Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-06-23

Vile NN NtNNNs 4 w MlNAN NNAA- wv
satisfactory. IN 1855 he used his great
influence and helped the great move
ment OF September. 1855. when all
the roads IN the South changed their
gauges 10 conform 20 that OF the
North. he built a great steel bridge
across the 81 Johns river az Jack
sonville. and the first through Pull
man trains from Jersey City 20 the
FAR South came % St. Augustine 90
carry guests 20 the Pence De Leon
Hotel IN 1887. This Improvement
soon gave the State OF Florida a Sc
hour natl train from New York. Tie
also built IN So. Augustine the Alca-
EAR Hotel and the beautiful casino
and baths. all OF concrete. magnih-
Gently finished and furnished. lie
built the City Han. the hospital. the
exquisite Memorial Presbyterian
church and manse In memory OF bis
only daughter. and the beautiful Grace
Methodist church and parsonage. the
colored school, and. when Ere destroy.
cd the old Roman Catholic Cathedral.
be gave money with which to rebuild
r. He built two miles OF asphalt
streets. comfortable homes for his
employees. established waterworks.
sewers and electric lights for his pro
perties. He built here his car shops.
and gave steady employment 10 hun
dreds OF men.
In November, 1855. he bought the
-Astor road % TOcoi from ST. Angus
tine aud 20 Palatka. again bridging
the ST. Johns river az that point In
1890 he bought the s. v. White rail-
road from San Mate0 70 Daytona.
changed the gauge and connected Il
with his road az East Palatka. thus
making a throuSh line 20 Daytona
and the Halifax river. Tie put steam
ers on that river % New Smyrna 20 |
bring out the orange crop Of that To-
cality. In 1890 be bought the Ormond |
Hotel az OrmOnd. and later enlarged |
Il 90 accommodate the people attend |
ing the great automobile races from
an 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 and on easy
terms. He established a model farm
az Hastings. and the results OF that
example gave Hastings its start
This year. 1909. the products OF
Hastings farms win realize nearly
a million dollars TO their owners from
Irish potatoes chiefly.
In 1899 he obtained a charter from
the State authorizing an extension Of
his line OF railway along the Indian
river 20 Miami and Key West. and
I'm the summer Of 1892 the work of
construction began. In February.
1898. he opened his line to Rockledge.
and shortly afterwards 10 Cocoa where
"a wharf was built % connect with
steamers ON the Indian river
In March, 1894. he bought the
grounds az Palm Beach, on Lake
Worth. and began the construction OF
the Royal Polnciana Hotel This
work was the most daring project
ever undertaken IN Florida up to that
time. Lumber and ali supplies. In
Guiding food and labor. were conveyed
By rail % Cocoa. Eau Gallie or Jen.
sen as the railroad was finished to
these points. then transferred 20
steamers and carried 70 Jupiter. then
reloaded on narrOw-gauge cars and
transported 20 Lake Worth az Juno.
and thence RATED or Sbarged down
the lake 10 miles 90 Palm Beach.
The Royal Poinciana. with 500 guest
rooms. was opened % the public In
January. 1884. The breakers. another
great hotel on the ocean beach. was
opened In 1856 az Palm Beach.
The townsite OF West Palm Beach
was purchased. laid out and opened
for settlement In 1898. having city
Waterworks. paved streets and a large
public school building.
The railroad was opened 20 Palm
Beach. In Dade county. on March p
1894.
IN 1894 he became interested In
the East Coast Canal a TranspOrta.
zion Co. aud aided that company %
complete its canals 90 Miami from
the Indian river re invested near.