Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-29

WAYcRoss, GA, May 26.-This little city,
ninety-hve miles from Savannah, on the Sa-
vannah. Florida and Western Railway, and
fifty-nine miles from Brunswick, on the
Brunswick and Albany Railroad, is also the
point of junction of the Short Line to Jackson
vile. Situated in one of the healthiest Iocali-
ties Of the great pine forest. and having these
extraordinary railroad facilities, it Is little
wonder that Waycross is rapidly springing up
a magical city IN the wilderness of pines
No town in the State, perhaps has ON hand
so great a building boom-everywhere
new houses are going up, neat and beautiful
dwellings,, fancy railway and other offices
handsome store houses and extensive mills for
turning out lumber. Numerous as are the
latter on six divisions of railroad leading out
OF Waycross, the citizens encounter much
dlfnculty IN procuring lumber for building pur-
poses on account Of the great foreign demand
upon the mills, but they are soon to have still
another great mill enterprise, when they fiatter
themselves that their needs will be supplied.
Messrs. r. B Reppard and George Walter,
well known wealthy citizens of your city, and
whose milling operations in this region have
already carried havoc into the very midst of
these piue forests, have about completed the
largest mill in the South, if not in all America.
These gentlemen, | am informed, purchased
S0,OI0 acres OF land in body, and located their
great mill, destined to cut 10000 feet of lum-
Der per day, on the banks of the Satilla river,
seven miles north of Waycross, TO which point
they have constructed a branch railroad
Albany road The lumber and
turpendne business are assuming giant pro-
portions in this section where the cross rail-
roads offer such facility for transportation,
and it is surprising to notice how rapidly the
dense forests disappear before the legions of
aXemen. WaycroSs owes much of its present
growth and Importance to these interests. Cen
tral in the territory of these operations, it has
hnHOmR the hAQd0nn Of no
tiveS, proprietorS, spectators and prospectors,
and the depot of their immense sup
plies, while its growing, busy aspect, healthy
location and abundant lands invite hun
dreds of those passing on the railways to halt
and make inquiries for future investment Its
land owners, however, are committing the
common mistake of all the towns we have
known ION boom" They grow excited and
crazy TO be suddenly rich and forming dis
eased notion of the value of their lands, and
the recklessness of capital in quest Of invest
Of course, declined.
Thus many of the best and most valuable
citizens are driven away, while the penny
wise and pound foolish" landowner holds his
land until he kills out the boom, or is eaten up
by taxes and other expenses. Among those
investing here from your city, met with Mr..
F. NJ. Byck, of the firm of L. E. Byck & Son,
merchants on BroughtOn street This Young
gentleman has for several years cherished a
strong desire to engage in agriculture, and the
advantages of Waycross induced him al last to
give practical vent to his enthusiasm.
He purchased a body Of land out
side of the corporation, and l found him
directing operations in the laying out and fur
nishing small farms for tenants. als0 encoun-
tered another recent citizen of Savannah, in
the person of Mr.. W. E. Matthews, for eight
years in a prominent house on Congress street.
He has opened business here on his own &C
count, and is doing we'll. I he most prominent
merchants of WaycrOss are Capt. Jas. Knox,
w. ]. Smith, Joseph McQuaid. k. Hohenstein.
j. W. Highsmith and W. Fl. Cason. All these
are doing lively business. and purchase their
goods chiefly in Savannah.
But this letter is growing lengthy, and want
of space warns me to cut iJ off and conclude
in second. l must say something OF the Sa-
vannah. orida and Western Railway at this
point, the Plant Institute. the Airline Rail
road, the big hotel, the artesian we'll, of DIR.
Folks, Captain Prendergrast and other genii Of
the place. b.