The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-18
DIXIE HIGHWAY THROUGH
MARION In GOOD SHAPE
WORK ON sURFACING PRO-
CROSSING RAPIDLY.
Old Chattanooga to Nashville
Now Gone Into the
Discard.

Seduatchie, July 1s.-(Special.)- ut
may not be generally known, but the
Dixie highway is practically travers-
able through Marion county. 1t is
long route through the county COM
! ing in at near the northeast corner
Of the county and travelling in o
southerly direction to within four
miles of the Alabama line before 1t
turns in q northerly direction TO-
wards Monteagle, twenty miles dis
tant. Strange to say, after all this
| stretch of road from Chattanooga,
about thirty four miles, at the point
where 1t finally turns toward Mont
eagle, 1t Is almost on a parallel with
Chattanooga, the starting point. as
far as latitude Is concerned, and
about twenty miles gain Longitude
nally. 1t is the letter wv" in shape.
Question of distance not being con-
sidered. II Is actually a fact that IL
can be Travelled, and even In it's pres
ent condition Is the best route
through Marion county. 1t is being
used by quite a number of Whitwell
people already as route to Chatta-
nooga, both by wagon and automo-
bile. However, II Is said that 1t is
easier to go to Chattanooga over 1t
than to return. owing to some of the
grades on the mountain being rather
rough to pull UP. On the Whitwell
side of the route, lot of grading is
going to be done, with practically a
change of route to go through the
Smith farm to eliminate the turn
back" which Is the only defect in
the grade and which was made to
- \ Ill
The grade off the mountain near
Monteagle is reported excellent.
Cars are using the road right along,
there having been a large amount of
grading done this year. Mrs. w. r.
Thomas, of this city, good roads
enthusiast, recently came from Tracy
City to this place In car and re-
ported II excellent and much better
than the road to Tracy City up the
mountain at this place, which has
been used largely by cars while the
other route was building. Heavy
lumber hauling from the mountain
has practically got the best of what
was once the only passway for an
automobile over Cumberland noun
tain. and It is unlikely that it will |
ever be improved, and will finally |
wash out so badly that 1t will be |
and impossible for cars.
Speaking of the scenic attractions |
of the route Mrs. Thomas was en-
thusiastic. One beautiful view sue
ceeded another until the eye was
entranced. At one point, In blasting
for the road a cave had been opened
and to protect passersby wall had
to be built across the front. No bot
tom has yet been found, and recently
a venturesome boy has been found
who allowed himself to be lowered
with a rope into its depths. At 800
feet there was still no bottom. Stand
Ing at the mouth of the opening most
beautiful stalactite formations may
be seen. The road comes through a
beautiful farming section of Marion
county. 1t Is not surfaced as yet,
but merely graded. 1t is proposed to
rs soon as possible to get 1t surfaced
before winter.
Undoubtedly this Is the best route
10 go to Monteagle and on to Win
chester from Monteagle. The de-
,cent Of the mountain through
ioark's cove to Winchester is also
aid to be very fine, grade that can
,e climbed in high" easily.
The old Chattanooga to- Nashville
highway, once used by the Chatta-
looga Automobile club. and espe-
tally so by its members in this
'ounty, is now thing of the past
rhe large tract of timber 1t went
through on Cumberland mountain is
low being denuded of timber, and
lfter that is done 1t will practically
re abandoned to the forest fires,
which will rage when once started in
ha h Iex
ng the grounds and with thousands
more vet TO fall