Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-28

FIorida's knights of the Quill Doing the


Town.
FERNANDINA,. May 24.-By invitation
of w j. Young, General Southern Pas
senger Agent for the "MallOry Line, =
portion of the Florida Press ar
rived here on the evening of the
odd, to be present at the banquet
next day, rendered them by the represen-
tatiye Of this company, on board their
splendid steamship State of Texas, now
lying at her wharf in this port. The
knights of the Quill and the papers rep
resented were as follows: N NJ. Bowen,
accompanied by his wife, Mrs. F. '. Bow
en-, F0rididR, Tallahassee; DR.. J.J. Harris,
accompanied by his daughter. Miss Lula
V. Harris, Journal, Sanford; j. Ira Gore,
State Journal, Cedar Key; r. D. Mcleod,
Land Of FlorerS, Tallahassee; Col. j. d..
Gardener, Times, Mariana: Howard La
mar, Courier, Mariana; B. I. Allen,
Nelr Era, Madison: E. D. Beggs. Recor-
der, Madison; c. A. Finley, Reporter,
Lake City; E. A. Protois, NelcSAdrance,
Leesburg; f. A. Wilson, Citizen, Altoona:
Colonel VIM. McWilliams, Telegraph,
Starke H. 5. Gingrich. Herald, TaYares;
Major George r. Fairbanks and Z. ID.
Berg, Mirror. Fernandina, and your cor
respondent, by special invitation OF the
agent w. j. Young. of the Mallory line,
was present, and will not forget the
MORNING NEWS. Besides the members
of the press, other gentlemen We're pre-
sent, as Mr.. George Burnside, of St.
Johns county; f. j. Traiay, of Jackson
Vile: VIM. o. Ames, General Passenger
and Ticket Agent of the Florida Central
and Western Railroad; Mr.. Pappy, OF
the Transit Railroad, and others whose
names | do not know.
The object of the cOnvOcation was, as
your correspondent understands it, to
have the members of the press and others
see for themselves the facilities furnished
by the Mallory Line for the transportation
of vegetables and other perishable freights
to New York city, and thus make known
through them the inducements offered by
this line to the people of Florida gener-
ally, and the truck farmers especially. 1t
was a happy thought, and will doubtless
aid much in directing the vegetable and
fruit growers attention to the Importance
of building up a direct line of transporta-
ton from Florida to New York, and other
cities.
The programme of the occasion was
about as follows: On the arrival of the
trains on Tuesday evening, carriages were
in waiting to convey the guests to the
Strathmore Hotel, w. w. Clay,prOprietOr,
on the beach, where they took supper
and passed the evening pleasantly. A
few remained all night, but most of the
party returned to the city, thence to the
State Of Texas, the guests of the Mallory
Line during the remainder of their stay
About twenty came aboard the steamer
and quite a merry time did they have
telling anecdotes before they finally re-
tired for the night. One | must not omit
to relate. \ lady of our party overheard
Jacksonville lady say,at the Strathmore
Hotel on Tuesday night. that 'they-the
Florida Pressure the ugliest set of
balloons she ever saw" This irOnical
compliment caused much laughter and
many remarks. She was married lady
and the grapes were sour. Besides. some
ladies are too sharp to compliment other
gentlemen in the presence of their
husbands, Some husbands don't like it..
Our party slept finely on the steamer,
and after an excellent breakfast on Wed
nesday did up the town, gong first to the
office of the Mirror, where we We're shown
round by MAJOR Fairbanks and his assist
ant, Mr.. Berg. The Mirror is certainly a
neat office, the paper and ssecimens of
job work showing no little skill and taste
on the part of Mr.. Moore, the foreman. 1t
is one Of the best kept offices we have yet
seen, every room and department being
bright and clean, and arranged with an
eye to convenience.
We next went through the EgmOnt Hotel
and its grounds, observing the splendid
parlOr and dining and bed rooms, The
back yard is a flower garden, not a wood
yard and hog pen, as Is too often the
case with hotels, The tennis floor and
other arrangements for the popular
games are admirably arranged in a beau
tiful grove of orange and cabbage pal
metto.
The next thing in order was a visit to
Dungeness, and about IL a. N, our
party went aboard the steam tug, Captain
;. l.. bennett, and proceeded up the
"Cumberland Route" to the wharf on
Cumberland Island, about seven miles
from Fernandina, where We went ashore
and passed up the shell road to the site of
the old building, once the home of Gen.
Nathaniel Greene, Of Revolutionary fame.
After the establishment of American
independence, the State of Georgia, in
gratitude to Gen. Greene for his heroic
services in the cause of liberty and SELF
government donated to him 90, 600 acres
Of land on Cumberland Island, The old
castle-like building was beautifully sit
uated, with gardens and walks on a large
scale, and the grounds well set with
flowers and trees, many of them being
exotic. Everything was on a large scale,
reminding us of the estate of an English
lord. OF the forest trees, the live oak
is abundant; tue magnolia, cedar and
others, as the wild olive, seem to have
been introduced. The old building has
disappeared, and in its place another,
even on a larger scale, will be erected.
In the family graveyard, about three
hundred yards east from the old site, is
buried Light Horse Harry Lee" father
of Gen. X. +. Lee. The inscription on
the modest marble slab reads as follows;
sacred 70 the memory Of Gen, Henry
Lee, of Virginia, obiit - March, 1918, stas
63,' Near by is the last resting place of
Mrs. Greene, which reads as follows: "In
memory Of Catharine Miller widow of
the late Major General Nathaniel Greene.
Commander-in-Chief of the American
Revolutionary Army in the Southern de-
partment, 1889, who died September I'd,
1914, aged 80 years. She possessed great
talents and exalted virtue"
Her son-in-law, James Shaw, and his
Wife, Louise G. Shaw, her daughter, sleep
by her in death. There are few others
buried here, but unknown to fame. Their
magnificent old estate has recently
passed into the hands Of Mr.. Carnegie. of
Pennsylvania, who paid $4,000 for it.
and who Will soon erect an elegant stone
building on the site Of old Dungeness.
1t is a little strange that General Greene
himself was not buried here, but so it is.
II e died at Mulberry Grove, Just above
Savannah, and was buried there, as
have been informed.
After strolling about for two hours our
party returned to the tug, and thence to
the city, Going aboard the State of Tex
as, our temporary home, we rested and
then prepared for the grand banquet, At
3p. m. we were invited to dinner, and at
6 p. IN. we were still at the table, having
been served with twelve courses. can't
give the menu III full, but must say it was
excellent in quality and ample in variety.
1t was something on this style: Clam on
the half shell, oysters ditto, soup, fish, New
Jersey quail on toast, crab, wo0dcock and
roast beef, roast turkey, lobster salad,
bread and ct ceteras. Then came the DIES.
sert, including pies, cakes, nuts, oranges,
apples, raisins, cherry, claret and cham.
payne, all served in handsome style, do
ing much credit to the chief steward and
the purser, J. j. Witt. A number of toasts
were drunk, one to the Mallory Line