The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-12
FLoRIDA's CANAL.
The Legislative Committees Tour of
Investigation.

Investigation.
Cocoa Fla, May II -Senator,Summer
and Representative Alexander and FLOYD.
a committee appointed by the state legis-
lature to inspect and report upon the
work done by the East Coast Canal and
transportation Company, existing by
charter from the state and asking for an
extension of the time allowed for the
finishing of the canal from St. Augustine
to Biscayne bay, examined the work done
in past years from New Smyrna to and
through the HaulOver from Mosquito
lagoon into the Indian riverlto-day. The
naphtha launch Helen, conveying the COM
mittee, Secretary A. II. Henderson of
the company and the SAVANNAH Morn
ING News correspondent, reached
here Tuesday night Yesterday
morning the party left here in charge of
Chief Engineer Trever Spencer on the
steamer Ibis, Capt Steve Bravo. for
Jupiter creek, the divide between Indian
river and lake, where now are working
the dredges of Rittenhouse, Moore &
Co, making the emile cut from Jupiter
to Juno. This cut will be completed by
contract to five feet draught of water by
LASAb opIAllSs buuS tIld DlluE SJGdluCTS 10
ply from Ormond on the Halifax to the
foot of Lake Worth
The work, upon examination by the
committee, shows upon the shoals in the
cuts at no place less than four feet four
inches draught, an advantage, even now,
while the stage of water in the
river proper is two feet lower than known
ever before, of about twenty inches over
nominal high tide. These shoals are the
result of steamboat captains running their
boats to shore and then pumping with
their paddles until large quantities of
shore sand are washed into the canal
Experienced river men say with even the
present work done by the canal the rivers
are navigable for the present style of
boats, and didnthe legislature refuse the
extension of time asked and the canal
company abandon it's work the traffic by
boat on these rivers would cease, so neces-
sary is the improvement.
The cutting done at No. cut, south of
New Smyrna, at LIQUIDS cut and at both
the north and south ends of ship yard,
where an aggregate of 900 yards of canal
has been cut through the channel shoals
of the HillsbOrO river, gaining the
additional depth of 20 inches of water over
the normal channel depths, was of such
Importance to shipping that no doubt the
committee although non-committal) will
report IN FAVOR OF the extension. Inc
Haulouer cut is a wonderful piece of
work, considering the outlay on bare
chance of a profitable toll from a com
merce The company must also create as
well as originate the waterway for it. AS
the pilots say: "Stop this great work and
you will drive every steamboat off the
rivers
The two powerful dredges being built
at New Smyrna at a cost Of $4,000 each
are the most powerful known to this
country. Other dredges will likely be
built to cut the canal from the Halifax to
the Matanzas river at a point eighteen
miles south of St. Augustine.
There is one thing certain and that is
that even had the canal company ac-
quired to-day (for the work done now
only all the lands specified by the charter
the profit side would stand to the credit
of the state
The Jacksonville, ST. Augustine and In
dian River railway has about finished the
extending of the road to Eua Gallie,
twenty miles south of Rocl1ledge, and
will run regular trains about June l to
that point.
1t seems as though every man from the
north to the south end of the east coasts
in the employ of Henry M. Flagler.