The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-02-10
FROM FLORIDA.
Winter Weather in the Lasd Of the
Lily.
OuaIn, Scenes aud Curious Comm enls.

ST.. NICHOLAS, FLA, Feb. 2,-LOorfespoL-
promised in my previous let
,r, | rcoeed 10 give you an account OF my
lurther wandsrings iu t1ia Land OF Flow
Lsst week | travelled by rail Utmost
due slutn for thisiy miles through n per
fec. wilderness, there being Only two small
on the whole route, and as we
from the solitude aud shades VI
[ e piuo iuTcsi, we espied the dittiit YET
urtI.tt ltnes, Ut the Wltch'ti wsrs OF the
> Angus i%oTtfess. We hnSlly emerged
upuu . sniuDby pitur, whei, acre came IN
tla Oldest CT Ia tue uniied Stet3s'
seated among " trees, OF IA sandy SVEN Of
/ ,ud. where ~ mas stood for over three nui-
dreu years. | wnstt uck with ito ancient
and lDHeiy aspect, even a. u distlnCe, nnu
cIul met htl1l Eruing Il to pictures when
1 bad seen ~ Dut3h tO@ns, though q want o.
I'd wiud-mill or t6O 10 MAKE tao ftsom.
1iancr perfect,
iva aud beautiful winter resort aud, on
account of is historical relations, is Ut
douoJ.uly the resort 10 which the tourist
or the Invalid 10 most partial. l. CITY
ccupies tle saue pOiLt upon which Prdu
Meurndt 2 de Ayiles FIRST stopped in 100,
at The head Of some OF SPANS most vul,aut
kuighie, and ltnted the banner OF Spain,
protl aiming Pnlipi tue second, ruler oil the
whole Continent OF North America.
We Will now ter tue qualLt Old tom,
and take n look 1t Ill there 10 ID be seen.
inc nrst thing tuat viii ltiike you as being
u%eouliar is the streets. Ia lew places are
they wide enough d aliow mo cirriagea u
pass gbreatt. The nHrrowest street IS
Treasury, portions OF which are ohly, seven
feet wide, and you can withsYefy litl- eh-
s,tion. shake hands across u. j WAS tod
t,st ,hey were not originally Intended for
aruages md that IN the time when the
t1wu belonged 70 Spain many OF them
were n1ored vita m Artificial stone, com
nosed OF shells and mortar, which,
in this 81 mate, takes aud Keeps tue.
hardness of rock, aud tnst no
other vehicle than Il hgnd-barIow was al
TO pass over them In some places
vn, see remnants OF this ancient pavement,
buI Tor the mot part IT has been GROUND
into dust under tae wheels OF ositj ahd car
the old houses in St. Augustine are
many. Tne Oldest Is said TO be 3OO years
I'D that is tho walls oil II. Ihey are a
built OF "coquina,' and have wooden bal
conies. when oyerhang the streets. Some
'of ths gardens between the houses aIe
topcad ON the streets with walls OF stone.
Peeping over these walls you see branshes
nj inc pumeeranste, aud OF the orange Tree,
ord rising vet higher, the leaning ooughs
nj the fig tree, with its broad, lGxnraul
Ieayes. Occasionally You pass the runs oil
names. walls OF stone with arches, Wnich
nnce belonged to 81 tely dwellings. The
old saving. III walls could SPEAK" q rs not
came amiss here. Tor undoubtedly they
cS,Id ttlI tales fer more tht lltng imam tne
most absorbing OF our melodramatic tales
In iic'ios NJ. nom os1.d r,r,
Marian. IS u noble work frowning over The
NJ ,pzar river, which flows between st
xneust ne and hnHItisia Island. aud 1t -
volta making a 10 g journey TO see. It's
site was most exctliently chosen Tor the
nrotec,ion OF the city. No record rem aims
n, its original contraction, ou' II ~ sup
nossd 10 nave been erected 200 years since
and The ehell-rock. of winch 1t Is built, is
dark with time. We saw where IT had
been struck with common balls, which, IN
stead OF splitting the rock, became imoed
dad and ciogged among the loo'ened frag
n,ents of shell. 1t seems that this shell
| rock. or coauine. is one OF the beat mats
ri.ls for Ratification. This old tort Is IN
| good repair, but nevertheless II is a sort
Of ruin. 1t Is not now occupied by the
military, and stands u venerable monu-
ment OF the Spanish dominion.
