The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-21

tricity to the value OF ss.724 more than the
city paid for, making s25.S72 profit that
year on the SIS 600 investment. or intereet
at the rate OF 81 per cent
This brings the record down to 1901.
the year Of the big fire. Loss OF business.
the restoration and extension Of the plant.
and the general conditions caused by the
fire. together with the payment for ex-
tensions made before the great disaster
involved the city in an expenditure Of
1000. Yet, with all this. the profits for
1902. caused by the increased demands for
electricity, will make even O much better
showing for the electric plant than that
made before the fire.
| Mr.. Dillon further says that the figures
show that the city's electric light plant,
Jan. !. 1902. taken as a per cent. invest
inent, charging the plant with every dollar
invested by the city, and adding s per cent
interest annually. and creditng the plant
with cash repaid the city and the electricity
furnished and not paid for and deducting
cash OH nand. and in spite of losses by fire.
and the cost of replacing property destroyed.
| represents a net cost OF less than $50, 600
The city's plant, however. could not be re-
| placed to-day for less than $3.50. 600 (having
| actually cost ti93 1897 the increased value
over the original cost 376,675, representing
the value Of the engagements and extern
sions practically made out OF the net profits
Of the plant in less than seven years.
Patrons OF the city's plant can now esti-
mate their individual saving by comparison
Of the prices now paid for electricity three
quarters l,sO with the prices that were
charged when the city put in its plant"
Perhaps 1t is too much to credit all this
to the benefcent results Of yellow fever in
1898. but none the less it was the yellow
fever which set Jacksonville to work on
those lines Of municipal housekeeping
and general improvement which have made
her one OF the best equipped cities in the
mechanism Of light, cleanliness and sani-
tation to be found anywhere in the country
So what at first seemed to be a disaster
| from the effect Of which il would take the
| city years to recover. proved in reality a
blessing in disguise.
| CAPITAL DRAWN TO FLORIDA
Florida had already begun to develop
| rapidly as a place Of winter resort. Tour
lists, and not only tourists. but keen-eyed
| men of business. were coming here in in.
creasing numbers every year They saw
the chances in Florida and they saw in
Jacksonville the gateway to all the vast
| peninsula stretching with its chain OF
islands to Key West. Develop the great
resources OF Florida and it was inevitable
| that Jacksonville should be one of the big
| cities Of the South. They had the courage
| Of their convictions these men Of affairs,
| who in the early days were attracted here
by the bewtching softness Of the winter
climate, and they backed their faith with
their money
Large investments were made in winter
resort hotels and in the railroads necessary
to getting to them.
As to the resources Of the State, il seemed
TO be a matter Of faith with investors in
the sos and the early '9Os that the only thing
Florida could grow, or at all events that
the only thing the State could produce
in which there was any money to be made,
was oranges. The result certainly justified
the belief that there was money in raising
Florida oranges. Fortunes were made out
Of the fruit. man with a good orange
grove had a good solid income from it
without very much bother and with the
additional attraction that it gave him a
legitimate excuse for living every winter
in one Of the most delightful climates in
the world. Oranges became the one thing
to invest in and everybody went into it,
Jacksonville's great support was the
orange trade. just az the cotton trade
is the great support of Savannah. New
Orleans and Galveston. In other words
Jacksonville and hundreds Of investors
down the State had all their eggs in one
basket.
sTHE BIO PREHzEr
And then in the winter Of ls94-95 came
what is known as -the big freeze" In
one night men who at shutdown were the
ow ners OF large fortunes were made penni-
less. frost such as had never been known
IN the history Of the State reached all the
way down to the end OF the peninsula
1t was not merely that the oranges were
frozen hard as cannon balls. That would
have meant only the loss of one crop. The
growers would have been out only one
years income. But it did not stop there
The trees themselves were frozen
There had been q long period of warm,
wet weather prior to the frost. 1t caused
the sap to flow copiousy and the trees
were saturs ted with the moisture Then
it was in December-came the sudden
drop in the temperature. The mercury
foil to the lowest point ever recorded. In
the vicinity OF Jacksonville it was down
to II degrees The Sophisticated trees
were frozen stiff. Thousands upon thou,
sands Of them were split wide open. From
sources Of large incomes they became
just so much wood, and very poor, prac-
tically worthless wood, at that
Everybody who had land was growing
oranges at that time. Absolute depend, nee
for everything was placed upon orange
culture. Many farmers would not spare
the land or take the trouble to raise vege-
tables even for their own Use. preferring
TO purchase elsewhere. At that time the
orange crop of Florida was about 5000 .OOO
boxes a year. 1t was reduced to nothing
in one night.
1t Is not difficult TO imagine what de-
spair for the time being that one nights
work Of Jack Frost brought to the hearts
Of thousands Of people. The bottom
seemed to BE- knockcd out Of tv rything in
Florida. save the one industry OF tourist
hotel keeping, On Jacksonville the blow
was particularly heavy, and once more the
noble army OF oroakers were on deck with
pradiCfiopa that ha citv haA raoa;vol .