The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-01-09
fFor the Republican |.
FIOI ida Letter.
SWITZERLAND. ST. JOHNS Co., FLA.
December 2S 1915

R. EDITOR: Finally / can say
to my friends in Garrett county, /
AM IN Florida. Moreover 1 find it
vety pleasant here; l am pleased, as
II hoped to be. with what my eyes
sf and my ears hear. But, being
hlre is one thing, and getting here
yE quite another thing. And l
Cd think, safely say, to any who
! M y have longing and leaning is
WY; You will never get here with.
0u coming, and you will never come
w4heut starting.
Ne sailed from Baltimore in the
.g4d ship Vim. Crane, Capt. BiIlups,
- aud Miners Line. at sum
rr vpn the 10Th inst. Leaving the
w TNnen@l City in a haze was no,
"a HicularlS interesting or inspiring.
iuge elevators below town are a
~ laoe landmark. and Fort McHen.
~ cannot fail to interest. Further
o'i weyot lin view of Annapolis
:" nngh the Captains glass. Point
~ oKout ,lso, and the wide mouth of
th1 PotonRc Wee viewed with inter-
esq /. rs we PISSED. But nothing along
OF about the grana old bay, is finer
tnf an the hay itself. 1.-THE Adriatic
OF America. "said our intelligent and
irF lendiy captain. And what an end
ies 5 and measureless amount of ship
p'fpg on this water! Right gladly
wFpuld we have hooked in at old York
toH ~n. Fortress Monroe and Norfolk:
ou these boats make no stop between
IMP Monumental and the Forest cities
petween Baltimore, the Northern,
an{d Savannah, the Southern termi.
NUS of the route. More especially
wYuld stop at Fortress Monroe have
oefen agreeable; for here once was
MP nome; in the time when sky
OF pc was much worn, and events
cay me that tried mems souls; a time
W1en pomp and peril of war iostled
at elbows, and its pageantry of to-day
roy lnd tomb on the morrow. But
these places of historic and personal
inFerest must needs be given the "go-
oy," TOR our good ship must come to
h9rs dock at Savannah by Up. NJ. of
thN5l2th, and to accomplish the task.
s' must plow watery furrow we'll.
sHS IN e Thousand miles in length-this
in I hours. Sunset of the 10th found
US yet gliding through the smooth
waters toward the mouth of the bay;
later on we were rocked to sleep on
the gentle swell as we steamed out
past Cape Charles Light. Past the
terrors of dreaded Cape Hatteras we
slept soundly. Yet. though we mis-
sed the danger, we failed not of
share of the usual aoapleasantaesS of
that dreaded spot; for, even while
we soundly slept. the chopping
waves were doing their unwelcome
work, churning up nasty mess for
rude old Neptune, the filthy god of
the rolling deep. The early light of
the 18th revealed to our unaccustom.
ed eyes a grand and aweinspiring
scene-a wide, wild waste of waters,
with solid earth nowhere in view.
But grand, boundless as was the
scene, the vieW of it was but short.
To stand at the state.room window
or out on deck and gaze upon the
wide. tumultuous scene, was the de-
sire but quick return to our bunk.
the necessity. Eight O'Clock brought
the friendly call to sumptuous
break fast. That friendly call had a
faint and scattering response. "The
Vacant Chair" was numerous around
that well-decked board. Well might
Capt. BiIlups say, "on absenteeism
the ladies are a unit, and on this
measure have majority of the ster-
ner sex with them" Dinner at one,
and one to sit tout with the merry
V Supper at six brought back
INV half-bleeched looking yoyag-
ers, humbled and shame faced, mani
testing more of willingness than abil-
ity to eat, and an ungracious haste to
return to their state-room privacy.
when the second night was
He'd, there was less "unhappiness"
In our company, and the vacant
chairs were filed again, Now it be-
gan to be "bon voyage" not only
but realized. Unfortunately
but little of it was left to our realiza-
ton, for 10 O'Clock brought the white
stack that supports Tybee Light at an
elevation of 100 feet, at the mouth of
the Savannah river. into view, and
at y we passed in. and finished the
II miles of our journey
With our 1.o'clock dinner.
So here we are, at the water.gate of
the Forest City, and the gate stands
open to all friendly corners. There
Il was. grabbing up our scattered be-
-.