Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-20
FLoRIDAs OLDEST NEWSPAPER
Its Change of PrOprietors and Other
Topics at Tallahassee.


diate friends OF its late proprietor.
Captain c. f. Dyke was veteran journal
ist, having been editor and proprietor of
the paper Tor abouttOrty years. Some thirty
odd years ago there We're two newspapers
published in Tallahassee-the FIOrididR
and the Journal. These were subse-
quently merged into one, under the name
Of the FiOridi0n and Journal, c. f. DYKE.
editor and proprietor.
When | first met Captain Dyke, in the
winter Of 1880, himself and r. B. Hill
ton, Esq, now of the Economist, were the
editors and prOprietOrs. Subsequently
the name Of the paper was changed to its
present one. But few there are whose
minds were better stored with statistics
than Captain Dyke. He has an intuitiYe
faculty of remembering figures. His
memory was seldom at fault, and thus it
was that his long service in journalism
and his remarkable memory gave him
the advantage of his cOnfreres
I in the discussion of any ques-
tiOn when facts were necessary. His ex-
I perience and sagacity made him the
/ leader Of his party. 1t has been charged
I by his opponents and believed by some of
/ his friends, that the policy of every
T Democratic State administration was. in
!
+ this as it may, his paper, the FOFididn,
/ welded an influence second to none in
I the State, while his personal efforts, like
I those of Thomas +. Ritchie in his day,
We're not without their effect in the cOun-
/ ellis of his party.
For some time past Capt. Dykes health
I has been such that he has given but little
attention to editorial duties. The attacks
Of those VINO differed with him, the accu-
hnQVQn
/ dripping Of water upon the rOck-it taxed
I his energies, it wore upon his adamantine
I spirit and age, and nature demanded rest.
I And now that he is free from editorial
/ strife and care, it is hoped that the in
vigOrating breeZes from his native hills
may give new life to his enfeebled form
I and many happy years may be in store
! succeed him have been for some
/ time the virtual editors Of the paper.
/ The former has an editorial experience
/ of some thirty years, and part of the time
I as editor in West Florida, and for some
I years before the war as city editor of one
[ of the New Orleans dailies; and in these
/ capacities he acquired no little reputation
/ as fluent and spicy writer. Mr.. Bowen,
I the other partner, has been connected with
/ the FtOr2didH during the past twelve
I years. part of the time as foreman, and
I more lately as assistant editor and book
! keeper. He is a ready writer and a capi-
+ tai paragraphist. The extensive cir
/ culation Of the paper, the wide in
I fluence il has exercised. give the new pro-
+ prietors every advantage. Will they keep
I ii mp To the old standard? Will 1t direct
public sentiment or be controlled by it?
+ With a new field before them, the present
prOprietOrs will have many difficulties to
encounter. Will they be equal to the
/ emergency? We hope and believe they
/ will. for both are not without eX-
/ perience as writers, but as they are on
probation, time alone will decide. The
/ Fi0rdidB of to-day will contain the
I valedictOTy of the retiring and the
salUtatOry Of the new editor. As the
paper has not come out at the time of this
/ writing, | am unable to give your
+ readers a synopsis Of these eTuditiOns or
comment upon them.
+ 1t seems from the history of the
/ TALLAHASSEE, THONIAsvILLE AND GULF
RAILROAD
/ that it takes a much longer time to pre-
pare to build a road than to build one.
/ over year has elapsed since it was or
I gauized, and about year since il was
announced in the papers "authOritatively''
/ that the contract for its construction was
/ awarded to Gen. SpOOner, of New York.
/ But" saidNice President Page, ''we must
I have some aid from the State. Accord
/ ingly, the last Legislature made a
| very liberal grant of fifteen thousand
7 acres to the mile. Now, then, it was
I thought that this company, which was
organized a twelvemOnth previous, would
20 to work. They did 90 10 irOr6, but not
/ to shOyeling dirt, but TO putting the citi-
! Zens against one another along the three
rival routes as to which route would sub
[ scribe the most. Subscriptions flowed in
/ freely, going up to the thousands. Each
one was certain that the road would go
I through his neighbOrhOOd. Some time in
+ the latter part of June, quite a crowd
came into Tallahassee to learn the
result, but to their great disappOint-
( ment they were informed that the Board
I of Directors were to meet in New York
{ on 1lth July, at which time they would
finally decide as to which line would be
adopted. But the 11th came and no tidings
reached us 10y telegraph. Finally letter
I is received stating that the important
matter would be decided on the 18th.
such triiing as this is wearing out the
I patience of many; so much so that an
I intelligent gentleman. and man OF capi-
I tai. expressed to me his opinion that he
/ had no confidence in the concern. While
/ have nc desire to pry into the secrets
+ of the company, and while their course
I is open TO criticism, I am still of
/ the opinion that the road will be built
and that its construction will be soon
/ commenced. As to the line selected, that
was determined upon weeks and pos
sibly months ago, and this line, / think,
/ is what is known as the Central line.
I This, however, is a mere suppOsitiOn.
/ But to such fever heat has been the eXpec-
/ tatiOn Cf the different neighbOrhOOds that
/ unless the line be a zigZag one, going by
every ones door, the decision of the board
will not give general satisfaction.
RAIN Is BEGINNING
I to be very much needed, and the present
dry weather, together with the hot sun,
carving the thermometer up to the nine
ties. makes it rather warm and unpleas-
ant 1t is not the intensity of the heat
that enerYates one here, but its long con-
tinuance. Seldom, if ever, does the
thermometer 20 up to 100 degrees; but
from the middle of June to the first of
August il ranges from 50 to % degrees.
SunstrOke is unknown, and hydrophObia,
so dreaded at the North during the sum-
mer sOlstice, has never been heard Of
within our borders. Nor Is il so very
sickly at this season. Aalarial feFers are,
of course, more frequent, but there are
scores of our citizens who remain here
every summer that never have the fever.
At present we have but three physicians
for Tallahassee and the surrounding cOUn-
try. and they are by no means busy all the
time In former years Tallahassee was
considered sickly; now it is no longer so.
COnversing with
AN OFFICIAL OF THE p. A. R.R.,
the other day, was surprised at the
amount Of business done by this road
even during this duh season. Most of
the business. he informed me, was through
freights from New Orleans and Mobile to
Savannah. The agent of the road at
ChattahOOchee complains that even now
the work of handling freight, answering
letters, etc., is so heavy that he needs adj
ditiOnal force to that which he already has.
This road has some fine lands between the
PerdidO and the ChattahOOchee, which
are being rapidly bought up. To the
stranger passing through a long stretch of
country, with its StHnted pines, it would
seem that this was not so. But the best
(aud excellent lands they are) lie some
two or three miles back OF the road, As
these lands are not mertgaged as those of
some roads, the company is not forced TO
sell them below their real value. The price
per acre ranges from soc. to 81, according
to location and size OF tract. The hot
weather does not deter parties from the
North from coming here at this season.
There were several arrivals last week
who have come hither with a view of
purchasing
dried sweet potato. In appearance it does
not look like that favOrite ascuIent. is not
brittle. but on the contrary very flexible.
The gentleman who gave it to me stated
that when dried in this way it was used
extensively in some portions of Kentucky
for making pies, etc. AS the potato crop
,,,-,l,,ooe 81 vraII in Florida fs made nth