The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-05-03
Growing Capital Of Frank
lin Where Improvement
is Order of the Day.
Population 5000, Fourteen
Miles Paved Streets, Fine
Water and Sewerage
System.

Improvement is the order of the day
in the city OF Apalachicola. county seat
Of Franklin. and one Of the oldest
towns in West Florida. Magniticently
located upon the shores of Apalachi-
cola bay, at the mouth of the second
largest river system of the southern
states, Apalachicola is destined to be-
come, at no distant day, an important
factor in commerce that will flow to
the gulf coast following the opening of
the Panama Canal.
Apalachicola is on a direct air line
from Chicago, through the centre of
population of the United States, to the
great Isthn1ian waterway and, accord
ing to figures of the ApaIachicols
Chamber Of Commerce. is distant
but 1898 miles from the city of Colon.
compared with a distance Of 1880
miles from New Orleans. It is the
logical outlet for the immense trade
Of the Apalachicola, Flint and Chatta-
hoochee river system. which provides
nearly 500 miles of navigable inland
waterways through a section that pro-
duces 100000 bales of cotton annually
and Is rich in lumber. timber, naval
stores and farm products of every de-
scription. The country Immediately
surrounding Apalachicola is fertile in
the extreme and, although much of 1t
is at present undeveloped. will pro-
duce anna zing returns to the fruit
grower. the trucker, general farmer,
poultryman or dairyman.
Municipal Progress.
Always one of the most attractive or
West Florida cities, Apalachicola has
been progressing rapidly during the
past few years, especially since the ad-
vent of the Apalac.ficola Northern
Railroad giving direct connection with
all points east, west and north. The
city has population estimated at 5000
and is governed by a. mayor, Hon. Fl.
D. Marks, and q city council of five
members. The members Of the city
council are, F. 3. WAKEFIELD, president;
a. .. Porter, v. NJ. Hoffman, H. l..
Flowers and G.. II. Marshall. Q. r.
Harris is city engineer, w. D. Buzzett.
treasurer and clerk and J. Z. Carter,
assessor and collector.
The city has fourteen miles of paved
streets and owns a fine street building
OUTFIT; 1t has twelve miles OF mains
in its city water system. the water
supply coming from deep artesian
wells, and no purer water is found in
the state; it has a good sewer system
and $4,000 is now being expended for
extensions to this system. The water
from the artesian wells is pumped into
a high water tower, giving regular
pressure of As pounds to the square
inch, and this can be augmented by
direct pressure from the pumps to 10
pounds per square inch.
Good Insurance Rating,
The city Of Apala chicola has first
class volunteer fire department, con-
sisting of eighteen men and good ap-
paratus and is rated third class by
the insurance underwriters. There are
sixty-four fire plugs in various sec
tons Of the city, giving ample pro-
lection to property from fire. The city
is lighted by a system owned and OPP
Grated by the Apalachicola Light and
Telephone Co
From the standpoint Of health the
city of Apalachicola has few equals
and, as one resident put it. The doc
tors would starve were it not for oc-
casionAl accidents and old age" There
Is absolute freedom from malar1al
conditions. cases of fever Of any kind
are rare and contagious diseases prac-
ticalIy unknown. The annual mean
temperature is seventy degrees and the
highest temperature on record during
q number of years is 100 degrees, and
this was of extremely short duration.
The breezss from a thousand miles OF
gulf and over millions of acres of pine
woods are a guarantee against IN
healthful conditions Of any character.
An Important Port,
With It's natural harbor and shelter
ing islands, Apalachicola. was one of
the first important gulf ports. Rivers
were then the great highways Of the
country, and the Alphabetical, Chat
tahoochee, Flint and Chipola rivers
were the life and food supplying ar
teries to the. heart of the vast inland
portions of the states of Georgia, !
Florida and Alabama.
The wealth of the South, UP to the |
years of the Civil War, was represent
ed by her cotton, and a large area Of !
the cotton plantations Of Georgia and |
Alabama was adjacent to. or border |
ing on the tributaries of the Apalach- !
icola river, and this entire product |
found it's nearest ma ket by way of |
cola. with the commerce of nations |
at it's door. and the wealth of a vast /
interior heaped in compressed white |
ness on its streets, became verltabIe |
of the South, and during the
months OF the cotton season was |
scene of great financial activity
As early in the last century as 1885, |
stood third in Importance |
as cotton port on the gulf coast.
Early Commerce.
At one time twenty seven steamers
piled this system OF rivers, bringing
down the products of the farms and
carrying back merchandise from for
eign and domestic ports. In 1860 the
commerce Of Apalachicola alone
. mounted to fourteen million dollars.
About 1868 this commerce was di-
erted by railroads to Atlantic ports
where superior facilities for exporting
existed. due to improved harbors. The
of these rivers rapidly de-
creased, and there were times during
he next ten years when for six weeks
no steamers arrived at the wharves Of |
Apalachicola In 1876 the manufac-
lure of lumber at Apalachicola was
and Immediately the COM
nerce of the rivers as we'll as of APP |
llachicola began TO increase. No fig
lres are obtainable from 1878 to 1898
but in the annual report of 1908 of J.
3. Cavanaugh, Captain Corps of En-
yineers, U. S. A, engineer in charge
IF this district, it is stated that the
commerce OF the system of rivers
amounted to 100000 in 1898, and
1S,324,000 in 1908, (saw logs and sawn
imber not included, an increase of
nearly 700 per cent in five years
- Saw Mills and Oysters.
With water facilities alone, the town
made great strides The building of
ia wmtlfs which drew upon the nearby