New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-11
THE GROWTH OF TAMPA.
ENERGY HAS TURNED sTRAGGLlNG VIZ
LACE INTO A PROSPEROUS CITY.
u,u.r TT OWES TO HENRY b. PLANT-C1OAH'
MAKING-A MOORISH HoTEL-ThE
CoLoRED PEOPLE.

CoLORED PEOPLE
r.,. Fla Nov. 15-Over on the west coast OF
Florida in HIllsborough County. or less tnan Nv
IL north NJ the southern end Of the state, is All
old old town which In the territorial days Oh ru~
whom the Government first established ni''~"y
..aorvotion here was a small settlement that grew
into a village and was called Tampa o"me go
extreme isolation It's growth was SLOW auo III I9's
,horo we're not more than one or two SHOPS anu
,,,on ~ n little less than 700. year later the
sor,horn terminus of the Plant system OF rairoaus
vas established at Tampa, and since then tine si0w1
Of the place has been phenomenal. As rcS'i"sss
Cooper one OF Tampa's wideawake cithehs anu ',.
paper editor remarked 10 me to-day Henry na
NAV he said to have been the founder Oh is"p', D
people of enterprise, industry ana capnai nvn "a
ct.ta in the Unlon and Cuba, have nocEeo horo "'N
III nnon the foundation until to-day Tampa riVais
~. hest cities in the state. The south Florlda i'
road is one OF the best equipped railways Id Tue
extending from Port Tampa TO Sanforu' u'''''" W
124 miles, , .ho most
The South Florida road runs through 'ne "oss
fertile and most prosperous part OF the ooa'o e
done more than any OTHER agency " uev.Dr . oa,.
FLORIDA And while It is true that the raroau s''o
~ ramna her first onward Impetus ana mas uono
and &c vet doing much toward the development Oh ''o
Mace vet there are other agencies WHICH ha'o uon'
much 20 help along the great work. Inc h'os. pm
nent OF these IS the cigar-making INDUSTRY, "'''
first established here three years ago. IL 0'o'.
n mono nc an important factor In Tampas suos'antai
" - md commercial success. Tampa has also
nroated nv the immense deposits OF phosphate WHICH
r. Skinned from here not only by rail al over INC
country but by water direct to Europe lho'e !"
a large grinding mill here and meeting vi iep'o
sentatives of phosphate interests was heio yeS~'s
and movement started to put up the necessary 'a"n
and machinery for making the ACIDS ano o'ier w..
for the manufacture Of superphosphate wien
Factories of this sort are put up 1t Will no longer ue
necessary IN send the phosphate to Europe 10 no
acidulated. .., -
went over TO the palatial Tampa Bay Hotei an
enterprse OF Mr. Plant and the completion ana Iush
ING of which, preparatory to Its opening IN TWO or e'
weeks Mr. Plant has been personally super''sns'
found him and portion OF his famiiy ~ p'es 49,,
his prlvate car I'm which he to start Norm III "c
afternoon for brief stay before coming down here ior
the winter Mr. Plant is always approaehaDie geuh
in bs manner roauy to talk about people ana 'he'r
prosperity but not Of himself or MS no Que "a"
accuse him Of egotism. He said nothing OF MS MASSIVE
hotel until / drew him out. said' MI ria"'
learn that no one knows better than you OF the DE-
c,nnng and the progress of Tampa and its probable
future In fact they say that you are inc iaeier VI
Tampa tell me about 1t, please"
~Weli, said the genial railroad president, 'when
first drove across the country from SANFORD Tor we ae
nearly west of that point and tinre Yves no other way
of getting here by land, found Tampa slumoenhg as
had been for years. This was eight years ago. ~
seemed 10 me that all South Florida needed Tor sue
.esss,I future was little spirit and energy, which
coud be fostered by transportation facilities. Ihere
were one or two small shops and popuiauoh OF
about 700 In Tampa made a careful survey OF tne
situation calculated upon its prospects and conciudeo
to take advantage Of the opportunity ana we VINO
made early investments have proved the fath IN our
own Judgment. Tampa was really unknown 70 INC
commercial world until the South Florida Railroad in
troduced This was i'm 1888, ana IL prongho
to the town a life and breathed into u all inc
elements of push, progress and success tampa az
once began to spread ITSELF and ever since has been
fairy bounding along the road to greatness. 1t has
now a population of about 10000, and Is rapidly In
creasng Hundreds upon hundreds Of thousands OF
dollars have been invested in business, aud instead OF
few scattered and implanted stOrehouses there are
now MANY magnificent brick blocks, handsome private
residences cosey cottages large warehouses. mammoth
wholesale establishments, busy workshops comfotabe
hotels two newspapers, phosphate MILL cigar factories
first class banking facilities, telegraph and telephone
communications two electric light establishments, Ice
factories complete system of waterworhs, eight lines
OF steamships and steamboats, giving communication 10
Key West and Havana, Mobile, places on the Manatee
River ETC."
Mr.. Plants hotel, upon which he has spent about
So 900 900 the building and grounds ana S'ooooo
for the furnishing, and which Is nearly ready for the
opening is in the centre Of sixteen acre plot OF ground
inst north Of the city bridge The architecture Is
Moorish, patterned after Se palaces In spain, ana
minarets aud domes tower above the great nve-stofy
building each one OF which Is surmounted with cres-
cent which is lighted by electricity at night The
main building Is 81 feet IN length, and varies In
width from so to $50 feet. wide hall, on either
side of which are bedrooms, single and in suites runs
the entire length OF the building to the dinngroom at
the southern end. The exterior walls are OF daFkened
brick with buff and red brick arches and stone dress
lngs The cornces are of stone and iron the piazza
columns are Of steel, supported pieces of cut stone
The main entrances through three pairs of double
doors fanked by sixteen polished granite columns, sup
porting Moorish arches which balcopes open from
the gallery around the rotunda to the second foOr The
principal staircase of stone, and the horseshoe arch
and the crescent and the star meet the eye at
turn-he electric lights in the dining hail. the music
hall, the drawing room, the receptionroom, the read
ingroom and the office being arranged after these pat
terms The drawing groom is casket CT beautiful and
antique things, embracing fine contrasts There are
sofa and two chairs which were once the property of
Marie AntOnete set Of four superb gilt chairs which
once belonged TO Louis Philippe; two antique Spanish
cabinets and between ten high wide windows appear
Spanish French and japanese cabinets, both old and
quaint Old carved Dutch chairs, onyx chairs and
queer Of other kinds scattered along the hail.
Among the large collection OF Gil paintings, water col
and engravngs old pictures of Spanish castles
and fortrcsses and portraits.
large rustic gate for carriages and two for pedes
TRANS lead into the grounds on the northern SIDE
These gates are made of cabbage palmetto trunks the
mid ribs being Of the leaves worked into quaint and
rustic design. On either side Of the great gate stand
giant cabbage palmettos, thirty aud forty feet high,
set In groups Of five and seven the Moorish numbers
number Of large liveoaks, tree OF great breadth
and beauty, remain the grounds. Near the centre
OF the lawn fort has been built of white sone hav-
ing two embrasures. In II are mounted two old
non that were spiked on the reservation of Tampa
during the Civil War. Tho grounds front on the
Hlsborough River and overlook the city, Fort Brooke
and Tampa Bay, and filed with futtrees, roses
and flowers.
Tho streets of Tampa not what they will be, but
I'M Inns In In.t