The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-10
work in the EverxIades.

Governor Rroward returned the iat- ter part of the week from visit to Fort Lauderdale, from which point the dredges are at work in the Everglades. This trip is the last made by the Gov ernor before transmitting his message
 to the Legislature.
 The report upon the operation of the two dredges which have been con- structed and put to work in the Ever
 giades under his administration will
 be comprehensive and will give basis for his recommendations, which will
 be undoubtedly in favor of an appro-
 priation to expedite the work which he
 hast begun. The progress of the first
 dredge has been retarded by the stra-
 tum of rock through which the canals
 have been cut, but the worst of this Is
 now completed, survey of the route
 from Lauderdale to Lake Okeechobee
 showing that but little more of rock
 will be encountered. This circum-
 stance has given the anti-drainage faction an opportunity to say. T told you so," but to all criticisms of such character the Governor has turned the ear of confidence in the ultimate suc- cess of the project.
 The Governor was reared on the sea and has intimate knowledge of sea lore and craft. and Is above all man of practical ideas, He has been for tunate in having the hearty co-opera- ton of the cabinet officials, and the near counsel of Capt R. E. Rose. the State Chemist, who, in previous years, made surveys of the Everglades. and did actual service in the section under the Fl. Disston contract to drain the glades. This is now ancient history, but it Is recalled easily. for Disston un dertook the job of draining the district upon grants of land in proportion to the amount drained.
 The contractor died before the work was fairly begun. but not before he had demonstrated to the satisfaction of those associated with him that the thing could be accomplished, without any serious engineering difficulties, This, in fact, has ceased to be an issue in the argument pro and con.
 The United States drainage expert who was in Florida few months ago to institute work for the Department of Agriculture, P. o. Wright, stated to representative of this paper that there was no engineering problem but merely one of time and money. The work of the Government en- gineers goes forward with satisfactory
 progress, and the reclamation of the
 territory will be accomplished event. ually without doubt.
 G. F. and A. Will not be Sold. The presence of J. P. Williams of
 Savannah, president of the Georgia
 Florida and Alabama Railroad in
 Tallahassee offered sufficient reason
 for call upon him to verify or deny
 the rumor which has been persistently
 ahoat for some time here that the
 Georgia, Florida and Alabama had been or would be sold to the Seaboard Air Line.
 MT. Williams had been West for some time, spending a portion of the time in San Antonio, and said he had not been in close touch with affairs for weeks.
 But" he said. you may deny any such rumor as that most emphatically. The G., F, and A. is not for sale, and more than that, the Seaboard has never made any offer for 1t nor has 1t made any attempt to open negotia- tons. The property Is in excellent condition, and more than that 1t is an incompleted project. To one interested in such there Is desire beyond that of making money. and that Is the ob- ject of achieving. The G., F. and A. has not yet accomplished the end which it is intended to accomplish and which 1t will accomplish in time"