Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-05-10

Guidc-book. Everybody is supposed
to know about its quaint, narrow streets
and coquina houses, ito Minorcan in
babitants, and its various suggestions
of some old Spanish town of the Mid
die Ages We reach it now by tho
little railroad, which, starting iron
Tocoi, a dreary and inanc settlement
on the ST. Johns, forty-ninc miles above
Jacksonville, traverses perfectly fiaI
country OF scattered pines and occa
sional "hammocks" for q distance o.
fifteen miles to tho sea-cstuary, OIL
arivcr," back st. Augustine-iarc s2
There you take an omnibus Qf yor
choose) three-quartors OF mile into
town, for 80 cents; and in town yor
find three good hotels and "any mum
ber" Of boarding houses, which are
more or less hotels on q small scale
rates $40 week at these SO and "a
a day at the hotels.
One gets pleasant impression Of st
Augustine at its entrance, which IL
through sylvan lane, shaded with
bowery garden trees on either hand
and unfolding glimpses into beautiful
gardens, filled with oil manner of semi
tropical fruit and bloom. From this
shady lane the visitor energies into
others all close upon the plaza. This
is q public green and square, ordained
by the Spanards, who have left in it o
monument, inscribed in Spanish, to the
glory OF the Constitution Of 1912. Near
BY is a little box of city market. The
North side of the square is chiefly oc-
cupied by the ancient Cathedral, the
ouaintcst relic of solid old church archi-
lecture to be foundin the United States
and bigger and more rambling wood
en- structure in the shape Of great
modern hotel-the St. Augustine
There are ancient buildings OF coquina
between this hotel and the docks, and
at the water are very considerable
number Of fine little yachts for sailing
parties, as well as little steamer (the
Mayhower built at Springfield, Mass J
to take parties to the "North beach j
and the other bathing ground on the
seaward side of Anastasia Island. One
or two New York clubs now have their
Winter rendezvous here, and impart a
| little style to the scene. We tired the
sea-bathing the first day Of our arrival,
and had a good swim in the Atlantic
waves-ont the 18th of April-a delight
ful experience, which was triae modi.
fed by various warnings to beware Of
sharks. A school of porpoises took
possession Of the spot the moment we
went out But the dangerfrom sharks
is mostly imaginary; no injury from
these voracious monsters has been re.
ported. At the North beach the break
ers come combing over and dasbing
themselves away in foam, to fine effect
The new lighthouse rears itself like q
gigantic barber pole, all striped in black
and white, and conspicuous from aiar
II is bad coast, with few harbors,
from Fernandina down to the Southern
keys that look over to Cuba.
And this mention Of Cuba suggests
another Winter resort with the tropics
the harbor and town of Nassau, in
the Bahamas, which will soon be made
4 (for those who can afford iD regular
| part of the Florida Winter trip. Steam.
ers have been running there this Win.
ter from Savannah; but that is rather
far North. People want to go to Mas.
sau, il at all, from Florida port. They
want to make that trip part of the
Florida visit. Mr.. Ballard, Of st. Au-
gustine, tells me he expects to have
this so arranged next Winter, and that
a steamer will sail regularly from St.
Augustine for the Bahamas, making
the trip down and across the Gull
Stream TO Nassau in twcnty-four hours
If this can be done, and the round trip
be made for $40 or $50 a host of North.
ern visitors will next Winter make
their first acquaintance with the trop-
les by this trip returning to st. Angus
tine in one four, or six days, as they
choose, according TO the attractions OF
the Bahamas and the Royal Victoria
Hotel; terms SO per day "in gold
Mcssrs. Green-backers
st. Augustine is busy little place in
the Winter, every other shop being a
curiosity shop" where Northern dol
lars are spent for alligators' teeth set
on orange tree canes for various Flori-
da birds of plumage for polished sea
beans, and a world of other pretty
trash. One old darkey, in dingy
shop in by-strect, We found busily at
work making vases, alligators, urns,
etc, out of coquina
1t is this Northern trade that is the
hle of ST. Augustine, as il is of Florida
mostly. The financial stringency, the
mild Winter, and the general saving.up
Of money "for the Centennial" have
kept thousands back who would other
wise have visited Florida this Winter
vet the hotels have been well filled
here at st. Augustine cspecially--and
next Winter there will be grand
rush and they will come early. ]
overheard one old, bloated bond-holdei
sharply drilling q negro yesterday. q:
to the kind Of fire. wood he must have
ready for his open fireplace by the
goth of "next November DUN viut
mus ripdmus
Sailing down the majestic st. Johns
river, was once more impressed with
its remarkable breadth, and with the
fact that water distances are deceptive
II was hard to believe that those shores
werc five miles apart; but such was
the truth at several points on that no
BILE stream IL reminded me that in q
recent letter greatly undcrrated the
area Of Silver Spring, up the Ocklawa
ha. That remarkable fountain, clear
as crystal and OF various depths rang
ing from 40 to 80 feet, is in fact very
nearly five acres in extent. One year
ago our party put it at two, and this
year at a still smaller figure. SO ofthe
size of the giant cypress trees up the
Ocklawaha. estimated some Of thom
TO stand "fully 80 fect.,' In fact they
prove 10 be l20 in height and some
have been cut which measured 1870, and
81 feet TO the first branch. ~
| We are going to visit some of the
gardens Of ST. Augustine, and also the
ancient fort where for year or two
past about seventy "bad lnjuns" have
been kept, who were captured out on
the plains and sent of down here be.
cause of their peculiar crimes. They
are of various tribes, and bad fellows
mostly. Yet the visitors (ladies cspc-
cially) have petted them, and they
have been permitted to walk the streets
But last week one of them disclosed to
Captain Pratt bad plot they had in
view, to escapc--perhaps to do some
thing wore--and now White Horse, a
Kiowa chief and leader, is In chains
| md n dnna.oon and 40 n ro aornn of tho