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

for she CanaI-The OkehaOkee
Swamp-The Great Value of Its
Lands III Reclaimed - Estimated
OOsS of a Barge Line.
1t is no exaggeration to say this project is
one of the greatest commercial enterprises
ever set on foot in the South-perhaps in
this country-and we propose in series Of
articles cursory view of its practicabilitY,
magnitude and importance, based upon as
certsined facts, derived from official reports
and The observations of shrewd men whose
attention have, from time to time, been at
tracted to the subject.
NOT A SHIP CANAL.
Three surveys have been made with the
| view of a ship canal across the peninsula of
| Florida, including the route from st. Mary's
| on the Atlantic through Okefnokee swamp
and down the Suwannee TO the Gulf, near
st, Marks, and by actual test each of the
lines Tuu has been pronounced feasible for
the construction of such a canal; but re-
membering that the cost of a ship canal has
been stated at over $50 900, 900 and that of
| q steamboat barge line at fraction over
| $1,000, 600, the advantage and probability of
| construction must be considered altogether
| =
| In cost of construction cannot well be ig-
nored, especially when 1t is seen that barge
| line at one SeUenth OF the original cost of a
| ship canal will actually accommodate three
| .f0urthS of the trade that can be expected of
the latter, and accomplish all the drainage
and land reclamation that would be done by
the more expensive enterprise.
Led by these considerations to regard the
| steamboat and barge canal as fulfilling In a
| high degree all the practicable requirements
| of a complete commercial waterway be-
| tween the Atlantic and the Gulf, across the
| peninsula of Florida, it remains to point out
some of the chief advantages of the st.
MarY's and Okefnokee route over all
Others, and to allude to its great Importance
to Georgia, Florida and the whole country.
1t will be proper to say that there have
been two companies organized, or partially
| so, with the view of utilizing the franchises
conferred, or to be conferred, by the States
covering the territory, and that these had
different views-one designing the construc-
tion of ship canal, and the other a steam
| boat and barge canal. Without any regard
to the interested views of either of these
parties, we will consider the project as a
great public enterprise of pressing neces-
sity.
With this understanding, we proceed to
say that the object so much desired, as
sought in the several surveys OF preliminary
connection between the Atlantic and Gulf of
Mexico, across the peninsula of Florida
ALREADY EXISTS,
and needs but to be Strengthened, dredged,
deepened and properly supplied with locks
and reservoirs for the Introduction of COM
merce. This connection is also at the right |
place-the most desirable place-for the |
commerce 1t is designed to accommodate, |
having its outlet on the Atlantic at the |
southern terminus of the Atlantic inland |
coast navigation, and its Gulf outlet at the |
eastern terminus of the Gulf inland coast |
navigation. These points are the river St. |
Mary's on the one side, and the port and |
river st. Marks on the other. AS If to meet |
In full the requirements of the great COM
mercial highway, and compensate for her /
peninsular obstruction to southern naviga-
ton, nature indented the crest of the penin-
sular highlands at the very point where 1t /
would be most useful, and there collected |
inexhaustible waters for the supply Of its
summit level.
oKEFINoKEE SWAMP.
Thus 1t appears that after somnolence |
of nearly two hundred years In the mem
ory of civilized man, as the weird abode |
of owls, bats, reptiles and savage denizens
of the forest, the much dreaded Okeefe-
nokee swamp, regarded as foul blot upon /
the Southern landscape, emerges with its |
and altitude OF one hundred and twenty
feet above tide water, as the basis Of mag
nifcent water way, destined to control the
growing commerce of half q great CONT
nent. AS the summit level basin out of
which flows the st. Mary's river to the At
lAntic on the east, and the Suwannee 10 the
Gulf on the west, it forms the connecting
link between the waters of the Atlantic and
Gulf across the peninsula of Florida, and
becomes of the very first importance in the |
construction of q steamboat ard barge ca
nal through that region. As such it de-
serves particular attention, and we copy the |
following from a report formerly made on
the subject by Col. Raiford, from a survey
made under the direction of Gen. @ A.
Gilmore, by Lieut.. s. L. Fremont, United
States Engineers:
"The Okefnokee is popularly known as
swamp, which, at some period, must have
been a clear water lake, but is now covered
with strs um OF decomposed vegetation of
the peat order, having very uniform thick
ness of about nine feet over the bottom of
the lake which is covered with sand said
to be almost pure Slick This stratum
of sand is three feet thick and underlaid
with stratum OF very tough clay three and
quarter feet thick, under which is another
stratum, two feet thick, of dark sand, which,
on drying, becomes very hard and cement
like, the borings ending in another stratum
OF very tough and hard clay at depth of
eighteen feet
"Okeinokee swamp, or lake, rests on a
plateau fOrty-one miles west of St. Mary's,
aud ten miles from Camp PlnckneV, on st.
Mary's river. 1t has an average elevation of
about liz feet above tide water Cat Camp
Pinckney) and is the source of supply for
one of the branches of the st. Mary's river,
and for a larger branch of the Suwannee.
Thus these two rivers, in connection with
the Okefnokee, may be said to bisect the
peninsula of Florida at the present time.
"By compass and level lines run around the
swamp the distance is about $50 miles.
Length 39H miles, greatest width 2514
miles, and contains 400 900 acres in Georgia
and 5000 acres in Florida. The greatest
elevation on the north side is 125 feet; 90
miles south on the east side, 120 feet. At
Ellicott's Mound-Where a branch of the st.
Mary's river takes its source-11116 feet,
and where branch of the Suwannee leaves
1t, ITO feet. The Suwannee takes the most of
the drainage. The southern and eastern side
has rise or divide between It and the St.
Mary's river and Spanish creek, tributary |
of the st. Mary's. This river varies from |
two to eight miles in width, but usually the
summit OF the divide or vein is within one
or two miles OF the swamp. No durable
streams empty into it other than 'spring
heads along the margin, but the Okefno-
kee proper receives the drainage of about
800 square miles, and with that of EBAY
swamp which drains into it, the aggregate
is about 1,20O square miles, according to
General Gillmore's report
"The whole swamp, including prairies,
glades and timbered portion within its
margin, except the islands, which probably
do not cover more than fifteen thousand
acres, show, so far as examinations have
been made in different parts, that the stra-
tum of decomposed vegetation of the peat
order is from eight to ten feet in thickness.
Many of the prairies are covered with the
bonnet lily, whose large roots run to the |
sand. Fern, maiden cane and other Vegeta-
tion grows from one to two feet above
water. The water usually, except in a very
dry time, covers the prairfes from three to
fifteen or twenty inches in depth. Very
little water is seen In the timbered portion,
as the surface is higher than the prairies
and covered with moss growing on the de-
composed vegetation. The temperature of
the water under the moss was " degrees,
while In the open prsiries near by It 80. -,
be from 81 degrees to 81 ,o,,rees in Anonst
~ lnis on.uction it may be mentioned
sAere is never any unpleasant odor in the
warmest days of summer, and that trout
and many other edible kinds of fish are
abundant in the waters of the Okefnokee.
The water, although warm in summer, has
no unpleasant taste and is always regarded
as healthy. In a test made with a pipe
driven through the first stratum into the
sand, 1t was found that while the tempera-
ture OF the water at the surface was 50 de-
grees the water from the sand strata was
only So degrees.
GGTha araa ~ tho auauoy1 IA rrohahIv ahouf |