April , 2003
Part Three of Three
by Donald R. Hensley, Jr.
All photos from the State of
Florida Photographic Archives
unless noted otherwise.
(c) 2003
Many events would
shape the future of Frank Drew's Florida Railway. First and foremost
Perry was in an area that Seaboard felt was their
exclusive territory and wanted very much to control any railroad that entered.
It seems there was a gentlemen's agreement between the Florida Central and
Peninsular (Seaboard) and the Plant System (Atlantic Coast Line) about the
territory west of the Suwannee River being exclusively for the Seaboard.
However it became clear that the Atlantic Coast Line was not interested
in old agreement made between the rival companies. When Seaboard balked
at the financing needed by the Dowling's to build to Perry and Mayo, the
Atlantic Coast Line jumped in and advanced what ever was needed. The Live
Oak and Perry RR was soon renamed the Live Oak Perry and Gulf and construction
commenced from Day west towards Perry and south to Mayo and Alton. By mid
1906 the Florida Railway was now competing against the new railroad and later
on the Drew's Alton Mill was taken over by the Dowling's in 1910 further
eroding freight revenues. Seaboard was also hurt as all the freight the LOP&G
carried to Live Oak went out over the Coast Line.
All this had a very real effect on the Florida Railway's
freight revenues. The Suwannee and San Pedro in 1904-05 had revenues
of 46,000 dollars and the following year the new Florida Ry increased by
30 percent to over 60,000 dollars. But next year (1905-06) the newly built
LOP&G had already eroded the Florida Ry's freight revenue as it was
down to 55,000 dollars. The 1906-07 season was even grimmer as freight receipts
dropped down to 43,000 dollars. The next season (1908-09) was even worse
as freight revenue dropped to 37,000 dollars. Then the Georgia-Florida Mill
was purchased by the Dowling family and the 1909-1910 season shockingly saw
freight revenues of just 21,000 dollars. There were some bright spots however,
as the passenger traffic was holding steady and even increased after 1910
as the Florida Ry put more effort in the passenger business.
Frank Drew knew
that the only thing that could save his railroad was to build his own route
to Jacksonville and Fernandina, competing directly against the Seaboard.
However he did not know of the secret agreements between the Dowling Lumber
Co., Live Oak Perry and Gulf and the Atlantic Coast Line on the division
of traffic from Perry and Mayo-Alton as he mistakenly blamed the Seaboard
for all his traffic woes. If he had known of this agreement he may very
well have changed his mind about expansion and make peace with the Seaboard.
Unfortunately he did not know about this agreement which only came to light
in the late twenties by an ICC investigation. The Florida Railway's new
charter mentions the extensions to Jacksonville and Fernandina and the Drew's
already owned terminal space in both towns.
The extension is first mentioned in April and May
of 1906 as they were removing the 60cm gauge phosphate railroad at Luraville
to be used in hauling earth for the construction of the line east of Live
oak. Also 40 flat cars were bought for use on the extension. However by May
25 the extension was annulled due to contract trouble at Fernandina. Rumors
of the extension would persist until July 1909 when the Florida Ry was finally
able to obtain financing to retire the earlier bonds owned by the Suwannee
and San Pedro and the Live Oak and Gulf, breaking the last bond between
Skelton Williams and the Drew’s. This 4 million dollar mortgage from the
Carnegie Trust Co. of New York was for retiring the old bonds, improving
the existing Florida Ry and for construction of the extension to Jacksonville
and Fernandina. This was not completed until mid January of 1910. By February
of 1910 surveying crews were out in the field running lines and by April
the clearing and grading work was in full force on the extension. The forecast
was for track laying to begin in March of 1911.
Then it happened,
the Carnegie Trust Company of New York failed in January of 1911 and the
Knickerbocker Trust Co. assumed the account the next month. While grading
and laying of ties continued, the purchase of rails was held up. By July
of 1911 the engineer's report stated that almost 56 miles were graded and
49 miles were tied out of the 74 miles between Jacksonville and Live Oak.
But there was trouble at Knickerbocker. The first issue of bonds the previous
year was snapped up by French investors, whom I assume remembered the rich
phosphate deposits once owned by the French at Luraville. However a second
call for bonds to be sent to France fell on deaf ears at Knickerbocker.
