Hammond Times, Volume 3, Number 21, Hammond, Lake County, 21 June 1913 — Page 6
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Signal Mountain Joined to City by Boulevard and Trolley Lino at Large Outlay of Capital Reunion Visitors Will Be Taken Over the Road in Automobiles and Shown Some of the Finest Mountain Scenery in the World.
SPLENDID SCENIC PANORAMA ON THE TENNESSEE RIVER AT CHATTANOOGA
Thousands of Tons of Stone Blasted From Face of Mountain and Hurled a Thousand Feet Below to Secure a Satisfactory Roadbed One of the Best Samples of Good m Road Building in the Southern States and One That Will Stand Good Comparison With Any in the Country Road Is to Be Extended to Louisville, Ky., if Present Plans Are Carried Out in Full.
(By J. G. RICE.) Chattanooga. Tenn.. May 10. One of the bes. samples of gcod roaa buUdir.gr in the southern utatees has been r laced cn exhibition tere during: the present year. Th new roadway connects the city V.f Chattanooga -with
the work, conceived the idea of blast
ing away the base of this :i.: for a distance of more than a mile t- secure a roadbed that vould be entirely safe. Many tons of dynamite were used In the work, a number of heavy blasts
being ignited simultaneously along the
Signal mountain, or Walden's ridge, a J face of the cliff. Thousand-- of ton
noted summer resort of the Cumber- of stone were thus torn aw - from the
lane mountains. It is a part of a com- J face of the cliff a.ad sen crashing
prehensive system of good roads in down the mountain side. distance of Hamilton county. Visitors to th Con- from 600 to 1.000 feet. A satisfactory vederate reunion. May 27-29. will be roadbed was secured, after a great deal
charmed Trlth a trip to this historic of work, and the new road hugs the height over one of the best and most side of the cliff for m.ire than a mile. . V. . r . ...
picturesque roads in the soutnera i icnnejes river stretcning like a
states. ribbon a thousand feet :ow. The
The building of this rood was due to rad climbs to the summit of the
the energy and enterprise of a local mountain through a natural gulch, the
capitalist. Mr. C. E. James. Mr. James bed of a small stream. and his associates bought a consider- Splendid Mountain Scenerv.
able tract of land on .Signal mountain. Tne Tenncsseft Plv ,ha haft
which Includes Signal Potnt an eml- of Slgnal mountaln a!most th. ntln nenee overhanging ihe torcuous and ,e th of n .,(,
tumultuos channel, or narrows, of the gome of the flnegt moumaJn 8cenery
Tennessee river. A modern noi.ei ln thft wor,d , - . .
been erected at Slgna Point. It Is a j0yed by alJ wh(j vls,t TOOUntaJn
handsomely appointed note., duui The rlver wlnds between tbe moun.
t-'o bbii "J"-"J"" tains a distance of twantv mile in
native mountain, surrounded iy xor- fuU v!ew from g. .
est trees and supplied by chemically Hamg. ,Blaad ,a soine mj9 a,,OV0 glg
pure mountain water. i.ai Point, and farther away the point
Sliroul mountain lies norm or -nai- or lookout mountain mlses its Imnos-
tanoooga some six miles. It Is a spur lng front in view. Smoko from the of the CumtWs. has an average ln- U.Z
m . . ft aaa imva ncf. level. 1 , . .
aunuue vi ,vw piaimy seen six milea r.wav on an air
is approximately one Iiunred miles to line. Looking directly across the river length and has an average width of from Signal Point, tho spectator bemli. Th ten of te Trountain holds other mountains that wave been ten miles. The tep of te kotow away f rom mountan by tha
Is a practically levet p.a.u. ""- Tennessee. Down the river are such
ered by forest trees, witn nere ana i nistoric points a the "Suck,- the there a comfortable mountain home. "Skillet" the "Pot" and other river
On that part of the mountain nearest "nh.H "
Chattanooga there has teen for many Uc favorable, all of the colors of the years a colony of summei residents, a rainbow delight the eye n this won-
few hotels and cottages for rent, and aenui panorama. It was from this through t,e-e the people of most of JiJSSSJS -l11:.' lll
the southern centers havs become th venturesome whin pioneer. Sigmore or less familiar with the moun- nal fires were built on the mountain. I . - 1 1 ( In . . . ... . .
tain, i laienigion to every inaian out unin-
, ,, . . , , teuigiDie to tne wnite man. During The Signal Mountain Road. the Civil war tha Federals user! Signal
in traversing the distance from the I ioInt for a like purpose, to .vatch the
base to the summit of the mountain. emten:t f.th?uCvf l"9; From
vAaa ini-jucii i a ititj iiuu received li the Signal mountain road eaches an name lt ls a ntatMrto mmence atld altitude of approximately i,600 feet one of the most Interesting testimonabove sea level. The heaviest grade ials extan: to the wonderful work of of the road, however. Is but 7 per ceni "VV, H?0, ?1ld 54i
An automobile nay be driven with all u already mentioned. The trip will saiety from the business districts of be a delight and a revelation to reChattanoo;a to Signal FohV. over the union visitors In My.
road In thirty minutes. Before the Hamilton County Roads, road was built It required more tnan Hamilton countv has about 150 m
in hour to go from the city to the j of good roads. This estimate does not
lame point on the mountain la a motor include about 110 miles of government
roaa. constructed unar me direction
car, over a rough ard. at points, dan-
of the war department The Signal
gerou road. ? mountain road Is i. part of the system.
