dedicatipg Presby-
terian Church, at the Gap. AS
was riding:to the town, and just be. |
fore we passed over the river, / saw
new church, on the left nicely |
painted and said, "Can that he the /
house we are 10 dedicate? Before
l reached the Intermont Hotel, a
man came into the car, and anyone
who knew the people and what
house was to be dedicated w'd guess
at once that "Uncle Alec" was that
man, and who else would it be? A
man universally esteemed by the
whites, with resolute viii, resolv-
ed that his people should have a
house of worship. Having secured
the endorsement of Hoiston Presby-
terry and encouraged by the citizens
of The town he inaugarated the
movement, and pushed it forward,
putting into it $500 of his earnings
in his blacksmith shop, and at last
saw his desire gratified.
! 1t was very pleasant to find such
an einterest in the town in Uncle
Alec's Church. We dedicated the
beautiful house, in the afternoon on
Sunday the 9th. inst, and had it not
been for the rain, the house holding
400 w'd have been filled. 1t is the
incest church but one in the town
! have lived in Tennessee IS years,
and have visited many places in
the late seceeding states, but so far
as | now remember, / have not
found such generous interest
in tho welfare of the c0lored
people AS was manifested At Big
Stone Gap. People, men and wo-
men, prominent in the town wal :.
ed a long distance at night, in the
damp weather, to the service, and
at Uncle Alac's request, played his
organ and conducted the singing
for US.
/ My visit to the town was very
agreeable, and in accordance with
an earnest desire, promised to re-
turn again.
Ifevery town had an Uncle Alec
Clark t lead his people, the blacks
would accomplish much more.
was advised to return by the
South Atlantic & Ohio r. r. by the
way of Bristol, in order to see the
Natural Tunnel through the noun
tain. ] stood upon the platform
with the conductor AZ we entered
and came out of that wonderful big
& hole, eighty feet to its roof. 1t is
rthe work Of water, and ages were
spent in digging it fer rail road in
the 10th Century. 1t is in the
, shape of the letter S. AT one point
the curve was so short that the
company had to cut short tunnel
/. through the bend, so that here was
tunnel within tunnel. The en-
! frances were very grand. Imagine
two immense tunnels lying down
with the small ends or tubes COM
, ing together. The broad ends rep.
resent the entrances to the tunnel.
The rocks slant downward as you
} go into the mountain until in places
the opening is much smaller. The
distance through the tunnel is 500
, feet, and one can see through its
; whole extent. Ordinarily the wat
7 er does not flow through the old
I channel, but the rains had 50 swol-
3 len the stream that it dashed
. through its old pathway with fury.
t On reaching Bristol l called upon
: Rev. George Caldwell ID. d. who
4 was an intimate classmate of mine
e in New York City in 1S50-5l.
t If any of your readers think, Big
: Stone Gap is dead-boOmed-town,
a let him 60 and see it, and l am sure
t he will predict great future for it
Y and if he finds the present proprie.
e tor of the Hotel Intermont-Mr
: Peter Kidd let him not gauge him
according to his physical proper
n tons for his politeness and gener
a osity will equal those old tall Vir.
q ginians who have ever been re-
" nowned for genuine hospitality
. p. Nj. Bartlett.