The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-04-21
PALATKA CHARMS
OCALA EDITOR.
Editor Bittinger of Ocala Star
Commends Palatka's
Enterprise.

The following from the Ocala Even
ing Star of last Friday will be pleasan
reading to Palatka people:
"We spent night in Palatka an,
through the courteous kindness o
Mayor H. A. Davis in his auto witness
ed the wonderful transformation tina
has taken place in East Palatka aloni
the new hard road built by Putnam
county into Hastings and Federal Point
some 13 miles distant. The ride was
revelation. Flat woods lands that wer'
purchased some years ago SO and SIS al
acre and converted into Irish potato
farms are now worth 500 an acre. W.
saw lands that several years ago were {
virgin pine forest that are now produc
ing so barrels of potatoes to the acre fo
which the growers are realizing 81 bar
rel as fast as they can be dug and carried
TO the railroad, five or six miles distant
We saw one farm of 100 acres where the
crop was being harvested. The growers
are working overtime to harvest theil
crop. The picture is an active and in
spring one.
"On every hand along this new road
new homes have been completed or are
in course of erection and creditable ones
New fields are being cleared and made
ready for next seasons crops and drain.
ing bitches line the road, and compass
demonstrates what hard roads and trans
portation facilities are doing for the de-
vclopment and upbuiIding of the coun-
try and demonstrates that the Putnam
county people did wise thing in bond
ing their county for 800, 900 TO create
the same.
"This road is connected at Palatka
with a substantial wagon bridge that
crosses the St. Johns river, nearly mile
in length and cost $4,000. Ii is money
wisely expended for il brings the people
of East Palatka in close touch with the
shire town OF the county and will add
thousands of dollars of trade to the mer-
chants of Palatka.
'Palatka is experiencing no boom but
has sure and steady growth and the
public improvements in that progressive
city is highly commendable. AT the
close of this years work that attractive
city will possess twenty miles OF con
crete sidewalks and some seven miles OF
vitrified brick streets, all provided for
within the past three years. 1t is also
putting down an effective sewerage Sys-
TEN. Their new court house, built OF
cream brick, is an attractive two-story
building, occupying the center of a
square which cost $35,0O0. The grounds
which already possesses fine shade trees
will be further added to, improved and
beautified. 1t is one of the most COM
plete and convenient county buildings in
the state and the citizens of Putnam can
we'll feel proud of the success attending
the faithful labors OF its officials in see
ing that the contract for its erection was
honestly carried out
"The town hall is an ornament TO the
town. 1t occupies half block OF
ground. 1t is slightly two-Story brick
structure, containing the town offices,
public library room and quarters for the
city fire department. The grounds
through the efforts OF the Woman S
Club have been transformed into park
and beautified with cement walks,
shrubs, flowers, fountain and velvet
lawn, which is maintained TO the pink
of perfection. 1t is reStful place for all
to enjoy. Ii is one of the best invest
ments the city fathers have ever made
and much of the credit due its creation
results from the indefatigable and zeal
Gus labors OF Mayor Davis, who is now
serving his third term of office and Tor
ten years previous was a city alderman
whose ambition in life was TO labor for
the public good and whose unseltiSh
work has brought its reward in appre-
citation from the people who now see
how wisely and we'll he has wrought
for the city.
"a new and commodiouS brick
school house will be the next public
building to claim the attention of its
people and they will have it.
Zone OF the great industrial inStitu-
tions of Palatha is the Wilson Cypress
Company, who own thousands OF acres
of cypress lands, the timber on which
is converted into lumber in that city and
the mills capacity is 100000 feet day.
Its wards and mill occupies nearly 100
acres of land, most of which ground
has been made by dumping the refuse
and SawduSt into the low lands along
the picturesque banks of the ST. Johns
river, from which water schoonerS load
with lumber and transport it TO northern
markets. In years gone by great quaint.
ties of odds and ends of boards and
scantlng found its way into the wood
pile or was used for fuel, but now that is
all changed and it has become valuable
bi.product and is boxed and shipped
north, where ii is converted into articles
for ornamentation or utility.
Adjoining the Wilson Cypress Co.'S.
mill is large door, sash and blind fac.
tory, which employs many laborers and
the output is also exported. The Will
son CYPRESS Co. with its mill and log
ging camps employs fully 500 people,
the proceeds OF their labor going into
every line of commerce and business in
that city.
"The Davis Cypress Tank Manufac-
turing Company, of which Mayor Davis
is the successful proprietor, is one OF
the industrial institutions of the town
and its product finds a ready sale all
over the state, il having supplied the
Florida East Coast Railway with 200 OF
IFS tanks already of the largest and most
costly kind and the demand for them
increases as the East Coast pushes its
rails out over the sea toward Key West.
So great is the reputation OF the tanks
made by Mr.. Davis that orders come
from number of southern states. The
plant occupies a full city block and car
ries in stock a million feet of boards.
The bolts, nuts, screws and bands OF
iron TO hold the tanks together repre-
sent stock on hand valued at from Sl2, :
600 TO $4,000, which gives faint idea
of the capital required 10 carry on this
industry. Mr. Davis father, who de-
cade ago passed TO his reward, leaving
a precious heritage TO his children OF a
well spent life, was the founder of this
business. He begun Is years ago in a
humble and unaSSuming manner, but
with his motto OF work well done surely
brings its reward, and it did and this
motto is as conscientiouSly followed by
his son, who grew up in the business
from its lowest wrung and is a worthy
successor TO its founder.