The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-23
BUILDING UP FLORIDA.
THE White City, Inhabited by a
scandinavian Colony.

1.-THE White City, Inhabited by a
scandinavian Colony.
White City, Fla, April 22.-Within the
remarkably short time of three months, a
Scandinavian colony of nearly 700 people
has sprung mp here on the banks of the
St. Lucie river, only about two miles from
Ankona, and five miles from Fort Pierce,
on the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and In
dian River Railway. They come chiefly
from the northwest, having been induced
to locate here through the efforts of Mr..
Louis Pic, an educated Dane, who has
thoroughly investigated the country from
jacksonville, southwark as far as Lake
Worth, and who has a most extensive &C
quaintance with Scandinayians here and
in the old country
These colonists are mostly farmers,
who have become discontinued with their
lot in the west, but without exception
they all have some meaDs--nOne of them
less than S3OO-and they are rapidly buy
ing and improving The lands nereabouus.
OF the whole number only seventy are
women, and there are nearly that num-
Der of children. This leaves about 500
able-bodied men of a hardy race. frugal
habits, and OF a buOyant and determined
disposition. Over fifty houses have been
built so far-of very simple and mex
pensive design, of Course-while tents,
either of cloth, rubber or thin boards,
furnish the shelter for several hundred
at present. There is one store, postoffice,
a church, and large house. About
200 af the men have already purchased,
and are now working small farms
of from 10 to 20 and 40
acres each, the titles in every
instance being acquired from the
Florida Cosmopolitan immigration
Company, of which Col P. G. Meyer,
formerly of Los Angeles, Cal, is presi-
dent. The other men of the colony work
for this company in laying out roads,
planting shade trees, clearing the forest,
constructing wharves and in general i'm
provements. They are paid good wages
and many take their pay either in cash or
land-Or partly in both. The company
has just started a brick-yard, which
gives employment to a score or more, and
two or three saw-mills. working day and
night and employing about sixty hands,
cannot fill the demand for timber, which
has suddenly sprung up in these parts.
Those who have begun TO till the soil
already have growing crops of early veg
etables-tomatoes, onions, cabbage, pota-
toes, etc, and nearly all the men are con-
| templating the cultivation of pineapples
as soon as they can get the road cleared
for them. For this purpose the company
has contracted for 100000 pineapple
SIPo "IlCh WIN Oo uloUllouueu 70 bne
colonists free of cost in such quantities as
they may require or ask. The slips"
come from the numerous plantations now
| under successful cultivation all up and
down the Indian river.
Through the influence of Mr.. Pho, who
went to Washington for this purpose, the
Florida delegation in congress has secured
the donation of $500 packages of seeds
from the department of agriculture, and
| these are being rapidly planted. While
on this trip to Washington" said Mr..
Pho, i also put in some effective work in
the matter of getting the war department