The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-22

A wheeling MANS observations I'm ths
Youth.
We had an interesting conversation J

Just returned from atrip through the soutn
including a short sciourR in Florida MI
Bell, accompanied by hia two daughters,
went South via the Cincinnati Southern
RAILROAD come eight weeks ago, going
hrst to Chattanooga, Tenn, and from there
toAtlsnts, Ga, Montgomery and Mobile, in
Alabama, and on TO New Orleans, stop
ping OIL at each place. In this way he
gathered up q good deal Of information az
to the state Of trade, prospects OF business
and also as to the general tone OF political
and social life in the South. He did not
end Chattanooga 10 be az much OF husi'
meas and iron centre as he had been led To
expect. Coal was selling at 80 cents per
bushel, and an indifferent kind OF coal at
that. 1t was mined somewhere in that
region, but so poor were the facilities for
supplying it that it had run up to this
high price. In the summer season, and
a. other favorable times, they Claimed to
be able to obtain supplies at eleven cent?.
Il did not strike him, however, that oven
eleven cents for coal BODIED we'll to iron IN
dustries. The nail mill at that place has
proved poor Investment up 70 lhla tlme
10 all who have had anything 20 DO WIN
il. MIR. Bell WAS much more impressed
with the business outlook at ATTAIN
ia. He found a. air OF enterprise
and business activity and Thrift about the
latter city that seemed much more promia-
Ing. He regards Atlanta as one oil the best
polnts in the South for business. BY the
iste census It had 3l,3OS inhabitants,
as against 81 ,07s in 1870, which ia certain
" 4 remarkable growth. Chattanooga
has Il, SOP people as against y, l03 in 1871
Montgomery is one Of the places In the
South that has aeen Its best days-At least
It's most important daya-and 10 living, on
in a State OF semi. deCadenCe, although It
shows by tho last Census over 10000 In
habitsnts, Twenty years ago II had with.
In fraction Of 5000, and at one time as
high as 10000 bales Of cotton per year
ware shipped to Mobile from that point.
The Alabama river, on which 1t is stu
sted. is nsyigsble all the way up from Mo
Nils. over three hundred miles, and drains
a fine cotton country. But tho railroads
have diverted the shipments oil cotton
from the water to the raj, and instead oil
seeking the sea at Mobile, they now 90 TO
the North direct or else 10 Savannah and
Charleston. Hence tho Importance oil
Mobile as a seaport has largely played out,
and It's business Rs an exporting point mas
dwindled into comparative inslgnlhcanCe'
Mr., Bell says there did not seem TO DO
near as much business going on as when
he was there twenty-five years ago.
New Orleans is, OF course, Still q great
city, but it too has been measurabIy sborn
of its importance by the railroads.. They
have diverted It's trade iii all directions
TO Galveston, Memphis, st, Louis and 10
the North. Its population 10 now ZIG l4O
against l0l .4l8 in 1870, and 1893 ,675 In 1850.
What the Eads jetties will do for 1t re-
mains to be seen. The idea 10 to make 1t
great grain port by means OF huge tows
of wheat and corn from the Upper Miss.
issippi,
From New Orleans Mr.. Bell went across
the states Of MissiDHlppi, Alabama and
Georgia to Jacksonville, Fla, the great
winter resort OF the South; and there he
found plenty Of Northern people in lSCt
almost a Northern city. II has Northern
holelp, built and run by Northern land.
lords and filed with Northern people.
They nre good hotels, too-abont the best
in the South, but their beei, mutton, but
ter, &C., Is brought from New York by the
ocean steamers. Jacksonville Is In North
ern Florida, on the st. Johns river, near
10 where It empties into the sea. The Pc
Culiarity about the 81 Johns, next to It's
grand proportions, IL that 1t seems TO run
up hill, taking Its rise as 1t does In the
central part Of the State and running
north and east almost to tho point whore
Georgia corners Oh Florida.
Jacksonville was comparatively an In
significant point before the war. Now 1t is
q place Of about 10 600 inhabitants, and is
the most famous health resort In the South.
It has lines Of steamers 10 the North and
10 Charleston and Savannah, and good
railroad facilities. It has six first class
hotels where transient visitors are accom-.
modated ut from 81 30 to So per day, and
permanent boarders at considerably less.
Mr.. Bell says that the climate Is delightful,
rarely falling below IS degrees. Wo no.
Lice BY report OF Gen. Spinner that the
mean temperature In February, 1850, was
10 degrees. Visitors spend great deal oil
time out Of doors, and heavy clothes are
We are indebted 10 Mr.. Bell for copy
OF pamphlet just issued by tho Com.
missioner Of Immigration OF Florida,
which we find 10 be an interesting
document, and by which we
learn that the population Of the State in.
creased from lS7, 74S in 1870 to Ell ,SG4 III
1880, II is claimed that statistics show II
10 be one Of the healthiest States In the
Union. Notwithstanding the presence oil
40 many invalids from the North on the
eoil the deaths Tor the year ending June |,
1880, were only to the 1000 popula.
tion, Old General Spinner, the man
whose famous signature hiss been seen by
everybody on the greenbaCkB says, after
spending whole year In the State, that
he got through the year more comfotta'
bly, in Florida than he was wont TO
do at his home III Central New York. II
Ia, therefore good Simmer as well as
Winter climate. We observe that the
rainy season Of the year Is from the let Of
July 10 the middle Of September, during
which time The rain falls almost every day,
commencing In the early afternoon and
lasting from a few minutes TO a few hours,
aud often accompanied by heavy thunder
and sharp lightning, after which the air Is
cool and sweet, the sky clear aud bright,
and everything lovely.
The great industry Of the State is orange
raising. II has come up from almost
nothing since the war to a business Of
great Importance. There are, according
10 the report for 1879, some 133 orange
groves targe and smNlD in the State, with
5S,O0S bearing trees, and 30,576 coming In.
10 bloom, and 500, $50 young trees, produc.
Ing a yield in that year Of 69lo,TSS
oranges. These groves are largely owned
by Northern people, who together with
the natives have Invested about $4,000.
600 in orange culture In Florida.
Mr.. BELL was highly pleased with Florl.
da, with Its climate and ils soil. He en-.
inVod tho Injury Of eating at this season