The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-06-25

trio lights for his properties. He built
here his car shops, and gave steady
employment to hundreds of men.
In November, 1888, he bought the
"AstoT" road from Tocoi from St. Au-
gustine, and to Palatka, again bridg-
ing the St. Johns river at that point.
In 1890 he bought the S. V. White
railroad from San Mateo to DaytOna,
changed the gauge and connected it
with his road at East Palatka, thus
making a through line to Daytona and
the Halifax river. He put steamers
on that river to New Smyrna to
bring out the orange crop of that To-
cality. In 1890 he bought the Ormond
hotel at OrmOnd, and later enlarged
it to accommodate the people attend
ing the great automobile races from
all over the world. and which made
the Ormond-Daytona ocean beach
course famous.
With the railroads that he bought
and as their principal assets he got
10000 acres of land, which he sold
TO settlers at low prices, on easy
terms He established a model farm
at Hastings, and the results of that
example gave Hastings its start. This
year, 1909, the products of Hastings
farms will realize nearly a million
dollars to their owners from Irish po-
tatoes chiefly.
In 1892 he obtained a charter from
the state authorizing any extension Of
his line Of railway along the Indian
river 10 Miami and Key West, and in
the summer of 1892 the work of con-
structiOn began. In February, 1898,
he opened his line to Rockledge, and
shortly afterwards TO Cocoa, where
wharf was built to connect with
steamers on the Indian river.
In March, 1894, he bought the
grounds at Palm Beach, on Lake
Worth, and began the construction of
the Royal Poinciana Hotel This
work was the most daring project ev-
or undertaken in Florida up to that
time Lumber and all supplies, in
GLIDING food and labor, were conveyed
by rail to Cocoa, Eau Gallie or Jen-
sen as the railroad was finished to
these points, then transferred to the
steamers and carried to Jupiter, then
reloaded on narrow gauge cars and
transported to Lake Worth at Juno,
and thence RATED or barged down the
lake ten miles to Palm Beach. The
Royal Poinciana. with 500 guest
rooms, was opened to the public in
January, 1894. The Breakers, anoth-
er great hotel on the ocean beach.
was opened in 1896 at Palm Beach.
The town site of West Palm Beach
was purchased, laid out and opened
for settlement in 1898. having city wa
ter works. paved streets and a large
public school building.
The railroad was opened TO Palm
Beach, in Dade county. on March %,
1894.
In 1894 he became interested in the
East Coast Canal & Transportation
Co. and aided that company TO COM
plete its canals to Miami from the In
dian river. He invested nearly half a
million dollars in this enterprise, af-
forwards taking lands for his stocks.
The canal provided water competition
TO his line OF railway.
In 1895 he extended the Florida
East Coast Railway to Miami. in
Dade county. 367 miles south of Jack
sonvilIe. and laid out the city of Mi
ami. giving il paved streets, city wa
ter works. electric lights and a fine
public school building. Miami was in
corporated in 1896. In 1890 there
were but SCI people in the entire
county of Dade
At Miami he built great wharves
and established a steamship line TO
Nassau. Key West and Havana. He
built the Royal Palm Hotel at Miami.
I'm 1896 he built the Victoria Hotel
at Nassau. and tb"Ue constructed the
Colonial Hotel, thus establishing a
large tourist trade 10 the Bahamas
via the Florida East Coast Railway.
In 1904 he built the railroad to Pab-
Ia Reach. extended it TO Mayport,
where he constructed great coal and
lumber wharves. He built the Cont
mental Hotel at Atlantic Beach, near
Mayport. which gave an ocean beach
resort to Jacksonville and the state
generally.
In 1905 he extended his railway Is
miles to Homestead, and in 1907 be-
gan the greatest and most important
railroad construction ever before un-
dertaken by one man, in the extern
sion of his railroad to Key West, by