Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1892-05-05
BILL ARP in FLORIDA
TAMPA. FLORIDA.

called to come and take part in the Chautauqua,
at White Sulphur Springs, in the beautiful
Land OF Flowers. The State Normal Ccileee
is there, and found gathering of good peo-
pie, notable people, earnest and refined peoples
don't care where you go, you will hud tho
teachers and the preachers the best people in
ant community. and so found them here, and
to their own numbers was added notable men
and women from the surrounding country.
Peace and good will prevailed, and all received
a cordial welcome from the good citizens OF this
quiet and pleasant village. The recent compile
ton of the Georgia Southern, Railroad has
brought this wonderful spring III easy reach OF
the outside world. A few hours is sufficient to
drop you down from Atlanta or Mac0Q. or TO
bring youup from Middle and Southern Florida
This bold, gushing spring bursts out FROM Its
subterranean cavern and makes river--Su-
vance river--that the Poet Foster has immor-
taiized in song. How many other sweet songs
he wrote like "Annie Laurie" and the Cabin
in the Lane" / do not know, but | do know
that he has left loving. fragrant record behind
him. We had MANY delightful addresses Oh
the occasion. Literary, scientific and dldactic,
and much good was done and no harm. Much
pleasure was given and no pain. These Cha
tauquas are getting to be feature ct modern
education and blessed are they who can find
time and inclination to attend them. They are
refining and instructive, and will leave their
impress upon the rising generation.
From there journeyed to Orlando, the high
est, cleanest and most beautiful town in Fiori-
da. Its picturesque beauty is feast to the
visitors eye, and just now when the orange
trees are all in bloom, a feast to his nose as
we'll Orlando las recently solved the problem
of paving streets aud Sidewalks for heretofore
the greatest drawback to the comfort of man
aud beast has been the depth and the dust of
Florida sand. l don't know what genius dis
covered it, but already Orlando has several
mil s of her streets paved with heavy coating
of clay, and it has so far proved TO be a won--
derful success. 1t has not cost one-fourth as
much as either gravel or wood would have cost,
and is better than either, for it does not wear
into holes or sink, and the iron roller and the
sprinkler keep it in excellent condition. This
peculiar clay is brought about Is miles on the
cars, and costs only about 900 dollars mile to
dig and haul aud put it down. Tampa is Mr..
Plants city and he has spent millions on it and
about it. but an Orlando man told me that
Tampa recently sent a committee to examine
their streets and see how it was done, and that
Mrs. Plant told her husband that she wanted to
60 to Orlando to take ride. know that this
must be 80, for l got it straight from Major
Marks. l would like to live in Orlando, but no.
body offered me home with lake and an
orange grove. and so l reckon l will have to
stay where am.
But am now here in Tampa. the thriving.
growing city of the Gulf. have heard OF
Tampa nearly all my life Richard Henry
Wilde, who wrote so sweetly and so sadly in his
poem,
''NIy life is like the summer rose"
speaks of
''Tampa's desert strand"
and that gave me an unfayorabe impression.
Later on Frank Gouldiug wrote 1.-THE Young
Marooners" and located Tampa as the place
where the devil-fsh ran away with the boat and
the children and | didu't like Tampa for thsr.
But all that must have been some other Tampa,
not this one, for there is no desert strand noe
devil fish about here now. Ola settlers, however,
do say that the young Marooners landed about
three miles below here at Ballast Point. and
that the dew fish used to abound in that region
They say, also, that gentleman named De Soto
landed here and lrxuriated on fish and oysters
and wild oranges and frted with the indians
maidens and still was not happy and went
away to find something better" These same
old settlers also declare that about sixty years
ago British ship pursued pirate on this coast
and run her up into a narrow channel in this
bay and could not follow her, and during the
night the pirates took all of their treasure and
buried it somewhere in the sand aud abandoned
their craft and got away. The last of the pirates
died few years agoin New Orleans and on his
death bed told the priest where the treasure was
buried, and they say that this coast has been
dug up for five miles, and that folks are still
digging. reckon The Yankees were not hero
during the war, for know they would have
found it. They found everything we buried in
North Georgia. This town is rough yet, for it
is brand new, but it has started out right and
is bound to be q beautiful city. Its main street
is about 100 feet wide and is paved with cedar
blocks and has street-cars that are frst-class,
and has electric lights aud the stores are
splendid, and there are new buildings going up
oil about and fty-thousand- dollar courthouse
The Cuban part of the town is called Ybor city
pronounced Ebo) and their population is about
1000, all of whom are In the cigar business.
There are four immense factories with about
500 workmen in each. 1t is the funniest place
to go to that ever saw. There Isl little pull
pit in the center of the great big long room and
up there is an educated Cuban reading the
daily news to the workmen. All listen while he
reads In clear distinct, musical voice, and
ever and anon they make known their appreci-
alton, as something strikes them that
they approve or dIsapprove. But they don't
stop their work moment. This reader gels
-FOUR dollars II day, and 1T comes out OF ths
workmens wages, 1t is their schooling, their
education, and the result is that these Cubans
are well posted on politics, and religion, and
science, and history There ia no Georgia
cracker about them The women do the nices,
cleanest work about the cigar business, but they
have no reader, and they say that the reason IL
they prefer to talk. Some of them are quite
pretty, and some awful homely, and they arc
OF all colors, from the Anglo-Saxon pink cheeks
to the dark mulatto. | saw some wealthy Gu
ban ladies at the Tampa Bay Hotel, and they
were stylish, beautiful and well hammered.
Every race has its ''oi poloi" and its ''aris-
toi, as the scholars say Its first class and
second class. As my darkey, Bob, said when he
had served his sentence as n convict, ''dar il
good people and bad people evtrywhar dar is
some folks in de penitentary jes as mean as
folks outen dar.''
Fifteen thousand dollars a week il paid to
these cigar makers, and it is all spent right
here, and keeps things lively. Then there ID the
wonderful Plant Hotel, the most magnificent
structure that ever have seen. 1t is beautiful
and gorgeous beyond conception, and made me
think Of the Arabian Nights and Aladdin's
wonderful lamp. wouldn't put up there for
pay. would be afraid that would do some
thing wrong or break some hing, or misbehave,
or that the lords aud the ladies' would look at
me and wonder where CINE from. My good
friend Mr.. McFall chap roned me all over it,
and looked and wondered, but wouldnt have
gone through it alone for ten dollars. Why, l
would be afraid to eat at the table, or sleep in
the beds, or snore, or snesze or blow my nose.
never was born to be plutocrat or to have
his hifa!uten ways. But it is all right for rich
folks, and like to see them spend their money.
These Tampa people say that Florida lives of
OF sick Yankees in the winter and yam potatoes
In the summer, and that g all right. Thank the
good Lord they can't buy the climate and carry
1t OIL. haven't seen nor heard mosquito vet.
haven't too ffo aotJ : ID mat