The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-05-24
the COMMERCE OF
Lake CRESCENT.
important Facts Concerninu
Business Growth of This
Section
PRESENTED to Government By Crescent
City Board of Trade.

ena' man nc report IS copy OF ont
recently sent 10 the Jacksonville offic,
OF the United States Engineers, follow
ing the completion of the survey O
Lake Crescent and Dunn's Creek.
Accompanying the report as published
is an exhibit showing The extent of III,
lumber and logging business and Ibt
naval stores shipped from the lake dur
ing the past year. The amount of lop,
ana lumber, when cut, amounted 10 "a
4VO,OOO feet, and there was $500 barrels
OF turpentine, 10000 barrels of resin,
and $4,000 cords of wood The report
follows:
CAPTAIN john r. SLATTERY,
United States Engineer Office,
Jacksonville, Fla.
Dear Sir: Inspector James C, Coxet.
ter on the completion of his survey a
few days ago, of Dunn'S Creek from The
81. Johns river, and Crescent Lake, in
formed us that your office would con.
Sider any commercial statistics bearing
ON these waterways that might be pre-
Sented.
You will readily understand that the
gathering of exact figures of the bust
ness done on these waters is almost i'm
possible owing 10 the facts that the
towns are small and separated; that the
settlements IL many instances are new,
prosperous communities existing today
where none were TO be found wear
ago; and that the general condition is
that of change. Every day sees arrivals
OF actual and also future residents
Lands are being bought in large tracts
and divided in small farm and grove
properties. These are being improved
and cultivated as never before in the
history of the state. AIAthiS means in.
creasing business for the steamboats, and
railroads, yet any statistics gathered for
past years would be utterly out of date
Tor the present. But from what gain
has been made during quite recent years
il is evident that present facilities OF
transportation are entirely Inadequate
for the near future.
II is true today that fruit growers, far.
merS, and market gardeners are serious.
ly handicapped. In many instances they
could do profitable business if il were
not for the great distances they have to |
haul their produce TO boat landings and |
railway depoiS. These distances at |
small cost as your surveys |
doubtless show, coald be cut down by
easy extension of navigable water, par.
ticularly in the large and fertile Haw
Creek territory where many settlers
have located, and where it is certain
that many more will soon do so.
But there is official evidence to show
how rapidly Florida is developing in a
way and how fast the popula
ton is increasing, This is furnished by
the Thirteenth Census OF the United
States:
On the 18th of April, 1910, according
10 the latest federal census the popula.
lion of Florida was 752 ,b19, a gain dur.
ing the preceding ten years of 224,077,
Or AZ per cent, During the same pc.
riod the total population of Continental
United States increased but II per cent
In other words, the population of Flori.
Ia has increased during the past decade
more than twice as rapidly as that of the
whole country. No one of the South
Atlantic states has so great gain as
Florida 10 its credit. And very few OF
he states of the Union show a greater
progress.
Crescent Lake and Dunn'S Creek are
low available, and if improved would
&c much more so, for large part OF the
business of three Coun-
les: Putnam, eastern part; VoluSia,
northern part; ST. Johns, southwestern
,art. The gain in population in these
hree counties in ten years has been
2 ,005.
Bulletin 80, Census of Manufactures,
or the States of Florida, 1905, shows
hat large increase has been made in
he number Of manufacturing plants.
,or period OF five preceding years the
er cent of increase was los; of capital /
81; OF the number of wage earnerS I
S 4; and the per cent OF increase in !
alue OF products was AZ. S
But Florida is primarily and essen.
tally an agricultural and fruit growing
tate, and along these lines The develop !
lent is general and fast, no more so
n any other section of the state than :
his. Statistics of an official character
re not at hand, and if they were they '
you'd only show what has been done
y a much smaller number OF producers
han are now actually engaged. This {
aature of the progress of this locality is |
overed by the accompanying report OF \
ne St. Johns Development Company I
,hich is bringing under cultivation t
louSandS of acres of rich land at the /
ou,hern end of Crescent Lake and
long Haw Creek which flows into the
Ike The business of other colonies |
nd settlements whose natural outlet is y
he surveyed waters is also given, and L
lade part of the statement.
Crescent City, about midway north '
nd south, on Crescent Lake, is the y
entire of an important business. Its
rowth was never so marked as during
lie past year when the building i'm h
rovements aggregated more than $780, Il
70. This includes packing houses for [,
trus fruits, brick poStofiiCe building, s
ght homes costing from 81, 600 TO S. S
10 each, and several requiring smaller v
ltlay.
The postoffice business OF Crescent
lily gives concretely an idea OF the S
activity. During the year o
III, the gross receipts of this postolfice C
mounted to S5,0l652. In round num- !;
ers $4,000 pieces of first class mail +
ere handled, and in addition 100000 C
eces of all other classes. This is a il
ecided growth acknowledged by the C
ithoritieS al Washington by advancing s.
&c office from the fourth class TO the T
ird class, thus making ii presidential
he office within few weeks has been
ssignated as a postal savings bank. I
he force includes the postmaster and V
rec assistants. The Crescent City 9
,stoffiee is The distributing point for !,
Johns Park, New Ruin, and Shell q
huff, and OF turpentinc camps. c
The Bank of Crescent City,-the L
gned statement OF the cashier accom- v
Inying this exhibits another unqucS- u
1nable evidence of the growing com P
ercial importance of the place. This !,
INK was organized in November, 1909, u