New-York tribune., 1888-03-25
FLORIDA COMFORT.
WHAT RETURNING TOURISTS SAY OF THE
SDIrrH

SOUTH
1t Is somewhat difficult for persons In New-ror
they gaze deeps rineiy the goat snow piles, to
realize that they are oiy thrtysix hours ride from
land where they do not know what snow is and whers
there ae tbousaDd- of persons who have nev,r seen
snow at all The returning Florida tourists tell
some stt lies that It Il not In ordinary human nature 10
listen to without shrug OF tho shoulders. hpe
straw and peach blossoms and roses blend In all
their conversation BY tho way, Brayton Ives has
been down there. He Is somewhat rotund In fbrm and
thereby hangs tale 1t Is said that when he landed
In ST. Augustine, which Is the centre OF tioridan a.
traction he stl had on his heavy winter clothes ana
had gone astray. AZ he stood In one x the sandy
streets, moppng the sweat of his forehead AND pumne
from the e2ertion of short walk In the Town. ne was
heard to excalm Well think man Is 2 IDOL who
tries to ind two Julys In one year" This at leass
is the story told In Wall Street.
The Hotel Ponce dc Leon. at st. Augustine, seems
to defy the descriptive powers Of the touriets The
least they say is that can attempt to describe
its magnhcence but that 1t must be seen to be sp-
precated. There other tales told, however Of
tho magnfcence of Its bls which illustrated by
a remark Of Colonel Enoch Ensley of Tennessee who
formerly president Of the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company. The Colonel spent day ct St. Augustine
valnly endeSvoring U get accnmmc 1ations s the
famous hoeI o. tnle when the management vas turn
while ne eaosht colo whsn @n'n h. ''''aSS Sot
back to- Sp' aeAsduvo wAeI. h. had s
while he was at ST. Augustine, he declared that tho
o oST because Iss' It's Gsa1
Wheu lie heard bom IN acquaintance about the coss
Of Lying At the Sdp Pence &c, DC Le0 ID .:
other eye would have been put out
Tho man who has made ST. Augustine what II iss
Fl. NJ Flagler Is New-Yorker. II several year resi-
dence here can mako him one He made bis fortune
In the Standard OIL Company VIXEN 1t was still In is
Infancy 10 Cleveland, Ohio and was one OF the original
projectors Of that great concern Like most OF the
other Standard Oil people he has always had dislike
OF being talked about personally In the papers, and
such sketches of his life have been published are
fun OF inaccuracies, because he would never consent
to tell his own life history. He poor
church mouse. and drove team for living Now he
is wealthy that he spend nearly three millions
of dollars hotel structure for pleasure say for
pleasure berausc L. already evident that the hotel
viii not pay expenses even II the bills are high Mr.
Flagler has other Of making up the deficit. He
the railroad from Jacksonville 10 ST. Augustine.
II is thlry-three miles In length When be bought u
the daily receipts were about $3.50 Now they
are over ST 200 he has bought up groat many lots
and lands around the ancient old city and has smbitou
designs, am told, OF owning most OF the shops and
EgSs iS so Sat that the old ke about
real estate by thc ilnt is no. at all !oks 1t takes
farsized pocke-book TO buy more than pint In
In personal appearance, Mr. Flagler is not At all
like money getter He is tall and square shouldercd
and somewhat spare. He has lean face with high
cheek bones and gray hair and mustache Of the half
grenadicr type, which is white as the snow. He has
look In his face like inclined to be sthetio 10
his tastes and It Is reported thai the many poetIcal
inscriptions that scattered on the walls and cell
ings of the Ponce de Leon have been selected and
dictated by him He Is not Inclined to accept indls
crmlnate praise for what he has done, which shows
that he Is sensitive to degree In my presence
gentleman recently attempted to praise bis efforts
in the construction of SO fine structure He r-
Piled quietly buI impressvey Anybody could have
done what ! have done who could sign lis name to
check and hav, 1t honored al the bank. 1t Is the
architects and builders and The artists who have made
The Ponce de Leon and not l." During the samo con-
vcrsaton he indicated his ntention to begin ct once
the construction Of great annex 70 the hotel on the
and also to build large number Of cottages to sell
or rent to persons who desire TO- spend season 10
story that comes drifting up from Florida Is with
reference to that wellknown New-Y0rker Larry"
Jerune. He has been visiting Florida and upon his
arrival at Jacksonville and st. Augustine he was 70
ccived with all the attention that the good lvers Of
those cities could pay him. They declared that 10
only needed Colonel Tom" Ochitree to complete the
making OF Florida. Mr. Jerome went into the State
at the time with the party Of United States
Senators AMI President and Mrs Cleveland With
him was The vel eran statesman of Pennsy ylvsnia Gen.
eral simon Cameron In the lam attendant upon the
reception of the Presidents party at jacksonville tho
Colonel had his pocke, picked. His waliot contained
his railroad passes and 500 In money He didn't b.
grudge IL the man who got IL, 50 he declared, but
wha. made him lnad was thai he should have been
nis aiken for ted states Senator and made the
victm " sort Of reDrsa act General Cameron
is not noted for wearing costly apparel, but the con-
trary. Wnen Colonel Jerome cried out that be had
been robo d, General Cameron instinctively felt for
his pocket b, ok. Z" Hold ON, General" cried
tho Colonel, don't do that they will think you
have got some money and rob you, too. II you
keep quiet they Will think fou your old clothes that
sou haven't got dollar TO your namo"