The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-03-19
FLORIDA LETTER

How wish you and your readers could en-
10y with us the beautiful panoramic scene we
look upon today. This is perfect Florida day,
without a cloud. and brightness everywhere.
Everything that will float appears to be in use,
from rowboat to a steam launch. OF course
we, with many others. started for the beautiful
Indian River Inlet. The trip down Caslingford
Bay was simply magnificent, passing. s'we did
many islands, SO many that the waters appeared
to be land-locked, when suddenly you would
come into an'opening. or bay. and finally curve
after curve revealed the Inlet. Hundreds of
pelicans. gulls. osprey. with many other birds of
beautiful plumage, varying the colors of the rain
bow, were in sight enjoying. as well as ourselves
the balmy, healthsgiYing and delightful ocean
breeze. Here is found the best Tarpon and Sea
Trout fishing anywhere along the river. Tie |
Tarpon, with their scales glistening like silver, |
weigh from one to two hundred pounds. We
hear many startling fish stories, but will vouch
for the truth of this one. having seen the occur
renee myself ! We, were standing on the dock
across from the Inlet, when one of the party,
having a pole III MS hand, without thought. put
it in the witer, when or 10 lb, fish took hold
of it Ito Sharpen his teeth suppose) and mo-
ment after Jhe fish lay wriggling at our feet
without either hook or line.
The beach for miles along the Atlantic, north
of the Inlet is thetinest l ever saw, wide enough
for hundred horses to walk abreast. 1t is firm.
smooth as room floor, not pebble or rock
the size of marble, all clean, pure, hard sand.
with the surf telling for five hundred yards,
sporting as if. n playground, not the angry.
furious. stormy Northern surge, but blue as the
Southern skss abose it, aud warm from the
Gulf Stream, (which here runs about ten miles
| from the shors, tempering both air and water
and giving tropical vegetation to the neighbor-
ing shore. Standing the bank enjoying the
scene, you cap often perceive the large steam
| ships passing 10 and from New York. Havana,
Vera Cruz and West India Islands, with smaller
sailing craftsplying as coasters. Nassau, the
| Capital IF thF Bahama Islands, is but miles
from tn Inlet, and this fact alone will give you
an idea of tie salubrity of the climate and uni
formity OF the temperature We of Ohio, who
| have winters below zero and summers often
above 100 deg, can scarcely believe that here
in Florida. latitude 271s north of the equator,
the extreme heat in August is but 90 deg, and
the lowest in winter "a deg, and yet that is the
official record of the U. s. Signal Service for the
past three years. This same wonderful Gulf
| Stream that blesses so m ny countries with its
warmth, brings to the beach here many beauti-
full shells of old Ocean. many nuts from Brazil,
large brown beans from Yucatan, and ladies are
ever busy collecting them, to carry to their
Northern neighbors as souvenirs of the pleas
ant days in the South. As we sailed to the
Inlet the waters seemed to be alive with fish,
and immense beds of oysters showed themselves
| in the pellucid depths-natural beds, not plant
ations of oysters. 1t was a revelation of the
resources of this section to all.
Avalon Park, where we are staying, with our
son-in-law Hon. D. NJ. Conville and wife, is
on the Peninsula, strip of pine hammock land
with stately palmettos, from 40 to 50 feet high,
and live oaks measuring from so to 80 feet from
root to bough. This peninsula varies from one
fourth of a mile to two miles across, with the
Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Big Indian
river on the west, which at this point is about 4
miles across Carlngford Bay on the south. A
company composed of prominent men from
Washington, D. c., Chicago and Ohio, have
bought tract of land, between 400 and soc
acres, and have commenced opening it, with
two broad avenues from River to Ocean, one
called Palmetto Avenue, the other Ocean Ave
A most picturesque avenue, along the river
lined with cocoanut trees, is called Cocoanu
Ave, reaching down the bay as far as Governor
Campbell's place which is a most charming
spot, with the most beautiful site for cottage
know Of, where YOU get grand view O
ocean and the river, which, in reality is an arm
of the sea. In this tract of land is lovely
sheet of salt water, called Lake Emma, com
pletely land-locked, nowhere more than fou
! feet deep, combining safety with all other in
ducements for rowing and sailing in this section
We were sitting at the cottage door, when one
of the boatmen standing on the shore within
|, thirty feet of us. with deXtrons throw of tht
old Spanish cast net, landed for our dinner I,
fine fish. Immediately after, taking skff ou
about twenty feet farther, he reached into thu
water, not with tongues or rake, but with hi
hands, loaded his boat with large, luscious bi
valves, equal in every respect to the Chesapeake
or Norfolk oysters.
should like to speak of the lovely orchids anc
other varieties of flowers around us, also of tn,
young lemon and orange trees recently planted
and the pineapples now in bloom, but my lette
is already too lengthy. SO will close. hoping you
readers may have the pleasure at some time c
visiting this beautiful Southern Cline
} MRS. E. HINGELEY.