Then in June Frank Drew received a telegram that realized his worst nightmare,
Knickerbocker's board of directors had a Seaboard director sitting
on it. There was no way Seaboard would allow the Florida Ry to build a competing
line to the Atlantic Coast. This one director who sat on the executive committee
completely stonewall all attempts to raise money or to sell the bonds. The
Florida Ry then attempted a 6 million dollar lawsuit versus the Knickerbocker
Trust Co. and the Seaboard Air Line. This suit stalled out a few years later
when the Florida Ry.s attorney was hired away by certain Seaboard directors
for other projects. You just don't mess with the big junkyard dog, as the
song goes. The Florida Ry was on its deathbed, though Frank Drew fought
the best he could against all odds to save his road from extinction.
The Florida Ry in 1905 owned 4 locomotives. These
were the same locomotives when the road shut down eleven years later. The
number 1 was a small Baldwin 2-6-0 used as a light freight and construction
engine and the number 3 was an ex-NP Baldwin 4-4-0 used for passenger
trains. The number 5 locomotive was a Rome (NY Locomotive Works) 4-4-0
and the 7 was an ex-ACL Baldwin 4-4-0. Both of these were used as freight
engines, though they could be pressed into passenger service when needed.
They also owned 10 flat cars, which in 1905 were used in gravel service.
In 1906 the Drews bought 40 flat cars, though lettered for the Florida Ry
they were actually owned by the Drews.
The bad news for the Drew family in 1905 was the lost of the Drew Mill
at Alton, as Frank and George Drew sold it it to the Georgia-Florida Mill
Co. in February of 1905. The Tift lumbering family of Tifton, Georgia was
the main backers in the new mill, with only Frank Drew as one of the directors,
representing the old owners. Later on he was powerless to prevent the mill
being purchased by the Dowling family and the lost revenues to the Dowling's
LOP&G Railroad.
The 1905-06 (July, 1905 to June, 1906) report give a good look at the
Florida Ry during its most prosperous year:
| tonnage | |
|
Agriculture |
14,000 |
|
Animals |
12,000 |
|
Mines |
890 |
|
Forrest |
39,700 |
|
Manufacture |
6,936 |
|
Merchandise |
3,465 |
|
Total |
66,191 |
| Revenues |
22,707.75 |
Maint. of Way |
11,153.37 |
|
Mail Contract |
2,622.72 |
Maint. of Equipment |
10,114.31 |
|
Express |
1,858.32 |
Traffic Expenses |
25,046.06 |
|
Freight Revenues |
60,119.97 |
General Expenses |
7,776.25 |
|
Machine Shop Income |
4,208.09 |
|
|
|
Total Revenues |
90,514.85 |
Total Expenses |
53,971.96 |
Total Taxes were5,330.75 which were in litigation, as Frank Drew was
a big crusader against unbalance taxes, as he was paying the same amount
per mile as Seaboard and Coastline. There were 96,776 train miles using
2,686 cords of wood at $1.40 per cord.
The Florida Railway by 1915 was in serious trouble.
They owed at least a million dollars on the unfinished extension and bond
holders were very angry at the lack of interest paid on their bonds. The
New York courts appointed a receiver, but his appointment was not approved
by the Florida courts, Frank Drew was appointed receiver by Florida. One
of the mysteries to me is why the Federal Courts did not get involved. Not
only were the bonds interstate, but they were also international and any
receiver should have been appointed by the Federal Courts. My only guess
is that Frank Drew still had some high friends pulling strings in Washington
and Tallahassee. The railroad was still in litigation over state and local
taxes, this would eventually bring the railroad down. The road needed freight
revenues badly, and then a small glimmer of a hope appeared.
The Suwannee Phosphate Co. was looking over the old
French and Mutual phosphate mines near Luraville during January of 1915.
Convinced that the mines could be worked and needing a good railroad to
haul out the rock, the company begin talks with the Florida Ry. As
the old Luraville branch has been idled for a year and in bad shape, Frank
Drew draws up plans to build a new railroad from near Wilmarth to the mines
bypassing the troublesome spring slough that constantly tears up the old
Luraville branch. An amendment to the charter was issued in June of 1915
which outline a new railroad to run from near Wilmarth northwest to a point
near the Suwannee, north of Luraville. Another line would run east to McAlpin
on the Coast Line. By October a mention in the newspapers that they new
line was being constructed. Another story tells how it was thought that
all the phosphate was exhausted, but two new companies have made surveys
and feel that it has hardly been touch. No mention at all about gauge until
1916 when the Florida Railway Commission issued rates for a two-foot gauge
branch of the Florida Ry. It seems that one of Frank's sons volunteered for
service in France during the early stages of World War I and saw the use
of the 60cm trench trains. As the Florida Ry had used the old 60cm train
sets of the French Phosphate Co. many times for construction projects, he
decided to use the equipment one more time for use in carrying phosphate
ore to the Fla Ry mainline. By this time only one of the little Porters were
still on the property, the other had been sold many years ago, but two complete
sets of ore cars and many miles of light rail were still available. Its unknown
who actually owned the equipment at this time, the Drews may have bought
them years ago, or maybe the French Company sold them to the Mutual Company,
which sold them to the Suwannee Phosphate Company. As the Florida Railway's
records for 1915-16 are very incomplete due to receivership, it impossible
to tell if any ore was hauled. One thing is for certain, not enough was hauled
to save the railroad. And time was running short. (Note- In the records I
did find 1/2 of a plan for a steel 24" gauge boxcar. Also in correspondence
with one of Frank Drew's granddaughters, she mentions that Frank Drew did
purchase some narrow gauge rolling stock.)
