(Editor’s note: Second of two parts)
The dogwoods and redbuds were colorful in celebration the day that E.R. Betterton Jr., a member of the Hamilton County Highway Commission and chairman of the Bachman Tunnel Celebration, held a news conference in April 1929 to announce that the so-called tubes were almost completed. The retaining walls were scheduled to be completed in early May, and the celebration would be scheduled shortly after the final inspection. According to Mr. Betterton, the tubes were among the finest of their kind in the United States — as noted by the inspectors — and their dual construction had captured the attention of civil engineers “everywhere.”
The celebration was staged on June 3, 1929, and covered by the Chattanooga Daily Times. Chattanooga Mayor Ed Bass stepped in for L.G. Walker, editor of the Times, who was to have keynoted the dedication of the Bachman Tunnels but illness prevented his participation. The mayor read Walker’s speech: “I am proud that I am selected to supply for that distinguished Chattanoogan, the Honorable L.G. Walker and … appreciate the implied honor on behalf of this great city that I represent as chief executive.” Bass continued, “If Dr. Bachman could have selected a memorial to himself, he would have chosen something useful.”
The services were conducted under the careful planning of Mollie E.C. Kavanaugh at 3 p.m. on the sunny afternoon. Participants began arriving in their automobiles by noon and were parked for several blocks in every direction on both sides of the tubes. Hundreds were counted, and Mayor Bass praised the outpouring of support for the dedication.
Dr. James L. Fowle, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, where Dr. Bachman served as pastor for 51 years, opened the event with a “devotional exercise.” Squire Wilkes T. Thrasher, county judge pro tem, acted as the master of ceremonies and kept the event moving according to the detailed plans created by the celebration committee. Veterans of the Civil War and their descendants placed a wreath of carnations of red and white on the memorial fountain in memory of Dr. Bachman, who had served. “They made an unforgettable picture and there were few dry eyes as the strains of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ floated over the surrounding hills.”