The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1906-02-23
VAST DRAINAGE
NECESSARY
Conditions l1skS Everglades AIEaOsi
Impraetieabls-WOr WOuld
BE AlmOSe UsaIaSS.


impraeticable; basing the claim upon
actual statistics, andBshowing in con-
elusion that even were the scheme car
ried out successfully the results are Of
comparatively little value. The affidavit
submitted by Christopher Mailing, an
engineer Of note, is easily one OF the
most interesting mass Of evidence pre-
sented by both sides in the answer to
the rule to show cause why the tempo
rary Injunction granted by Judge Boar
man restricting the carrying out of
Governor Broward's scheme, should not
be continued during the pending Of the
suit.
The plaintiff in the case is the South
ern States Land and Timber Company,
and the action in chancery is brought in
the United States Circuit Court against
N B. Broward, as Governor, and the
other state officers, as well as the Board
Of Drainage Commissioners. For three
days counsel have been submitting aft
davits and making arguments, and of
the many documents brought to the at
tention of Judge Locke, the one men,
toned above is perhaps the most inter-
esting.
ENGINEER OF NOTE.
Mailing now resides at Kissimmee, in
Osceola county, though his duties as az
engineer have carried him into all parts
of the world. For time he was with
the New Zealand government, went
through the New Zealand war in 1863
1870, and later was taken to South
Africa. whsre he rendered great service
to the British army in the war against
the Beers. His long experience and his
thorough knowledge of the subject, for
he was in charge of the party that made
the investigation of the conditions in the
Everglades several years ago, makes
his affidavit all the more valuable.
SUBSTANCE OF AFFIDAVIT.
Engineer Mailing first sets up that
two great questions arise when any
great drainage scheme is being consid-
erel, whether the work to be performed
is for the purpose of navigable canal;
for retaining lands for agricultural
purposes
In the first case, he shows, it is abso-
lutely necessary to maintain supply of
water somewhere near the highest point
great enough to prevent any alteration
in the depth of water in the canal, and
this can best be supplied by artificial
or natural lakes fed by rivers. The out
let of such reservoirs must be controlled
by dams or lock gates, so as to store up
water sufficient to provide against the
possibility of the dry season diminishing
the water feeding them.
In the second instance, the main OBJ
ject is to provide a number of canals at
regular intervals of sufficient width,
depth and fall to carry off all waters
and the regular inflow from lands above
as quickly as possible, thus enabling
them to do their work as main drains
- - ~. l,A.a,I ,,,a,,II
find their outlet.
AS TO EVERGLADES.
The Everglades, he says, include about
5000 miles of territory exclusive Of Lake
Okeechobee of about /, 200 square miles,
and Big Cypress Swamp of about 1900
square miles. All this land is of swampy
nature and covered with saw grass, the
few hillocks and other high places equal
ing only about 200 square miles.
Lake Okeechobee acts as q huge res
ervOir and feeds, with the water it re-
ceives from the Kissimmee, Fish Eat
ing Creek, other small streams, and an
annual rainfall Of about 4S inches, this
territory. The lake 10 only about twen-
ty feet above sea level. It's greatest
depth, based on Mr.. MalinR's own
Soundings, being only about twelve feet,
and from that IL shoals of gradually.
The rainy season occurs during the
heated months, and the Shrinkage Of the
lakes he finds dOes not equal more than
two feet in any season. The swamp
lands are roughly estimated at $500, 900
acres and saturated with water, amount
ing 70 twenty-five per cent. and this
must be provided for In the drainage
system.
DIFFICULTIES IN Way.
To lower Lake Okeechohee four feet,
a. contemplated, would take q canal $50
feet wide, with four foot flow, stretch
ing over q route from South Bay on
Lake Okeechobee to New River, Q dis
lance Of fifty miles. This would require
q current Of twenty-five miles per diem
and at this rate il would take 10 days
TO reach the lake level desired.
But Lake Okeechobee IL not q closed
reservoir at the drainage Of the Kissim-
NEE Valley, about 100 miles long and
thirty miles wide, come in, with lumer-
Gus lakes and rivers and small streams.
This gives q drainage Of about 5000
square miles empyting In from the
north, meaning an amount Of water
double the capacity Of the canal Osti-
mated above. This would near that
aeveYnl treat eanala would have 70 IN |