Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-04

iovment of life, is now fairly under the
observation OF a great people, who will
not fail to appreciate her wonderful re-
sources, her splendid climate, her magni-
ficent harbors and navigable waters, and
her superb geographical position with
reference to the Union and the neighbOr-
ing commercial nations.
PUBLIC ENTERPRISE.
The state encountered many difficulties
IN the prosecution of her public enter
prises, and struggled long and desperately
TO very little purpose, but she made a be-
ginning, perseverance conquered, and no
state in the South is now likely to have
earlier and more ample cOnveniences for
the full and complete development Of her
resources.
TRANSPORTATION.
Beside her extensive seacoast. stretch
ING more than half around the
state, indenting the shores with bays
and inland straits and sounds, and the
numerous nayigable rivers crossing or
flowing through almost every section,
Florida is now provided with railroads,
completed or in course Of construction,
that will leave no considerable portion of
her territory without ample facilities for
transportation.
OF these may be mentioned the Jack
sOnville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad.
from Jacksonville via Lake City, Madi-
son. Monticello, Tallahassee and Quincy
to ChattahOOchee, where it connects with
the Pensacola and Atlantic. which also
connects il with lines leading west to
New Orleans and through Alabama to all
points in the North. Taken together
these roads span the State from east to
west, passing centrally through the fertile
and pOpulOus northern belt, and connect
ing all the principal towns of the middle
and western divisions. 4 branch road
connects Tallahassee with the port of St.
Marks, 81 miles distant, and a projected
road, upon which work has commenced,
is designed to connect Tallahassee with
ThOmasylle, Ga, and with Teresa at
South Cape or Carrabelle at the deep
water harbor of Dog Island and
Georges Sound on the Gulf. At
Lake City the Jacksonville, Pensacola
and Mobile Road receives a branch
Of the Savannah. Florida and Western
from Dupont, which has recently been
extended southwark twenty-nine miles to
ROwland's Bluff, on the Suwannee, and is
in course of construction beyond, looking
TO a termination al Tampa or Clear Water
Harb0T.
The Transit Railroad connects Fernan-
dina on the Atlantic, with Cedar Keys
on the Gulf connecting at Waldo with
the Peninsula Road to Ocala, and crossed
at Gainesville by the Florida Southern
from Palatka.
The Waycross and Jacksonville Short
Line connects Jacksonville with the
Georgia lines centering upon savannah
and Brunswick, and has an extension from
Jacksonville to 1t. Augustine, soon to be
completed, The main line Of the Florida
Southern has been completed from Orange
Lake 10 0cala, and Is TO connect with
Gainesville on the Transit and Lake City
on the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mo
bile with its southern terminus at
Charlotte Harbor.
The South Florida is new road run
ming south from Enterprise at the
head of navigation on the It.
Johns, and destined TO connect the
It. Johns with Kissimmee on the kissim-
NEE river. Other lines are projected, and
in a few instances work commenced;
among them a road from Jacksonville
running south TO Key West on the west
side of the 1t. Johns: another from st.
Augustine west to Enterprise, and third
from MelrOse, on the Santa Fe, to Green
Cove Springs, on the st. Johns.
In addition to these facilities, a North
ern company has been organized for con-
structing "A ship canal across the penin-
Sula. to connect the Atlantic with the
Gulf, between the ST. Johns and the Su-
wannee rivers, and proceeded so far as to
publish a survey of the route and the esti-
mated cost of construction.
A steamboat and barge canal is also
projected. connecting the waters of the
st. Marv's and Suwannee rivers with the
double purpose of draining the Oketinokee
swamp and providing a cheap waterway
for transportation across the north
ern portion of the peninsula. enter
ing the Gulf at st. Marks. The
Ultimate design of this enterprise,
which has also been surveyed and esti-
mates made, is to form a connection at
st. Marks with the land-lOcked waters of
the Gulf coast westward from that point
to the mouth of the Mississippi river, and
thus pat in operation a continuous line of
cheap water transportation from the lower
Mississippi to the harbOr of st. Mays on
the Atlantic. The success of these great
enterprises would assuredly give new I'M
pulse to the industries of Florida and rap
idly proportion her population to the I'M
mense power of her resources.