Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-04


lutte You, PensaeOla-.QuIck Pro-
gress--The Gates Opening TO West
FlOrIda.-TheIr Day of Jubilee Ap-
prOaching--M A. J. RUSSELL.
Here They COme-.Treasure TrOves
Jack Frost FIanked--Sundries.
JACKSONVILLE November Am article in
the last issue of that well-conducted paper, the
Putnam County Journal, has suggested some
ideas which propose TO elaborate state
ment is made, based on the estimates of nu-
merous intelligent and competent gentlemen,
that the present crop of oranges in Putnam
will footup he handsome figures of 6,205,60l.
Now, at $50 to the box, 54.7C4 packages viii =
required. At SIS per thousand. the round
Of Sl22, $40 will be realized. This industry, 20,
is only in its infancy, and the proportions that
it bids fair to assume within the next five years
in this State are somewhat startling even to
cool-headed observers. By the end of the pc
riod mentioned. it is very certain that the
revenue from oranges will exceed that from cot
ton, and that the net profits of the former crop
will be incomparably greater than those from
the latter Personally, l would rather have
twenty acre orange grove in full bearing than
a thousand acres of the most productive cot
ton lands in Middle Florida Huge estates.
titled by the present unreliable labor, upon
which, according to the census a bale is made
to every four acres constitute very unat-
tractive property. Valuing a bag of cotton
at $50. the yield per acre would be $l2 so. To
obtain even this small result about eight
months of labor are required, and out of the
pittance must come the expenses Why, any
average tree in East Florida that yields eight
hundred oranges will leave the acre of cotton
far behind in clear money. Pshaw! there's no
sort of comparison.
Again, the orange crop of Putnam will require
several steamers and trains of freight cars to
convey it to market do not know what is an
average cargo of oranges for one of our river
steamers, but it is clear that several trips of
our largest vessels will be necessary to remove
the yield of Putnam alone Then comes Orange,
Volusia, Sumter. Brevard. Marion and other
counties with their myriads of the golden
globes, most of which will seek an outlet by
the st. Johns river Five years hence the
present facilities for moving the orange crop
will be totally inadequate The older groves
are continually increasing in productiveness
with astonishing rapidity, while countless
young groves are coming into bearing with
each succeeding year, and swelling the grand
total 1t is folly to talk about
quitting the market When Florida
exports $50, 100000 oranges, they will fur
annually,Or one month. There is certainly no
great ground for apprehension in such an out.
look Even should it happen that the fruit in
the course of time should fall to 81 80 per
thousand, or one half the present price, there
will be a very satisfactory margin on the right
side of the ledger.
Our growers should not relax their efforts
until the florida orange has entirely super
seded its distant cousin of the Mediterranean,
not alone because it is a home production, but
because 1t IS infinitely superior IN all desirable
| qualities. In the way of lemons also. it is
within our power, and it is cur duty to hold
| monopoly. Our superior methods Of cutiva-
ton will create better article than the foreign
| production, and we are far less liable to the
| hazards of lengthy voyages.
| This I nit business is huge even in its pres
| ent infantile dimensions, and it gives promise
| of immense development in the nesr future.
