The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-05-09
MILLIONS IN A HOTEL.
A VISIT TO TIE WONDERFUL PAIL
ACES OF FLORIDA.

Description of these Magnificent Estab'
lishments--Talks With the Proprietor OF
the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar.
Correspondence ofthe Atlanta constitution.)
ST.. AUGUSTINE, Fla, May 2.-There
were only four OF us. And yet the party
represented sixty million dollars, not
counting me.
It was on the stOneids," Commodore
Benedict's famous yacht, from the upper
deck of which Thomas Bailey Adrich
vomiting into the ocean, groaned with
wstery eyes and pendulous ip-sTelected
contributions to the Atlantic" Behind
Us ay ST. Augustine ancient and lazy.
To the front the ocean doomed, the
white caps growing under a westerly
wind. Over head flock of pigeon, re-
minding one of that other Venice, drfsed
here and there, their wings breaking
against the sunshine OF the upper deep,
as the crisp waves broke two hundred
feet below.
But who made up the party thus COM
fortably circumstanced?
Let the writer rest under the nom de
plume which your journalist carries, as
the Spanish gallant carried his cloak--to
hide the rapier with which he went a
hating or the lutte with which he went 8
loving. Let Mr.. E. G. Benedict, prin, 20
OF good fellows, rest after his crui se
through tropical seas, before he is p1 It
through his PAGES In print. Let Mr.. q :.
B. Plant, tremendous developer and
builder, prosecute his great work IN
peace for while. It is with the fourth
member of the party that We have to do
at present.
And one of the most remarkable men
OF this day he is.
A steadfast fsce-festures reposeful
but not inerEgray eyes that gaze at
you unwinking from beneath steady lids
square and resolute jaws broad,
deep forehead-s fnely-shaped, we'll
poised hesd-a slow-motioned man, con-
veying the suggestion Of repressed en-
ersieS and deliberate Of
speech-laughing low, but not mfre-
quenfly-alert, but with the quiet watch
fuIness of the waiting eagle poised In the
blue-charming, in the deeper sense OF
strength with 6ndiness-that is Henry
n. Flagler, the most talked of man IN
this country for the past year-the build
er of Ponce de Leon Hotel.
A marvellous career has Mr.. FlagSer
hsdi
Briefly this. He left western New
York where be was born, poor young,
fellow and went into Ohio. There he
formed partnership with Mr.. Rocks-
feller In the oil business. Through years
of struggle these two men carried their
business in Cleveland, until the partner
ship was merged into stock company,
the capital of which was s., 900, 600.
Now watch the growth of this young
company under the management OF
Messrs. Flsgler & Rockefeller. In 1872
the capital STOCK was increased to s, 2,5OO,-
O00-two and half times the original.
In 1878 to So, 500, 900 and In 1885 to
$40, 900, 600 seventy times the original
issue. This last stock is now selling at
IT'S, making the cash value Of the origi-
nal partnership S1l2, 600, 900. Of course,
much of this stock has gone into other
hands, but the management has pracG-
.cally rested, from the first, with the
men who organized and built up the
business. Many outside investments
have been made by the company. a
single investment of Sl2, ZOO, 900 in
MICHIGAN suggests the stupendous scope
of its operations. ssThe standard Oil'
men, for so the company is named, have
uniformly hung together IN their invest
znents. In the Ponce de Leon outlay
.Mr. Flagler is alone. 81 suppose" he
said, with a quaint smile, 81 was the
only fool IN the company-so am alone
IN my investments here.
Now, let Us see about that investment!
MIR. Flagler will have spent Sc, 600, 900
on the Hotel Alcazar and grounds when
he has finished. This stupendous, but
it gives him the finest hotel in the world.
General SANFORD, who was minister to
Belgium, and who has spent years on
the continent, says there is nothing IN
Europe to approach it in beauty or
msgnifcence. Mr.. b. B. Plant says:
ssI have studied it closely, and it is
the greatest Individual enterprise have
any record of. It is amazing that any
man should have had the courage to
spend millions so layishly in an old and
dead city"
Let me explain the investment. The
ssPonce de Leon" is the hotel proper;
the esAlcazar" is q separate building
scross the street. It was originally in
tended to hold the cafes, baths, bar,
billiard rooms, tennis courts, ETC., for
the great hotel, but it has outgrown its
original design. The Ponce de Leon has
been open for the winter, the Alcazar is
not vet finished. The Ponce de Leon
cost about 800, 600; the Acazar will
cost even more.
The Ponce de Leon has been repeat
.edly described. 1t is q hotel for the
accommodation OF 800 to 1000 guests,
with court of several acres enclosed by
wings having two rows of rooms, a CEN
tral hall, and immense brick piazza
wsys, covered. It has immense Moorish
gatewsys for entrances. Over Sl25, 600
was spent in decorating the walls and
ceilings of the rotunds and dining room,
and Sl7, 600 was spent for one mantle
piece alone. The splendor Of the hotel
has been the wonder Of the world for
season.
But the Alcazar will outstrip it IN
beauty and elegance. The ..lcazar covers
twenty-eight acres of ground. You ap-
proach it from broad asphalt streets. 1t
is fronted by an open garden, through
which runs walks SIS smooth IS marble,
S7-no5 Of tho ciSos ryitb rphita oonin os