Wichita eagle., 1888-02-10
THE LAND OF FLOWERS.
JACKSONVILLE, Ella, Feb. 4, 81

Bowden's Medicine Lodge whisky. had
failed to come up to all the requirements
that was expected of it, l CHANGED to
read in one of the papers an extract from
letter dated from this city, wherein the
writer exulted over the perfection OF the
weather prevailing here, while whole
| families We're freezing in the north.
Here the writer sat in the month OF Jan
uary by the open window, famed by
the gentlest OF tropical breezes, mean
while Teasing the eye on flowers bud
ding and blooming in the open air, to
say nothing of the ripening fruit Of the
orange and lemon trees. The same de-
scription would apply to Southern Cali
/ fornia, but having been there the
inducement was not strong enough to
tempt me to undertake that long monot-
onous, dreary journey to the Pacific: but
| to Florida, a country in which l had
never set foot, through towns and cities
made historical by the war, tour of
many places Of interest in the land of
flowers. then a homeward journey via.
New Orleans Just in the nick of time to
take in the Mardi Gras carnival-why
VINO could resist it: ] threw down that
! paper and said to nv wife, I'm going"
Going where she Intercepted.
TO Florida. of course" l replied.
| To conceive was to perfect, to plan was
| to act: we stood not On the order of our
going, but went.
We were a party of four that left
Wichita and ran through without stop
or hinderance to Nashville. Here we
arrived at 8 o'clock at night and re-
manned until 3 o'clock the next after
noon. going out over the old battle field
| where Thomas and Hood locked horns
to the utter discomfeiture of the latter.
The old earthworks in many places are
yet visible, Forts Negley and Morton be-
ing the two most conspicuous landmarks
remaining. Of course we visited the
tomb of eX-President Polk in the front
yard of the old mansion in the heart of
the city, still occupied by the aged widow
Of the deceased.
Our colored Jehu also drove us up the
winding slope that leads to the state cap
itol, once the finest in the Union. and
even now, if / am not mistaken. being
| outranked only by the twenty million
piece of jobbery nearing completion in
Albany, New York. Mack OF our party
was stationed here in war times. He
says the old part of the city has under
gone but few changes, but elsewhere
! there was decided change. Where
once stood the old house for
refugees, the custom house and postoffice
now stands. 1t was draped in mourning
in honor of the postmistress, Mrs. Gen.
Cheatham, just deceased. In this local
ity many handsome brick residences
have been erected which. in point of
size, number and architectural beauty,
have not seen ecipsed elsewhere.
From Nashville we made speedy run
to Chattanooga, passing close by the
national cemetery where lie buried the
nameless heroes of Stone river, who died
in defense of the old flag. This is close
to Murphreysboro, a town of some eight
thousand people, whose chief industry
appears to be the manufacture of articles
of utility from red cedar wood
At Chattanooga we stopped off until
the next day at noon. They claim for
this city a population of 43,000 It's coal
and iron industries, if the tariff is not
disturbed. will contribute largely to its
rapid growth and Importance as manu-
featuring city. 1t is a live. go-ahead
place, possessing about all the require
ments that a northern man could hope
for were he in search of place to settle
down-next to Wichita, of course Our
chief delight here was to board the
motor line and run to the foot of Look
out Mountain, a distance of two and
half or three miles from the city.
Then we took five minutes walk,
which brought us to the foot of the in
cline where cable line 4,500 feet long,
conveys passengers, at an angle of forty
five degrees well up the mountain. where
we change to another motor line that
runs along the crest of the mountain for
distance OF a mile and a quarter. term
mating at the highest point, which is a
lovely plateau even at this season of the
year. TO say that the ride hither is peril
Gus would perhaps be putting it too
strong, but one does feel the flesh creep
when looking down into the fearful
chasms-once bloody chasms, sure
enough-which the railway spans on
wooden trestles.
Standing where two of the best views
could be obtained of the wonderful
sceuf v here spread opt before the vision.
the q lestion was asked me if had seen
anything that would equal it in grandeur
or panoramic splendor in the Old world
| thought over the many dizzy heights
from which 1 had viewed some of the
most striking bits of scenery available to
man. Commencing with the gap of
Dunloe in western Ireland. while it
affords two or three views that are truly
charming they are tame in comparison
to the rugged grandeur beneath
you and the immensely of the scope of
panorama over which the vision travels.
The Rigi Kuhn of Switzerland gives
momentary glimpSeS as the fog. or low
living clouds, wills. of that which never
will be seen on any Tennessee mountain
in August: namely, multitudinous
AIRY Of snow capped peaks which creates
and feeds the beautiful little Bridal Veil
cascades. Then the sight of the four
Cantons bursting on the view: as the de-
scent brings one out from under the
clouds. has few duplicates, certainly
none on this side of the water. The
view from Mt. Neseuvius takes in the
lovely bay of Naples, it reaches across
ancient Herculaneum to the amphi-
theatrical city. the metropolis of Italy
Naples. II extends farther than this to
the rock ribbed islands of Capri and
1schia OF the Mediterranean. No. aside
even from the ceaseless fires that glow
from Nesuvius summit. and clothes il
with an awful sublimity, Lookout would
suffer by comparison.
The best view l obtained from the
mountains of Judah looking towards the
Jordan and Dead Sea, could have rid
myself of that peculiar feeling that
throws glamor over everything in the