The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-01-02

Will be here this winter, OF COURSE for they
are all going to the Worlds Fair at New Or
leans, and the trip would not be complete with
ont visiting this land OF flowers. and behold
ing the thousand and one attractions TO be
found here. In view of the many absurd ut
terances which have been made touching the
tropical scenery of Florida, it is proper to say
At this point that the State is not remarkable
for the beauty of landsca pc, and that people
who come here for this sole end will certainly
be disappointed. The climate, which has no
peer on this continent, is Florida's greatest
gift. Hore, in midwinter. one can enjoy every
feature of outdoor life.
NEWS, NOTES AND GOSSIP.
Circus hero next mouthl
Jacksonville is lighted by fifty electric
lights.
John Andrews, ex. postmaster of Ssco, has
charge of the post Office department at San
ford.
Prominent foreign arrivals at the st. James
Hotel, yesterday, include +. de Kologruoff,
Russia, Alexander de Vetsey, Hungary; A.
Asplet. Great Britain, and Mr.. and Mrs.
DAILY Of Halifax.
A. G. Prentiss and wife of Saco are go
journing at Sanford.
Dr.. G.. A. Meserve and Mary E. Rouse, of
Portland, are at the Grand View in this CITY:
also Hon. A. 81. Osgood of Lewiston.
Charles IL. MillikeD and family of Saco are
guests at new Ocean View Hotel at st. Angus
tine.
Commodore G. II. Pickering, U. s. N, is at
the st. James with his wife.
Walter Bowers, son of Hon. Roscoe L. Bow
ers OF Saco, has accented the position as night
clerk at the Grand View.
The st. james register bears the signatures
OF Hon. Frank Hatton, Postmaster General,
Secretary Teller and Hon. U. B. Thompson,
general superintendent OF the railway mail
service.
The beautiful city Of Tampa, on the Gulf
coast is attractive AS a winter resort "The
Palmetto" and III. P. Plant" are both new
hotels just completed and are first-class in ev-
cry particular. The palmetto" ia under the
management OF Mr. Fl. z. Scranton,a "a northern
hotel man OF long experience. Tourists will
tnd the table at this hotal supplied with
Northern meats, fresh Florida vegetables and
the luxuries Of the season. Mr.. Scranton will
strive to make this department equally as good
rs that of any hotel in the State. Mr.. Geo. T,
Bacon, who has for several years been con-
nected with Mackey's curiosity store at Old
Orchard Beach, has full charge of the Office
The H. P. Plant hotel s little bijou of a
house, furnished, as it is, throughout in fine
shape and containing every modern improve
ment. This hotel, too, is owned and managed
by New England man, Mr.. j. 7. Anderson,
and although it has been open for little over
. week, it is already receiving n liberal patron
age. The first name placed upon the register
of the III. P. Plant, was that of the Spanish
Mrs. X. Manson, OF the Bay View House,
Ferry Beach, Me-, is proprietress of the ST:
Cloud hotel at Sanford. Mrs. Manson is an
excellent caterer and has earned reputation
IN this line. To say that guests will find the
same home comforts at Mrs Mapson's Florida
hotel as are always found at the Ebay View is
not saS ing too much.
The st Jsmes' band will arrive noxt week.
and theu the social top will be set q spinning.
outdoor concerts IN the morning and classical
L. H. ln-
afternoon, with dancing in the evening, will
be the general order OF amusement at this
swell hotel. The musicians, nine in ALL always
appear in full dress in the drawing room
Northern trains, by several of the different
routes, are arriving in this city daily; as gen.
eral thing they are three or four hours late
when they might just as we'll be on time. The
fast mail train over the Atlantic Coast Line of
Railways can always be relied upon, for it in
very seldom that it is delayed over fifteen
minutes. This train, which leaves New York
at II o'clock midnight, puts passengers into
Jacksonville in just Sc hours Besides speed,
there are several other advantages to be
gained by taking the Coast Line The entire
road, from Richmond, w., to Charleston, s,
O., is in perfect order, smooth and level, while
the equipments are the fnest in the whole
South. B.B.M,
The Othera side of the PicfEre-A Yankee
Comment on Affairs in the Land of
Flowers.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Dec. 29th.
To the Editor Of the Press
Whether it is because the great Worlds
Fair at New Orleans is too great an attraction
for Florida to compete with, or on account Of
hard times in view of prospective "frse trade"
the fact is undeniable that the travel toward
this State is extremely light this winter, and
ha6u IraIr H.. Lnz-
consequences; the bulk of Northern people
here In Jacksonville and elsewhere at the
winter resorts is OF men who have come to
earn money instead of SpenCing it and the re.
suit is that this whole section is flooded with
mechanics, mostly wood workers and laborsrs,
wages are away down to almost nothing and
no work to be had at any figure. All who had
money enough to carry them back North have
returned, but others keep coming and the
crowds of unemployed msn do not diminish;
was told last night that there were lots Of
Northern men in town who had to walk the
streets all night for lack of money The best
wages I bave known carpenters to get was
S150 per day; painters are paid lite better
but ne work is offering.
About 60 miles up the St. Johns River from
here is the city of Palatka where they have
recently had disastrous fire, burning over
some ten or dozen acres in the very heart OF
the city, but one would think every carpenter
in the country had heard of it and come to get
a job; one builder told me that he could have
hired two hundred joiners that afternoon, at
his own price, by just accepting those who
offered, while there wasn't lumber enough in
the whole region to keep twenty men at ork
This is an "off year" in Florida, sure.
This is queer looking country to expect to
raise oranges or anything else in; one would
as soon think OF cropping Old Orchard Beach,
fer the soil appears to be nothing whatever but
fine. white sand. No grass or turf covers it,
but it lies as naked as any sea beach, yet they
do manage to raise or make" as they call it,
surprising crops of all kinds of produce. The
climate here is much like that of Portland in
summer. and only long spell of northeast
winds makes overcoats necessary; garden stuff
grows here the year through, and that with lit
tie If any fertilizer added to the soil The
country is fiat and low, with water standing
on the surface on every side, which surface
water is much better for domestic use than
that obtained from wells. The river upon
which the town is built, about % miles from
its mouth, is a lovely stream, aoout a mile
wide at this point and in one place in front OF
the city Is DO fsthoms deep; at the mouth Is a
| bar preventing the entrance of vessels drawing
| more than II feet. The streets here are full OF
| cows and pigs; the COWS look we'll except about
| the udder, which is almost imperceptible; as a
matter of fact, they only yield couple Of
| quarts per day each, of rather inferior milk,
which sells for ~ to Is cents per quart they
| get their feed from the bottom Of the river
| whole herds standing in two feet or more OF
water and plunging their heads all under after
a sort of wild celery. The pigs are of the
usual Southern style, quite imposing animal,
when seen 'side to-" but II they happen tc
be lend on" you have to look sharp to find
them. They have prodigiously long snouts
| When one is wanted for slaughtering the
owner selects his victim by lifting him by the
ears; if the creature tips backward enough tc
| lift his nose from the sand, he 10 considered
| fat. Mule teams are mostly used for working
| and when oxen are used they are driven with
whip and reins. Oranges, politics and othel
| topics will be mentioned in another letter.