The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-23
40 Fulton St., Brooklyn, N. y

awake. The splendid resources of the coun-
try back of her and all around her were be-
ginning TO be strongly felt for the first time
in her history Knoxville had on her seven
league boots in dead earnest. If Chat
tanooga intended to continue in the lead OF
the procession, it hehooved her to improve
on even tho rapid gait she had struck in the
last decade.
AHEAD OF CHATTANOOGA.
In the early nineties came the hard times
and they hit both Chattanooga and Knox
Vile and Chattanooga got 1t the hardest
Her gain in the decade from 1880 TO 1860
was but little over | 600, just about ga rer
cent knoxville, too dropped heavily back
from her gain in the previous decade, but
even Mt that she showed up at the finish
with an increase of 4i.s per cent In her
population.
She was now IN the lead She had passed
her old rival. Chattanooga, and was the
largest city in East Tennessee, even in
population. and away and beyond the
largest in wealth and in commercial and
industrial activity. The population Of Chat
-anooga, according to the census Of 1900
was 80, 1854 That of Knoxville was 32.637.
But, even al that. these figures did not
| DO Knoxville justice. In this era OF her
rapid grow tn she had sprawled all over and
far beyond the narrow boundaries OF her
municipality. Suburbs had grown up
| which in all fairness were as much part
| Of Knoxville as was the heart Of the old city
proper. Adding these surrounding and
| contiguous groups and creditng them where
they justly belong, tn" population Of Knox
Vile -dav may be estimated conservativcly
at close upon 81 coo people.
| In other words, within about twenty
years dull, sleepy, little town Of about
| IL 600 inhabitants has been transformed into
a busting. wide awake, manufacturing and
commercial city Of over half hundred
| thousand--in population the third city ip
the State Of Tennessee and in prospects Of
growth and future rapid business develop
| ment right up in line with Nashville and
Memphis themselves.
In Passing. it Is unfair 10 leave the inn
preston with readers unfG "A liar with the
fact that the 3O,lSi population credited TO
Chattanooga by the national census Of 1000
is Just measure Of that city's progress.
Like Knoxville. she, too. out grew her baby
clothes in the last decade and spread out
into the surrounding country Including
all that is rightfully hers. you may put
down tho present day population Of Chatta-
nooga at upward OF 5000 and you will not
be very far out Of the way. But even this
leaves Chattanooga in population some
thing like 1000 behind Knoxvlle-just
about the figure Of Chattanooga lead when
the noses were counted for the census
of 1890.
OLD KNOXVILLE
But the mere dry statistics striking as
they are, give but vague idea Of Knox
ville's growth a. compared with the visible
fact even stranger visiting the city fol
the first tine may see. The outlines Of the
old village Knoxville Of the two -belun
decades are easily pointed out. A little
hubble Of homes and business blocks hug
eing Gay street. dribbing down into tn,
ravine and climbing the opposite slope
, that was the Knoxville Of only few shor
years ago.
. Stout old Parson Brownlow's house
, with the little dngy Office in the yard, from
( which in those fiery.furnace days he issuet
} the Knorrille Wing, every number OF whicl
l raised the political temperature, alread
sufficiently ardent. upward by severa
, degrees this house, then an excellen
| residence HS ntl~tS 'IlfII WIN hi'oA
vile, was about in the heart Of the village
The octogenarian widow Of the fearles
z editor, lright Of eye aud alert OF mind an
r memory as many woi'.an Of half her age
q lives there and il one Of the interestin
( features of Knoxville Presidents an
Q Governors call upon her, and the visitors
a register that she keeps will one day he
: rare prize Tor the autograph hunter. "Thec
e dore Roosevelt. Oyster Bay. n. y Is on
e of the late additions to the collection whic
the old lady likes to show her callers.
% Now, this old homo Of the Fighting Parse
). in the memory Of young men was we
within the centre Of the town. On that cole
d misty Sunday morning of the goth Of Noven
@ Der, 1883, when Longstreet hurled his vet
Y Grams up the northwestern slope Of Fol
h Sanders in a charge every whit as desperat
u in valor and as disastrous in results as tht
l. Of Pickett and Pettigrew at Gettysburg
II the scene Of awful carnage was fully mi
D. and half away from the uttermost limit
o OF little Knoxville's outskirts A Ion
It stretch Of open fields and woodland wa
l. between Fort Sanders and the villag
IL Burnside's Notifications were far out In Il
= country guarding the approach to the tow
II Is really marvellous TO think Of this at Il
y present day as you stand on the battlegrour