The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1906-08-16
CY LYLE AND THE EVOLUTION
OF JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE
How the Noted Mountain Town Doomed, Busted" and
Came Again-Cy Took Town Lots for Subscrip-
tons to The Comet, and Later Erected His
Palatial Home, BultleSs"
Geo. A. Ross in Memphis Commercial "A ppeaD

Many OF the readers OF the editorial
columns of the Commercial-Appeal be-
lieve that Cy Lyle is myth, the oppo-
site of Jack Reaves, of the Hardeman
Free Press, but the inhabitants of
Johnson City would resent the mere
suggestion that Cy and his Comet are
not real, living, moving agencies in
one of the liveliest little towns in Ten
nessee.
That Cy is alive and moving can be
attested to by the reporter who recently
visited his town and found him busy
holding down the tripod of the Comet,
bright little weekly which has had
the misfortune to share with its owner
the popular belief that was fictitious
organ used as the vehicle of newspaper
humor.
Johnson City is town of 5000 popu-
lation, located on the Southern railroad
1O6 miles east of Knoxville and % miles
west of Bristol, it's rival, on the bord r
between Tennessee and Virginia. 1t is a
modern town, having electric lights,
waterworks, electric cars and sewerage
system. 1t has several factories and
one OF the largest tanneries in the south.
The town has had several epochs in
its history of which the inhabitants are
prond. Imagine the exultation which
followed the changing of the name of
the place from "Jobe's Tank to that
of Johnson City, an event which is re-
corded in the memory of many of Its
present citizens, to say nothing OF the
recollection of the oldest inhabitants.
The water tank which gave 1t its first
appelation still stands by the railroad
track, which skirts the public square,
and furnishes a cool retreat for the few
Ioafers which the town has supported
for years. The proposed removal OF
this tauk has made and unmade many
aldermen and other municipal officials.
Several municipal tickets have been
elected on the platform declaring for
the removal of the tank but just as Of
ten they have failed, and the tank still
stands, having outgenerald the most
GINNING and powerful city officials fol
years. 1t was confidentially told the
writer that the railroad officials had al
last yielded to public sentiment anC
would remove the tank this summer
CIV Lyle once had the Comet Office neal
this tank, but the sight of such large
quantity of water was too much for the
nerve of his printers, and after figh
with the railroad company, which wal
so fierce that he came near losing hi
an nual pass, he decided to move th'
Comet office from its proximity of thu
tank.
johnson City has other papers, bu
the Comet is the oldest and best known
1t is the only one of them to boast o
having once been daily, and onl.
once. 1t was founded by Bob Taylor
the present nominee for the UniteC
States senate, who was its first editor
His humor soon brought it numerou
| subscribers, out it did not make none
as fast. as Bob Taylor and his first part
ner, Bob Burrow, could spend, and al
ter a few years struggle they, by mutus
consent, gave the paper TO Cy Lyle,
native of Washington county, in whic
the town of johnson City is located
Cy was at that time sort of forema
j of the composing room, he havin
= learned the printing business about th
time the paper was started. The moI
ey the paper was earning and payin
the force made it easy for Cy, or an
other blacksmith. to get position o
it as foreman. But Cy's knowlede
stood him we'll in hand and from ii
NJ day he took hold OF the paper there WI
something doing all the time. |
struggle was remarkable one, and {
is said to have outgeneraled more di
ferept kinds of starvation than al
ly man in Tennessee.
n. .<fter the name of the place had bee
y. chs Aged from Jobe's Tank to JohnsC
he City, the town began to grow. Son
or eastern capitalists located a tanner
S DY near by which was bigger than the TOW
sh itself. This brought on so much bus
We ness that the town experienced its fir
boom and built narrow gauge railro
a up to Cranberry, N. O., to bring Il
. bark.
ier 1q But the only boom that the prese
ow citizens keep in mind is that of Is
ut and 1890, when the Carnegie subdl
S 'ce sion was laid off and an iron furna
e,Ir; erected. Town lots went higher th
ui they are on Main street in Memphis
me- few weeks. No town among all the
in Tennessee that doomed and "bu
ed" had such strenuous time as job
son City. Waterworks, paved stre'
and sidewalks, electric lights, strt
Il cars and hotel went mp like the pala'
II Of Aladdin in q night This is the OF