The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1875-09-23
Fma ths Dag GnPAls.
SARATOGA, Augas, 2e. 1875.

SAhAtReAr ah stst ~Ns -@fNf
! Many or the pleasure seekers aud 10.
vahds IN the Adirondack MouuiAius and
Al the Northern springs arr beginning TO
iacc towards Florida slreAdy. The nrst
cool airs of autumn strike these people Of
/ weak iuags and Impaired throasa Asd Of
generally fssbls physique WITH aPprehen-
sion. They begin to Sigh sgaln for the
high lands Of Aiken, the plpes and Amis-
bic society Of Jacksonville, the ruins and
vines OF 81. Augus,ine, The balmy nook
o.Green Cove Springs, aud The perfect
ly dry nnduiations Of the lands OF Talla.
hsssee.
A few days ago fell In With gentle
man Of quiet and agreeable manners
whose knowledge Of Folidian subjects
wss relief 20 the higb climate aud CORES
pouding high spirits Of the ordinary sar-
atoga visitor. He said be bad been forty
odd lines 10 Florida since the wa, and
bad remained there In midsummer. !
found afterwards that this was one OF my
neighbors Of Washington city, Major W.
J. Walker, the general agent OF the At
Iantic Coast liue "a formidable consclda-
tion OF half dozen lines Of railroad aud
steam packets between the North and
Florida. 1t occurred TO me that here was
an opportunity 10 acquire some knowl-
edge Of country have never seen, ex-
cept from the deck OF New York and
Havana packet, aud to convey this infor-
nation through the Daily Graphic to the
great nation Of consnmptives and their
children 10 the Northern States.
Some OF us do not know what ravsges
a case of consumption makes in a family
The head thereof, perhaps, stricken
down in the youth, the prime, or the re-
tirement Of lite, and every vision Of do.
mestic JOY or adventure swept away in an
instant. lie must go In search Of Fl Dor
ado, following DE Soto after the lapse OF
more than three hundred years, and to
and fro he passes, from his northern home
to the land Of pines and lagoons, from
the brooks of the salmon TO the rivers ol
the alligator, from the hunt OF the silver
iox aud the ptarmagah 70 the pursuit Of
the little ones Of the family crippled
laughter, the wasting son. Like the hero
of the "Pilgrim's Progress" these place
their hands over their ears and turn
towards the south crying, ''Life! lifel
Eternal lifep
Major Walker took up the business OF
Florida travel in 1865, Immediately upon
the conclusion Of the war. Although
only few hundred pioneers prior to the
war had discovered that Florida was q
dryer and better climate than Havana or
the Bahamas, the tide OF travel set to-
wards jacksonville Immediately upon the
restoration Of peace. This was to be
ascribed, In part, to the broken eonstitu.
tions and diseised lungs Of the soldiery
and officers In the contest. Major Walk
er observed that these weak people were
hustled about aud exposed to frequent
changes on the way. lie conceived g
system of easy transit and comparative
luxury between New York and Florida
This system has so far been success that
forty thousand persons went TO Florida
over the Atlantic Coast line last Novem
Der and returned In April and May. The
Florida season Is full five months long,
The cost of the trip BY this consolidation
o. interests and routes has been lesseneC
to half the cost OF ocean fare to Europe
or Havana and tho comfort increased q
thousand per cent. The round trip las
year on an excnrsiou ticket from New
York to Florida aud back cost $50. Th,
days and nights are so agreesbIy varieC
: that the Journey both ways is a climsti,
, panorama. Here isa Florida trip IL
| miniature, as hope TO take II next winte
9 before Congress meets:
Lpave New York before or about min,
D O'Clock in the pleasant day express, or th
/ rapid limited express, and reach Balti
more shortly after luuch hour. At fou
e o'clock the great steamers Adelaide
. George Leary, aud (soon to be launched
! Florida, Of the Bay line, start for Ports
Q mouth, Virginia, where they arrive 70
K early breakfast. The meals and stats
II rooms on these boats are equal, Of lat,
q years, TO the accommodations on ID
n Newport or Albany steamers The sec
a ond evening the tourist is at Wilmington
North Carolina, where the leading officer
If OF this line reside Hon n. II. Bridger,
d president, formerly member Of Congress
J. aud Col. A. Pope, general freight An
: passenger agent, his active associate
r These men may be called the gate oper
u ers to Florida. They took roads broke
a aid burnt ia The war aud made them sol
/ to the travellers feet and erected this Ia
K nense winter business 10 tho st John
q river aud the Gulf Colonel Pope redu
A ed the rates f0r invalids. The third NOR
i Ing hetouri.t rives at either Charlesto
IS city, on the sea. or the inland city Of A.
e, gustA, Georgi.. II at Charleston, tn
We traveller proceeds by day to Savanns
ID along The coast in psrlor cars. The sau
N {. the case II the tourist proceeds TO A
Ee gusts, excepl that the route Ia varied
~ The line reauiles at savannah. Poop
~ Generosity 90 one way and como the otbe
- The fourth morning hnds the lovely %
IL ferer at jacksonville. the metropolis
be Florida Here the great steamer Piyl
ge oath Rock, Of New YORK, 10 ready
n, start out for PAlAiks, on The St. John
,r- tn grsst inland artery Of Florida, 81