The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-03
THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA

some From Mayport at the mouth
of the St. Johns river, to Everglade,
where the Flagler railroad leaves the
land and takes to the water, and
where the East Coast practically ends,
is 800 nautical or $50 land miles. 1t
is probably 400 following all the in
dentations of the coast.
I'll bet my halo against Arthur's
harp when we meet in glory that be-
fore 1850 that entire stretch of coast
will be one continual town, without
break in it except in those few places
where geographical causes result in
brief gaps.
This coast is not like any other in
the world. 1t runs in long lines or
graceful curves. 1t has no natural
difficulties, such as high bluffs, cliffs
and crags. At almost any place, peo-
pie can build comfortable homes
where they can always see the wide
expanse of ocean and hear the ever
lasting song of the surf, and yet be
safe from the storms. They can al
ways enjoy a tonic breeze and surf
bathing, cool in summer and warm in
winter. They are now closely con-
nected with civilization, and some
day soon their homes will be an I'M
broken chain of it. Their houses can
be either summer, winter or all the
year round homes. They can be visi-
tors, tourists, commuters. farmers,
tradesmen or mechanics.
| have come to the sage conclusion
which has impelled me to copper
Brisbane's prophecy by observation
and comparison of the evolution
| with Mr.. Bryan's permission-of the
East Coast.
Thirty-five years ago next month I
voyaged down that coast in a sail
boat. Six years and G half later /
travelled on railway train as far
down as Sebastian, which on Christ
mas. 1895, was the terminus of the
East Coast railway. A couple of
| weeks ago / made the trip from
Gainesville to Miami and back to
Ocala i'm an auto.
In 1885, the East Coast down to
Melbourne was a pioneer country;
from Melbourne south it was terra
| incognita., Sometimes the terra was
spelt terror. The sand, the mosqui-
toes, the lack of necessaries and en-
| tire absence of Injuries, the crudeness
| of transportation, the apparent lack
| of fertility in the soil-when the OBJ
server summed them up he was par
donable if he considered it a part of
the land the Lord forget and wasn't
likely to remember.
! From Savannah clear around to
Mobile, there was nothing like a city.
| Jacksonville was a collection of vii
| lagos with one real business street
and mile or two of untidy wharves.
st. Augustine was a sleepy little
town of sand and relics. Daytona and
| New Smyrna were villages. A few
northern people-some enterprising,
some sick-pushed thru the sand be-
| tween the ST. Johns and the ocean,
built string of villages along Indian
river-some further south. Two or
| three little steamboats-none bigger
| than d Ed Carmichael's "Silver
Springs'-plowed the tidewater riv-
ers; few big wagons plowed the
sand between the coast and the st.
Johns-but most of the passenger and
freight traffic between the Indian,
| Hillsboro and Halifax rivers and
Jacksonville was carried in schooners
of draft shallow enough to cross the
bars at the inlets.
There was a narrowgauge railroad
from Jacksonville to ST. Augustine,
| and broadgauge road from St. Au-
gustine to Eas. Palatka. The depots
| of the two roads at st. Augustine
were mile apart. In 1885, Deacon
White, Flagle,'s predecessor, started
the building Of another narrowgauge
from Rollestn, five miles up the st.
Johns, to Ornond and Daytona About
the same tine party of northern
capitalists began building an uptodate
railroad from Jacksonville up the
St. Johns t, Sanford The Florida !
Southern, building from orange grove
to orange grove, pieced along west to |
Gainesville, and south to Ocala and |
Brooksville. /
When tn. new road up the st. Johns |
reached Sanford, where it connected |
with the South Florida railway to |
Tampa, it built side line from En- |
terprise junction to Titusville, near
the head IF the Indian river. Titusville |
was the county seat of Brevard, and |
Brevard and Dade were the two coun-
ties of he East Coast from Volusia
south. The county seat of Dade was |
---=----