26 EAST TENNESSEE. 



of coal. All the coal lies on tlie north side of the Valley. But even these 

 ores on the South side are nearer coal than the Champlain and Superior 

 ores. The latter ores at Pittsburg cost the furnaces from |9 to $20 i^er ton. 



These are the coal and _ iron beds of ]^]ast Tennessee. General Wilder 

 says our ores are superior in quality and quantity to the beds of Pennsyl- 

 vania and Missouri. The bulk of the INIissouri iron is near the Iron Hills. 

 It is harder, and not so accessible as the East Tennessee mines. 



There is nothing needed to develop these imiuense fields of wealth but 

 cheap transportation. We can have this if the National Government will 

 give us help. It has been said that the ojiening of the Tennessee river is 

 of local advantage only — that it is a river of little importance. But this is 

 a great error. _ Por 150 miles from its mouth, it is a better navigable stream 

 than the Ohio above Louisville. In the summer months, it has a greater 

 amount of water in its bed than the Ohio at Cincinnati. Six navigable 

 streams cmjtty into it. With its tributaries, it waters one of the richest 

 mineral regions of the world. Eight millions of dollars judiciously ex- 

 jicnded at the IMuscle Shoals would open up a richer mineral country than 

 the Ohio waters. We can float into the market of the world more iroii 

 than is found on the banks of the Ohio. Is the opening of such a river of 

 no importance to the people of the United States? Not only iron and coal 

 fields are waiting the opening of this river for development, but the Holston 

 river itself washes through the richest marble beds of the world ! General 

 Wilder informs me that a heavy marble dealer at Loudon — about thirty 

 miles west of this city — told him that it cost him more to get his marble 

 from that point to Savannah by rail than it costs to ship marble from Italy 

 to New York. He ships by water from Savannah to New York, and then 

 he has to compete with the Italian marble under great disadvantages. No 

 one doubts that, for most purposes, our East Tennessee marble is finer 

 than any in the world. Specimens of it can be seen in the National Capi- 

 tol at Washington. Oi)en u}) the Tennessee river so we can ship by river 

 to New Orleans, and we will supi)ly the world with the very best of marble. 

 The tributaries of the Tennessee are navigable with flat boats from the salt 

 works in Virginia. Give us fi-ee access to the ocean, and we will ship 

 without limit, gj-psum, salt, lime, marble, coal, iron, copper and lead. 



REQUEST. 



Persons desiring further information upon any facts hcvuia stated, are re<iuesteJ to 

 address lion. J. W. Nokth, President, or Chaules Seymour, Corresponding Seoretary 

 Knoxville Industrial As.sociation, Knoxvillo, Tennessee. Their letters will be prompt- 

 Iv answered. The great object of this Association is to gather and disseminate in- 

 formation concerning tlie resources of East Tennessee: and the officers of the As- 

 sociation will take pleasure in rendering every service tending to promote this object. 

 We desire to give this pamphlet as large a circulation as possible, and will, there- 

 fore, send copies to all whoso addresses are furnished, and we ask all readers to 

 hand this to their friends when they have read it. 



