Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-25
THE SAINT LUCIE RIVER.
Some of the Beauties and CharaC
teristics of the Famous Stream.

Some of the Beauties and CharaG
teristics of the Famous Stream. \
"G'' in Orlando tFlI.) Record.
About ITO miles south of Titusville AMI
4 miles below Waveland post office, Il
miles north of Jupiter Inlet, aud 80 milell
from the post office at Lake Worth. at \
point where the traveller Will marvel 81
the lovely scenery and fertile characta
OF tne surrounding country, Is the moutl
| OF st. Lucie river. A stream which Tor |
number of miles from it's junction witt
| st. Lucie Sound a portion of Indiai
rlVer) is over mile in width and has
depth OF water ranging from 10 to 80 feet
From the northern shore at the mouth
| or the st. Lucie peninsula extends fol
about miles in length, with width o.
| about quarter of mile. This strip O.
| land rises rapidly from the shore of either
river TO height of about 80 feet anC
serves as an effectual protection to any
craft that might cast its anchor in the
lovely DAY formed by the curve of the
western shore of the peninsula. Here il
| a harbor unsurpassed in the security il
| affords, and water OF sufficient depth tS
float the largest ships, as lovely as thu
bay of Naples, in the midst of a country
whose fertility Will one day be appra
ciated and taken advantage of by thou
sands of seekers after health and wealth.
We took soundings as we proceeded, and
as we drank in the surroundings and con-
sldered geographically the position anti
value of this noble harbor, as comment
cial centre we felt that we were not tres
passing upon the domain OF prOphec,l
when we talked of the city that would
one day cover it's shores. The future oil
this locality will be undoubted to the most
aknntinaI hnu suff
Descriptions are of little avail at the pre-
sent day as regards Florida, and thou.
sands Of tourists as we'll as settlers have
been sadly disappointed when they reached
our summer land, their expectations hav-
Ing been raised to such an extent by eX-
travagant and interested writers in de-
scribing commonplace localities, that
descriptions, be they ever 80 truthful, are
taken with a large grain Of allowance.
The st. Lucie country only needs a per-
sonal trip of investigation to win the APP
probation of the beholder, and a few facts
which are matters of geography and can
be verified by any atlas, will establish
beyond question the advantages the neigh
borhood at the mouth OF the st. Lucie can
claim as the site of large and important
city. Between st. Lucie Sound and old
ocean is a strip of beach. a mere sand
bar, which we found by careful measure
ment from water to water to be only $50
feet in width. At the expense of very
few hundred dollars canal or inlet could
be opened, and by dredging the st. Lucie
Sound to the mouth Of the river, which is
directly opposite the proposed inlet, a
distance of two miles, the largest ocean
steamer could sail up the now almost un-
known st. Lucie TO a point about miles
from the sound which we deemed the most
desirable site for city. At this point
any railroad running southwark on
the east coast must cross; in fact,
Is the only possible point at which
bridge, il feasible, for the eX-
pense of bridging river mile in width
and of such great depth would be very
expensive. At the locality referred to,
however, nature has been kind to the
bridge builder, and peninsular extends
from the northern shore to meet another
putting out from the south, and right here
few hundred feet will span the stream.
The banks of the river are nigh and fer
tile, especially adapted to the production
of tropical fruits. Here the pineapple
grows without fertilizers or any protec-
ton in profusIon and attain an immense
size. AS we proceed up the stream, which
is navigable for a distance of Is miles,
rich hammocks unfold to view and the
settlers in this vicinity make yearly ex-
cursions in the month of October to the
groves of wild guavas and lines that are
found short distance back from the river
in fiourishing condition untouched, un-
sought by mar, save occasionally to gather
their fruit. That strange animal, the
manatee or sea COW, now rapidly becom-
ing extinct. is found in this section, and,
if the tales of the settlers can be believed,
they commonly are seen as far down as
the st. Lucie Sound, and we ourselves
collected the body of large one which
appeared to have met recent death just
below the place of Capt. Richards, at
Eden.
The proposed canal from Lake Okee-
chobee is intended to convey the waters
of that great inland sea to the st. Lucie
river, and in that case water communica-
ton can be had with the KIssimmee re-
gion; and, from the evidences OF success
by the drainage company al Lake Taho-
pekaliga and fertility of the reclaimed
land, the vast region tributary to the har-
Dor of the st. Lucie cannot be overesti-
mated, and as sugar, and perhaps rice or
tobacco, will be the principal productions,
and as these articles are OF non-perish-
able class, water being cheaper than rail,
will be preferred as a medium for trans
portation and the st. Lucie become an
important commercial highway. Its har-
Dor being on the Atlantic, will receive
t0e DulE OF commerce from LDe interior OF
the State, thus avoiding the lengthy and
dangerous voyage around the Keys at the
south end of the peninsular, which ship
ment via Charlotte Harbor must undergo
unless bound for Gulf ports.
The entire river front on both sides for
q distance of miles from its mouth is
occupied by settlers, who acquired the
land by homestead entry. Some OF these
have made final proof and will sell a pOr-
ton of their land, not being aware OF it's
location, at from $40 to 500 per
acre. At distance Of from to 15 miles
from the mouth the entire river front S
owned by private parties, who purchased
it from the Sir Edward Reed Company.
Gen. Roddy, of Alabama, is large own
er, and is at present in London, and his
son, whom / met at Melbourne, informs
me his father has sold portion of his
land and that a colony will arrive this
fall to settle upon the same.
OF the many railroads projected to the
Indian river from Orlando it would be
well for one at least to consider the ad-
vantage OF making st. Lucie harbor its
point and thus give your city an
outlet on the Atlantic coast, removing
their present dependence upon Jackson
Vile and Savannah. A route via Mar
coossee would be very little more than 100
miles in length from that point and pass
through large area OF good land at pre-
sent inaccessible, only waiting the IRON
morse TO bring IL into prominence. 1t is