Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-24
FLORmA's PARADISE.

The Beautiful Indian River Section-Ats
Advantages as a Summer ResOrt-lts
Delightful Climate and Freedom from
Malaria-Rapid Improvement = En-
hancement in Values-RailrOad Faei1-
ties Demanded.
LA GRANGE, INDIAN RIVER, FLA,
March 1.-THE Indian river section OF
Florida is beyond doubt destined to be the
paradise of the State. Want Of transpor-
tation alone has kept it as yet in the back
ground; but with this obstruction once re-
moved, its natural advantages are sure 10
bring it prominently to the front.
This river is salt water, and extends for
a distance of 100 miles along the south
eastern coast, and is separated from the
Atlantic by narrow strip of land only
few miles wide at its greatest distance;
this is of advantage from the fact that you
have the benefit of the sea breeze there
without being exposed to the heavy winds
which sometimes prevail to an unpleasant
extent directly on the sea. There is no
malaria. right on the river bank being
perfectly healthy. The tides affect it only
few miles up, as at It's mouth IL is mar
row and the ebbing and flowing extend
only a short distance. In it are some OF
the finest oysters and fish Imaginable.
The breeze is unusually fine, and during
the summer it rarely occurs that you can
not make yourself perfectly comfortable
by resting a few moments in the shade;
and the summer nights, when so many OF
us town folks are so hot, are perfectly
splendid. The cool refreshing salt breeze
brings nothing with it but purity, ana
there is no spot on the banks OF THIS river
hot . Ifxrhn nE CT m
resort. A highly cultivated gentleman
living here now. who moved from New
Jersey, and who has travelled extensively
over the various States OF the Union, as
sures me that he would rather spend
summer here than in New JERSEY, or any
other place he ever visited; that the aver
age temperature during summer is less
than i'll many places very much farther
north, noted for being summer resorts.
The advantages arising from the rivers
having no tides or foundations are meal
cuIable. Lands two feet above the water
can be cultivated with an absolute GER
tainty of freedom from overflow.
Let us suppose this were the case with
the Savannah river, and then imagine to
what an extent the lands bordering on it
would be enhanced in value! Then were
it salt water, what an advantage! Then
add sea breeze, comfort, health, the lux
ury Of oysters right at your doors, salt
water fish. oranges, and all the adVant-
ages of a tropical climate, and we can
just begin to see that the full extent OF
advantage can scarcely be computed.
This same comparison may be made
with all lands lying upon fresh water
streams; hundreds and thousands of acres,
rich in everything that goes to make up
land, are deprecated, and, in many in
stances, valueless, from the facts that
they are subject to frequent and sudden
OVerfOws, and are so sickly that no one
can live on them and enjoy health.
The fertility of the soil here will COM
pare most faYOrably with any other sec
tion of the State. This can also be said
of the class of settlers. They are in the
main good people from every section of
the United States and Canada. | attended
a picnic a few years ago at ''MagnOlia
Point" on this river; there were about a
hundred persons present, and | heard a
gentleman offer to wager that he could find
among those present a representative
from every State IN the Union. They were
highly respectable in appearance. The
result is that these educated and thrifty
people are rapidly building up very de-
sirable property, and are surrounding
themselves with comforts only to be had
in favored land.
first visited here five years ago, and
the enhancement in values has been re-
maTkable; and this is not imagined, but
real; the sales are made and the money
transferred. There is no better evidence
of things value than what it will sell
for. The one item OF transportation still
hinder and seriously retards rapid adj
vancement. The shipments of oranges
from this country for several months have
been about 5000 or 1000 boxes per week.
These have to be wagOned over to two
points on the st. Johns at heavy expense
and great inconvenience, and carried by
small steamers down a stream navigated
with difficulty to Sanford, whence large
boats take them. The groves are just
fairly beqiRnind to bear. Every year now
VIII more than double the yield. A fair
proportion of the lands are fertile and are
splendidly adapted to the cultivation of
vegetables, but the means of transpOrta-
ton are so poor, tedious and expensive as
to be a hindrance that amounts to abSO-
lutte prevention of any enterprises of this
character.
This section should and must have rail-
road facilities. And the proper view for
those in charge of the enterprises looking
to this cOnsummatiOn is not what the
freights are, but what they could and loHL
be. Were it certainly known that a road
would be completed to this section
by next winter, the people could and
would double and treble the volume of
freight as compared with the season just
closing. This is fast becoming a serious
matter to these peoples and the first road
built here there have been some four or
five charters already granted) will be APP
preciated, and the people Will feel IN
debted to its builders to such an extent
that, in after years, when others have been
built, ''the old pioneer line" would
always be kindly thought of and the adj
vantages would be greatly in its favor.
Then it would pay its builders hand
some revenue.
1t seems to me that Mr.. Plant, such a
sagaciOus railroad magnate, should push
forward and secure this prize, and thus
add to his already valuable system most
desirable feeder.
When we consider the amount of trans
pOrtatiOn required to remove vegetable
and orange crOp-Or the oranges from an
acre of land-as compared with cotton,
we must be fully convinced that it will
pay far better to build railroads to trans
port the former than the latter.
In conclusion | will say, "The half
has not been told" If you don't believe
it, come and see, or send a representative
to introduce the MORNING News eXten.
sively among these folks, 1t always ben
efits its readers, and a journal of Its merit
will take. | was commissioned to send it
to one party, whose subscription, through
an oversight, had expired, but who said,
81 must have it, Yours truly