The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-08-05
Our Georges Letter.


that a beach had but recently been opened to
the public, which is to be the coming seaside
resort for the deniZens of jacksonville and Vi
entity. 1t is situated on the coast only sixteen
miles from the city and reached by cars over Il
narrow guage road, by a forty-fve minute
ride. The railroad is entirely built by Jack
sonvie capital and the beach and land about
it Is owned and controlled principally by a
stock company, and strange to say the railroad
commenced to pay Immediately OH opening its
line for travel. We took ride one after
noon to this new aspirant for public favor,
which is called Pablo Beach, and found it to
fill the bill completely, for bathing and driving.
did not have a tape line with me, but should
judge the beach was couple or so of miles in
length and an eighth of a mile wide at low
water. The beach is composed Of line yellow
sand, without stone on it, and as the water
recedes it leaves it smooth and hard as a mac
adamized road, splendid place to drive or
battle. From the beach you look out Oh the
ocean, and get the sea breeze, and it cannot
fail to attract visitors from the hot cities Of
Florida, especially Jacksonville, as the mer-
chant can leave his store at six p NJ and be
there before seven. and return in the morning
as early as he chooses. wanted to 90 in bath
ing but did not have time, for it must be a
comfort to take dip in the sea, when you are
sure that the water is warm. | never took a
sea bath in my life but what | stood on the
shore dreauing to step i'll the water. my feel
ings being exactly the same as if We're going
to take an emetic, and when did touch the
water, if my vertebra had been thermometer
my temperature would have indicated zero. |
always found that the best way to take a sea
bath was to get a man to do it for Won. There
is 4 large hotel in process of erection and
numerous cottages are going UP, and within a
year Pablo Beach will be a lively city, and it is
4 resort that has come to stay. Like most
beaches of this nature, the adjoining shore is
all sand, and one almost needs pair of long
legged boots in order to get about If they had
a little of our Maine coast to fringe the beach
with, land that you have to ploW with a drill
and powder, it would enhance its value great
ly.
Taking the ears on the Jacksonville, st. Au-
gustine and Halifax River road from Jackson
Vile, after a couple of hours ride through a
most dreary pine land district, we found our
selves in that odd and quaint Old fashioned
place. st. Augustine. the grcat-great-grand-
mother among towns. But the Glory of it, as
it was few wears ago, is departing. The
march of improvement is going on so rapidly
that that which made the city so interesting
will soon be so modernzed that the antiquated
old town will be simply city of to-day. New
buildings, mammoth hotels and elegant and
expensive cottages are going up on every side.
ST. Augustine is having big boom. and real
estate is way up, cut of sight to the naked eye.
The Old landmarks are as yet untouched, the
city gate, the fort, the cathedral. and plaza,
and some of the narrow streets. But many of
the old buildings are being torn down and re-
placed by modern ones. and old walls of Co.
quina are crumbling and breaking in pieces.
They had quite a level head those old chaps
who laid out st. Augustine. after all. This
idea of having a plaza, or public square in the
business centre of the city, with Il street eX-
tending around it. with stores on the outer
side, all facing it, is grand thing. Thus you
get all the business, clustered around a little
park, in which are trees and seats, and one can
do his shopping, and by simply crossing the
street ut whatever point he happened to be at
will find himself i'll the shade. where he can sit
and smoke, or listen to the strains of the hand
organ, if the organ happens to be strained As ii
usually is. In the plaza is the old slave mar
ket, where in former times negroes We're turn
ed into cash, endorsed on notes. put up as col
lateral, or sold at auction. They don't do this
any more, but in order to preserve the old
time smell, they have a fountain rnnning here
and the s0uthrrner can now sit down in the
market. and by simply closing his eyes and
shifting the water he will he carried back on
the wings of memory to the grand Old past and
think he is smelling, not exactly the tubero>e,
but the negroes once more.
A few years ago, if a stranger wandered into
st. Augustine and wanted lodging, he had to
lie down in the plaza and hold an umbrella
over him, but now there are about dozen no.
tells, which will accommodate from - to 400
guests each. The San Marco is al present the
largest and will take care of 400. 1t is kept by
A. ID. Scavey, Wateryille man believe. 1t
is pleasantly located next to cemetery. and
when a boarder dies they can slide him down a
plank right into the grave. For consumptive>
in the last stages, this must be a very cheerful
place to stop at. A new hotel is in process OF
erection, to be called the Ponce de Leon Hotel
1t is being built by parties in the interest of the
Standard Oil Co.. the company which runs the
L. :. government to a certain extent. There
| are 400 men at work on it, and it is an immense
10, Al
country and will cost millions. In the words
of hackman, "They will charge four or five
dollars day for board and IA dollar extra
| every time you open your mouth" 1t will be
built i'll the old Moorish style, which as inter-
pref it. is the ''squatty'' style, like plug hat
ground, with but Il slight aspiration heaven
ward. 1t is built of coquiua, which is shells
| cheWed up with tatly to hold them together
There are courts, arcades, balconies, gables
and towers turrets and pnnaces, and garden
of tropical plants, on a gallery nearly a hum
of writing, state with any degree of eXactncs>,
| where the bar will be located.
OF course We took a drive about town. and
were shown all the points of interest, which
| are many: but the narrow streets are the
| queerest We drove through Treasury st..
| which is 50 narrow that you can sit in the
carriage and touch the buildings on either
| side, without leaning out 1t is evident that
| these streets We're never intended for drive
| ways, but they are scarcely wide enough for
| pedestrians. A man who was suffering with a
| ''big head" could not get through one of
| these streets for dollars. We dropped into the
old cathedral, and the seats looked lust as hare,
| as they did few years ago. Constant setting
| on hard board, does not mellow it up like
| sitting ona pie at picnic. Speaking of picnics
| | have attended one since | have been south
| They are identical with their northern cousin.
| on sit down on the grass, and the bugs
| crawl into your sandwiches, and the flies com
| NIT suicide in the whipped cream, the ants
creep up your troWsers leg. and Just before YOU
| finish your meal. a thunder storm comes up
| and you run like Il Waterbury watch for shelter
| and get there just a minute too late, and get
| wet, and have to walk home in the mud anG
all the ladies are sick the next day. Well. il
| seemed the most like home of ANYTHING Eve
| struck since left Belfast.
| l wanted to visit the Old fort, and applied tC
the officer in charge for a pass. but could moi
get it. as the Apaches Indians We're confined
there, and | was not allowed to call on my rec
brother, but we strolled up to the fort, and
We're fortunate in seeing quite number Of the
chiefs, and some squaws and children. They
We're outside the fort, sitting down in the sand
and walking about, while some were perched
on the top of the walls, wrapped up in bright
red blankets. There are seventy-fve of then
at Fort Marion. Sixteen bucks, thirty squaws
and the balance children. They are Il part OF
Geronimo's band, but Gerry did not make the
excursion with them. He is still gerrymandcr
| ing in New Mexico. | had view of that
blood thirsty old cuss, if you will pardon the
| Il N