Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-10-25

visits to neighboring cities under
auspices of the Chamber Of Com
merce, receiving a welcome recep-
ton at Hastings. "Biddy' Shearouse
was not one of Palatka's busy mer-
chants then but was director of the
band.
There were many one story build
ings between Second and Third streets
on Lemon and none over two stories
Palatka was proud to boast of but
twelve manufacturing plants turning
out twenty different commodities,
but the two furniture factories, the
paint and varnsh plant, cigar fac
tory, electric storage battery COM
pany, box factory, two railroad
shops, sugar refinery and the large
distributing warehouses were not
located here then. The Hedger Cyp-
ress Garages were being manufac-
tured in the Selden Cypress Door
company plant which was considered
big Plant even though not half its
present size. The Wilson Cypress
Company and the Florida Wooden
ware Company seemed lonesome
along the St. Johns river without
their present neighbors.
The Vego Hair Manufacturing
Company and G. NJ. Davis & Son
were at two other ends of Palatka
with the same lonesomeness fo1
neighboring industries. The Vegc
plant only occupied the land be,
tween Sixth and Seventh along the
Southern railway, their present COM
modious fireproof structure having
been erected in 1923.
Vessels calling here had not car
ried any cypress tanks to foreign
markets, the Davis company having
always shipped to other ports.
! Occasionally, prior to 1921, som'
one had urged the deepening of thu
river to Palatka and "the head O
deep water navigation on the st
Johns" held no such important mean
ing as it does today. The applica
ton to congress for a channel deep
err than thirteen feet was first mad
at the December 1921 session an,
duobts were current that any ap
preparation could be secured. Gu
present channel with the three boa
, lines and the handsome revenue an,
commercial prominence that accom-
panied them, however, show tn
value of going after progress whe
: good reasons for expecting assis
r lance are backed by logical improve
ments essential to Florida's develop
ment. The twenty-five foot channe
:. is now too small to permit the call
n ing of the boats our trade demand
and the proof of it will be submitte
to our senator, who had not bee
mentioned for his present high hor
or in 1921.
n There is more confidence nj thi
= October of 1926 in the ultimate SUI
,remacy of Palatka than there wa
five years ago and few sections hav
o had the rapid growth of Palatk;
o Much credit is due those who WORK
ed SO diligently in 1921 as thier wor
was considerably more difficult tina
ours is today. Five years have Gel
tainly worked wonders in Palatka.
Some had the vision to prediC
S that real estate ewas a good invest
r ment. The fact that we had five ra
r lines and the water way, was not ger
orally accepted as any inducemer
to new industries; Putnam county
4 soil and climate were common place
e with many residents, and while
l. number of farm properties, cleare
and otherwise, that would attract e,
perienced farmers, were for sal
there was not general acceptance {
the belief that a story untold is n
story at all. Putnam county had 81,
i ten thousand population in 1921 an
t Palatka but 5000. A man convince
g that every condition requisite If
our present county population
thirty thousand and Palatka's growt
Il to 1880 was an oddity Profession
u of the belief of such growth as "
: have seen in the last five years, pla
ed the maker in the "hot air" class
On October 8, 1921, Ernest Rowto
whose "Wholse Jewelry, Stationar
- and Bicycles" occupied the prese1
~ site of the Chamber of Commerc
predicted $4,000 population for 1872
1T He was not far wrong in his est
e mate.
Iii The New Putnam House, compile
ed in 1922, was a foolish inves
ment," yet when only four years o
lie Try This for Indigestion.