The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-05-27
An Interview with Rlor1Aa,s OlAess
. Land surSeyer-vThas Col. Hopkins
KNOWS and what He says.

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An Interview with Hlor1Aa,s OIAsss
. Land surteyor-vghas Col. Hopkins
KNOWS and what He says.
A reporter Of the FLoRDrAN has OBJ
tanned the following from Col. G. F.
Hopkins, of Jacksonville, who is probably
the best living authority on the character
of the swamp land selections. The re-
porter asked him straight questions to
which Col. Hopkins gave plain answers
and both are here given:
"Col Hopkins, from your knowledge Of
the lands of this state, selected as swamp
and overlooked, do you think the state oil
Florida in making such selections has com.
mitted frauds upon the United States?"
mo, certainly not. My first contract to
survey lands for the United States was
made in 1862 or 3, and since that time
with the exception OF the wary have
spent most of the time in surveying.
examined the state of Florida swamp land
selections in connection with q United
States agent and we found in the list we
examined that all had been correctly selec.
ted with few exceptions"
"What proportion Of the state do you
think is swamp and overflowed?'
mo man can answer that question
Take the region south commencing at
Kissimmee and three-fourths of that land
was covered with water in the rainy
season. have in the month Of May had
to dig three feet for water in the Kissimme
prairie and one month later the whole
country almost would float boat. When
l surveyed the lands where the Disston
company have their sugar and rice farms,
and in fact the whole Kissimmee valley,
reported that it was from two and hall
to three feet under wafer.
"At the date of the passage Of the act OF
congress Of 1850 under which the stale oil
Florida was to have received these lands,
a large portion of the country was subject
TO overflow during the rainy season. Even
now at Baldwin lone of the high points
in the state) for instance, during the rainy
season the water can be seen In many
places almost up to the railroad tracks.
In fact, the 2,4OO miles of railroads with
their double and lateral bitches, say 1000
miles, has been the means of retaining
millions of acres of this land. Besides,
the long and large canals cut by the Okee-
chobee company has taken the water of
that t. country, lowering it at least several
lin addition to all that has been re-
claimed by railroad and canal cuts, the
bitches cut by settlers would amount to
many hundred miles, and all these have
been carrying off the water and draining
he lands since 1880 The state ought TO
have had these lands thirty five or forty
years ago, and Tot at this late day. The
question to be answered is what was their
condition when congress gave them to the
state IN 1850; not now, in 1891. A num-
Der of old settlers can be found who know
that where large part of the country in
1850 was covered with water, it is now all
dry land, brought about by cutting OF
canals, railroad and settlers bitches"
"You think, then, that il this land had
been secured TO the state before the war
that the state would have had more lands
than she will now secure?"
II certainly do, for hundreds of contests
for homesteads have been filed for this
land, that you could have gone ever before
the war in boat"
some persons lose sight of the fact
that thousands oil acres Of this land were
selected by the state of Florida before 1857,
and that an act of congress was passed
that year which gave to the state all such
lands"
"Mr. Hopkins what did you think OF
the sale of lands 10 Mr. Disston."
Nothing of equal importance in my
judgment has ever taken place ia this
state: At the time Of that sale the inter
nal Improvement board was before the
United States court and the whole land
interest of the stale was about to bo sacIi
feed 10 pay off the Vose claim, aud had it
been sold by the United States marshal,
las was expected) / do not think it Would
have brought ten cents an acre. After the
board made the sale to Mr.. LissiOn and
paid the VOse claim, with the proceeds,
this sale was largely advertised and from
That date our rapid growth commenced"
You think, then, that the stale officials
should still continue in their efforts 10
secure these lands?'
l certainly do; and if the department
at Washington would take the field notes
and patent To the state fr m them, the
state would be large gamer thereby, for
the United States surveyors who made the
field notes, could not possibly have any
reason for making lands high and dry tina,
were covered with water when surveyed.
The FLoRIDIAN appends a comparison
in parallel columns to show how Mr.,
Call stands on this matter: