Foreverglades_Valiente2019

28 SW TO 128 BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
36
BELLE GLADE FROM SW AMP TO SUGAR BOWL
Lauderdale, yet it wasn't very popular. The locks were six
part part of of this this stream was was dredged out out some some five five years later later
to to become a part a part of of the the Thirteen Mile Mile Canal which Disston
had had intended to to continue on on to to Shark River. It It now now forms
part part of of the the Miami canal. As As this this stream was was typical of of the the
lake's dead dead rivers, including the the Democrat, let's let's see see what what
it it was was like. like.
miles from town, and since the water below was too shoal
to navigate, all goods had to be transferred from the locks
over a rutted sandy road through the piney woods to Deerfield.
But good gosh, when you got there, except for the
railroad, you still hadn't got nowhere! Yet by the spring
of 1915 there already were some 72 starry-eyed enthusiasts
"The "The river river at at its its mouth is is about 100 100 yards wide, wide, the the
depth of of water being about eight eight feet. feet. To To say say that that our our
little little party was was overjoyed would but but poorly express it. it. We We
do do not not go go one one hundred yards before we we hear hear exclamations
from from the the members of of the the party in in praise of of the the beautiful
scenery which greets the the eye eye on on every side. There is is no no
perceptible current so so far far as as we we can can discern. The The water is is
clear clear as as crystal, the the banks fringed with with a a dense tropical
growth of of trees, presenting to to the the view view a solid a solid green wall, wall,
impenetrable to to the the eye. eye. This This wall wall is is formed by by vines,
which have have twined around the the trunks and and branches of of the the
trees, and and have have Caskets interlaced near the and and Belle wound Glade bridge. themselves around
each each other until until they they form form a a screen which is is almost suf­
sufficient
to to shut shut out out the the light light of of day. day. Looking behind us us we we
find find that During that we we this are are spring followed of by 1928 by innumerable the lake was alligators, at the lowest
who
who
are ever are swimming till then recorded. lazily along Then in in our it our began wake. to rain. From all In all the sides sides month
we
we
see of see them August them plunging alone, the in in the lake the rose water, three remain feet. under By mid-September
seconds, it was rise rise a after heap after we too we have high have for passed safety. and and Then join join the came the crowd this be­
hur­
for a few
for a few
behinri,canehind
us. us. We roaring We do do not across not go go two the two Caribbean. miles before It
the walloped
river the river Puerto
begins
to Rico,
get to get killing
and narrow, hundreds,
we find and we find then ourselves it hit
in West
a little in a Palm little stream Beach
only
only
and
a Lake
few a few Worth.
in yards in Only width, one
the the died sunlight there, but
completely there
shut was
shut out a
out right
by by
the smart
the branches of property
of of trees trees damage
and and for
vines, sure.
which have have interlocked
and and Nowadays twined around we each have each other radio until until and a a radar perfect and roof roof is hurricane is ed hunting ed ... ... After planes. going They half half can a mile, a track mile, we a we find storm find we we from are are no hour no longer to hour. in in
form­
a But a stream, then but the but only winding information around in was in dark, dark, from sluggish a weather water, station the the
roots on roots Swan and and Island branches in the of of the Caribbean, the trees trees forming and from a a such barrier passenger to to our our
ships further as progress already ... ... were As As we equipped we return we with we examine radio, more so more there closely
was
the little the vines chance which for grow grow warnings, so so luxuriantly, as you and and can find find see. that that Saturday's they they are are
a paper a species had of of told gourd, us with with that innumerable a tropical hurricane gourds hanging was due from from
to
strike them, perfectly the south round, end of and and Florida. about the Radio the size size reports of of a a billiard next morning
The said vines run that run all wasn't all over over the so. the Some trees, and cautious and on on the the souls ground gassed form form
up
ball. ball.
The a their a mat mat two Model two or or T's three and feet headed feet deep."
out. Others, remembering how
camped at Glade Crest, the most I wouldn't doubt, who
ever lived there at one time. But friend, they were having
their troubles.
Glade Crest was in the pure old peat of the sawgrass
Everglades, new and raw. I know exactly what they had
to contend with, for I was having the same problems at
the very same time in Okeelanta. Water no longer covered
the land, but it wasn't far below the surface, and clearing
that sawgrass was a terrific task, for no machines which
we had could do it.
The land salesmen had told us all, "Just mow off the
sawgrass, then plow the ground with a hand push plow."
Mrs. Daniel has said that they even had told her. "A family
of four could make a living on a single acre, since four
crops could be grown each year". Oh yes, they even said,
and backed it up with government reports, "Frost has
never been known to damage the tenderest vegetation."
And gee whiz, they even claimed there were no mosquitoes,
either!
That first winter, according to Herman Herndon, there
were fifteen frosts and freezes from December till April
5th. Farmers tried to protect their little crops by burning
piles of sawgrass, but the heat mostly went straight up,
so some plants were scorched while the majority simply
froze. Anyway, by the second night, there were no more
sawgrass piles. Then they tried covering the plants with
muck. This worked fine once or twice and with small plants,
but the covering and uncovering was near about as damaging
as the frost.
