St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-02-15
Letter from Florida.
LAKE Como, FLORIDA, Jan. 81.

LAKE Como, FLORIDA, Jan. 81.
To the Editor Of the CaIedOnian:
When / was in Jacksonville, last
week, found great difference of opin-
ion as TO the amount of yellow fever
they had there, even among those who
remained there all the time. One per-
SON told me that hundreds died of it,
and that he knew mole than twenty
who were taken off. Another person
said that perhaps five died though many
more had the fever. But they both
agreed that there was big scare there
the day it was officially announced
that it existed, and thousands left the
city. There was not standing room on
the cars, and many left 10y steamer and
private conveyance. This scene only
lasted one day, and many returned in
a short time. 1t is generally aagreed
that the first frost stops it, and that
there has been no danger since Decem-
Der 9Th. There were quite a number
VI uCdlho OduSCu ny spHlS hluu vi d Hld-
larial fever, and they have lately voted
to bond the city for $3.50, 900 for drain
age and waterwOrks. If they get as
good thing as we have in St. Johns
bury, for twice the money ours cost us,
they will do we'll.
Friday morning, Jan. 25th, went Oh
board the Flora" a little steamer of
about 100 tons burden, bound for
Dunn's Lake, now called Crescent Lake.
Florida people used to talk to me about
the time coming when the St. Johns
would be lined with elegant residences,
country Seats" ETC., like the Hudson
and l used to smile and say nothing
but after the lapse of two years can
see quite an improvement. l think
that between Jacksonville and San
Mateo, a distance of about 80 miles, the
number of houses has doubled, some
of them very good ones, but as neither
the customs or the climate of Florida
require good houses, as a sine qua non,
of course some of them are rather cheap.
We stopped at Palatka about Is minutes
to receive the mail, and then pushed on
up the Dunn's Greek, and into the lake,
arriving at Port Como at about 7 o'clock
p. IN. Here / found the mail carrier.
and followed him up to the post office.
about two miles, where found Palmer
and went with him to his hOuse-after
he had rowed the ladies home.
His house is situated on a point on
Tor rather in) Lake Como, about 40 feet
feet above the water, and nearly sur
rounded by it. He has a nice cottage
house, finished on the outside but not
inside. We sleep in this, but the cook
house is near the the lake, for the same
reason, l reckon, that the "Hermitage'
(Gen. Jackson's Tennessee housed was
located at the foot of the knoll near the
spring, instead of being Oh top of it. 1t
is nearly surrounded by pine trees, and
Just south OF it he has an orange grove
SeHASON' AhOiO ait StNtIdI houses and
two stores in sight. Altogether it is a
very nice place to live, especially in the
summer, as it is so high that we get
breeze nearly all the time from off the
lake, which is about two miles long.
To-day Palmer, Dusenberry and my
self have been to Dunn's Lake. We
took Dusenberry's mule and cart and
rode to Port Como, where we borrowed
a boat and spinner of Shipes. Shipes
began where he is three years ago last
March, then a wilderness, and now he
has a comfortable house, wharf and
store house, several acres cleared and
under fence, about twenty orange trees
in bearing, and several hundred sweet
trees that will bear in two years. He
raises great many sweet potatoes, and
saw some very nice cabbages growing
there,
They have some very curious names
for persons here. The lady that found
living IN my house was named ChaI-