The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-05-11
DRAINAGE PLANS
ARE COMPLETE.
BIDS FOR WORK ARE TO BE
OPENED JUNE 15-A GREAT
PROJECT-AN ENORMOUS FLOR
IDA TERRITORY WILL BE
OPENED.
Special to the Journal.

Tallahassee, Fla, May 10.-Calling
for the digging of two hundred and
thirty-eight miles of canals and in
volving the excavation of approx
mately eighteen million cubic yards of
earth and six million cubic yards of
rock, the specifications for the carry
ing out of the great Everglades drain
age project have at last been fully
completed and agreed upon, and
sealed bids have been asked by the
Board of Trustees of the Internal I'M
provement Fund in this city. The
bids for the contract will be received
up to 10 o'clock on the morning of
July 18th.
Several meetings have been held at
Tallahassee during the past three
months between Representatives of the
various land companies having great
holdings in the drainage district and
the Board of Trustees Of the Internal
Improvement Fund. AS a result an
agreement has been reached by which
all suits against the collection of the
drainage tax were withdrawn, and this
will place the state with sufficient
funds at hand to carry out the great
project.
Vast Fertile Territory.
The calling for bids and the letting
of the contract will mean the reclama-
ton within three years of all the vast
fertile territory in the lower section
Of the state and will mean the begin
ming of the founding of an empire
within the borders of South Florida
alone. Thousands of farms have al
ready been purchased within the
drainage area, and these will be
placed under cultivation immediately
after their drainage. Much of the
area will be ready for cultivation
within two years, as it is not neces
sary that the work should be fully
completed for the settling up of much
of the land
Chief Drainage Engineer ]. o.
Wright has completed the specifica-
tons for the work, and the call for the
bids has been issued by Secretary J.
c. Luning, of the Board of Trustees of
the Internal improvement Fund.
The drainage district is about one
hundred and forty miles long and fifty
miles wide and lies to the south and
southeast Of Lake Okeechobee. The
great lake overfiows the Everglades in
rainy seasons. and it is for the pur-
pose of lowering the waters of the
lake, controlling its flood waters and
the draining of the lands through
which the canals pass that they are
to be constructed. Incidentally the
state believes that they may be made
use of for transportation purposes to
no small extent later
Five Canals.
There will be five canals, to be
known as the North New river, the
South New river, the Miami branch,
the Hillsborough and the Gulf coast
canals. They are to vary in width
from fifty to seventy feet and in
depth from eight to twelve feet. The
side slopes are to be at such a de
sree as may be necessary for main
aiming the required width and depth.
In some parts of the 'Glades the
banks will be quite solid and the Gu
may be almost perpendicular. but in
other places there will have to he 4
very broad slope.
A. such points as may be desiG
rated BY the engineer in charge, gen
orally not closer than one mile
apart, on each side, openings will be
left in the spoil bank for surface
drainage. When these openings are
in solid material the specifications
provide that spur canal. twenty feet
wide and four feet deep, shall be