Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-28
SOUTH FLORIDA.
A LAND OF ANACHRONIsNIS AND
PARADOXES.

Florida Still an Unsolved Problem
The Bones of Extinct Animals
What Railroads Have Done for
Orlando 900 Inhabitants The
Natural Home of the Orange-A
Visit to Fort Gatlin and Lake
Conway-Character of the Soil,
Etc - Hotels - The Charleston
House - Statistics - Newspapers
An Enterprising PeopIe-The Mer-
chants OF Orlando, Etc.
The writer, after his Tampa explora-
ton, sought the rest and retirement of
his Georgia home for brief period, before
entering again upon the difficult task of
giving pen picture of the Peninsula Of
Florida as it is, leaving out the eXagge-
rated statements and eXtravaganzas of
interested parties, and dealing only with
plain and incontrovertible facts. And
yet even while sedulously adheriug to this
course, there is much to astonish and
challenge the credulity OF the reader. No
region on earth exists so full of anachrOn-
isms and paradoXes as Florida. Here, in
many districts we have health where in
similar attitudes sickness and malaria
run riot. Again, wnen one would expect
insuppOrtable heat, owing to the adjacent
sea and innumerable bodies of pure fresh
water, the temperature is reduced below
the high extremes of New England, and
the nights are uniformly cool and pleas
ant. The experienced agricultur1st, too,
as he views the dwarf palmettoes and
pines and notes the sandy soil, almost
dazzling to the eye, would suppose 1t to
be a
VERY SAHARA
in sterility. But cultivation develops the
fact that the predominance OF minute
particles of oyster shell lime, and the pc
.culiar forcing properties of the climate
induce vlgor of production that IS SIM
ply wonderful. To test this (Which is the
writer's own eXperience) let the expert
menter clear spot anywhere in the piny
woods on the st. Johns river, and plant
vegetables or an orange grove. He will
soon find rank growth of grass and
weeds sprlnging up which repeated plow-
ings and hoeings are required TO keep
under. This we know Is not true OF
the poor districts and ''pine barrens"
of more northern ATTITUDES. What
then is this result to be attributed
to save the lime, which is plainly visible
to the naked eve, and the abnormal
warmth and moisture of the climate. In
d
be solved by the scientist. Whence the
source of the innumerable crystal lakes
of fresh water, many of large eXtenf,l
which are spread out ina perfectly level
country. These have but little rise OIL
fall, and seem to be fed by exhaustless
subterranean springs. In one county
also the remains of extinct
animals are found, some of them
unknown to natural history, among
which are included the bones OF the rhi-
nocerOs and other African and Asiatic
beasts. These lie in large MASSES
amounting to thousands of pounds within
a few feet of each other. The question
suggests itself when did they exist, aud
by what convulsiOn or cause were they
destroyed in such near proximity And
so we could go on to relate other start
ling phenomena. did time permit, Which
afford abundant employment for the IN.
genuity and Investigations of the Quid.a
nun1 and naturalist. But we must re.
turn from this depression and come:
back to
ORLANDO,
which is the central figure OF our sketch.
Until within a recent period KNOWLEDGE
of Florida was chiefly confined to the
gulf and sea coast and the banks of the
st. Johns river. The interior was an un-
trodden wilderness, visited only by thes
adventurous pioneer and traveller. But
the rapid extension of the railroad sys--
TEN, which now covers the peninsula
with network of steel, has laid bare the
hidden arcana of this unknown region to-
an admiring world, and with that knowlg
edge came the outbirth of this f1Ourshing
little city and the rapid DEVELOPMENT OF
the surrounding country. Not that it had
not existed for long years as the seat Of
justice for the q
PRINCIPALITY OF ORANGE
in all it's vastness and solitude, but until
within five years 250 souls would have
covered the entire population. Now the
number verges upon 1000. With the ac-
cess of inhabitants came intelligence and
capital also, and soon the capacity and
possibilities of the soil were made mani
fest. The fact was demonstrated that
this is the natural home of the orange.
where it may
FLOURISH PERENIALLY,
secure from the raVages of frost, even in
such a season as the past winter. In ad-
ditiOn, the crystal lakes, salubrious at
mosphere and lovely scenery presented
irresistible attractions to the enfeebled
invalid from the frozen North,
and 1t was not long ere the retired mer-
chant and busy capitalist took in the sit
uatiOn, and realized that
GOLDEN HARvEsTs
might be reaped from investments In the
spine barrens" of South Florida. Capital
is proverbially "timid." and at first the
progress was slow. But almost imme-
diate results inspired confidence, and
within an incredibly short period such a
boom was inauRurated for Orlando and
the adjacent country as has never been
surpassed even in auriferOus California
In proof of this the writer invites the
reader to accompany him in ride with
Mr. j. II. Livingston, one of the enter.
prising real estate agents of Orlando.
our cofapdgI1On du UOydge was John NJ.
Fleming. late editor of the Nashville
Union. every inch gentleman and
scholar.
The weather was threatening and show
cry, but became more favorable as the
afternoon advanced. Our course lay
along the banks of Lake Luzerne, Lake
Gatlln, and Lake Conway, TO say nothing
of other pellucid sheets of water whose
names cannot be recalled, which dotted
the landscape on every side. To the right
and left were
ORANGE GROVES,
embracing in several instances over 100
acres each. They had stood the cold
without even casting their leaves, at the
expense. however, OF the golden fruit still
pendent from the bOughs, but worthless
and tasteless, like beautiful woman de-
void Of intellect ana culture.