The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-04-06
A New Line of Railroad,

ARLINGTON, FLA, March 9s, 1855.
Editor Palatka News:
Permit me to invade your sanCtum,
and trespass upon your space a little,
upon subject of general importance
and OF special importance to your thriy-
ing young city, and to section of coun-
try sooner or later to be the pride and
boast of South Florida. e., Northern
fernando.
This section is already attracting at.
tention, and gradually settling with a
superior class Of people-a people who
are able to discern the natural advan-
tages Of the country. and who have the
grit to hang on to await developments.
Our greatest want now is transporta-
tion-that is, rapid transportation. Our
people are generally looking north for
railroad; but what lwant to call the
attention OF your people to is the desira
bllity OF a southwest road from your
city, or some other point on the st.
Johns. That river is, and has been, the
natural entrepot Of the country, espe-
cially OF the Atlantic Coast.
The question we submit to your peO-
pie is whether you will retain the su.
premacy which nature has placed with
IN your grasp, or not. Not that We
would raise a question Of sectional RI
valry, or antagonistic. No; we hate
sectionalism in every phase-politicaAy
socially, or in business point Of view.
But this section mus. have an outlet
these lake shores, these grand iores,
hills and wales, these rich hammock
lands; the extensive Gulf Coast, with
its wealth of fish and shell-fish, its rich
islands-the very Eldorado of the mar.
ket gardener.
viii you have the wealth Of this re-
gion poured into your lap, by furnishing
US with direct rapid transportation? We
rise up and propose n southwest line oil
railway from Palatka. or some Other
point Of similar location, to the Gull
Coast in northern fernando county
For instance, leave Palatka, going ives,
by south, touching the Ocklawaha rivel
some ten miles below Grahamsville
thence on north side of Lake Weir
thence bisecting Apopka Lake in Her
nando county, by an easy ford called
Hampton Trail, where the Lake oil
Boer, eighteen miles in length, is NJ
more than one hundred yards wide--s
place where, it would almost seem, ma
ture had intended for a crossing; theme,
invading the finest portion of South
Florida, in which Arlington is centrally
and beautifully located, where are thu
most attractive and desirable of Her
nando's high hills and beautiful wales
Once the favorite Of the frontiersmar
and sportsman. with its wealth Of fish
and game, but fast becoming the abod,
Of culture, refinement and business ac
tivity. insomuch SO that it furnishes al
agreeable surprise to those who formerly
knew this section only by its natura
beauty: thence on west by one of ma
lures deiiles. with hills on either hant
piled relion on pelion high" Cr
through the rich middle grounds
thence by gentle decline to the famed
"lIomosassa," and to the coast line. II
short, we submit the question whether ;
road on the line suggested would not bt
highly advantageous to your people q.
well MS ours, and to the capital EN-
ployed more rcmunerative than the ex
tension Of long lines into more remot,
wilderness.
Awaiting II response, we sign our
selves, RESIDENTS.