The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-12-31
TRUSTEES HAVEN'T BEEN
FAITHFUL TO THEIR TRUST

Much has justifiably been expected
of the East Coast Canal, a waterway
for which the state of Florida has
paid hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars,
and which should give the people of
| the entire east coast a cheap freight
route to the north. After a score of
| years of work, it has only recently
been opened, and now it seems it is of
| little use. 1t never will be of use un-
less the state government takes hold
of it in vigorous fashion and puts it
in proper shape. This canal is very
important to the fruit and truck
growers of the east coast, as it is now
almost their only hope of emancipation
from the extortionate rates charged
by the East Coast Railway. Some
years ago, the railroad, by the collu-
sion of its powerful friends in the war
department, was allowed to build a
solid bridge across this canal, block
ing it to the passage of any but small
boats. Since taking his seat, Senator
Bryan has been at work to compel the
railroad to put draw on this bridge,
with what success the Star has not
learned
Badly as the work on the canal has
been done, it seems by the following
from the Jacksonville Metropolis that
it has been promptly overpaid for. The
Metropolis says:
The people of Florida, especially of
Jacksonville and along the east coast,
will be astonished to learn that the
trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund have delivered to the Atlantic
Coast Line Canal Company, builder of
the nter-coastaI canal between Miami
49,
ing 117,OOO acres of land due from their
grant of 100000 acres for building of
the canal, in spite of combined protest
of several civic bodies and a great
many individuals.
Years ago when Florida concluded
to give the east coast an inside water
way, utilizing the channels and bays
back of the long narrow keys for that
purpose and connecting them with
system of canals by which an uninter-
rupted passage could be had for boats
of comparatively light draft from
Jacksonville to Miami without going
out to sea, grant of 3S40 acres for
each mile of the canal completed was
made by the state, which aggregated
about 100000 acres.
The charter under which the con-
tract was made and the work prose-
cuted called for a channel five feet in
depth and fifty feet wide. In the
course of time the constructing COM
pany received all the grant due with
the exception of 117,000 acres, the
deeds for which were placed in escrow
to be delivered to the canal company
when the state engineer reported the
contract to have been fulfilled.
Some time ago Major Wright, at
that time chief engineer of the In
ternal Improvement Board, is said to
have made an inspection of the work
and reported to the board it had been
completed according to specifications.
Soon afterwards, however, protests
began to be filed with the board, so it
is alleged, claiming that the contract
had not been fulfilled, the work was
! incomplete and navigation of the
canal was virtually an impossibility.
These protests, it is declared, were
| further strengthened by a subsequent
report made by Mr.. Elliott, then a
member of the engineering department
of the board and acting chief engineer
since the resignation of Major Wright,
| which was to the effect that the work
| had not been finished and was not up
| to the contract. The boards of trade
JolhIiI5 III the pIOLSSb 4IC4uuCu LiAdL OA
Miami, Fort Pierce, Cocoa, Titusville
New Smyrna and Daytona.
Some time between November goth
and November 26th the deeds to this
last batch of III 900 acres were passed,
so it is claimed. notwithstanding the
emphatic objections registered all
along the line. Capt. George G. Glea-
| son, a well known business man of
Jacksonville, is authority for the news,
and he had his information a short
time ago direct from the president Of
the Atlantic Coast Line Canal Com
pany, beneficiary of the grant.
Captain Gleason is one Of the best
posted men in Florida in the affairs
pertaining to the intercoasta1 canal, as
his house has a big trade south of
Jacksonville and for many years he
has been interested in getting his mer-
chandise to his customers as cheaply
as possible He has followed the con-
struction as closely as he could. and
according to his statement, no one
along the East Coast is more chagrin-
ed and disappointed at the present
termination of things than he.
Canal of Little Use
CAS- matters now stand" said he, "the
canal il of little or no use in the
transportation of freight. Between
| Jacksonville and Daytona the boats
are constantly hung up and the freight
| waiting to be forwarded is piling up
mountain high. Miami is virtually out