The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-05-05
REORGANIZATION
of EVERGLADES
DRAINAGE PLAN
ISHAM G. RANDOLPH TO REPRE-.
SENT STATE AS ITS CHEF
ENGINEER.
Exhaustive Investigation Will First
Be Made as to the Practicability
Of the Project.
(By Winfield Jones.)

(By Winfield Jones.)
Washington, May 5.-Reorganiza-
tion has been made of the plan to
drain the Everglades, which will be
one OF the most stupendous engineer
ing feats of the century, surpassed
only in magnitude by the Panama
canal.
Announcement was made today
that Marshall o. Leighton, chief hy-
drographer Of the geological survey.
has resigned to become chief engi-
neer Of the project.
lsham G. Randolph, who was q
member of the board of consulting
engineers for the Panama canal,
builder of the Chicago drainage ca
nal, anil associated with other great
engineering works, is to represent
the State as its chief engineering
authority. Leighton and Randolph
will cooperate in the management
of the huge project.
The State of Florida is backing
the enterprise, already having in
vested IA great sum in it.
Several years ago James o.
Wright, an engineer in the bureau Of
drainage Investigations, resigned
and entered the service of the State
Of Florida as chief engineer in
charge Of this work. He laid out
plan, and did large amount of con-
structiOn of canals. Some time ago
Wright left the States service, and
since then the officials have been
Casting about in the effort to make
certain of putting the work in the
hands of the right people. AS it is
the biggest drainage and reclama-
tion project in the entire country, 1t
was determined first to make sure
whether the great swamp can be
drained; and, second, whether 1t
drained the reclaimed land would be
worth enough to justify the millions
Of expense involved.
Accordingly, the State has made
q contract with the j. G. White En-
gineering corporation of New York,
under which the corporation is first
to make a detailed examination and
report, and then, if the State de-
termines to proceed with the work.
will handle the engineering and the
construction business. Mr.. Leigh
ton has accepted the place of chief
engineer for the White concern in
connection with this project
He left to-day for Florida for the
first examination Of the situation.
II 60 with an entirely open mind
and no prejudices or IDEAS" he said
today. Il don't know any more
about the Everglades than could be
gathered from one cursory examina-
tion Of the eastern si1e and such
matter as have read"
The Everglades proposition is Of
keen interest to Washingtonians, be-
cause several thousands of them
have bought lands there on the faith
Of the drainage project, in the con-
tident expectation that it would bs
successful and that the lands would
be Of immense value. Lately, bc-
cause of the troubles that have in
volve1 the enterprise, there has been
a good deal Of pessimism. The
States reorganization of the whole
work, in the hands of such engineers
as Leighton and Randolph, and the
of the financial resources
of the White concern, justify conf
dence that a great final effort is to
be made.
The Everglades swamp is vast
basin, set in a limestone formation.
Lake Okechobee Is at the center, and
there is fall Of about twenty feet
from the lake surface to the gulf
ahl the Atlantic. The first prob
lem is to build a network of canals
that will carry enough of the lakes
water to permit the surrounding
swamp to dry out and be made avail
able for cultivation.
But even II this be found possi-
Bile. there still remains the question
of whether the reclaimed soil can
be used. 1t Is a peaty formation
shallow, and liable, when too dry.
to catch fire AMI burn most disas-
trously. Hence the proposition b
one in both drainage and irrigai,a