The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-04-18

DIT Csc III Flp 4IltIi ~ L iN1
been known in the United States.
.-Two weeks ago the East Coast
Railroad carried into the Fort iAauo-
erSaIe section of Southern florld3
oyer 5000 men from the Norm a1o
west. who went there to select ianos
previously purchased from one OF the
land companies operating in that sec
ton. There were camped on the
ground at one time nearly 300 men,
living in tents. arranging TO secure
their allotment under the purchase
plan. My adyices are that these men
are Of the most substantial char
acter of Western and Northwestern
farmers and business men. Another
company has recently sold in tracts
Of 10 to 90 acres to Western people
a body Of $4,000 acres Of land.
The growth of the East Coast.
which is developing much more rapid
ly than it has been possible to pro-
yid railroad facilities for, is indi-
last in a distance OF 800 miles we had
SO loaded freight trains going in both
directions. and last night We had on
the line $50 carloads of miscellaneous
merchandise from Jacksonville bound
down the road to the Fort Pierce
section. In order to meet this rapid
growth of business We are now build
ing 10 miles of sidings, and have
placed an order for Is heavy locomo-
tives of the Pacific type. Were it
not IOT the 1dcl lid J. ALL HOW CdI-
rying out the building Of 10 miles
under contract to be completed not
later thar October, 1912, through the
center Of the State to the head Of
Lake Okecchobee. in addition to the
Key West extension. I would i'm
mediately undertake to double track
ing Of the entire system. which [
am satisfied must be done within the
next few years in order to meet the
rapid expansion in traffic.
1.-The growth OF business on the
East Coast Line is indicated in the
fact that during the first week of
March the earnings exceeded the
earnings OF the corresponding week
Of last year by 36.1S per cent for the
second week Of March the increase
over the corresponding period Of last
year was 43.16 per cent. and for the
the traffic promptly. We now have
at work on the extension to Key West
over 1900 men, according to last
weeks payroll. Every steamer of the
Mallory Line from New York to Key
but SO great is the emand from the
farmers for laborers that many Of
these men soon leave our construc-
ton camps for farm work, temple by
the higher prices that farmers are
paying for laborers.
II have never waiYered in my faith
in the ultimate very great develop
ment of the section into which / was
putting many millions of dollars. I
have always looked for great things,
but the development now taking place
far exceeds my anticipations.
"Since the work on the extension
to Key West has been under way that
section has been visited by several
storms far Worse than any Of which
there a been any record. In the
hurricane of 1910 the wind attained
a velocity OF 40 miles per hour
TN $50 cfnrppS dorm On no tod that the
concrete and bridge york had been
constructed with such a margin Of
safety that it was not in the slightest
affected, but it also demonstrated that
some Of the heavy fills at some
points which engineers had thought
would be adequate were not equal
to meet such terrific hurricanes. We
have therefore since the storms been
carrying out all construction work
on a basis to defy n winds and
waves. his has necessitated trebling
the amount Of concrete and bridge
work that We had first anticipated.
As soon as the equipment used in
the construction OF the concrete and
sometimes known as the "oyer-the
sea" railroad. has been completed it
Will be moved TO Key West and used
in the construction Of the terminal
facilities to be established at that
point.
1adt 1idS tttLi accomplished IN
the development of the East Coast
Of Florida can be accomplished in
other parts of this State, and to a
very large extent throughout the
third week the gain was 40.3S per
cent, and would have been much
larger but for our inability to handle
Mole South. Indeed. the growth of
traffic is ~treading hard upon the heels
of transportation facilities It will
require a vast expenditure of money
to bring about an ~QXDlnSjAn nf rail-
road facilities in the South equal to
the demands Of the next few Years.
But this cannot be accomplished il
railroads are to be hampered by adj
verse State and Federal legislation.
The next quarter Of 4 century Of
material development belongs to the
South. The movement OF population
to the East Coast Of Florida, to which