A movement is now heralded to ex- The county built the road from the
tend this road north to Intersect a cn - v-naitnnoopa to tne case or sig-
... . m 1 nai mountain, it was necessary to
B " I tunnel Stringer's .id ere. an lnterven
itruction irom wasnvuie to Bristol, ing line of bills, to secure a road of
ind thence through Kentucky to I easy grade. This ridge, like almost
Louisville, This extension would every clner r,ago ,n lne vicinity or
unattanooga. nas nistoric importance.
shorten the distance be tweet Chatta
nooga and Louisville about 130 miles over any steam road. A companion project Is to Interest the national
government ln the construction of a
road from Fort Oglethorpe, at Chicka-
The first shot opening the dreadful
carnage of the Civil war in th Chat
tanooga valley was Jred from this ridge by the batteries of n. John T.
Wilder. The tunnei penetrates String
er's ridge near the site of Fort Wilder.
Mr. James and associates built the
1 1, - 77r, 1 4 If JW - J J T , il v ; 5 IVfi; ' sf''' A H 1" . . MrMxWh kit- V y" - -4r -tMwM r? ym Sill y5?r F'-'vv i--- V? - ; 5r, , J Irrrnfrir ' ifeT'v - s 7 iiv BfllBPMbii - j pj, iMlfo'J r , '- -m" , .---'r v?- ' - l III v :' , " v k fve v-"'!! ' 1 II - . . ' Ilk K -Win -Vl vh. lli flxf.. . . . .u" -11U,- v - w i9l ll i- - - .- . ; - :i."iV V" XwvyJy.sVw zV ll-
The pictures numbered 1 and 2 at the top show James Point before and after the road was completed. This point is about 1,500 feet above the Tennessee river which flows along the base of the mountain almost directly under the point. No. 3, Signal Point Hotel, that will have its first guests during the May Reunion. No. 4, one of the most beautiful sections of the Signal Mountain road. No. 5, view of the Tennessee river and Williams' island from James Point on Signal mountain.
mauga, to Atlanta, to uiJte tbe Fort road froc the base to the summit of Oglethorpe brigade post with Fort Mc- the mountain, thus connecting Signal
. , . mountain wim unattanooga Dy a roaa Pherson. The carrying out of these ... . . .
projects would give tht country an au
tomobile highway from Louisnlle to
tlanta. through Chattanoo-Tc
one of the possibilities of the future.
The Bigoal mountain roaa is pro
nounced, by all road experts who have
examined It, as a triumph ln road
building and civil engineering. The
structlon In the southern states.
Cood roads penetrate Into the court-
It is trv ,n everv direction from Chatta
nooga, a eu-root boulevard nas oeen built from the city souta to the Georgia state line, where connection is made with 110 miles of government
road Chattanooga - Chlckamauga
National park and Fort Oglethorpe. A good road, of easy grade for touring
road winds by easy grades ip the side cars, has been constructed to the top and benches of the mountain to a of Tookout mountain. This road is
.rnwnin biiifr. fhi. mwnin? hinff t I also one of the finest :n America from
. ... , v.. . the scenic standpoint.
ituvVL xwv uiu i-xuui uooo uj sum
mit, bare of foliage, and vising perpen
dicularly from tbe bench of the moun
tain. The fact of this c!13 glistens
ln the sunlight, and on a fair day is visible for miles around. Mr. W. T. ' James, the civil engineer In charge or
Signal Mountain Trolley.
The same capitalists who built the
Signal mountain macadam road are
building a modern trolley line to Signal Po'nt over much the same route.
