The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-06-13
GREAT REUNION
OF OLD SOL DlERS
CAPT, MERCNEY TELLS OF HIS
IMPRESSIONS OF CHAT
TANOOGA.
To the Editor OF The Herald:


at Chattanooga was largely attended.
About two hundred attended from
Maury county There was fewer old
veterans present than ever before.
This was lht twenty-eighth annual
meeting of the Confederate veterans
association since it's organization. but
perhaps the first generally attended
reunion was held in Chattanooga
twenty-five years ago. The old SOL
diers are dropping off so fast now
that there can he but few more as
sembles of this hind hereafter.
Chattanooga is outgrowing any 9TH
er city in our state, and perhaps with
the single exception of Atlanta, its
growth is greater the past ten years
than any city in the South.
To the old soldier who knew it as
lit was fifty years ago, to see 1t row
lis a revelation. Then little town
not one-fourth the size OF Columbia
with a population of only 1920, with
its muddy streets, with few plank
sidewalks, ana log and frame dwell
ings, not sluele paved street CT a
brick pavement. and now he fii:ds
great business city of 100000 inhabi-
tants, with hundreds of miles of paw
ed streets and concrete paveme1ts,
many palatial private residences and
grand skyacraping banks and bust
ness houses, with mile after mile Of
street car tlacks in all directions.
Its growth is truly wonderful, and
with the addition to It's motive power
soon to be utilized by the completion
of the great dam on the Tennessee
river below the city that will start
the dynamos, generating easily Co..
900 horse power, which immense cleo
trical power cen be transmitted to
any manufacturing plant or factory
located within a hundred miles or
this great nam. Thele has been an
average force of seventeen hundred
men working on this improvement
for six years and it is now nearing
completion. This wonderful under
taking will give to Chattanooga man
featuring facilities second to no
city in the world. Situated as it is
midway oetweeI the frozen north
and the oyerheated south, in an ex-
ceptionally healthy climate. taking all
these into consideration it almos
staggers inauguration to try to esti
mate the result of the next fifty
years.
The many places and objects OF
interest in ard around Chattanooga
helped to attract this great ga'her-
ing of nearly 100000 visitors tc the
city on this occasion and the time of
most of them was largely occupied
in visiting these historic and inter
esting local;t es. the street car lines
and taXlcapS were always crowded
from early morn to late at night
with interested sight serers and for
many of thn1n the tire days was al
too soon over The visitors from
Maury county occupied two Pullman
Sleepers as tleir home for the whole
trip-carried their provisions with
them and made the trip real picnic,
the social features of which was real
pleasant. No sickness or accident
occurred TO Al their pleasure anG
they returned home as one big
family delighted with the trip. 1t
would take full page of yonr yalu
able paper to try to describe the
many objects OF interest to be seen
at ChickaraGga Park. Lookout
Mountain and Missionary Ridge so
will not attempt it.
J. N. MERONEY,
norl,, AE;IJ