Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-06

A Correspondents Picture of q Flour
fishing City in the Land of Flowers
Thrift and Enterprise in the PENN
aular State


A Correspondence Picture of a Flour
ishing City in the Land of Flowers
Thrift and Enterprise in the PENN
sular State.
Correspondence Of the KorHiag Nesss.
GAINESVILLE, FLA, Jan. 2.-Among
the first objects which arrest the
attention of a visitor to Gainesville is a
large steam mill to the left as he leaves
the train at the depot Of the Transit Rail-
road. The structures comprising the es-
tablishment stand on a lot of about three
acres, which is inclosed by a high fence.
with a main entrance on the west side
for vehicles, and gateway on the south
east corner through which a railway
track is laid, leading 10 the door on the
south side of one of the buildings. On this
track are three or four box cars. The mill 10
in operation and the buzz OF machinery and
the puffs Of steam, leaping upward and
floating off across the background OF dark
green foliage of orange and oak trees,
suggests to the uninfOrmed that the works
are probably car shops. On closer IN
spection, however, the stranger discovers
through the windows of the building
heaps of cotton and a number of cOlOred
people, mostly females, at work at num-
Der of gins. This is the one-st0rY steam
ginning house of Messrs. II. +. DdttOn &
Co.. which measures 80 by 100 feet. with
an L addition measuring 80 by 40 feet.
The walls are IL feet in height to the caves.
About 100 feet to the north is a two
story structure 80 by 80 feet, the lower
story being 10 feet in height and the other
feet. Beyond this building is another
store house of one story, s feet nigh to the
caves and measuring % feet by 126 feet.
All of these structures were erected dur
- !
necessary to erect a building 30X60 feet
for packing and seed room. During the
past season IA gins, each with the ca
pacity to gin 1900 pounds of cotton per
week, have been in operation, together
with q mill and boiler to make cotton
seed meal. About 10 pounds OF seed is
obtained from every 100 pounds of cotton,
and the meal is sold to the planters
at about $24 per ton. The cotton is
grown on the farms within radius Of
about 70 miles of Gainesville. Some of it
is shipped here by rail, while a large
quantity is also brought in by carts. The
gins, the seed mill and the bolter receive
motive power from handsome and almost
nOiseless 50-hOrse power engine, with an
8 foot driving wheel. and a 60-hOrse power
boiler The gin cotton is sent to the Wilt
mantle Linen Mills in Connecticut, or to
that cOmpany's thread mills at HOlyoke,
Mass, of which Messrs. H. f. DuttOn &
Co. are the agents at this point. During
the buster season these gentlemen employ
about 80 hands, of which number one is a
white man. About - hands are now en-
ployed, but as the supply of cotton is
nearly exhausted, work for the season will
probably cease in about ten days.
DIRECTLY WEST AND ACROSS WEST
MAIN STREET,
Messrs. Leighton Bros. and Green are
erecting steam saw and planning mill,
at cost of upwards Of $4,000. When the
writer approached these gentlemen with
his note book, and began interrogating
them, they were inclined to be reticent,
and wished to know whether the cores
pendent was "a tax collector" When
answered in the negative, they intmated
that the mill might cost something over
the sum above referred to.
There is no large timber
in the immediate neighb0rhOOd, but as the
firm propose to turn Ou- only small lum-
Der and to make vegetable or orange
crates, they will have no difficulty to OBJ
tain all the material to answer their pur-
pose in this vicinity. Thousands of crates
OF vegetables and oranges have been
shipped from this city during the past sea-
son, while many more Of oranges are vet
to be forwarded. The growers have been
getting their crates from distance, but
as this mill viii! be ready Tor work in about
TWO WCehSY IuCIG rs IL DIODdDilibH tIdb IL
will have enough patronage to more than
justify the outlay that is being made
in the undertaking. Ali the lumber here
tOfOre used for building purposes in
Gainesville was sent here from mills on
the line of the Transit, or the Florida
Southern Railroads, and as about me hun
dred frame dwellings, costing from $500
to $4,000, have been erected here during
the past six or seven months, dealers in
! lumber have been busy in filling orders,
especially as there were no mills here to
supply the demand.
This firm is also doing quite business
in moss. The negroes collect the mate
rial in the adjacent country after the cot
ton growing season is over and sell 1t here
at one cent per pound. 1t is then clean
ell, dried and baled and sent to Key West,
Cedar KEY and New York. Each bale is
supposed to weigh 1Ij pounds, on which
the firm here nets three cents per pound.
Fifty bales of the moss are shipped
weekly.
The greater number of residences are
| One-stOry l. shaped cottages, with piaZZas
at the front, or on two sides, ali hand
somely finished inside and out
| and painted in attractive cOlOrs. There
is no city of her size either in Florida or
Georgia that can make better showing
in this way than Gainesville. A number
OF costly tWo-stOry dwellings, recently
uulSutu VI uOW III JIOC6oo VI COuSJEuCblOu,
also arrest the attention of the observer.
They front on East and West Main streets,
and on Liberty and Union streets-Che
four principal streets of the city-as well
as on thorOughtares none the less inviting
in appearance though nameless.
THE WRITER FOUND HIMSELF
in the centre of city where there are
nearly 5000 people. Here is q public
square, in the middle of which is a large
twO-stOry wooden structure painted white.
There is not piazza to the building. or a
tree or shrub in the spacious grounds. 1t
is the handsomest building site in the
city, but has no ornament Of any kind,
while the structure referred to detracts
rather than enhances the appearance of the
spot. If the visitor wishes to know the
names of the four principal streets which
limits this square, he must inquire, for
there is no sign posted to show what they
are. The hotels are named, every place
of business has a sign, while the streets
are supposed to be known. 1t is proper
to state that the large white structure in
the treeless square or park is the court
house, and that plans are being drawn
for Il twO-stOry building of brick, that is
to be erected on the site at a cost OF about
$4,000.
Skirting the east side of Gainesville pro-
per is a ravine tending from north to south,
through which small stream known as
Sweet Water Branch flows. East Gaines
Vile is located on that side. The land is high
and comparatively level. Here number
Of new houses have been erected, and I'M
improved lots are selling at $500. On the
west side of the branch lots are costly.
On East Main street, fronting the
court house, an unimprOved half lot,
measuring 30Xl20 feet, sold the other day
for $500. The other half of the lot is
held at similar sum. Property is
rapidly advancing in value, and though
there are so many wooden buildings and
handsome orange trees, each bearing from
500 TO 1000 oranges, there is only an ordi-'
nary hand engine, with no water supply
available in the event OF 3 fire.
There are rows of wooden struc-
lures with no yards between them,
which would very likely be destroyed if
a fire should break out; and, if the flames
were accompanied by fair wind, many
handsome houses and orange trees in the
vicinity would be ieOpardized.
The trains OF the Florida Southern
Railroad pass along West Main
street through the heart of the
city. This is a narrow gauge road
leading from Palatka to Newnansvllle,
but the Savannah, Florida and Western
Railway Company recently obtained con-
troll of that portion of the line north of the
city leading from Live Oak, and has be-
gun to improve the rOadbed and substi-
tute q broad gauge track. They have