The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-08-29
BROWARD TELLS
I Of EVERGLADES
Article in New York Inde.
pendent Discusses the
Work of Drainage

In the state of Florida, in the region
commonly known as the Everglades
we have 5.00O.000 acres of land suit
able for d most profitable form of az
rlcultUTe, but valUeleSS at the present
time because it is covered by water
1t may be needless for me 10 assert
that its richness and fertility have
been demonstrated by the inveStiga
tons Of soil and climate experts
l can say that at last We have set
tied this point For since the year of
1906. when plans to reclaim the land
were undertaken by the state through
trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund the project has progressed so
far that all doubt of its ultimate sue
cess has been removed. and We know
that 1t Is only a matter Of time when
most Of this vast area Will be made
mt for cultivation.
To give a clear conception of how
this great drainage work will be &C
complShed it will be necessary for
me to refer briefly 10 the position OF
the Everglades and their character
They are sufficiently elevated above
the sea to permit ali of the surface
water to be removed if an adequate
system of outlets is constructed while
Lake OkeechObee can be kept at SUcn
level that it cannot overflow the
surrounding country when its feeders
are filled with flood water. We do
not epXect TO drain the lake II is
not necessary, and the task would be
too great, for the lakes present area
is about $4,000 acres. but we can
cOnfine its waters 10 their normal area
by carrying off the overflow through
the canal system we are constructing
= Volcanic Basin.
The Everglades lie in an immense
basin, whose rim. probably of volcanic
origin, Is composed of coral and lime
stone rock There are times when the
surface of the Everglades is so slight
y submerged that the rim in above
the water. while during the flood sea
son il may be partially or wholly Gov
cred. This barrier is what creates the
Everglades, as but small portion OF
the water can escape through it.
measurements made at various points
by state and government engineers
show the elevation of the submerged
lands j. fully twenty feet above the
sea a; the lowest point. and there is
continual descent from Lake Okee-
ChObeC 10 tide water.
Consequently the problem to solve
has been how TO make passage
through this rim which would be Of
sufficient capacity to allow the water
il confines to find a lower level and
thtsr-44s-ssa hj7-5-Jsft,I -SpTT-the
trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund-have attempted to overcome. /
have given such study to it that when
I was nominated for governor. in 1905
7 rlcHgPd myself to drain the Ever
cIadcs. and made this the main issue
of the campaign. The project was
taken up Immediately after election
We had two dredgcs constructed from
designs of my own. They began Op-
Grafton in July. 1906. at the head OF
what Is called the New river. about
twenty miles from the city of Miami
The New river flows directly into the
sea Each drcdge is pyCavating,
through the rim ] hare described. a
canal which averages Q feet in width
and has a derth TaBgig from y feet
to - feet So far nealy three miles
Of each canal has been completed. but
the AOrk Is to proceed much more
rapidIy. as We shall h2P at least SIX
CXCavatOrS in service within the next
wear. A tax Of cent an acre on
land sold to settlers GiPS us an in
come of about 100000 annually and
will enable us 10 1nCTCae our opera
tiOns as the excavation # the canals
is being done with grCt economy
a0OflI OnR--eNPHtn Ot - usual cost
OF such labor
To provide complete .rainage sys-
TEN will necessitate th6onstruction
of about 500 miles Of Clets- Most |
of this work however, VI be merely
mud excavation II IS Intended to 4
piprce the rim at seveTaAther points |
with canals which Will inject with /
tidaTs rivers like the Ne river. and
/ the success We have attaad warrants
/ the undertaking. As thtcanalS are
dug the surface water iuhe vicinity
l finds its way into them al flows sea
/ ward, so that already W.have over
I 1000 acres of what has been sub
merged soil TeClaimed anbeing sold
! TO the settler for Cultiv0n. Thus.
as the drainage prOceedShe farmer
Will follow to occupy the I'D
/ Would Grow the Countr Sugar.
Is II worth while to me this re-
gion fit for human habitat. If any
one so questions. let him asider for
a moment the benefit il II confer,
not only TO the south bTupon the
F whole country from merelne stand
point There IS now limited into
. the United States more tht2, 400, 600
/ tons Of foreign sugar fOThich we
pay in duty and TO the fOrp prOdU-
Ger more than S1J0-0O0,0s yearly.
Our total exports per ami of the
following articles corn. WI, flour.
beef and naval stores mbined.
amounts TO but $4,000, O00-n other
/ words, We are paying fOforeign |
sugar. in American money. Re than ,
the people of foreign COuPs paw =
I the people of the United Ses for
all of the corn. wheat. -four, IF and :
naval stores shipped them n the :
United States There are in sub
merged portion OF Florida 10000 :
acres of land suitable for theItiya- !;
ton Of sugar cane 100000 Ps OF q
which land is free of trees andrubs.
containing only grass. 5000 OF :
muck land. varying IN depth muck :
from > feet at the edges TO 2iet in !
the middle A small portion the .
TERRITORY. when reclaimed by yate =
enterprise and cultivated sOmsaFS
ago, actually produced 63 tons ane
10 an acre Of gTOUnd-cane itch
yielded 1850 pounds If even 600
= IN ]