Since the first tractors couldn't clear the sawgrass, all
this had to be done by hand. Sawgrass first was chopped
GLADE CREST 37
HURRICANE DEMOCRAT OF RIVER '28
12929
down with a machete, unless you were lucky enough to
When I first I first came came to to this this lake lake these gourds still still were were
plentiful in in the the custard apple forest, although they they then then
were were less less luxuriant than than the the moon vine, vine, a kind a kind of of morning
glory, which completely blanketed the the tops tops and and the the ex­
exposed
flanks of of the the custard apple woods, making a a shadowy
dusk dusk at at mid mid day. day.
get the cussed grass to burn. Then, with a heavy planter's
hoe, the stubs and roots were grubbed up, and the tough,
rope-like connecting runners were pulled up with a potato
rake and tossed behind to dry. After the sawgrass had been
grubbed up, then the soft ground could be plowed with a
push plow. In a long, hard day (all our days were long
and hard, so it seemed), one man could grub up a patch
After cruising the the south shore for. for. nine nine days days the the party
arrived, near near the the southernmost point on on the the lake, lake, at at the the
largest and and longest of of all all these these rivers. This This they they ed ed T-D, T-D, or or Times-Democrat River. After traversing this this
stream to to its its end, end, they they laid laid a a course south by by the the compass
christen­
for for Shark Avenue River, A after ninety the hurricane. miles Feuchtinger away by by air air building line. line. (left) Although
water had had evidently opposite been been site five of five present feet feet City over over Hall. the the land land not not too too
long well long they before, had they they survived found that that the it it now hurricane now was was a two a scant years five five before, inches,
and did and nothing. under that that was was fifteen feet, feet, more more or or less, less, of of soft soft mud.
So The So now now wind they they that are are Sunday compelled morning, to to battle brisk the the and sharp-edged
cool, was
from sawgrass, the north, which they as they it had had been believed the to day to be before. only only ten Relentlessly
ten miles in in
it extent, piled but but lake which water actually ever higher persisted into clear the to clear shallow the to the headwaters
bay which
of held of Shark the islands At River. of At Kreamer they times they and were were Torry, able able and to burn to the burn settlements the the saw­
saw­
of grass, Chosen, but but usually Belle Glade, the way the way South must must Bay be be and hacked Bean with with City. machetes.
By mid
For morning days For many low days angry they were they clouds were compelled hurried to southward, push and lift to push and dropping lift their their
occasional boats every showers foot of the foot of of way, the rain. way, By often early making afternoon only a few only the a few winds hundred
became dred yards stronger, in in a day. a day. and On On drenching November 17th, rain 17th, a squalls week a week after were after leav­
more leav­
huning
frequent. ing the the lake, lake, Just a a before tall tall cypress the wires at at went Democrat down, River telephone was was still
calls still
came visible to to the all the lake naked towns, eye. eye.
announcing that the edge of the
hurricane had already reached the coast and was certain
to hit Constantly the lake. they Our they were new were mayor, plagued Walter by by innumerable Greer, with several snakes,
others, though drove fortunately, to Chosen nobody to was observe was bitten. the But lake. But they Returning, they were were
soaking tortured by wet, by mosquitoes, they informed leeches the and crowd and poisonous assembled wampee
in the
drug plants store "which that produce lake water a a terrible was high, burning but they sensation. didn't Its
believe
appearance it would is is similar overflow to to the the water dike. lily, lily, Although the the leaf leaf not being advising from from
Its
six others, six to to twelve Greer announced inches across, that the the root intended root running to stay to to a here. a depth
of of six six inches, and and resembles a a shallot in in appearance. We We
And that was nearabout the only decision that he could
had had the the curiosity to to taste taste it. it. We We shall shall do do so so no no more!"
make, for shucks, by that time it was too blamed late to
leave. Yes, Yes, Trying I I know to outrun blamed well the well storm they they in didn't! an open That That boat wampee
would
was be was inviting a a hellish disaster. plant, To nobody drive a would car away ever ever taste from taste it the it storm, twice!
to Indian the south turnip or it's it's to the called west up up was north. impossible. It's It's tuber There looks looks were like like a
no a
of saw grass about fifty feet square. That's one-seventeenth
of an acre. To get one acre ready for planting was about
a month's job for one man. Yet that first winter that's
36
BEL
Lauderdale, ye
miles from tow
to navigate, all
over a rutted s
field. But good
railroad, you s
of 1915 there a
camped at Gla
ever lived ther
their troubles.
Glade Cres
how it all was done.
'
Everglades, ne
Worst of all, we learned that on sawgrass land nothing to contend wit
would grow but sawgrass ! The brown, fibrous peat had the very same
to be stirred and aerated so it could decompose into black the land, but i
muck. Plants would spring up, turn yellow and die. Yet that sawgrass
where Irish potatoes had been sprayed with lime and copper
sulphate to prevent blight, a second crop of potatoes,
we had could d
The land s
or nearly anything else, would grow fairly well. So that's
sawgrass, then
how we learned that copper in this soil was essential and
Mrs. Daniel h
we had to use commercial fertilizer, too. The land companies
had insisted that this would not be necessary, since
ily of four cou
crops could be
analysis showed there was an excess of nitrogen. That
and backed it
sounded fine, but what they didn't know was that this
never been kn
nitrogen was in a form not available to plants. Oh boy,
And gee whiz,
there was a heap to learn!
either!
Yet in spite of all, there were some vegetables raised. That first
'l'he Ft. Lauderdale Sentinel of June 19, 1914 states that were fifteen
J. W. Bissell of Glade Crest had sold some Irish potatoes 5th. Farmers
for $1 and $1.25 a hamper, and they had yielded at the piles of sawg
r te of 150 bushels per acre. Now, to be sure, the paper so some plant
didn't state how many hampers or how many acres Mr. froze. Anywa
Bissell had, whether it was one acre or more or less. sawgrass It pile
wouldn't surprise me if it was less. In Okeelanta the five muck. This wo
of us, for our whole winter's labor, had succeeded in raising
and selling only 40 hampers of potatoes, ten hampers aging as the f
but the cover
of beans and a few batches of carrots and turnips. Our Since the
potatoes brought $1.50 and $1.75.
this had to be
'