The trolley line, however, :s for the greater pert of the distance a few
hunfireu feet below the public highway. This line Is being rushed to completion, and will be in operation, if possible, by the last of May The reader, however, can have but an unsatisfactory idea of be immense amount of work necessary to build n trolley road over this mountain side. From the city of vnattanooga. to the base of the mountain the work was comparatively easy, but it 1 : a herculean task to carry lt up the mountain. A large amount of. capital .3 required to finance such an undertr king, and skilled engineers are Indispensable,
But the task ls almost accomplish el. and it is an accomplishment that would stand muster with the celebnted road building in t e Rocky mountains. The completion of the twin enterprises gives the people of the -hole south an opportunity to see and enjoy one of nat -re's most stupendous .vorks In the Cumberland mountains. Wealth of Mountain Soenery. The wealth of the Tennessee mountains, and especially thase within reach of Chatta looga, is Just beginning to be appreciated. These mountains r jpply the firBt requisite to profitable business, -.nd that is health. No section of the United Status is health
ier. Go amon.i tho mountain peopie and you will find homes th.t shelter two or three generations;. Almost every mountain home has it- very old man o. woman. Their ages range all the way 1'rom 80 to 95 yea.-s They have lived an.ons the mountains all of their lives, and are hif.lthy and active. The -isvases of childhood are practically unknown on these mountain tops. Pulmonary iroub'cs are unknown. From the top of Signal mountain the spectator behold. n almost every direction mountain peaks that vary In altitude from 2.000 to 6.000 feet above ser level. One hundred miles southeast on a clear day. tlie peaks of the Great Smokies are seen. Some of Ihese peaks rise to an altitude of more than 6.000 feet. Their sides are covered wit- virgin forest, bulldlrts stone is abundant, and in sr.-ne places marble is found. The sol' ii fertile on the sides of these mountaina, and even on the summits of most of them crops may be prowr. in abundance. People live araon? them all of the year and rarely suffe- from cold, and never Troin heat. Thtj character o the mountain sections of East Tennessee are not well understood from the fact that access to them ha been difficult, if not impossible. Rond uildin?. like the Signal mountain improvement Just
described, opens the mountain sections to enterprise and industry. While the prlmo purpose of this enterprise la to ;jive the people 'of the scuth'rn states a delightful place of recre.ision and pleasure, it also open- a i wide scopo rich territory to dev.. lcp-nent territory in which there Is an abundance o timber, buildis jtone and coal deposits. Signal mountain, or at least a spu- of the Cum'oerlands. extends through Dledsoo and Cumberland counties ln Tennessee, and the proposed extension of the higiiway and trolle: road in thu direction of Louisville, Ky, will give ihj people of those counties transportation facilities and roads that they do not now enjoy. Nashville to Bristol. The building of the stata highway from Nashville to Bristol is assured. Extension of the Signa; mountain road north from Signal Piint, along the crest of the ridge, wii conn-.ct Chattanooga with the s.at- hlghvay. The road3 through the Cumberland mountains Uetv.een Chattanooga and Nashville are rcugh, and at times impassable for automobiles. The extension of the Signal mountain road to Intersect with the state higav ay would obviate this rough trip between the two cities. Going east the same thing may
be said. ( In addition to this a movement has bee,n starte to build a pike road between Chattanooga and Knoxville on ! almost an at. line Thee road3, radiating from cente-s of population, art jxpectc" .to revolutionize conditions of travel In the mountain ous countries of Eist TenneJsee. The timj is not far dis'.a -- in the opinion of men who heve given the subject study, when Knoxvllle. Chattanooga and Lcuisvllle, and possibly Memphis will be connected by highwayn over which touring cars miy be run with speed and safety. Th :noni interesting sections of the southern states may then be enjoyed by thousands of people w'ao have never bad that opportunity before. An automobile trip through thro rich farming sections of Middle Tennessee, the alluvial plains cf West Tennessee and tho -nountaln-cus sections of East Tennessee would be .-. delight indeed. The late Senator Rcbert L. Taylor eulogized the mountains of East Tennessee so eloquently and from so many olatforms that people have a desire to leave the steam roads and travel over them where their beauty can be better enjoyed. Senator Taylor at tims seemed to exaggerate the grandeur c' the East Tennessee mountains and to paint pictures with bis eloquent l?rs that did
nc. exist; but a coui through them will convince any man that be overdrew no picture, and that o did not exaggerate the beauties of the East Tennessee mountains. The Reunion Opportunity. The people of more than a dozen states have an opportunity to see the mountains around Chattanooga and throughout a part of iCast Tennessee on the occasion of the Confederate reunion in May at a comparatively low cost. In ali of the territory east nC the Rio G ande an.: south of tbe Potomac the railroad fao .j but one cent a mile. .During the past week the railrc -o . embraced in tbe Southwesten Passenger assocla Ion. wsst of the Mississippi river, reduced thel rates to the wne-cent-a-mile basis, thus giving the peoplo of Texas, Arkansas. Louisiana and Oklahoma the same low rate that had already been announced east of tne Mississippi. These low rates ate attractive, xr.l Chattanooga expects a large cro.vj to take advantage ct the opportunity they afford for the people of other states to enjoy the mountain scenery of East Tennessee and re 1-lt the historic points about tiie city points that have been made his'.oric by the best blood of Americans