Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-12
PENSACOLA & ATLANTIC.
THE NEW IRON HIGHWAY OF
FLORIDA.

Fort Pickens-The Navy Yard-Home
ward Bound.
IALLAHAssEE, FLA, March S.-A1
excursion party, consisting of members q
the Legislature and their friends. left her
iast saturday for Pensacola, over the new
line of railway recently completed be
tween the capital and that city. II wa
indeed jolly crowd. The Legislature ha,
adjourned the day befOle, and the Western
| members were bound for "home. swea
hame," happy at the thought of meetin,
the loved ones there; for, in the languag,
of Byron,
us sweet to know there is an eve will mark
Our coming and be brighter when we come
number of the Eastern and Southern
members were also of the party. as wei
as some ladies, whose presence lent ,
charm to and held in check the festiy.
throng. OF the latter all were married
put one. Thus, with sedate Senators. hone
iul Assemblymen, bustling railroad men
artists, newspaper correspondents and
otners, including charming ladies. was
the party made up.
Inc Florida Central and Western Rail.
roau company had provided ample ac.
"A
Iacnlcoia. The weather was delightful.
and the wild flowers, peering forth from
neld and forest, gave unmistakabIe owl
dence that the beautiful spring-time had
again dawned upon us. The air was rn.
dolent with perfume, and the groves rano
with the melody of the birds. Every ono
seemed TO be in good humor with him
sell and his neighbOr. The fiery parfici.
pants IN stormy debate in the closing DAYS
q me session were now as Iocese and
ahhnle toward each other as twin broth
ers; would that all would thus forgive
ana De forgiven, forget their petty tTou.
bles, and resolve themselves into a grand
excursion party, as they certainly are.
moving on toward the "beautiful river y
a run or IA miles, passing Midway.
quincy and ChattahOochee stations
brought us to the ApalachicoIa river
Here the railroad bridge, now RAPIDLY
Teacnihg completion, will connect the
Florida, Central and Western Railroad
with the Pensacola and Atlantic Rail.
rodu, ana mus give an unbrOken all rail
beyond. The little steamer Newton now
serving as a transfer boat, conveyed orr
party across and down the river about
three miles to Sampson's Landing, where
we were received aboard the snaciaI
train of elegant cars by Can't W- d
Chlpley, Vice President and General SII.
perlntendent of the Pensacola and Allan.
tic Railroad Company, Who accompanied
our party to the city of Pensacola. Twen-
ty-hNe miles run brought us to Mariana.
tLe caPital OI jackson county, where we
stopped an hour for dinner. This 10 a nics
little town bOasting a population Of ahhnt
LOCO inhabitants, a Substantial brick
court house, number Of churches. busi-
ness houses, some cosy residences and
charming ladies. Here jackson co,Infy,s
entlre delegatl0n-her little Senator and
three greas big ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
from u.s. going to their respective homes
a anu we ON our way rejoicing. One grave
senator, not being on the alert, was left
Denlhu, Dut joined US again two DAYS after,
Leaving Mariana about 4p. m We roada
a run of about 1876 miles throuGb hfaI.mi.
nable pines and over a gently f1ndiilating
SHrta8e, touchIhg at New Orange. Chocto.
Aatc4ee, Argyle and Milton, ARRIVING in
l,ensacola about ] a, m, Sunday morninG.
tired and .ssIeepy too" The road from
MarIanna TO Milton runs through a bjth-
erto terra fnc0gnttG, and presents the an
pearance, as 1t is, of a new country now
Just ehterlng upon the march of develop-
InehI' Inc STATION houses, store and dwell,
ing houses at the dep0ta aad Villages
along % the . Iine q EallWaTaTe all new, lit
eithef SIDE OF the road may be had very
oheap now, but not so after awhile. for
the land speculatOr is already laokino
about for lands with view to inyestmenf'
The completion of the Pensacola and At.
lantic Railroad marks a new era i'm the
history OF western Florida 1t brings the
people of that section of the State in close
proximity TO the Middle and Eastern di-
VISIONS OF the Stare, go that a trip to
tne caplt9! CI 10 Jacksonville and
is " now made in n few
hours, whereas it used to take davs by a
clrcnltous route through Alabama and
Georgia. The new road IS said by comne-
tent Judges to be excellent. Your core
spondent does not profess to be competent
20 pass Judgment upon such matters, but
ne does know when, q train gets over
ground rapidly without jOlting. BY this
TEST the PENSACOLA and Atlantic Railroad
can pass for tirst-class in his opinion.
lie heard 40 complaints whatever. On
the contrary, he heard the remarks oft
repeated, "What an excellent rOadp,
time!'' etc. ''i'|4. 9t-0''''-''
On our arrival in Pensacola, most of the
party were quarterdd" at the Merchants
and the city Hotel. Late as was the
hour, we. retired and slept finely until :
a, m, Kissing much refreshed, we were
soon after summoned to breakfast, and
on the half-shell, stewed and fried
Breakfast over, and it being Sunday. ey-
cry one betoOk himself az laucy lead.
some going sege, others there, some tn
;,AAEGa, others to the OsceolA Club rooms
me privilege OF WHICH had been tendernd
me members of our party for ten days-
On Monday morning q urogramme
pinned TO the registers at 1.-THE hotels an.
nonne9@ that at p. IN. of that dav an
excursion would be made on Pensacola
I1;y, Bay, touching at the navy yard and Fort |
td',h.i lUAeils. Az the hour appointed about |
seYeniYshFe souls, including our marty
vent ON hoard the staunch little tue NaTy
Witch, the stars and stripes foatinS
rom her flagstaff. From the number Of !
'askets OF retfeshments-SOlid and fluids |
Drought aboard it might have been
Inferred that we were going on a long
voyage. And so it was, mefaphoricalI9 |
ineaRing, cor long win iFlive IN our mem
AalOr Brent, who seemed to be manager
General OF the excursion, gave the word, |
.nu our Doat steamed out with flying col |
)fs, passlnS many sail living at anchor /
waiting their freight of FIorida nine |
umDer. AT times more than two hundred |
lessels may be seen ia mort, all to be |
reighted with lumber, destined to North
m markets and to Europe. Pensacola |
'hlps more lumber perhaps than any other /
port In the United States, it's monthly |
'nlpments being about 100000 feet of |
lumber, besides square timber
After run Of g few miles down the |
}ay, our poat made fast at the navy ward |
wharf, when all parties took walk |
through the yard, looking at the various /
buildings, beautiful paYements, and other /
objects Of q MaElike character to be seen
mere. 1Ee navy yard embraces about I
Wenty-tWo acres, has within the Enclosure
Ihont thirty buildings, large and small. |
vi Dflck, and some of them large and |
'legant structures, the whole costing I'm
lie Sam something over Sc, 600, 900.
Thus was spent an hour, when we went
aboard our tug and steamed for Fort
'ickens, about two miles distant across
he bay and on the western end Of Santa
Rosa Island. Here part Of the excur-
lonists Went ashore to look at and walk
through the fort, while the rest remained
IN board and steamed out into the Gulf of
heXcico to get a little touaM of slife !
IN the ocean waYe.v How old Men I
une received the land fubbers / |
Know not, not being of this wing |
II the party, but some of them
IN their return looked more thoughtful |
md were less noisy than before. Those /
'emaining at the fort proceeded to ex- |
llere the same, going round, over and |
through It. AT one time it had mounted /
lpon its walls about one hundred and |
Orty guns, besides other pieces at the port |
l0les. Now there are but few guns about |
I, none properly fixed for service, but a |