Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-21

Leaving KIssimmee our next stopping place
was Barlow Junction, about 45 miles distant.
A road has been graded from this point TO
Barlow. an old settlement formerly known as
Peace creek, and the iron VIII be put down at
an early day. This region has numerous
lakes. some Of them, several OF the party
who had Travelled in Italy and Switzerland,
pronounced, equal to any they had seen
in those countries. These are not grass lakes.
but deep water. down to the edge of which slope
the grass-clad hills. At Barlow Junction the
railroad company owns tract Of land, and
viii lay of town.
A mile beyond the last mentioned point is
the site of Fort Cumming, one Of the chain Of
forts or stOckdQes built during the Indian
wars, extending from Lake Monroe to Fort
Brooks at Tampa. The forts We're a days
march apart ana were very necessary for the
protection Of the troops. The hill on which
the fort stood Is l95 feet above sea level. From
the summit of 1t five lakes can be seen,
the waters Of which wash the foot of it. These
lakes are named, respectively, Tracy, Haines,
Cumming. Alfred and Mariana None Of
them are less than mile IN length, and the
largest is said 10 be eight miles long. This
ridge Il the backbone OF Florida and the lakes
ARE nestled in the hills.
This region is much higher than that near
Orlando or Sanford. \ person who has never
visited South Florida with he old ideas
OF Florida swamps in mind, and their men,
DRY carrying them back to the tales OF the
Indian wars when the SemiuOles would steal
forth from dense sWamps and fail upon the
lonely settler, would imagine that this
country Is like the Everglades are supposed to
be. a visit will disaOuse their minds once
and forever.
THE CATTLE MEN OF THE SOUTH.
1t il, as l stated before, a beautiful.
rolling country, Astounding in lakes; here
and there broad savanna extends for
savannas thousands Of cattle feed the year
round, South Florida supplies Cuba with all
the beef cattle imported into that island, and
the Spanish dOublOOn is as common in trade
nfr- fHaara~
tie king and the cowboy is still IN charge OF
most Of the country south Of Fort Cumming,
but the orange fanatic, with his little spade
and big expectations. are close at hand and
the cattle men will some day have to gather
together their herds and move further south.
When the sixty three railroads and eight ca
nal companies get their lines completed and
take the public land. according to the acts
Of the Legislature, the cattle mans life. in the
language Of the policeman in the PIRATES of
Penzance," viii not be "a very happy one"
There VIII not then be enough land left to
Craze a single steer. However, despite the
railroad land grabs, rapid settling of the cOun-
try and the land spectators, the herdsmen Of
the South will have sufficient room to Craze
their cattle for at least generation to come.
It is not probable that there viii be any more
railroads built south OF the line Of the South
Florida for years to come.
There are two exceptions to this assertion.
The Live Oak, Tampa and Charlotte Harbor
Railroad viii probably be extended this year
from some point on the Florida Southern Rail-
IOdQ TO tilE CbuAll r lDLlNA AullfDdtts Inns VIII
give q through short all-rail line from Savan-
nah to Tampa, Sanford or any point east
or west Of the junction. The other
road IS the Jacksonville, Tampa and key
West. This road is now in operation from
Jacksonville to Palatka. MIR. VIM Van Fleet,
the President. who was with our party for
short while, stated that that road win be
pushed forward without delay. Its line
VIII doubtless be changed so as to cross to the
east bank of the st. Johns, and follow the
peninsula down to Indian river connecting
with the Plant system at sanford or Orlando.
With the completion of these lines South
Florida will have railroads to do her for
years to come and good commercial facilities
with the North and West
THE SEVEN LITTLE NussoURIANs.
We were all much interested IN a new town
enjoying the unique name Of Sanitaria. Mr..
Newcomer had told us that coming South
he had met q lady from Missouri, with seven
children, VINO was On her way to that place.
Her husband had preceded her. and was so
well pleased with the location that he had in
structed her to sell out their worldly goods in
the land beyond the Mississippi and Join him
IN Florida. We kept lookout for
the place and the seven children
town, and sure enough they were there We
could tell them from the rest of the small
population by their good clothes. They had
not yet finished their holiday. We were told
that the owner Of the village. whose name /
think is J. IL. Martin, hOmesteaded the tract
for Sl4. and was now selling town lots at 500
10 F4oJ IL HAS a idllIDdfA anu laht 'front.' DOln
Of which are valuable to the enterprising set
tier. The lake, like many others in Florida
is said to have certain curative powers, and
the speciality OF this one Is IN curing Gu
taneous diseases. Santana Is place of
promise.
