The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-12-30
CONTRACT LET
FOR NEW ROAD
Will Open Thousands of Acres
For Industrious Farmers
RICHEST LAND IN STATE
Will Run South From Maytown to Lake
Okeechobee Be Completed In
Three Years-Work to Start Soon


Opening up a vast territory of the
states most fertile acres and of virgin
forest that is yet untouched by the
lumberman's axe, new railroad lead
ing south from May town to Lake Okee-
chobee is to be constructed within three
years time by the Florida East Coast
Railway. Contract has already been
let for the work and it will begin with
in few weeks.
The new road has been decided upon
by Henry NJ. Flager and its building
is frahght with the greatest possibili-
ties and will be an immense factor in
the rapid development of the coming
Florida. First authentic information
concerning the new road was given the
public by President j. r. Parrott, of
the Florida East Coast Railway, two
weeks ago. The cost of the work will
probably exceed a million and half
dollars.
The contract for the construction Of
the line has been let to the Kissimmee
Valley Construction Company, Della
ware corporation, with offices in this
state. Work is to begin within few
weeks and is to be completed in three
years. 1t is expected that it will be
completed in less time, though it will be
held back unless all rights of way can
be secured without trouble. Upon the
securing of the rights of way will in a
great measure depend the beginning Of
the work, but it is not anticipated that
there will be any hindrance in this re-
gard as the owners of the property
through which the road will pass will be
greatly benefited by its coming.
The proposed extension of the Florida
East Coast Railway, as decided upon by
Mr.. Flagler, will be IRON Maytown on
the Titusville division sOuthwesterly to
Whittier, and then southeasterly to a
point on the northern or eastern shore
of Lake Okeechobee, a total distance of
about 100 miles.
A branch road will probably be built
from this line at Whittier across the
Kissimmee Valley to Fort Bassinger, on
the Kissimmee river. 1t is possible that
the main line of the new extension may
later be built on through the reclama-
ton district to the present line of the
railway on the lower coast, but that
depends entirely upon the future and no
such plan is atpresent in evel tentative
form.
The new railroad traverses region
of virgin forests of magnificent timber
and of lands that are the most fertile
in the world Some farming and orange
growing has already been done in the
region reached but only in a limited
70 ha lon Of
facilities. Enough has been done, how
ever, to fully establish the fact that
there are no more fertile land in all
Florida or anywhere else. The SPLEEN
did timber contains untold wealth in
lumber and naval stores. The Kissim-
NEE Valley will be opened up as will a
section Of the East Coast that has not
before been easily reached
Lake Okeechobee is an inland sea in
itself and from the point where the
road will touch the lake, Fort Myers
on the West Coast may be reached by
steamer down the Caloosahatchee. All
points upon the lake will be within easy
reach.
There is no doubt but that the new
railroad will quickly be followed by the
settling and development of the region
through which it will pass. Florida's
development has been in the main near
the two coasts, where transportation
were best. But the build
ing of the new road will mark the be-
ginning of the development of the rich
interior section extending from Lake
Harvey and the ST. Johns river south
to the Everglades and on to Okeecho-
bee.
Mr.. Flagler made possible the devel-
opment of the entire East Coast when
he constructed the present Florida East
Coast Railway, he attracted the atten-
ton of the world to Florida when the
great engineering feat of building the
extension to Key West was launched.
and in the new plan which he has for
he is paving the way for the
more rapid bringing of the states
greatest development.
This road will undoubtedly be brought
20 Palm Beach which will make an East
Coast outlet for The rice farm lands ly-
ing between here and Lake Okeechobee
and give access to the lake for the
of tourists who visit Palm
Beach each year.
This road will add greatly to the
value of property in the lower portion
Of the county, and especially to that
vast area of land owned by the Southern
Co. and the Hunter Land
Co., which companies are rapidly dis
posing of their holdings to people in
the North and West, who desire to lc-
cate homes in the South.
There is strong talk among our local
about building road from
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