Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-01-19
A GREAT LAND GRANT
MADE BY THE STATE OF FLOR
IDA 10 MIR. DIssToN.
What Philadelphia Enterprise Has
Accomplished in the Land of
Flowers-Distriot Attorney
Graham in the I'm
provements.

Philadelphia. Jan. 17.-Three days ago
the state Of Florida took the final steps
in proceedings, under which 100000
acres of the interior OF the state have
been decided 20 Hamilton Disston. a
Philadelphian thus becomes owner of
district OF land In Oseeon, De Soto
Dade. Lee and Bteyard counties about
equal IN extent to q territory 40 miles
square, and comprising perhaps, the most
productive portion of the state
The well-knOwn operations which have
been carried ON by Mr. Disston and hls
friends in Florida. and which are thus
concluded. have been OF simple charac-
Ter from an engineering point of view.
hut they have occupied twelve years Of
constant effort IL was apparent at the
time that the task was undertaken that
m immense tract OF The STATE of FLORIDA
was rendered useless for productive
purposes by the presence Of a huge
volume Of wutcr. the surface of which
varied in altitude from twenty 60 as high
as seventy feet above the sea.
by eating canals and deepening
natural waterways Mr. DisstOn has bent
ms energies towards getting rid OF this
incubus, aud since 1851. when he first
Interested himself IN the problem, nearly
half billion gallons of water have been
discharged from the territory OF the lakes
aud added to the bulk OF the Gulf of
Mexico and the Atlantic ocean, District
Attorney George $ Graham. though not
interested in the enterprise was led from
curiosity to nay visit TO the reclaimed
lately returned
Il had visited Florida" he said ycstar-
a,ss.',l - siat' ~ anu w INV
the interior by Philadelphia cnpltul
~ III nt iI''p oVt"eH w Tue lnlqule
az u w que SgguuI n'sht we ~lePi
,,,,tL mi ,e - '-ua. i4'Ns, ~ wy
s'nynd ' ~, ". U'gyJin GouI''E, 0ur pYry
. 80, ~ II-"..luvNu ~ "u'u' u,li
, H., I'' "A ~ lnc WlnlSr ollhale OF the
,i t,a"'''f f. y,N,.''i Mu9 3i luIgeu from
i'9r a." N"' y u must uf perIeeu4 ue
as ' 49, "', ,,.,,,......,...,. .,., o.,
5,,,roos T., , a. nu,"' ,u
tVE.r'g gu '"v ,llluu's OF We uuy' nnl
itnt'e W"S no lI'ce,r ol anything rnerNat
Hn1,,, b,i br.ni,,.. a1,,i' spiivle Na1
~ M, v ~ m,itff,,,s' SUI ~ s9Yl W. Wy
,,,.i, w. ui ~. ..'' @ Wy ht.-
-. ~. +, "a ,,,i.i W ~ 80 t"Nv,' ~
T. III, .1'.'',..,. $3.50 W, .unl,nns
i,as,i,,,, t6,-' ~. M,,en 49,,
,ba t,',,. s,,.,,, ' @ y"
tae l,'' MI alp ua ll','su ~ W.
~ t4n,l, ~ t,,,, ,ii2 n 1,i,t
~ NV u.s.h n'uu , uu. Ign f1'' III Miilvn
~" 1855 9p,NuH Wy w Ini NS S
~ ~ ~ s.vi.n'1 VI is'' .so.o', ~
.i,nt a sr3 .t i' ~. NY ~
ir ,'o o,,' n r,r'isiI,, Sto.d ~, ,a..
mi ALI "t," oro.eo,ye,i i,njs hos ionS
since died. and M standing trees or Tree
| ssu'Hls i,,'tn,t,.t ~ 'l,,,a
~ ,ptiVot.ettt'II : ii ~ 49, ~
.ue macs " l'Vl = $50, tt.. ny az Az
~ st'5l, w iiui"esutv II 9Isut nv
a Nh ~, e,no Fc,da drres mon ncrnS n
UNI ',e C.'"v ,,.or, i,.Sri s',!bt VII, "a
] fANNAAAf AAt NNAANAAA oAEAANs " AAA a
si i. "s ~. 90, ta ai,.i, AZ ff.ao,
p.outs 80" ~, q " t,,tt
~ siNteem - ~ Nss N' Si
s W. io,oli'o' ~ NJ ,t,i5 49, @ 49,
~ ny 'us - t,,, 80 gnn horr,is 20
isheu lhtIe tulH9 W, ~ u'llvis VI
sum 49, uu! Ii ns rs, ~ III
VIZ" WIZ ~ a., f,rtiitt,. f ti,a
so6 'V'"'' '
SOL, a.
grasses spring up IN week US the
water IeuIes' FRANCES ana Wa'elnSl.
o, sFoT 70 p,a als .,,.en, p o, SIGS
ed with great success. l saw hye po-
tatoes, each =, which was nearly as large
as mans mead tAheh IRON one nut
1t seemed TO me lhht me reelAlneu Ter
ritory had every essential TO make II au
attractive winter resort as well as q
Mr. Disstons attention was hrst at
tracted 10 F.orlda by a man named Cor
yeA.whn went down there about 1850.
GenSASrner and other army officers had
already made Investigations into this
part sf the state, had reported that It's
recl,8ation was perfectly feasible, and
Suggested that the work be undertaken
by the United States government Cor
veil poked around himself through the
region, made up his mind that the army
men were right, and brought the matter
before Mr. Disston.
There were two steps that must pre-
rede, he saw. the making of a contract
with the state. An engineer named
Wurts. from Atlantic City, with several
associates, including trusted empl0yc
of the saw works. was sent down 10 de
eide fuully whether there WINS enough Of a
waterfall to give promise of getting rid
Of the superintendent water by ordinary
methods. The party. when -sey reached
Florida. divided One pOriyf proceeded
down The Kissimanee ~ to Lake
Okeechobce. The other striHk Inward
In the same general direction fANu the
Gulf of Nlexica~ by way Of y. the
Coloosahatches flyer.
Tbey agfr0d to meet az the hen>l.
waters u vaguely known creek empty
inc into the lake at the western SIDE.
Tbe parties were to signal each other
from among the pines by building huge
ares Of brush. One band reached Lake
A.. .