Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-21
The Florida Rarge Canal.

The Florida Barge Canal.
In an article on this subject recently a
parenthetical allusion to Louisiana made
us assume that right Of way had been
granted by that state 10 the barge canal
II viii re sufficient 10 explain that our re-
marx referred 10 that assumption IN the
resolutions Of Judge Fry, TO which the
article was designed as partial reply.
We .suppose Judge Fry preferred that
assumption 10 the more dangerous ad-
mission that the barge canal would not be
dependent upon such grant. since any
canal company could use the public
waters Of the nation for transportation
purposes. II is we'll known that there
already exists public water way from
Mobile bay To Lake Pontchartrain, while
two canals connect that lake
with the Mississippi river. These
facts ought % show that with very small
outlay the Barge Canal Company can
bring the commercial mouth Of the Mis-
sissippi river. not only TO Mobile, Pensa-
cola OF ApalachicOla bays, but TO It.
Marks. the destined Gulf harbOr Of the
overland section Of the canal. In case Of
the failure Of the jetty system at New Or
leans. the deep water Of Pensacola bay
would then be sought by such heavy ships
as entered the Gulf to intercept the barge
canal trade.
While on the subject it may be well TO
correct few other errors in Judge Fry's
resolutions, which were not heretofore re-
ferred TO for want of space. The resOlu-
lions allude to '.thirty-fOur'' locks on the
barge canal to utilize the 1O7 feet assumed
for the summit levelOf OkefinOkee, where
/ as General GillmOre's survey provides for
/ OHly ten locks for IL feet at the summit
/ level. Again. it was asserted in the pre-
l amble that only one barge or steamboat
| could 20 through the locks of the canal at
a time. As General GillmOre's survey
provides for a canal 100 feet wide at the
water level, this would appear to be a re-
/ markable statement, especially when it
| was TO receive the Endorsement Of pub
/ lie meeting. The barge builders will be
| curious to know how wide they are to con-
/ struct such craft, and Judge Fry's OBJ
| seryation while on the Mississippi should
have corrected his judgment.
His entire labor in the canal business,
/ however. seems a work Of supererOga-
/ ton. Since the publication of his
/ resolutions in New Orleans, the CON-
pany Of which he claims to be
/ Vice President, authorized TO meet only
\ in New York, has met in Washington
/ city. reOrganized with new officers. and
/ left Judge Fry out in the cold. He writes
/ from New Orleans in surprise; knows
/ nothing about the Washington OrganiZa-
! ton Of a ship canal company, although
/ many Of its members are the same named
! i'm his own company, and repUdiates it
/ accordingly. Judge Fry gives an inter-
/ esting history Of the origin and progress of
the ship Canal Company, claiming to be
/ the father and owner of the project from
/ its inception to the present day, and, of
! course, can but regard the Washington
| movement as a scheme of khrewd
| politicians to ignore hing and
] get possession of his schar-
/ tered rights in the Florida
! peninsula. Thus we find that af-
ter all that has been said about the pow
! erful organization Of the ship Canal Com
/ pany. its formidable list Of distinguished
! names, its exhaustless capital and readi-
| ness TO 20 TO work Immediately, the ques-
ton has yet 10 be settled as to whether
there is any legal company at all. Judge
| Fry seems to think the few men of capt.
! tai have somehow got out Of the concern,
/ and il now appears that Senator John
/ sherman was offered the Presidency,
\ which he declined. We may assist Judge
| Fry to some extent in accounting for the
-
/ nothing less than an organization for a
1 raid upon the Florida lands and the public
/ Treasury. Consider the names given IN
| the new company:
President-Ex-GOv John c. Brown, Of
! Tennessee.
Vice President-Hon. VIM. Window.
! Secretary-GeO. c. GOrham.
/ Treasures. L. Myers.
Chief Engineer-Gen. Chas. Z. Stone.
/ Directors c. Brown, VIM. Win
dom, Gov. Benz. f. Butler, Senator VIM.
Malone, Townsend Cox, Gov. VIM. f.
/ Cameron, :. T. MyeT, A. W. Jones, A. :.
/ Mann. W. Jacobs, V, ID. GrOner and Sena-
tor John p. Jones.
The press dispatches sent South said the
| estimated cost Of the canal, set down by the
company, was $4,000, 900, but a fuller and
! better account of its proceedings sent to
| Boston, made the estimate $50, 900, 900, and
/ let out the fact that $40,OO0,OOO of this sum
had been divided among the incOrpOratOrs,
so that these thrifty gentlemen may al
ready claim 10 be worth 100000 900 more
than they were before, on the same prin-
pie that J. Gould added S27,OOO,OOO to his
fortune by purchasing the Missouri Paci-
Tic Railroad for $1,000 900, and tcdterilq
/ its stock to the enormous height of $780,
I 100000. He thought the wealth Of the
/ country would stand rObbing for divi-
/ dend on the large about as tamely as on
/ the small sum, and he was not mistaken.
The ship Canal Company intends to
profit by Gould's experience. The people
Of the United States are the safest people
or the globe to rob. Any other nation in
the world would hang the robbers, but
| YankeedOm looks on in a sort of dazed
admiration at the cheek and daring Of the
organized raids upon its hard earnings.
/ At least One-half of the stated values of
the railroads in the country to-day have
been added by watering the stocks as an
/ excuse for taxing produce in the name of
| transportation, for the enrichment of a
few, who, in nine cases out Of ten, so far
from investing at risk for the good of the
country, squeezed out those who did fur
nish the money and actually robbed the
l industries for the acquisition of private
wealth.
In like manner the Florida Ship Canal
! Company, so far as indications present
any evidence to our mind, has been Or
| ganized, whether legal or illegal-first, to
get possession of the supposed three mil
hon acres Of land Judge Fry thinks his
old defunct charter covers in that State;
and second, to 90 before Congress for an
appropriation of about forty millions dol
lars to cover the now worthless stock
divided among the gentlemen composing
/ the company. These two items, if sue
cessful, will make up the sixty mil lion
dollars, and all that may be put in by
the sOftheads, can easily be squeezed out
4 Of them and made clear.
The South Florida Railroad.
In Saturdays NEWS we mentioned the