The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1892-04-30
Letter From Florida.
SANIBEL ISLAND. FLA,
April 10th, 1892.

making the trip from that place
through Lake Tahopecaliga; then
canal into Lake Hatchnehun, then
through same and through canal to
aid through Lake Kis immee into the
Kissimmee river; then though Lake
Okeechobee; then through canal into
Lake Hicpochee; through this to and
through canal to Bonnet Lake; and
through this and through canal to
Lake Flirt; through this to and
through canal to head waters OF
Caloosahatchie; then down same to
Fort Myers, Punta Rassa, Napels;
then back to St. James City and over
to this island, where am writing
this.
The distance of the whole trip
being some four hundred and seventy
five or five hundred miles. had the
pleasure of enjoying the company of
Mrs. Sarah LeCOmpte and daughter,
Miss Maggie, all the way through and
will still have their company until we
get back to Lakeland, where we left
our trunks, it being the place they
have stayed since about the first of
December last, they having come
10 Florida on account of Miss Mag
gie,s health, which l will speak of
more fully in this before l finish.
tried to get up party in Orlando
to make this trip with me, but failed
and had given it up, until l met these
ladies. AS soon as told them of
what l had been trying to do, they
replied they had been trying to do
the same thing. l suggested that l
thought it would be too rough trip
for them, when Miss Maggie said she
had fiat boated, and travelled on San
dy Pence's sew-mill boat on the Ken
lucky river, and she was willing,
after the experience she had had, to
try anything ahoat on the lakes,
canals and rivers of Florida.
We began writing letters to different
parties to get all the information we
could When we commenced l
thought we would have to get sail
boat and lay in provisions for the
trip, but soon found that there was
steamer that had just commenced and
was then going outfo her fourth trip.
We also learned that no sail boat had
ever gone through and that no steam
er had ever gone through except one
small steamer belonging to the
Okeechobee Company and then only
on business connected with the com
pany opening up ofthe canals, the OBJ
ject of which is to reclaim the swamp
lands of the section of the country
named and which we passed through,
a short and imperfect account of
which will try to give.
We waited at Kissimmee several
days for the return of the boat. One
of the parties we got in correspon-
dence with was Mr.. Tebeau, agent of
the South Florida railroad, at Kis-
simmee, from whom we got the most
of our Conformation and whose compa-
ny, as we'll as the company of his
wife, we had all the way through to
Fort Myers. spoke in my last of
ties being formed. There has been
another link added to the chain,
link that will never be severed.
We left Kissimmee at 10 o'clock
Tuesday morning, April 5th. The
boat was built and owned by six
brothers, all of whom were on the
the boat this trip, and are known as
the Gilbert Bros. They filled posi-
tions as follows: Ed, Captain; Jim,
Pilot; SAM, Engineer; Ad., Fireman;
Will, Cook; George, dining-room and
waiter on table at meal time, to all
of whom every passenger became
very much attached. They, one and
each, made everything pleasant as it
pleasure and comfort of us all. 1t
was frequently remarked, none of us
had heard an oath or a word unity
spoken during the trip of four and a
half DAYS. Another remarkable thing,
they always addressed each other as
brother. We all became attached to |
these boys, so you see there are other |
ties and other links added to the |
chain. and still others of which L can |
not speak, as it will take too much !
space and too much time for your
paper and your readers.
This is the gandest and most ro-
mantle trip have ever made in my
life. The connection of these lakes
and rivers by the cutting Of these
canals was not intended for naViga-
ton, hut to reclaim millions of acres |
of land that could never have been
inhabited or cultivated. But after
being drained proves to be a success
in sugar cane and other products and
the best garden lands in the world,
were it not for the killing frosts they
have almost every winter.
Just after crossing the first lake
and entering the first canal, an aban-
doned garden farm was pointed out
to me, where a company had sunk
seventy-five thousand dollars in ex-
perimental gardening. Here, like
almost every where in Florida, gar
dening has proved unsuccessful, ex-
cept in a few localities, on account of
frost.
Our steamer was stern wheeler,
and entered the canal stern foremost.
She drew sixteen inches of water and
was built fiat bottom. We found
only six inches of water in the mouth
nfA 40 nnnnl tho M O uaa from tha I.aka