The fort occupies about TOUR acres OF
ground. mounts 100 guns and required one
thousapa men. The main entrance was
hv a draw bridge, which has been re moved,
a - stiouary one taking its place. Over the
doorway OF the entrance Is sculptured on a
block OF stone the Spanish cost'of-arms
surmounted by the globe and cross, with a
viii a Maltese cross and lamo beneath
The walls of the fort are twenty-one ieet
hiyh with bastiors at each corner. The
Appalachian Indians were employed on II
for more thar sixty years, and II Their Ct
f,rts are probably due the immenee labor in
the construcii II of the ditch, tho ram ar 8,
inc glscis and tho approaches Ii unluuot'
4 / required many hundred peIdons ior
many years 90 procure eAd -. nc s1IAe
| from the quarries OF Anastarla lslane.
On entering you hnd yourself in the
conrt or parade ground. 100 feet square,
Insido there are tw%euty.seye,. classmates
thirty five feet long and eighteen ieet wide
Dnrino the Indian war and in case oil al
,cr Nv sea the citizens would flock 30 tn
stronghold aud take up their abode
in tho bomb proof. The case
ment in front OF the .sslly-port
has, on each side, as you ehler 10; a hlo1'
thyt vas used for holy water vessels and a.
me end Is an altar, above the tltar Is +,
niche. where was, at one ime, an image o
soma saint or martyr OF the eatlg church
yhis was the chapel where services was held
We we're shown o Dark, gloomy dungeon
twenty feet long, six feet wide and nearl,
five feet high, where not a ray OF light ca
| npnffrNte. y rttAtAAh v bibHfa 81 tN%h
vray of Two fights, we reach the top o.
parspet OF the fort, from which we obtainet
n superb view OF the channel and ocean be
We visited the military burying ground
where under three pyramids, are interre'
tho remains of NSjor Daae and l07 com
rAdeg, who was massacfed by the Indians
men were ambushed by 800 Indians, who
nj The first fire killed more than half th'
soldiers, and then rushing upoI
Their with whoop aud yell, Il
compl.te the fearful butchery, a dts
porats hand TO hand conflict was matt
t,ired until all but three soldiers wer
X lied. These three managed totscspe an'
tell the sad tale.
Tne ancient gateway, commonly Gale,
the getty gates" is finked ny two quar-
n,llars. with Moorish caps. Ga each sid
nero Is a dry ditch and the remains oil
stone wal. II l. n picturesque and impos
ing structure. The supvo.i ton IL that
wall extended arould the whol. city. but
l. doubtful.
The sea wall was quite an object Of inter
est 10 me. II VAS orieinsllT y Spauie
struciure- the first wall h.vi z been br !
I'm 1890, but was rebuilt ~ 1887 ard was g.
wears In building, ard cost 500 ~ l.
one mile In length. II L. ten fset above los
water mark, seven fe I ~ tine base, sn'
three feet wide on top, cspped VITA grant
II forms o fine omenadt-just win
enough for two persons - wax ABREAST.
The new lght-house-a noble structure
and ore of the finest in the At sntic ocesr
lis situated ON Apssiasia Island, TIVE
miles distant. 1t Is worth a visi. 10 thu
,,lapd TO see. Il Is 1874 feet high. ard COS
yer $4,000, OF when the lantern slon'
COST sic 600. II was cree ed ~ 1873. A
short distance south, on tuis Island, are tb'
fameus Coauina qusrries. of which tbs
TORI. civ yates ard abcie I houses are
built. This coquina. ~ IL lie c.lled. IL
formed over the whole i,land By the aclior
of the water on the sand aud SHELF. iii.
now seldom used for bulldog purposes, a.
il Is Inclined 10 hold moisture. Ii is ~
excellent stone for foundation, and 10 utl-
lied 'oI tnst purpose: