The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-30
FLORIDA DEVELOPERS.
-,,roR CALL Is NOT ONE OF
THEM.

- -.s-sons who read and were pleased
-. ny letter Of last Sunday on Plants
-, and Calls Talk think I should
~. -,sn,foned the F. c. and p. railway
s,s+a Senator W. d. Chipley in con-
tom with the corporation workers up
- vbo Calls talk Is centered-
IN that letter I was dealing more partic-
..r.-ly with hotel building, to show how
.,,,ozands of idle hands, skilled and I'M
-..usd have been kept busy during dull
s,-,mer months by Plant and Flagler in
.-.,r extensive and valuable hotel invest
rrsnts I'm Florida.
As 20 railroads, when first came to this
-...s as. a representative Of the Morning
80 10 write up its then undeveloped re-
-,u-oes. the old Florida Navigation and
psnr,ad Company Il think that was the
rsre. was the only corporation OF the
I'D in Florida worth mentioning. That
-rss some twenty years ago, when the
u,.i, line ran from Fernandina to Cedar
vev with an important stem extending
- Tallahassee, the capital, and on to the
csst-aboochee river. The old st. Marks
crg Coast branch, don't think, was run
ming
member only Col. D. z. Maxwell, the pres
mi able general manager, and Mr.. +. T.
pspv now of the Plant system, who was
fhen stationed at Tallahassee. Capt. w.
n Davidson, now superintendent of the
,inion depot at Jacksonville, is the only
other raiIoad officials of those days that
7 recall, and he was connected with the
road that came into Jacksonville from
lake City via the famous Venetian town
OF Baldwin.
and the freight traffic moderate, All the
roads were poor and in poor condition
The most Of the travel was by water
Jacksonville, Cedar Key, Fernandina and
ST Augustine were full Of steamers,
Yachts. etc and the St. Johns river alive
with steamers of all kinds and sizes. The
semi-ocean steamer Dictator and her
companion ran from Palatka TO Charles
ton and did a big tourist business. Then
fine steamers ran from Savannah to
Brunswick, Fernandina and other impor-
tant points on the coast.
The tourists then went up the st. Johns
river TO Palatka, there took a little Ock-
lawaha steamer to Silver Springs, from
which point he could get a hack ride over
10 Ocala If he wanted TO go to Tampa
ton and Railroad Companys train
10 Cedar Key and go thence by steamer.
To get to St. Augustine unless he came
in a yacht or steamship up the Atlantic
COAST he would have to take a steamer
from Jacksonville to Toccoi and thence
by a little railroad that landed him way
out of town on the edge Of a swamp. 1t
cost IS cents to ride over a cordory, bump
ing road to the city. one trip generally
satisfied the tourist who was simply traV-
cling for pleasure And the same was
true of nearly all railway travel then in
this state.
There was no railroad south from San
ford, where the trip on the handsome
river steamers ended. The Sanford house.
then new, and the St. James hotel, at
Jacksonville, and the St. Augustine hotel
at St Augustine. were about the only
first-class hotels in the state. The San
ford house was then the most southern
tourist resort, and soon its large patron
age started narrow gauge railroad TO
Orlando, then on to Kissimmee from
which point the Plant system carried it
TO Tampa, widened the gauge and made
1t a great through line. Then came the
Naycross Short Line and other improve
ments that put rail transportation ahead
OF water transportation, and from that
date the steamboat business, except the
ocean lines. rapidly declined
W. SNAA Lane came QOWn from Ma
con- Ga, and built a narrow guage road
from Aston, on the st. Johns river, 20
Lake Eustis, which is now a part of the
Plant system. Then came the Jackson
Vile, Tampa and Key West railway CITY
branches, the Flagler line down the east
coast, and st. Clair-Abrams roads from
IaVares. But nearly all the roads built
curing this period have passed into bank
ruptcy and are now parts of the Plant.
The Flagler, and the Florida, Central and
Peninsular railway systems.
Inc latter system, under new bondhold-
ers etc, has gone on and from time to
time making important extensions and
Improvements. 1t built from Waldo %
Ocala, and on to Tampa. At Wildwood
II Dullt TO Tavares and finally absorbed
me bankrupt line thence to Orlando. and
thus reached that important point. 4 few
years ago 1t secured control of the road
rom Orlando to Ovedio, through this
Guy which enabled it to compete with
Iaht branch road from Sanford to
CVeolo for through northern travel
constantly 1t has added to its rolling
SUCK improved its depot facilities, and
Hhally built road to Savannah. and
,hehce went on to Columbia, S. c., by a
Ieased or purchased line To-day, this
once original bankrupt corporation, Gov
sIs the territory from Tampa to Fernan-
INA from Ovedio to Wildwood, from
Jacksonville to River Junction and from
Jacksonville to Columbia, s. c., with nu-
iiieIous branches. In its development it
mas opened up vast sections of the state
- settlement, and built up towns AMI
cues all along its lines.
" ME 1t has not like the Plant and
4iasIer systems, made a speciality of ho-
Us rsis, II mas given great attention to the
.oLnoIion OF extensive saw mills, logging
toI"ps turpentine stills, phosphate min
Ing, Ing, etc In West Florida it has made
foS9acco culture large and profitable
-nouslry' and in the matter of bringing
lev settlers into the state, from first to
- Coi' u. Z. Maxwell, the general man
80, mas ever been foremost. And while
- Une sense this corporation has become
=. .4gaI OF the Plant system, yet its great
~ ~ development and most valuable serv-
60 mas peen done in fields that the Plant
Ss'sih does not cover. Its ramifcations
J-,.. nuinerous and touch almost every in
,-sIIy IN the state. The last great factor
~ lorlda's development, Col. w. ID.
Iatt'p-ey OF Pensacola, has confined his
-13ofs TO that section of the state. Years
6 S0, II you wished to go to New Orleans
a. ldll' the nearest way was to 60 I'D to
b-o'ny' Smthville and Eufaula. and take
- -Heohtgomery train. Through the IN
Use OF the Louisville and Nashville