The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-10-02

feet, and from Silver Springs run to
Lake Griffin feet. It rises in Lake
Griffin, and flows in northerly d.
rection and empties into the st
Johns river, about 90 miles above
Palatka. This is about 10 miles
from the mouth of the ST. Johns river
The total length of the Oklawaha
river is Sc miles. The original pro
ject was adopted in 1891 to give a
navigable channel 4 feet deep at mean
low water from the mouth of Lees
burg, distance of "a miles, at an es
timated cost of $4,000. The city OF
Leesburg is on the northern border
of Lake Griffin. AS a result of the
| work heretofore done, there is a well
cleared channel 6 feet deep from the
st. Johns river for 80 miles, practi
cal channel 4 feet deep at ordinary
low stages of the water to Leesburg
"a miles from the mouth. The com.
merce consists of logs, general mer.
chandise, naval stores and fruits, and
for the fiscal year 1912 amounted to
102,647 short tons, valued at $1,179,.
466. The report of the engineers
says:
There exists large amount of pro
duce that would without much doubt
be shipped over the river if a better
and more certain channel existed. A
better channel would result in the
establishment of a regular boat line
which would probably materially low
er freight rates.. During the winter
months excursion steamers ply be-
tween Palatka and Silver Springs
Two steamers and five pow
er boats ply the river the entire year
carrying passengers and general
freight. There are over IS launches
on the river engaged in towing light
ers and RATS and in general traffic.
The improvement proposed means
connection with the Atlantic
through the st. Johns river and the
joining of Lakes Griffin, Harris, Eu
sits, and Dora, and making available
increased transportation facilities fol-
all the valuable oragne groves, truck
farms, as well as for the cities and
towns adm settlements on these lakes
and in the regions which would be
reached by this improvement. II
would give water transportation for
all that productive and beautiful sec.
| ton of the state to Jacksonville, the
distributing point, where railroads
and ships compete for business. There
is no more meritorious project, nc
Improvement more needed anywhere
in the country than this one. The
item in this bill is based upon the
favorable report of the district engi.
neer, the board of engineers for
rivers and harbors and the chief OF
engineers. (See H. Doc. 514, 63d
Cong, I'd sess.)
The report of the board of engi.
neers was made after visit to the
locality in April, 1913, and a thorough
examination of all the conditions and
public hearings upon the facts. Is il
possible that the people will be pre-.
JUDGED against this most WORTHY pro.
Ject because some man in Wisconsin
or Iowa or Connecticut, who was new
er within thousand miles of it and
knows practically nothing about it,
chooses to call the stream a creek and
the project a land specializing
scheme? If the objections to this,
the opposition is absolutely inexcus.
able. Gross Misrepresentation have
been made regarding this project, and
some sinister reason must exist for
them. l must believe senators who
do not like this item have been in.
fiuenced by what they have read and
heard in the way of criticism rather
than by the study of the reports and
conditions. l will illustrate what I
mean directly. Neither the Oklawaha
river nor the Kissimmee river pro-
ject is in the interest of real estate
speculation. Nor is any drainage or
reclamation scheme involved. The
report will show that the project is
for navigation purposes alone. If
either benefits private parties in the
way of furnishing transportation for
products, as it should. it is only an
incident to the improvement. Kyle
& Young, or some such company. an.
pears to own land on the Oklawaha
river, and may likely be benefited to
some extent, as it is hoped the people
not only up and down the river but
all over the state will be benefited by
the improvement. The same is no
doubt true with regard to the owners
al