The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-22
OEEFENOKEE SWAMP.
# viii Soon Be Drained and Fit
For Cultivation.

s,vannee Canal Company's Work.
Atlanta, April 21.-On Oct. 20, 1889,
,ha hill providing for the sale of the
Ol,sfenokee swamp became law by the
.r,rovaI of the governor. On March IS,
$50 certain gentlemen, amongst them
Henry Jackson and Frank Coke were, by
10, John B. Gordon, then governor of
roorgia. declared the highest bidders for
.bo nr9perty, by which declaration, under
,ho terms of the act aforesaid, these gen
tIoren became an incorporated company,
horinq the name of the Suwanee Canal
Tornanv. The survey provided for was
Ssni5Iv had, and upon its completion
.be company aforesaid paid the state in
tnu for the property at the price of
s6L cents per acre. The next bid to theirs
,r.s that of certain Michigan lumbermen,
which was 25L cents per acre. The stock
81 the company was taken largely by
Frank Coke, Henry jackson, Gen. Henry
p Jackson, Hoixe Smith, A. E. Thornton,
samuel NJ. Inman, John w. Weed, w. D.
Grant Hugh Inman, j. T. Glenn, Porter
Tyiro and others. With the exception of
tho holdings of Frank Coke, of Phila-
calnbia. John w. Weed. Frank S. VIII
Ia6ls, James Swami and John H. lnman,
Of New YORK, nearly all the
stock is owned by Georgians. Henry
Jackson. Of Atlanta, was elected
president of the company, and A. E.
thornton. the vice president of the At
ianta National Bank, was made vice
rresident. In September, 1891, dirt was
broi,en for the canal from the
eastern margin Of the swamp,
al point near its center, TO the
ST Narv's river, q distance of six miles,
lacking 500 feet. This river, at high tide,
i T2T feet ueioyv the level 0f the " din p,
and therefore upon the completion of a
canal of proper dimensions, the water
wonld be rapidly discharged with great
velocity.
u have made explorations of this won
derful property from nearly every access
ibIe point on the northern and eastern
sides. said Capt jackson, who returned
a few DAYS ago from a visit to the great
swamp 1T lies on north and south
line" he continued, speaking to the
Morning News correspondent, "being
about forty-five miles in length by an
average width of about thirty. In it are
numerous islands, which have been al
ready reclaimed by nature The most
prominent of these are as follows
Black Jack Island, about seven miles
in length by about mile and
one-half in width, covered with Georgia
long-leaf pine. which will cut between
5000 and 5000 feet to the acre. Mitchell's
Island, about four miles in length by
about two miles in width, covered by
longleaf pine of equal quality to that of
Black Jack Billy's Island seven miles in
length, by about one mile in width, COW
cred by long-eaf pine that will cut from
$500 to 5000 feet to the acre. Eloyd's
Island, seven miles in length by about
one mile in width, covered by long-leaf
pine much less in quantity per acre than
on the other Islands named.
"Ihere are manyother small islands also
covered with a fine growth of pine timber,
some cedar and some maple. Running
north and south are large timber bays,
varying from five to thirty miles in length,
Of various widths. The term bay in that
section Of the state is used as synonymous
with cypress brake" elsewhere
The cypress timber is the finest quail
itY of black cypress, and in all except the
central bay, will cut ABOUT 5000 feet to
the acre. The central bay, or back
bone OF the swamp, approximately thirty
miles IN length by an average width Of
twelve 10 twenty miles, will cut approx
mately $4,000 feet to the acre. Many of
the acres IN this bay will approximate
100000 feet. These timber BAYS are sepa-
rated from each other by immese prairies,
tne largest being the Grand prairie, which
Is about five miles in width and four miles
ID length, and the Chase prairie. of even
larger dimensions. At this season of
the year, these vast openings are as snow
white as cotton fields, because of the lux
uFlant growth Of water lilies. Inter
spersed with these beautiful flowers. in
great abundance is found the bloom of
what IS known as the bulltongue, a
no"er OF exceeding beauty, being about
sue lenglh and diameter of the index
Auger, the top half of the most brilliant
yellow and the lower half white. The
water drained from these prairies. the
muck could be upturned by steam plows.
Ine swamp, in fact, presents the ideal
pace Ior the dredge boat and the
steam plow. The whole area with
Iae exception of the islands is covered by
ABOUT feet OF muck, on top of which
Is approximately 2 feet of water. There
are also many lakes oil various dimensions,
auu oil great beauty, in which there is no
sIo"In whatever the depth of water
ICING ABOUT feet, underneath which is
sro inevitable muck. Billy's lake is
eoouV miles in length, but narrow.
averaging not more than 200 feet. Here
tne water is from Is to 20 feet
Il. III uepth' and there is no muck-the bot
%ul IS sandy. The central ridges of the
!s.dnus are covered with sand, sloping off
rrlo hammock land, and thence into
muck. Each island is surrounded bv
n{eaVy pay of timber, the finest being that
eoouC tloyd,s Island. AS above stated
SSme pine timber on Floyd's Island is poor,
moct, aS soon as you reach the ham
t LUX land commences the red bay.
, tle magnolia, the white bav the
, ~ml.e molly, etc. The red bay tree
grows 10 the dimensions of 3 feet in
o oftanlalef' 10 feet from the ground,
N e.. gong to the hight of
W. leet teiore the first limb is
reached. THIS wood when sawed is the
tL o'g oedutllul have ever seen. 1t takes
boolp, o'ASu almost equal to that of ma
as Iaq eSS Inc white holly is there known
t5liG;lIuerson wood, and from this most of
W. NJ piano KEY in this country are made.
gran nan IL uIy IL IS as waite as ivory, and the
s'dLn is not discoverable
,o, AL could not do Justice to the timber in
s sS,es' on this wonderful property in the
NJ W. space OF an interview. The supply
r,o ~ press IS simply infinite, and its sup6-
nv, qu4Ilty is due to the fast that it has
gos5 Deeh subjected to alternatives of
cy, oas ana droughts as is the river
ms al Of this timber has been
scre,. yea from depredations of every char
G. ana there is not scratch thereon
6o ,roPy what may have been placed by the
R .''%uIc hunter or wandering beast. On
t, I1,H Jack and Mitchell islands ] OBJ
i CAM. Ivy n.y. nrs( view Of virgin forest, as