Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1881-02-05
letters from Florida.

- CorroS SCENE-FLoRIDA-lTs
- ,rE-WINTER EVEN THERE.
,,d;tor Rcgister--A trip to Florida, in
Winter season, is attended with much
NV sVC.,",,re-in the imagination ofthose who
pin ot home by their own comfortable
II,vn..iI,.s So once imagined it, but so
5id not realize II.
The best invo Stment one can make be-
,,nr.,e:taking the journey is, first of
III ~ take with him Life Insurance
''nIiry: hen equip himself with an mex
i.u,iible fund of patience and good-hum-
~ Nv companions who journeyed with
me from Baltimore TO jacksonville, ana
who exhausted their wit in the vain ef-
fort TO drive dull care away" will not
Iisrute the assertion, that travelling
through the sunny south has very niue
uocIry in it, but, on the contrary, fel!
much dull prose- Two days at least were
,rent in waiting at cold stations anu III
cold cars. Within the brief space OF ti'iee
lsvs. three wrecks occurred on our liheo Oh
travel. The most disastrous one vas
caused bv landslide, o'el-h"iiSHs
rocks being thrown upon the tTach, nc
mO!ishing al engine, anu DIT 'ho s''n1
lime iY stantly killing the engineer ana
fireman. ,,
n.
uec,ion az Richmond and thereby escaped
The terror Of the shock; but we were so
unfortunate as TO be compelled TO wait
tf,ecu hours on the track at a deSolate
rouE,rN station, until the debris was re-
,,ovcd Ii was Sunday, quiet Sunday,
49,, longest Sunday OF my life. The queS-
,,,. OF tkp day was when Will the train
moe or? echo, when?. The boiler of
ne wrecked engine had gotten across the
rack. and twenty-five men with picks
a.u shoytls were trying TO coax 1t OH.
l'LcS. ' j.. X. authorities, with their
modern machinery, would have removed
IL imam G0ur.
1T fist the passengers accepted the
s.uati i. They passed some hours III
r.clsalt conversation, witty sayings,
rnIlaui repartec, and general good
runcr; hat - the hours wore away con-
ycr,atiuu la-geG, the Keen edge OF Wit
lccamJ blunt, and good humor wonld not
ne Impo-su upon. Signs OF WEAKNESS,
.,ruans O: i.lpatience, aud muttcrings OF
igr--nur,ru Nrath were heard on all
.iLrS. S0me threatened 10 sue for dam
ages, some Swore, and many looked rs II
they WCUiG like to swear. Tried to COM
Tort myself with the sweetly-c0nSOilnS
words 81 iii ION: "They also serve VINO
wait" II might be good poetry, but L
vas stupid and failed to appreciate II.
Milton had never WAITED fifteen long
hours on Il r. X. track without being
ssIyIp 10 breakfast and dinner ana with
no prospect ii q supper.
IL las. YES, AT LAST, we hear the con-
tA,,t1r', ipyiul order ALI aboardH (as
il we hao not been all BORED the live
soug duv,) ana the tram moved on. n
hundred miles or more we advance, and
another detention OF six hours. Again
We move, AMI again we wait, anu so on 10
The end 81 .he Journey.
Southern Il. Roads arein bad state at
best; Int the unusually heavy SNOWFALL,
followed by loug-continucd rain, lett
iurn in an extremely pcrilOuS condition.
You can see 40 stone ballast, no steel
rails. Through North Carolina and
South Clrui.ns the road seemed 10 me TO
have ihc appearance of two long lines Oh
rus. traced al mud.
Eur on. slowly moving caravan happen
ed uunu some refreshing GASES which
served 10 revive our dropping spirits.
Richmond, Columbia, Savannah, are well
worth visiting, not only for their hlStOf-
i.ai prominence but also for their general
artraciivencss and the various objects OF
interest they severally contain. The
era road passes, offers little entertain
m,utIo the traveller. Whilst the scenery
generally seems novel TO the passenger
Tor tie North, vet there Il so much same
ness that both The eye and the mind long
for that Measurable relief which DIVERSE
L. alone can afford: Sandy plains, pine
forests and palmetto swalnps are the sum
OF what Is to be seen from the window OF
Il r. II. car.
The section OF country most interesting
and attractive to me was that bordering
upon the Florida line. The land itself is
decidedly uuattractivc, being low, marShy
1i!ieI with pools, the abode of lOathesOine
rcEi.cs. AKA, as a rule, not fit for the
home Of .Sn. But my entertainment did
not con .iSJ in looking down in search OIL
rtii@aturs; but rather in looking up, far
IN among the tops of the immense pines
Standing in magnificent statelincSS, Ike
huary-hcndcd ScntinelS, Watching the
progress e time. From fifty to seventy
1--WE feet tire brown trunk Is completely
bare, which then is crowned with short,
close, dark-grecn branches, and these
are yelled with loose folds of the grey
southern moss. Sometimes, where the
trees stand close, the moss-ringlets inter
lo,k, forming continuous canopy OF
grey. The peculiarly weird scene present.
ud Lv these moss covered forests Is SUCH
ascannot be described, andt he impression
created by them such ascaunOt be magin-
ed. ltwas my pleasure to cross the dark
waters of the ''Suwannce river, FAR
famed in verse; and AZ my own heart,
sadly touched with thOughts OF home,
turned iundly 60 the folks at home |
could more than ever before, appreciate
the sentiment that inspired the old darkcy
song.
From Baltimore to Columbia, S. c.. |
found the earth covered with snow, vary
ing in depth from one TO thirty inches.
The thirty inch snow at Greensboro, y.
c., WAS an event unknown to the memo
w Of resident CentennarianS. Unlike
the people OF the North whose experience
teaches them to prepare for such emer-
"encies, the inhabitants in and about
Greensboro were totally unprepared for
tho flhfillment of Vennor's prediction.
Consequently much suffering ensued. In
the course of few days wood raised III
value from $3.50 To 50 per cord, anu could
not at any price be gotten in sufficient
quantity to supply the demand. Every
available team was called into service.
and daily train chartered by the town
council 10 gather in fuel for the poorly
clad and poorly fed poor, but still the de-
maud of the town for fifty cords day
could not be met. and the pitiable suffer
ings of many of the destitute could not
lie relieved.
At Augusta. Ca, busy, thriving man.
ufacturing city, no snow could be Seen,
and harbinsers Of spring greeted the eye
and the ear.
AT Savannah laid aside my overcoat
20 enjoy the shade of For syth Park.
cannot resist the temptation 10 deviate
from the topic of climate SO far as to make
brief mention of the most beautiful park
il has ever been my pleasure to visit.