NP, CC 2/15A/1861

From the Clarksville Chronicle {Clarksville, Ten.}
 
February 15, 1861
 
   One of the advantages resulting from railroads to towns and cities through which they pass, is that they afford employment to hundreds of laborers and artisans, in keeping the road in repair, building and mending machinery, &c. It has always been hoped that Clarksville would be benefitted thus by our road {Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville RR}, but, so far, we have not to any great extent -- that is since the road was finished about here.
   The great desideratum now for the benefit of Clarksville is the establishment of a machine shop at this point. It would bring into our midst a large number of mechanic who would become permanent citizens, and would not only retain to this community thousands of dollars annually that are now sent away to pay for work brought here, but would bring thousands here from elsewhere to pay for work done here. Clarksville is an admirable point for such an establishment, too Fuel, even now, can be had moderately cheap, and the furnaces and rolling-mill within two hours travel by the railroad, and four or five only by river, afford as good iron as there is in the world. Besides, we have here already an iron and brass foundry that can do any work in those metals and turn out any kind of castings necessary to railroad equipment; so that we need only now the establishment of a shop for the wood-work, in order to make here everything needed in supplying and keeping up the rolling-stock of our road Messrs. Whitfield, Bradley & Co. proprietors of our foundry, deserve much credit for their enterprise in establishing and sustaining it here. They are now doing full work notwithstanding the hard times, and are turning out daily most excellent work of all kinds, from plain dog-irons to complete steam engines.

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