Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-30


body of land in the United States for the
production OF sugar cane, corn, rice, cotton,
Irish and sweet potatoes, arrowroot, and all
the different kinds of vegetables and Der.
ries grown in that climate. Also, the semi
tropical fruits and nut bearing trees.
| Notably among these would be the orange,
lemon, citron, pomegranate, fig, almonds,
and several varieties of walnuts now i'm.
ported. The few peaches and plums now
growing on the margin of Okef1nokee in an
almost wild state indicate that with proper
cultivation no section-not even California
could equal them in size and quality.
Here also would be the home of the soup
pernong grape.
It is safe to say that the Okefinokee
lands when reclaimed will be as valuable as
the rice lands of Georgia, that produce an
average of fifty bushels of rough rice per
acre and are valued at fifty dollars per
acre.
From a pamphlet of facts collated from
reports Of surveys by the United States, we
learn that ''the friends of this route had a
bill introduced in Congress January 21st,
| 1878, asking for an appropriation of $S4, 900
| for survey of a steamboat and barge canal,
but, unfortunately" says the pamphleteer,
'for reasons unnecessary to give here, the
title of the bill was changed to a survey and
examination for a ship canal, and an appro-
pFlhtlOH OF SiyOOO allOWed 1rOm the river
I and harbor act of June 18th, 1878" Hence
General Gillmore's report of survey is ne
cessarily confined almost entirely to ship
canal, but shows the entire feasibility of the
route for steamboat and barge canal.
1t will be easy to infer fIom the above
that the friends of the ship canal have been
at work before Congress as well as the
friends of the steamboat and barge canal
to which we will add other influences of
different and more potent character here
after. But the survey of General Gilmore
for ship canal, while it required minute
and exhaustive calculations, guarding with
accuracy and precision the economic points
of water supply for a ship canal, exhibited
through the same data an abundant supply
for steamboat and barge canal. He says
"the Oketinokee is the lowest summit
level between the waters of the Atlantic and
Gulf Of Mexico north of parallel 20 de-
grees," and adds: "The summit level will
begin about six miles west of Camp Pinck-
ney (on the st. Mary's river) and terminate
about seven miles east of Ellaville (on the
Suvannee), giving long reach Of seventy
four miles. Hence to the nearest point on
the Gulf would be torty-eight miles. The
long level will have an abundance of feed
water from the Okefnokee and Suwannee
river"
The estimated cost of barge canal eight
feet in depth, by the report OF survey, is:
For grading canal $50 900
fOr LOCKS. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. ls444UUO
For improvement at entrance from
Gulf extra cutting g.................. 100000
drawbridges s.............e.'........ 10000
Total expenses ses....................S5 81, 1864, 200
This estimate does not embrace the cross
Ing of Suwannee river, which can be avoid
ed, and terminates in Ocilla river; but If
the line crossing the Suwannee should be
adopted 1t would be more direct and shorter
navigation, while either the direct or Su-
wannee river line, going west to Ocilla and st.
Marks, would pass through and drain San
Pedro Bay or swamp west Of the Suwsnnee,
and thus add another large area of land
similar to Okefnokee, to the wealth of the
State and company. This swamp has an
area Of ten by fifteen miles and is eighty
five feet above tide water, forming the
headwaters Of the FenhollowaY, Enconfee-
nee, Warrior and Norton's creeks, thus af-
fording abundant water for the western
division and second level Of the one hundred
and seventy miles grade from Camp Plnck-
neY on the st. Mary's to st. Marks.