Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-12-19


charge of the Office, and whose name l
understood was Mr.. Lewis, looked at the
register and said: ''Oh, oh! Wheeling, W..
Va, that's where live my old friends,
Captain Mcclure and Colonel Norton. They
stop with me. knew them up North.
was in the hotel business at Saratoga"
Certainly there is prosperity and pro-
gress in Jacksonville. There are a great
many new, modern, substantial and costly
buildings h ere. The people and town gen.
orally look as il it was New York or New
England town that had slipped Its north
ern moorings and drifted down the coast
bodily and found new moorings in this
Summer Land
OF Florida, and this Ideals almost literally
true.
understand that the price Of real estate
has greatly advanced here, and that some
vacant lots have recently sold at $50 per
front foot, and that since the development
Of orange culture some lands that were for
merly considered worthless have been sold
at high prices. However, there is yet a
great quantity of waste lands in Florida
which can be bought very cheap. Some
think they woul d be too dear at any price.
The orange excitement in Florida resem-
blcs the oil excitement in the oil regions
and the gold and silver excitement i'll Colo
RADIO. The all absorbing topics OF COnver-
sation are oranges, orange groves and orange
lands.
was told of one man who planted an
orange grove at an expense OF about 5000
including all outlays up 10 the time it beg
an to bear, and while waiting until the grove
should mature, he suffered much financial
distress. Finally the fruit came on in
good supply, ana he was happy. He was
not anxious to sell his grove, but he was
induced 10 name price. He asked $50, 900
and sold it for $4,000, and afterwards re-
allied that his grove was really worth So
OG0. One man was pointed out to me as
having made nearly a million dollars in
this line within the last ten years. Such is
the drift Of the conversation one hears in
Florida on this subject, and you can draw
your own conclusions. Doubtless there
are cases of financial disaster which could
be learned of which would tend to Offset
the foregoing, but certainly the orange
business and the northern capitalists who
spend their winters and their money in
Florida, make its prosperity.
A man who plants an orange grove has to
wait from eight to ten years fOrit to mature,
and it is estimated that when a tree ma
lures it will bear
One Thousand Oranges
per year, and will continue TO bear for
hundred years. The oranges are supposed
TO be worth one cent piece on the tree.
Oranges mostly mature about this season
of the year, or little later, and the trees
are now loaded down with green and
golden fruit. When one leaves home at
this season with all Its winter aspects and
comes to Florida and finds summer weather
and trees loaded with the finest fruit and
green foliage he cannot help but contem.
plate the wonderful variety OF temperature
and productions found within the scope OF
our glorious country. The most OF the
white folks have met in Florida appear
to be q good class of Northern people. They
speak ike the people at home or the
people of Ohio. The Southern people have
rather an agreeable and peculiar way OF
pronouncing some OF their words One in
stance, and the one most easily described,
is the fact that they omit To sound the let
ter "r" in all words where il occurs, and
where it is possible TO omit IL, for example,
gentleman telling me that on his farm he
raised forty bushels OF corn to the acre
thus expressed it. ION my fahm ! raise
fawty bushels of Gavin TO the aikah."
The st. Johns river in Florida is rather
remarkable. II is from one to three III les
wide, and Its current is 50 slight or slow
that ! did not perceive it. There are a
number Of very fine steamers rnnniLg on
this river. They travel very last on the
deep placid water. | Travelled about one
hundred miles on the ST. Johns river on
the steamer John Sylvester. shall not at
tempt to describe the trip, but to some
Poetic People
a December sunset scene, such as | saw on
the st. Johns river, would be an ecstacy.
went TO st. Augustine, called the An.
cient City. Itis the oldest city in the United
States. 1t was settled by the Spaniards,
and was under the government OF Spain tor
many wears. Many OF the people speak
Spanish. 1t would indeed be long story
if were to tell you all the particulars OF
the strange growth of palmettos, and date,
palms and orange groves and flowers. | saw
here also the marrow streets and quaint
old houses and the ancient Catholic church
es which look like they were old enough TO
antedate the flood. =, g,
There is strange race OF people here !
believe not found elsewhere in the United
States. They are called Minorcans. long
story was told me of their history. saw
some little girls of this race They were
very pretty, with brilliant eyes and
color was bright golden
yellow. The negroes are much prejudiced
against the Minorcans, and don't like to
admit that Minorcans are white people.
Well, good bye, Florida.
The next place will mention is the city
of Savannah, in Georgia. There is undoubt'
edIy considerable business done in this
city. l took breakfast at the ScreTen
House, which appeared to he a first class
hotel in every respect. The general sp-
pearance of the city is not calculated 10
make a very favorable impression, or al
least ii so appeared to nae. L was only
there short time. II might have proved
different had l remained longer and seen
more Of it.
next arrived at Charleston, South Caro-
lima. The Exposition is now being helo
here and of course | went 10 ii. II seemed
a very tame affair, though all the people
met there appeared to be OF the very bes'
class. l think our own Wheeling EKposi'
ton would have compared very fayorably
with it In this city was surprised TO se'
a number OF
Coiored Policemen.
They were all big men. and / thought
probably they had been selected on accoun,
of their muscular development. Many o.
the houses in the portion OF the city saH
have their gable ends TO the street anc
many were plastered outside. / also no
ticed that large proportio of the houses
were wooden structures. but don't thins
| saw the best portion ni the city.
The next place at which | stopped wa
Columbia, the capital city OF South Caro-
lima. Here found the Legislature in ses
sion and every hotel crowded and lodgiuI
accommodations scarce. / had the mono
Of eating with big crowd OF honorable
Legislators, who kept up lively commen
ON State affsirs- Columbia is beautifuii.
laid out city, with magnificent 6ron
streets. The ground is very level and tn
city spreads over much territory. Most o.
the renidencps are surrounded by exten
siye flower gardens The people appear
be secompiisr-t a. .D,' sgreeabie an
polite. :. -,
Isrent a"s-.' ''''r .7'o- F''h sr 'Hh