PLANT CITY.
Plant City is another thriving new town.
and has valuable adjunct to its development
in the shape Of saw mill. 1t is look ed
upon with favor by the eXcursionists because
of its name. Quite number of substantial
stores are doing good business, and dozen
dwellings are being built. 1t has not yet en-
jOyed the aesthetic OrnamentatiOn of the paint
pot or white-wash brush, but will probably
indulge in those .luXurles this summer when
business becomes dull
TAMPA AT LAST.
Alarge portion of the country through which
the road passes is of light sandy soil. and the
forest growth small pines. From appear
ance IT is not as good for agricultural pur-
poses as our Georgia sO-Called pine barTens,
but It Will grow oranges and vegetables and
the hummOck lands viii grew corn. There
are some old settlers scattered about in the
country of the line of the railroad and
those who have visited their farms say that
they raise everything that makes life worth
living,
The train reached Tampa about D. m.
The railroad track runs along the bank
of HillsbOrO river. Judging from the an
pearance of the wharves. the march Of i'm
prOyement had just marched quick enough
to save the town from dry rot. We were told
that the site of old Tampa was on another
part Of the bay. The sight OF this city Of
Tampa must have been very unsatisfactory TO
Its inhabitants for years past. With the pro-
spectlye advent Of the railroad, however, there
was an energetic awakening, if one can judge
by the new buildings lately put up, and the
repairing and repainting of old enes. A large
opera house has just been completed, new
hotel built and number of handsome stores
erected. 1t has now bright future and the
people apparently are determined to make
II city worthy Of being the terminus of the
nearest rail route connection to the West
Indies and South America.
The eXcursiOnists, after inspecting the COM
pany's property, visited the various places Of
interest, among them the Government Rcser-
walton, which has been recently "hornestead-
ed" by several enterprlsing parties There Is
at this place what Is said to be an Indian
mound, and we were told that on its summit
the Indian Mico, whose name our informant
naa forgotten, welcomed DeSoto. Mr..
O'Brien, of the Southern Express COMPANY.
secured several valuable relics, among them
half of Philadelphia brick supposed TO
have been brought over by DeSoto 1t was
supper time when the party got back to the
cars. at that meal there was a suspicion
tnat we ate PomplnO and Spanish mackerel.
but 1t was discovered that our supposed choice
nsh was only plebelan Florida mullet.
FEW REAL ESTATE ITEMS.
Tampa Is built on a sand bed. The sand is
like that on Tybee, but the white dirt as light
as II Is, VIII grow oranges and vegetables. and
is therefore satisfactory to it, owners Land is
held at high prices. The owner of a farm on
the opposite side OF the river, / was told, re-
fused 5000 al acre for it. 1t Will produce this
is another 81 was told') $500 worth of vege-
tables to the acre! This is not so extraordi-
nary when party has indisputable evidence
that $1,000 worth OF oranges were picked off of
three acres OF land.
will give another illustration Of this land
business: An enterprising settler from Ne
braska purchased an old sandy tract on one
of the roads leading out from TAMPA and laid
it of IN lots, He paid a few hundred dollars
Tor II; now he IS selling residence lots at $3.50
to $1,000 piece. tie planted oranges and
found they would grow; advertised the fact
among his friends in the bleak Northwest and
every man who could raise sufficient money
bought lot and set out a lot of orange trees.
This former country road is now known as
Nebraska avenue, and is tho boast of the
Tampaites. If DeSOto had said in Florida.
instead OF going "a Atlanta, or some other
then unknoIWA pace in Georgia, in search Of
gold, ana planted an orange grove, life would
have been much more pleasant to him. and he
would not have had his long tramp across the
country and been sepu,chored in the muddy
Mississippi
HAPPY PEOPLE,
In concluding the account OF the outward
trip Of the party, in the words honored by
long usage, "allow me to conclude by saying
that If cOptentment with what they have or
what they expect, is true happiness. 1.-THE South
Floridians are the hapDiest people on the face
of the globe.
Messrs. JACK and Elliott left US at Tampa
and went TO Manatee in search of orange
freights. The remainder of the party LEFT ON
the train for Sanford the nextmorniEg, arriv-
ing there in time to take the steamer H. b.
Plant for Jacksonville. There the party
breakfasted, and parted with hopes that thev
would all be permltted to meet again.
THE PRESS