Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-04-23
THE POSTAL EXCURSION TO HAVANA
On the Gulf with a Head Wind.

April Sth, 1878.
After a sound nights sleep, all our party
awoke with sharp appetites for the breakfast
which we took - be Island hotel, Cedar Keys.
About ocloi b. VIC began to gather our
little traps tosJllEr and get them aboard this
vessel, and put ourselves in readiness for an
| experience of two hundred and seventy miles
| OF salt water on the heels of one of the most
s violent gales experienced IN the gull I3r i a
has driven ashore, and, as the telegraph in
forms f us today, probably destroyed the beau
tilul ndua steamer Agnes" on which we % were t to
piers and begin to prepare to say goodbye to
our friends from Fernandina who leave us
| mere, and grow impatient in anticipation OF
something in the near future which may inter
| pose TO prevent our getting away at the min
ute advertised. We approach the moment
When the engineer sounds his first call for US to
| get ABOARD. At the first note tWO-thlrdS OF us
| are affOat. We begin to count noses. A dis
c9yery! Our gay young friend from Bridgers-
oe sone aas %e hm Has hs
fair floral all companion' Why don't tt they hey
ardess and cook! Another toot-another
gers on the pilot house, sweeps the adjacent
country. and reports mot in sight anywhere -
,,C0nfound him., says the colOnel;, put his
baggage ashore which is forthwith done,
| and everybody begins to sympathise with the
Bridgersville offender. Another quick toOt of
the whistle, and the man on the pilot house
|
| sees huttering veil and SlOuch hat and re-
ports: There they are Put trunk aboard
| again. shouts the colonel, and confound
him for delaying the steamer The culprits
heave In sight, the young man trying his best
| to appear Indifferent and uncOnStrained, and
| making a fearfully transparent failure of it,
| the floral companion with no effort at all max
| ing her side of the scene brilliant success as
usual in such cases. Mutual explanation and
| apologies reduce the impatient colonel to a
placable frame of mind; he smiles forgive
| ness. All aboard at last. Our genial and hos
| pltable friends, the IuleeS leave us here and
carry away with them to Fernandina the best
remembranceS OF every individual in our
party. MIR. Benjamin, our artist friend, who
is a rdTd driS of a companion, goes with us at
the last moment to Key West. Gas off,
h0Wls the officer, and we are away from the
wharf amid waving of Ofhandkerchiefs and fare
well kisses.
Mr.. Roberts, of the New Orleans,
FLORIDA AND HAVANA STEAMSHIP LINE.
is aboard, and shows his nerve and business
training i'll the philosophical manner in which
he talks of the loss of the Agnes He states
that she has just been overhaued and com
pieteiy rehtted at great expense, and realizes
the inconvenience it will be to the line to lose
her, just now, but talks with confidence of her
replacement and the prospect of but Slight
delay necessary to supply the gap her loss
creates. Mr.. Roberts possesses an individual
lty which marks HIM. as a, gentleman of no
with. and has experience, added to quick
intelligence. and energy enough for half
dozen. He has great faith in the business
advantages possible in connection with the
scheme, and feels sure of the passenger traffic
from all sections of the country to the tropics,
ana IN the same CONNECTION considerable
light freight business. This line, in successful
operation makes it possible to get fresh beef
from Chicago and st. Louis in refrigerators to
havana IN the same time it takes to transfer
to New York from those points. and his re-
1r!geratOrS are just the things TO send back
hlled with tropical fruits and other products
OF perishable nature. We have got out
away from the islands at Cedar Keys, and our
purSer, an old sea captain, takes a squint at
the horizon and predicts
SOUTHEAST HEAD WIND
All the way to Key West. We have reason to
testify to the accuracy of his opinion. The
wind comes not only from the southeast, but
also in quantity we could have dispensed
with. 1t gets fresh and then stiff and Captain
Gait mutters hope that there will be no
squal. The Gulf soon gives evidence of its
ability to get lively. We have heavy chOp
sea which causes the steamer to dance about
to an extent perfectly astounding to those of
us who never before smeed salt water. Our
ladies are all delighted during the first hour
or So and after that begin to look as though
they were repenting of something. FINALLY
most OF them disappear in their bunkS and
come con iorlh no more, not even when the dinner
bell rings. We Of the so,called sterner sex,
are not long in following the example of reti-
racy SET by the ladies, and after the first din
ner on the Lizzie Henderson, we some how
fail to be very unanimous at meals.
DOlNGS AT KEY WEST.
April 10th, Key West in sight at last, and
our substitute for the Agnes has proved but
slow sailer against the head wind which has
been sending the rollers against her bows.
without moments cessation, for fOrty-eight
nourS: Inc approach to Key West is very
peculiar and pretty: the lighthouse being the
nrSt indication OF our cOntiguity; then the
islands peep up out of the water, and next the
fr0Wnlng walls OF Fort Taylor. As we ap-
proach the shore the peculiar color of the
reefs underneath giving it the hue of milk,
with fair tinge OF indigo for cOloring We
land at the wharf, alongside the steamship
Souder. which is to take us to Havana and on
board which noble vessel we soon transfer
ourselves and luggage We are received by
the whole population, and are at once boarded
Dy MI PMlDrlck, postmaster Brown, and other
leading citizens and officials, who greet us
warmly, greatly aided by the thermometer,
which is at s. at 10 O'Clock a. m. We are to
have reception and are to wait on board an
hour for the people to get ready. Some of us
run ashore for haSty shave, and the first man
l meet is our old friend Charley Ever, fat and
house, on account of his health, and will remain
about six weeks longer before going north
we make hasty repairs to our toilets, and in a
few minutes go in carriages through the CITY
to Jackson Park where we find a pavilion.
On our way we were saluted by salvO of can
non; The streets are filed with people, and
all nations and gay streamers. We pass through
me town amid waving OF handkerchiefs and
CHEERS, escorted Dy Cne Encampment of Odd
Eel ows and the three fire companies, and
arrive at the pavilion which is bedizend
with banners We are met and received by
the mayor. Mr. Bethel, and representatives of
the CITY government. After we are all seated.
the mayor, who is young, robust and hand
some, gives us rOuSing welcome. General
Key responds appropriately, and is followed
by Senators Hamlin and KirkwOOd, and Rep
reSentatlveS Chapman and Freeman. and CaId-
well OF the post Office committee The speeches
were good enough for any occasion but there
is no time to write them out. The Speeches
over we resume our carriages, and preceded
by our escort, with excellent music from the
band, repair to the Russell house for dinner.
This house is decorated with all kinds of ban
ners, Streamers, and tropical foliage and
flowers On every side are flowers of the most
gorgeous hueS, The cocoa nut trees have
clusters of nearly ripe fruit hanging from their
high trunks: the sun is directly over orr
heads; the people are all clad in garments
which would be suitable for our July and
August at home. The population Is MANY
colors OF many natiOnalities and UNIQUE in an
pearance. can say no more now as we %
Immediately to dinner S.V.
THE TRIPLE HANGING IN LOUISIANA YES
TERDAY.-JacksOn Edwards, Wesley Turner
and Alexander Brown were hanged for mur.
der at Franklin, La. yesterday. Turner de-
clared his innocence. The other two confessed,
The moose around Browns neck became un
tied while he was hanging, and he fell to the
ground. He was taken into the jail until the
scatfOld could be arranged and then led out