The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-01


htty cents per team per day fol-
: two big mules worth and costing
the owners at least 5000 per pair
, and heavy wagons costing Sc
each, and harness $40 or pei
team 500. :.
:, Capt. Fletcher owns two OF
these teams, at a gross income
therefrom Of S., per day for the
SI4oo investment.
When we reached camps we
found the mule with the kicked
and broken thigh to be one oil
Mr.. Lang's own. DR.. Robert
son said hopeless; that mule
was destroyed then, and buried.
q saw Mr.. Swindel replace him
last night at a cash cost OF $225.
| said, y. G.. wont the county
pay for the killed mule" he said
no. 1t will take $50 days
steady work to pay for the new
mule in the labor of two mules
and wagon and harness.
1t would pay the county to
hire all teams.
The road or SIX miles as is
now about finished from Bradley
Junction to Bone Valley Branch
has cost the county at 90 cents
each per day for the gang used
III its construction about $1,000
per mile. This includes guards,
rations, teams, feed. camp equip
age, repairs, clothing, medicine,
tobacco and all overhead and
sub-expenses.
! That great souled and most
progressive citizen and empire
builder Major c. c. Martin,
general manager of the p. p.
Phosphate Company, gave to the
county all of the "clay-balls" and
pebble phosphate waste. as did
also Mr.. Loomis of Pierce, es-
sential to the construction of the
road. | do wish that every cit
izen and his family and friends
in all of Florida could ride over
this new hard road. The crops
enroute, are marvelous-corn
melons, truck, etc. and the
homes are models of structure
and surroundings and every
town. and phosphate plant, are
clean, sanitary, and humanizing.
At Long Branch and Pierce the
streets, buildings and creature
comforts are as modern as care
and culture can keep them, and
the help houses screened, lighted
and waterd after the supcrlative
best plans.
Although this Q miles of mod
el-modern best hard road con-
struction is in Commissioner
Lancasters district, MIR. Swindel
insisted seeing it all. We went
over it carefully and critically, |
seeing it all as tar south as Brad
ley Junction. A portion OF this
new road has been oiled as an
experiment. | doubt it's need, |
the phosphate top surfacing per-
mits no dust and it will stay |
put and last. Returning toI
camps and to dinner with Capt.
Fletcher. we hit up a As miles
the hour gait, as easy and as
smooth as riding in Pullman.
At the convict camps on the
banks Of a mined out phosphate i
pit about 40 acres in area, and a
crystal lake of 20 feet or more in
depth in an oak grove like unto
Forest Park, spic, span and
clean as any girls whistle, are
the camps, almost city oil
white tents, there are no stock
AIDES. We found the 50 prison
ers and the 5 guards eating din
ner in the dense shades of the
giant trees. 1t was a picnic in
environment and spirit, every
body was laughing and Raging
body was laughing and ragging.
| listened and did not hear one
single profane or obscene word.
| looked, the food on the long
tables-rice, new field peas, boil
ed bacon, other vegetables and
potatoes, fresh tomatoes, all
good as the country around al
fords, in short a one best farm
house dinner. The white pris-
oncrs at a table BY themselves,
and all hilarious. laughing,
Capt Fletcher said, Il always
patroniZe all | can the farmers
along the route in supply buy
ing OF produce. The heavy gro
ceries and feed is all bought
whole sale, Twice a week all of
the men are given ample ration
Of both chewing and smoking
tobacco. the gross cost to keep
each man and work him is 90
cents per diem to the county,
hey do faithful, fine, efficient
work
While we were at dinner the