The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-02-21
GLOOMY VIEW
OF DRAINAGE WORK
STARK TELEGRAPH BELIEVES
STATE SHOULD LET EVER
GLADEs SEVERELY ALONE

The Starke Telegraph discusses the
Everglades Drainage project as foi
lows:
Much has been said of late about
retaining the Everglades, and the
feasibility and utility thereof have
not been questioned The Everglades
is a terra incognita in the true sense
Of the word, and the expeditions
which have succeeded in crossing this
immense saw-grass covered inland sea
can be counted on the fingers. They
took notes Of what they saw the first
few days cut; after that they had to
hustle 10 get to terra irma before
they lied of starvation or exhaustion
All that is known Of this region comes
from the exped tons, and is, as far
as concerns soil and water conditions,
as 10 lows:
The Everglades is a shallow basin
of coraline limestone, having water
from a couple of inches to several
feet in depth. The water is clear and
contains ] me; it comes partly from
the overflow of Lake Okeechobee,
partly from direct rainfall but to a
great extent from springs that are
frequent in the rough bottom. 1t has
slight southerly current and has
broken through the rim in several
places, forming water courses Of
which Miami river is the largest. The
rocky bottom is often bare, but gen
orally covered with muck from a
few inches to several feet in depth.
This muck has been formed from de-
no hi
have been deeper, were it not i'm
pregnated with lime, which rots it
even while under water. A little
island of low elevation, on which grow
trees and bushes, is met with Occa-
sionally otherwise saw-grass, often
ten feet high, is everywhere and would
bar all progress were it not for tor
tuOUs passages through it.
While it has been asCertained that
there is a fall sufficient to drain off
the surface water from the Glades, it
is very doubtful if the interior and
northern parts could ever be drained
enough for agricultural purposes. AS
soon as the water left the muck and
the saw-grass roots the soil would set
tie considerably. The inevitable fires
would burn the upper stratum of
muck, lowering the elevation still
more This would necessitate cutting
every ditch through the bed rock. The
springs would give endless trouble in
places, and where the muck was shall
low 1t would dry up and rot. away. Soil
composed of pure humus is not per-
manent in character; when exposed
to the air it soon decays.
Before settlement could be effected
in the drained Glades, roads would
have TO be built. Where these cross
ed bare rock, it would have to be-
smoothed off. and over muck plank
roads would be necessary very ex-
pensive undertaking. The place would
be disagreeable to dwell in on account
of the mosquitoes that would breed
in the pools, and decaying vegetation
on every hand would engender ma
laria, The only one who would -four
ish there would be the Seminole In
dian, for thickets to which Little
He'll Bay" south of Lake Butler would
be as parlor floor would soon spring |
up and harbOr the animals he likes
to hunt
The state should let the Everglades !
severely alone. at least until private
enterprise has experimental and
found the project feasible. The eff
feet of draining this region would be
felt a hundred miles north Of it, and
perhaps, not to the welfare Of the
jewellers there.