condenSe the following interesting facts
! relative 70 the progress of the Pensacola and
! Atlantic Railroad, now in course of construc-
| ton from Pensacola to the ChattahOOchee
river, from the Pensacola correspondent of the
| New Orleans EicGVltIe. Speaking of the great
rapidity with which the work has been pressed,
| the writer says:
Projected by W. D. Chipley in February
| last-chartered in March in the
| same month-organized IN April-preliminary
! line published in May-cantracted for in June
work under full headway in July To-day
L. 90 men are at work on its line Three en-
| gineer corps are completing the location
| "One thousand additional men will be placed
on the road this month, and work will com
|
| 5th inst. Eight thousand tons of steel rails
| and seven thousand kegs of spikes have been
| already purchased. Contracts have been made
! for the draw and fixed spans across Escambia
| Bay, Chipola, Blaekwater, ChOctawhatchie and
| ApalaChicOla rivers. he bridge across Escarn-
| tia Bay will be one and a quarter miles long
| to be composed of creosoted timber, and to be
completed by the first of June
Track laying will commence simultaneous
| ly at Pensacola eastward, Milton eastward
Choctawhatchee river east to west. and at
Apalachicola westward. Foundations are be-
ing prepared at Pensacola for a handsome
union passenger depot"
the contract required trains to run through
from Pensacola to Chatt 'hoochie by January,
1885, so that members OF the next Legislature
from EScambis and Santa Rosa will be enabled
to reach Tallahassee without being forced to
traverse Ala anna and Georgia. The compile
tiOn of the road will very greatly shorten the
distance between this city and New Orleans
and will open magnificent Iegion OF country,
which has been heretofore neglected on &C
count of its inaccessibility. West Florida con
tains fine, fertile rolling lands, and is admira-
Oiy watered and heavily timbered The new
road, under its intelligent and mastery man
agement, will doubtless I'D out great induce
ments for settlers to locate upon the
six million acres of land donated by
the State to aid in its construction, and that
immense domain Of West Florida will burst
into new a active existence. Marvellous
will be the changes of the next few years
One Of the happy results will be the knitting
together OF sections of the State heretofore
ubIcI strangers lL Is only curing the session
of the biennial Legislature or at a State Con-
vention every four years that the men of the
East and West meet to exchange friendly
greetings l6 IS very rare to encounter a Pen
sacola man in Jacksonville. or Ulce versa
The white population in West Florida is
largely in excess of the negro, and this fact
will have much to do in attracting immigrants
The opposite condition of affairs is now and
must continue to be, so long as it exists. a
barrier 70 the growth and prosperity Of Mid
die Florida.
0rfd
be reached safely, speedily and certainly.
Its fine lands. healthful climate and superior
advantages offer potent charms to the indus
triouS and enterpriSng
Major A j. Russell, who is Chairman of the
Executive Committee of the Florida Exposi-
tion at Atlanta, is very cheerful over the |
success OF our display. His information from
various quarters is of highly encouraging |
character, and he confidently anticipates a |
complete and signal success. He has been a |
most faithful and Industrious worker in the |
cause. and that too without any hope or pros
pect of personal reward, and under he pressure |
of other duties. If there had been OILY one |
such man as A. j. Russell or D. s. Place in /
each of the thirty nine counties of this state |
to stir up the people to the necessity and i'm |
portance of this matter a contamination /
would have been realized most devoutly to be
wished.
hurried trip over the Waycross road last
week aStOnished even such an old stagar as
my self. The train on my return was abso-
lut5ly crowded, and its appearance rasemhled !
SuOh eao 10 p6Ctcu III january, after the nOl- /
days, when the tourist season fairly COM
mences. The movement in this direction is a
month in advance of the usual period and is
much more general than has been customary. |
This may be influenced to some extent by the k
cheap excursion tickets from Atlanta, but il il |
very certain that q large percentage of the |
newcomers are either those who have selected |
or who are in quest of locations. Two hun /
dred and seventy-fve errivals during one day /
of last week shows the force and volume of the /
current setting hitherward.
see that company has been organized to
search for the snug sum of $50, ,OO0,000 sunk on
the American coast, in an English sloop-of-war
during the latter part of the last century.
Some years previous to this occurrence it was
very fashionable for those Jolly fellows, the
old time buccaneers, whenever short of cash 1
to make raid upon one or more Of the thriving
cities of the Spanish Main or Isthmus of Da-
r1en, and after loading their vessels with plun>
der obtained from the sack Of wealthy cathe-
drals and wrung by torture from their wretch
ed victims, to set sail for some large seaport
there to expend their ill-gotten gains in long !
continues Secoaucnery. Rumor hss il that
several of these freeboQtere came to grief upon
the reefs Of Florida, and various traditions
exist as to the location of the lost treasure ships
Queer investments and strange risks appear to
be the order of the day, and as good results
may be expec cted from an exploration among
the quicksands and coral rocks OF Florida as