The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-17
THE ORANGE AND TILE ALLIGATOR.
DR.. 7. B. Harvey's Visit to Florida-Indian-
apoliS People He Met There.

"Dr. Waterman and myself said DIR. T. B.
Harvey who has just returned from a southern
trip were in Florida for about two weeks We
were at Pensacola Tallahassee, Jacksonville
and numerous other places. We were one after
noon and night on st. Johns river going up
There were two specially bright and pleasant
spots in our travels--our stay with Ingram
Fletcher and Dr. P. G. c. Hunt DR.. Hunts
place is at Longwood We spent nearly three
days with him looking at the fine lakes about
Longwood, and the orange groves. He has
ing we'll The Doctor is in a fair
way to make money. He has built himself
new house at his newest grove, nice pine
cottage with long and airy porch He is sur
rounded by beautiful lakes There is one no
more than 900 feet away, right in'front of his
house. Between that place and his bearing
orange grove we passed round another lake.
This grove is on a hill. and it is there he con-
templates building a permanent home He
took us to see Lake Jessup. which is
six miles from his home. This is said
to be the finest fishing water in the
world At least that is the way the
fished there We caught few large minnows,
and as long as they lasted we caught magnificent
hase-sselks 9cwa there call them trout They
weighed from three to six pounds each when
caught, and have increased in weight ever since
whenever we have told the story. The lake is
twenty miles long, varying in width from one
mile 70 three or four We saw a deer swim across
the lake while were fishing We also saw q
number Of alligators in the lake taking sun
baths"
''How many fish did you catchW
Don't press that point. will say to you that
we ished on the wrong side of the lake, but they
bit finely as long as the minnows lasted. Then
we caught CARS with cut bait-three Founders,
and very nice to reel in, but otherwise worthless
until we got tired. The climate of Flor
ida is delightful l agree with the au-
there in the wrong month May and Septem-
Der are the worst months in the year, and May
is the very worst. We couldn't get any oranges
that is, not Florida orange. The hotels
furnished us with California oranges. The
Florida orange dries up in May, and is juiceless
and woody. The sour orange is still on the tree
in May and good drink is made of it by the
addition of sugar and water: There was some
| thing else added, perhaps. DIR. Waterman can
give you the name Of it.
eve saw Ingram Fletcher at Orlando-the
same wholesome, hearty Ingram Of yore.
He is living on place owned by his motner-ln-
law, Mrs. Newman. The house is beautifully
located, being on the summit between the gulf
and the Atlantic. The lake in front of the house
| is not much more than the width of the street
from the yard fence. 1t has clean shores, and
furnishes firstclass fishing At the back of the
lot which is the size of an ordinary garden,
is another lake covering twenty or thirty acres.
The water in this, as in the other, is clear as
crystal. The water of the lake in front flows
| into the Atlantic ocean, and that OF the other
into the Gulf of Mexico. There is good bear
| ing orange grove. and Mr.. Fletcher raises other
tropical fruits. He gave us guavas to eat, with
cream, which was indeed treat-the most de-
lcious fruit / ever ate. AT first the smell of
guava is offensive, but one soon cares nothing
for that We overlook it just as pass by
the odor of the Goldfish, on account of its other
virtues. 1t is about the size of peach, and is
full of small seeds like the seeds of the straw
berry. The rind, which has the odor, is at the
same time the best part of the fruit. 1t was
real treat to talk to Ingram and pleasure to
answer his numerous questions about Indianap-
oils people He is in the real estate business,
and the prospect is fair for him to make
! considerable money. He is working very hard
to get up again. Orlando is the growingest
place in Florida. Acre lots readily sell at 81 900
an acre for lake front There is good society
| there, and at Longwood-people from North, from
Canada and from Europe. One of the lions of
Longwood is Russian count Nhilist who is
longing for governmental change that will en-
able him to revisit his native land.
''As I said before, Florida Is beautiful in many
respects, has glorious climate and all that sort
of thing but there is an overproduction of ALI
gators. The st John is magnificent stream to
ride upon; cool at night and not unpleasantly
warm in the day time except between 10 A. M
and $3.50 p. M but didn't like to think about
the alliga4ors. If the boat caught fire this sort
of dilemma would encounter whether to
stay on the boat and be roasted alive or jump
into the water and be eaten by the gators. They
are numerous that no one could ever hope to
escape them. The pleasant story is told on the
st. John boats of newly married couple who
jumped overheard when the boat upon which
they were was discovered to be On fire. Their
bodies were never recovered and nobody but the
alligators ever knew where they spent the re-
mainder of their honeymoon"