Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-22
THE NEW.FouND LAND.
r,s,t 10 the Reclaimed Section of the
FlOwery State.


p.,ora saws: ''Atter leaving the magniti-
espt steamer City Of Jacksonville at Sand
,ord. 200 miles south by the river from
Iscksonville, we boarded a train on the
south Florida railroad for kissimmee
Citv. at the head Of Lake TohOpekaliga.
This is henorthern boundary of the drain
o,,a operations, and here are situated the
sgorks of the 0keechobee company, where
Tho dredges, steamboats,, etc., were built
srd the necessary repairs made and sup
nIies furnished. AS an evidence of what
tba original Disston land purchase and
he SOLAR completed work Of the
drainage company has done for Florida
Il IL only necessary TO say that where
Eissimmee City stands to-day, with its
Donulation of over 1900, its stores,
cbarches, schools, ETC., three years ago
,here we're pine forest and meadow land.
The entire track where the city stands
conld have been purchased at that time
for 81 500, and to-day lots 80 by 100 feet
readily sell for about $500. Within a few
miles a number of new colonies have
been recently started on reclaimed lands
purchased from the 0keechobee Company,
And lands belonging to the "Sir Edward
Read syndicate" The settlers are prin-
cinallv young English aud Scotchmen. 1t
Is surprising to see what an immense am
nunt of work they have done inside of
eighteen months. Lands have been
cleared, roads built, streets and avenues
laid out, cottages and houses erected.
and TREY have farms and gardens under
cultivation. A banking company has
been formed in Kissimmee, and Its build
inr is now being erected. The firm con-
slsts Of Mr.. +. A. Drought, formerly con-
nected with the Bank of Ireland, and Mr..
F, H. Shedding, formerly member of the
New York Stock Exchange. They have
a 6ne field of operations before them.
Money here readily commands 2per cent.
A month on good security, and large sums
nave alread been loaned at 10
aud - per cent. per an
mum on first mortgages. While
was in their Office yesterday morning
they purchased from the South Florida
Railroad Company forty acres of land,
nearly mile from town, for $25 per acre.
This morning they sold one acre of the
same for $3.50. / think if Horace Greeley
was alive to-day his advice would not be:
go West, young man." to have your i'm
movements blown away with the winds
or washed away with the floods, your
crops destroyed or eaten up by grass
hoppers and other insects; but
be would say: Go to Florida,
Young man-to a land easy of cultiva-
non, susceptible of producing almost any
known grain, vegetable, fruit or flower,
with a climate which renders it possible
TO cultivate and raise crops throughout
the entire year."
After spending a few days in this im-
mediate neighborhood, during which time
the steamtender ROsalie was supplied
with necessary provisions, bedding and
camping utensils for a two weeks cruise,
we resumed our trip. Our party consist
ed Of Col. Kreamer, Capt. Rose, Mr.. Il. G.
EanWeil, the representative Of a wealthy
Holland syndicate now making invest
ments in this country IN railroads,
lands and other securities; MIR.
L. r. Tauzland, of Boston, the
railroad magnate, and manager OF large
land negotiations in the Northwest; Mr..
H. G, Forrest, and several other gentle
men. Leaving Kissimmee we first steamed
TO an island in the lake called st. Elmo
lsbOut two miles to the south }, owned by
Capt. Rose. 1t consists of 515 acres Of
reclaimed land, rich and fertile. 1t was
purchased at an average of So per acre
TWO years ago, and on our visit to-day
we found thirty acres on which sugar
cane twelve feet high was growing, an
immense truck patch, and garden con-
tanning peas, beans, potatoes, sweet pOta-
toes, cabbage. lettuce, ETC., and bed of
strawberry plants. quite number
o. which were already in bloom.
Think of this on land which
less than three years ago was
TWO feet under wateri We then steamed
southeasterly across the lake, nine miles
70 the mouth of the canal, between lake
Tohopekaliga and the East lake, and had
our first view of portion of the work per-
formed by the immense dredges. The
canal runs from northeast to southwest,
is 81 miles long, SO feet wide and 6 feet
deep; the water is yet gradually falling.
The water in East T0pohekaliga has fallen
; feet inches, and in lake TohOpekaliga
feet. A vast amount OF land mas been
reclaimed In the immediate neighbOrhoOd
OF these two lakes, the greater portion of
which consists OF heavy, rich loan, In
depth varying from three to ten feet. Be
meath the surface soil is rich bed OF
shell mari. The surface OF all land of
THIS character over the entire districts
visited mas sufficient grade to afford any
ready drainage, and the value OF the land
lor Immediate cultivation has been fully
demonstrated, and no fertilizer Of any de-
seription is used or required. Adjacent
70 and on part of these reclaimed lands
valuable hardwoods are fOund-the live
OAK, hickory, birch and ash, as well as the
palmetto and cypress. The level and
rolling lands are generally covered with
|sIoWths Of yellow and pitch pine. A de-
scrlptlon Of the land in this neighb0rhood
AIRY covers that Of all the other districts
visited.
steaming through the canal we entered
zoe East Lake. 1t 10 about six miles long
ana SIX wide, and its greatest depth about
twenty-five feet. Taking a nOrtheasterly
direction we visited the English colonies
kunnymede and NarcOOssee, on the
asIern shore, about two miles apart.
nese are thriving little towns Of English,
scotch and Irish settlers, and the same
Isplflt OF industry and improvement noted
ELSEWHERE is found here. Leaving this
0nt we took a nOrtheasterly direction TO
.le mead Of the lake, hoping TO find an
opening into Lake Hart, lying about
lulee miles to the northeast, and
surrounding which Is land owned by
Oue OF the party, who were anxious
" Visit II. We found the outlet, but as Il
nas not navieable for our boat we landed
Anq proceeded on foot. We found that,
aiihough no work had been performed in
lls locality in the matter OF drainage, the
tlling Of the waters Of the East Lake, due
lne operations below, had caused the
atefs Of Lake Hart 20 fall about two
eel, retaining in q natural way many
Acfes Of surrounding country. With a
Euort cut by one of the dredges which
WI be a comparative easy matter
alough the opening already formed).
asst tracts of valuable land will
Ne reclaimed by the Okeechobee COM
PAW. A ~ was uattfnp dark we