The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-03-20

the total in 1906 was $642, 032, 1863. Some
illustra tons of the increase may be given
Tampa, Fla, 1sSo-1s9O. nothing, in 1906
So, 740 500. St. Marks, Fla, in 1880 5000,
in 1906 1,s41, 227, Pensacola, Fla: in 1880
leans, 1850 $50. 442, 019. in 1906 $3.50, 1926.
Mobile in 1880 81, 1sS, 74o, in 1905 $21. 1874,
$50. Fernandina, Fla, in 1880 $262, 81. in
749, SS9, i'm 1906 $166.317, 615. St. Johns,
Bay, Bagdad, Port Ingiis and other
with Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and
Texas ports. There are important rivers
in these states and others leading into
the states of Georgia and Tennessee
which would bring immense business to
the canal
States government had expended $14,193,-
397 upon the improvement OF waterways
leading onto the Gulf of Mexico, not
counting the Mississippi river. its trihu-
taries and jetties, with highly salts
factory results.
At the Interstate Deep Harbor Con-
vention" held at Topeka. Kan, October I;
1921 $50, 066 on the products of corn,
wheat, cattle, hogs and sheep from the
of these products to the seaboard via the
Gulf of Mexico. Add to this coal, iron.
cotton, lumber, sugar, naval stores, phos-
phate, fruits and numerous other products
and you will pile up a traffic, an aggre-
gate of exports, you can scarcely compute
or realize.
which would yield a return to no small
degree lessening the cost of its construc-
ton. This tonnage alone was placed by
Hon. Carroll D. Wright commissioner of
labor. in his report dated 1899, on page
A. as follows: Estimate of phosphate j. IN
sight in Florida, grand total 1873, 006 416
tons Almost the whole of this would
be shipped through the canal Mr.. CAT
fall says further: Estimating roughly.
m
pass through the proposed Florida ship
canal when completed it may be safely
put. as follows: Cereals 100000 tons,
coal. iron and other minerals 100000
tons, lumber, cotton, sugar, etc. 3.000,0 900;
total 15,000,000 tons annually. one way
from the United States gulf ports alone.
gagged in this commerce from the gulf to
the Atlantic would necessarily have to
pass through the canal in both directions
it would double the above registered es-
innate tonnage to pass through it. and
would make so 000,0 600 tons for the year
Col. Gilmore says; ''To earn current ex-
struction about 10,I14,3G0 tons must pass
through the canal at CSC per tom
1t may be noted that from the Atlantic
to the Pacific coasts. across the central
part of tho continent the distance is
about $500 miles, but from Canada to the
gulf (north and south linel it is less than
l 800 miles From the centre of the Mis-
sissippi valley, about the centre of wheat
and corn production, it is onet third nearer
TO J1e gun lndn 10 any AItdnIiC coast
ports: SO the gulf. is the best outlet
of this great producing district. The to-
tai area under cotton in 1890 was 49,,
566,211. about three-fifths of which was
in states tributary to the gulf. The value
of raw crop in 1905-06 was $3.50. 600 900.
The value of raw cotton exports that sea-
son We're over $4O1 .e0O, 600
Mr. Caffall advocates the idea of build
iHg dry docks at some point along the
canal, for instance, at Lake Orange,
which is Sc feet above level. for tha
purpose of docking. cleaning and paint-
ing the ships. particularly the United
States war ships.
st. Augustine, st. LtICiC's Inlet. the st.
Johns river. Nassau Sound. Fernandina.
with comparatively slight improvements,
could be connected with and afford en-
frances to the canal This report further
shows that Orange Lake is many tfous-
and of acres in area, is capable of bar
boring thousands of vessels and. as a
ship-building or repairing station. cannot
be surpassed in the United States. The
solutely unassailablc by any fleet or COM
bination that could he brought against
it. 1t would have any and very adYan-
tage possessed by any of the naval de
pots in the world and wider range of
usefulness for the country. but offensive
and defensive and would he safer than
any other naval station in existence: i'm
possible to attack; impossible to de-
stroy impossible to blockade, it changes
entirely the present totally unprotected
condition of our southern atlantic and
Mexican gulf coasts" Orange Lake is
about fifty miles from the Atlantic and
about that distance from the gulf.
BY the construction of this canal the
line of commerce and travel of this north