The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1899-07-13
ANCIENT HISTORY
The Building and Operation of
Ocala's First Railroad

| will give a brief outline of the
building of the first railroad in
Marion county. During the year
of 1878, largely through the in
fiuence of the late Hon. E. j.
Harris, such men as Capt. Sam
uel Agnew, E. w. Agnew, Ben
jamin Brothers, Col. s. M. q.
Gary, E. j. Harris, Hon. John
f. Dunn, III. P. Robinson and
Brother and myself, formed a
corporation to build a railroad
from Silver Springs, via Ocala,
to the waters of the Gulf of Mex
leo, and were duly Incorporated
as the "Silver Springs, Ocala
and Gulf Railroad Company"
with capital stock of $500, 900.
The usual officers of a railroad
were elected and installed. Dur
ing the session of the legislature
of 1879 our representatives, Hon.
Hugh Miller and General Robert
Bullock, secured a donation, as |
remember, of $4,000 acres of
swamp and overfowed land per
mile, to be decided to the COM
pany upon it's completion and
operation of ten miles, in INSTALL
ments, 10000 acres for each ten
miles as built. AS soon as this
donation was secured, a survey
of the route was made and work
began under the supervision of
Captain Samuel Agnew, acting
as engineer. He did his work
we'll, and in short time the road
bed was graded from Ocala to
Silver Springs. Scantling, for
railing, was used in lieu of iron.
Hon. John f. Dunn was sent as
a committee of one to Jackson
vile to purchase an engine and
rolling stock to place upon the
new road, which was purchased
by him, and during the latter
part of 1879 the road began op-
erations, the engine being named
"Pioneer.' The stockholders
and others assembled to witness
the advancement from common
wagon to a railroad in the trans
portation of commercial and ag-
ricultural commodities The
"Pioneer" was fired up and a
good head of steam secured and
put in operation. The train
moved, the splinters from the
railing flew thick and fast, and
sparks of fire from the smoke
stack ienited such things as
would catch, thus constantly en-
dangering the eyes of passengers
from splinters and their clothing
from fire. These misfortunes
we're not all. "Pioneer' had a
way of jumping the track, which
it successfully did at least once
on each mile of road 1T passed
over. Consultations were held
and plans suggested, IN vain, to
remedy these drawbacks. The
road was not paying expenses
Finally, Captain Agnew stated
to the stockholders that the ex-
isting system was a "lossen'
business, and proposed the turn
ing of the road for the time be-
ing into tram road, the car to
be drawn by mules, which plan
was adopted, and the road leased
one year to the captain, he tC
foot all expenses in the new ven
ture of operating the road, and
have all he could make out of it.
This venture cost the stockhold-
ers 10 per cent. of their capita
stock. Captain Agnew contin.
ued the operation of the road as
above stated at an individual
profit until the F. G.. & P. rail
way was built and put in opera
tion to Ocala, during the year
1882, when the stockholders solo
their stock to the T. G.. & Z. Ry
Co., for a stipulated amount fol
each cubic foot of embankment
and excavation of the road, sup
> iposing the sale covered the entire