Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-09
|fLOR|DA'S EVERGLADES
Transformation Attempted by
the State Government.
TO RECLAIM WILDERNESS
Few Engineers Believe That the Task
is Possible.
WORK OF DISST0N COMPANY
Draining Of the Interior Contemplated
by Several Wealthy and Practical
Men, but Finally Given Up.
WORK OF DIssToN COMPANY
By WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

By WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
MIAMI, Fla. March 4. 1907.
A few miles north Of Miami, at a place
called Fort Lauderdale, the state GOV
eminent of Florida, acting through
the board Of trustees of the inter-
nal improvement fund. has two power
full dredges, one named 1.-The Everglades"
and the other THE Okeechobee." digging
their way up the New river for the purpose
of draining the Everglades. 1t is openly al
legged that this is a political scheme. and 1t
was the principal item in the program upon
which the present state administration was
elected Gov. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward
promised the people. in exchange for their
votes. that he would make that great will
derness, including about seven millions of
acres, accessible to settlement and capable
of cultivation.
Very few engineers believe that tho gov
ernor can carry out his assurances. but he
is making a brave effort. and they ought
to give him q chance. He Is not an engineer.
but a sailor. He gained considerable notori-
ETY. during the early part of the Cuban rev.
olution as commander Of the steam tug
Dauntless and the ship The Three Friends.
with which he made regular voyages be-
tween Jacksonville and the coast OF Cuoa'
carrying arms, ammunition and other sup
plies to the insurgents. That was the be-
ginning of his fame and also of his polit-
ical career He next bossomed out as
"trust-buster,', and taking a certain dema-
gogue In a northern state as his model. he
has employed several lawyers and has start
ed a multitude of lawsuits with railroads.
canal companies and other organizations
over their titles to grants of land which
have been made by the legislature of Flort-
da within the last half century.
He has now undertaken to reclaim the
Everglades, and If he succeeds will win
much more satisfactory reputation than he
At the same time q great deal of criticism
has been provoked by the large expenditure
Of money upon doubtful scheme while so
much rich territory in the state remains I'M
settled and the need Of schools and roads is
SO great There are very few roads in Florf-
da and no school houses except in the
towns and villages of the more thickly set
tied sections The educational facilities are
probably less than those of any other state
in the entire Union.
A striking cartoon In the Jacksonville
Times Union the other day represented pub
lie sentiment on the subject. It was entitled
Both Sides Of the Picture" and on one
side showed dredge scooping up the mud
over with dollar marks There was dollar
mark on the end Of every stick of wood in
the pile of fuel, and clouds of dollar marks
were pouring out of the smokestack. On the
other side was a school house with notice
posted on the door reading, CLOSED for
Lack Of Funds" and a ragged looking
woman labeled 'Underpaid Teacher was
coming away wading through the mud of
horrible road