Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1884-02-07

ticle in any Drug store for twenty-five cents
Physicians recommend 1t.
MOT BAD.-The increase in our circulation
during the past week has been II, having re
ceived 10 new names, discontinued 2.
Florida Letter.
TAMrA, HnLsBoRo' Co. Fla. Jan. %, -
Mr.. EDITOR -
Having no desire to intrud'
on your valuable space in the CLARION, wat
the reason for not writing before this. Or
my arrival at jacksonville, 18th Nov, fount
that the city had improved very much since
my visit there twelve years since. Its popu
ulation has doubled, now having perna
nent summer population of 1000, and win
ter one of so, 600.
Its wholesale and retail business houses
are numerous, many of which are very large
The trading of the north for nearly all o
south Florida, for four hundred miles, givet
them very large trade, requiring fifty OF
more large and small steamers on the st
Johns river to transport. Also the trade
from more than twenty-five hotels is extern
sive. The capacity of some of which are
over thousand. 1t will always be a great
center of travel, as three quarters of the win
ter travel come there.
My next stop was Palatka OVAL county
passing on the way up the St. Johns num-
bers o: orange groves, and leaving off and
taking on passengers and freight, at Magno
liza, Greencove Springs and Tocoi, the two
first landings having several large hotels, and
the third the place to get on the railroad
running to St. Augustine, Is miles distant
the oldest town in the States, and now hay
ing some very large hotels.
Patalka, Putnam CO., has also improved
extensively, population now is $500, an in
crease of 2, 600 since my last visit. Has two
railroads, the one to Jacksonville rs miles
and the other to Gaisville, connecting here
with roads to Cedar Key, Levi CO., and to
Ocalo, Marion CO., and thence to SumpteI
co. Puatka is going to be very large place
at no distant day. She now boasts of having
some of the best kept hotels in the State. Al
SO surrounded by very large bearing groves
Going on up the river, we pass quite num-
Der of landings, and new settlements, until
we come to Astor Marion co., at which
point the Lake Eustus Railroad connects,
running 90 miles to Lake Eustus and Lane
Park, connecting there with Leesburg Via
Lakes Dora and Harris. Enterprise and
Sandford are the two next most important
places, the former in Volusa CO., on the east
side Of Lake Monroe, quite lively town OF
1000 population. Sanford lying on the south
side of Monroe Lake, is tcn-yearold town
of 2, 900 inhabitants. Its being at the head
of navigation for large steamers, on the ST.
Johns, it is very enterprising place and
will increase very fast Its half dozen hotels
are well conducted. Has two railroads, viz
to lake Jesup ten miles, and the other to
Tampa, 1875 miles And will in the near flu
turc have the continuation Of the one from
jacksonville via Palatka. 1t is the largest
town in Orange CO. Here we take the S. +
railroad to Orlando, % miles, the county seat
of Orange CO., population 1900; quite a
pleasant and enterprising place, and like
Sandford and Enterprise, is surrounded by
very large bearing groves, and can say that
the trees and fruit, have not sustained any
injury, in its vicinity, from the late severe
weather, as they have in nearly every other
section Of the State.
The next town l8 miles south, is Kissm-
mee small new town on lake Tohopkiliga,
population 500, place of considerable bust
ness, the trade OF which comes from the
small steamers running on the lake, and
down the Kissimmee river. After leaving
Kissimmee, there is only three stations be-
tween there and Tampa, IS miles, viz: Horse
Creek, where branch road of 90 miles goes
to Barto, Polk CO., Santana, new town of
dozen houses, and Plant City, also new
place of about the same size as the last
named. as it has taken the name Of city, in
advance Of her age and size. She will no
doubt be rival of New York and New Or
leans, judging from the miles Of broad ave-
nues laid out through the pine forest
Passing on, 90 miles more of pine forest
and cedar swamps, brings us to Tampa, on
the Hillsborn river, Is miles from where it
empties into the gulf Population 1 500, built
on ground sufficient for a city of 10000
Buildings same as all Florida towns, made OF
pine, with no architectural beauty. Its streets
are wide, and many places a foot deep with
sand, as in other Florida towns like so much
show.
Instead of stone or brick, they have miles
of plank walks. Tampa is the result of the
Seminole war. The government took pos
session of beautiful site for fort, at the
mouth of the Hillsborough river, where the
soldiers and traders families gathered, and
thus Tampa was founded. You can almost
imagine yourself in Cuba, as you see men on
horseback, wide brim straw hats, with their
feet in Spanish stirrups, also meet many Gu
bans, for this is great cattle shipping port,
for which you receive in payment, gold doub-
looms Of $3.50 each. Tampa having great
er communication, and now also railroad,
and another road being built, will therefore
make it improve rapidly, and become great
business place.
1t is useless for me to tell you of the ro-
mantle scenery of the 1926 miles of the st.
Johns to Sanford. Its moss-covered live
oaks, pine forests, interspersed with the
many groves bearing tens of thousands of
the golden fruit How the river oraduallv