The Florida Railway
limped along during the first half of 1916, as it was hit with lawsuits
over back pay, back taxes and back rent. Former employees were sabotaging
the track and the ICC was making the road put its locomotives into shape.
On September 17, 1916 a receiver's sale was advertised in the local paper
describing the property that was to be sold at the Duval County Courthouse
on Oct. 2, 1916. This was a gold mine for me as it listed the Builder and
c/n number of all the locomotives. George Drew bought the railroad for $35,000
on Oct 2, 1916 but the charter was not transferred and the Florida Railway
was unable to be operated as a common carrier, so all operations stopped
on that date. At the end of October the Atlantic Coast Line sent a derrick
car out on the line to pick up wrecked cars.
Suwannee River port near the Drew Bridge.
1917 was the year
of schemes, of selling the road or its steel. But no decisions were made
except for leasing portions of the road west of Mayo to Smith-Maloy &
Co. and Elsberry Brothers and Miller which used it for logging and naval
stores traffic. A passionate plea by Frank Drew to the Seaboard in hopes
of them buying the road fell on deaf ears. The Seaboard could have bought
the road and finished the few miles needed to link up with their Tallahassee
Southeastern Railroad, but declined to do so. And yet they would have made
a fortune carrying the products of the Burton Swartz Cypress Co.
which had just located in Perry, and the future Brooks Scanlon which would
arrive shortly. But the Seaboard had no love for Frank Drew and decided
not to help him out. This action allowed the Atlantic Coast Line to enter
the once exclusive Seaboard territory. Then Frank Drew appealed to the Federal
Government in hopes they could save the road for war purposes, but the inspector
did not think it was worth saving as the nearby LOP&G was more than
capable of serving the area.
Scrapping train on the Fla Ry. at the Live Oak shops. The two stall engine
house is in the background.
The Locomotive is the Georgia Car & Locomotive Co. Forney the Drews
bought in 1918 for scrapping the road.
Rear view of the scrapping train, Frank Drew standing on the rails to
the far left, supervising.
1918 was the year
of dismantling the road, though the first step was taking up the Upchurch
Lbr Co. in Marion County at Norwalk Landing. The Upchurch Lbr Co. was a
partnership between the George Drew and the Upchurch logging family
and when the company failed in 1915, George Drew purchased the assets. Bringing
down Florida Railway #1 to Norwalk by barge (no rail connection for this
isolated logging line) George and Frank slowly pull up the rails on this
line, gaining experience for the bigger job ahead. One last hope was laid
on the door step of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, a Federal government
agency, but they passed on reopening the road. By July they were back on
the Florida Railway pulling up log traces and side tracks on the west end
and clearing out their stock of unused rail. But as the track was in very
bad shape even the small number 1 engine could not safely navigate the line.
To keep from having to install new ties to scrap the road, Frank purchases
a 24 ton ex-Manhattan Forney from Georgia Car & Locomotive in December
of 1918. This was the same type of locomotive that the Elsberry Brothers
and Miller purchased from Georgia Car & Locomotive in 1916 for use on
the same track. The tank from Florida Ry # 3 was added to increase the amount
of water available. Scrapping operations were slow because of both natural
elements and human sabotage. The Drews were afraid to travel at night due
to the amount of large tree limbs left on the track by disgruntle employees
and shippers. Its unknown when the last rail were pulled, though there were
still rails to pull up in 1921 as he mentions the rail salvage in a letter
in August of that year. A lot of the rail was purchased by an Alabama dealer
and probaly ended up on a lot of logging roads in Alabama and Mississippi.
Another large portion was sent to Cuba for laying track in the sugar fields
of that country. The locomotives however were in deplorable shape and were
certainly scrapped.
Frank Drew’s wife Lula enjoying an outing along the Luraville branch
after heavy logging.