The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-01-28
WAY DOWN SOUTH in DIXIE.

n DV Ell UOOlu 1N U1AkLs
"Trip ofthe south Dakota Editors
to the Home oftrle Alligator and
the Oranac.
No. 8.
This is the sixth chapter Of the editor
ial journey, but now that we have re-
ceiyed copies of a Wisconsin daily with
the write-up running through seventeen
issles-and not yet com~pleted-we feel
that we haven't taken SO much space
after all.
Well, to resume where we left off last
week. the editorial party left Tampa
after breakfast on the South Florida
railroad. bound for The eastern and
centrsl portion OF the state. This was
Thursday. The first stop was at the Bar
tow phosphate mines. At Barlow IL stop
was made long enough to visit a very
large orange packing establishment.
Dinner was taken at kissimmee. After
dinner a run was made down a spur
nine or ten miles to look over some very
large rice and sugar plantations and n
sugar mill. Many thousands of acres OF
what was once swamp land aud. several
feet under water have here been drained
and converted into the most productive
rice aud sugar cane land in the South
1t Was the only piece OF country we saw
in the state that looked anything like
the northwest. There was no timber, of
course, the soil was a black muck and
the face OF the country looked like the
Miss Uuri river bottom land after u spring
freshet. Tile train stopped at the suga'
mill and all got our to give it and the
process of sugar manufacture a hasty
inspection. So powerful is the machin-
cry III this mill that the pulp from the
first set Of rollers is used at once for
fuel. The negro hands at this mill get
Sl!0 a day, and il the sugar bounty is
taken off the proprietors say they will
have to cut the wages so per cent.
Thursday was marked especially by
some very fsst time being made. or
course the special had the hest the sever
al railroads could give it in the matter of
engineers, locomotives and train crews,
but it remained for Engineer Bell, his
fireman Frank Miller and mo %" 10
knock 'em all out. The writer rode with
Mr.. Bell several times during tho hay at
the rate OF 90 to 55 miles an hour, but
not until Mrs. I. got into the cab did he
show what his engine could do, at which.
time he made a run of % miles in 2411s
minutes. This crew left the special at
SaHfo d next day. The tourists wanted
to call Mr.. Bell, his fireman. the conduc-
tor aud the train porter out and give
them three cheers, but before they could
get to it tho engine had been u%ncoupled
and gone TO the round house and the
porter alone remained to receive the
ovation.
The train pulled into. Orlando after
dark. The citizens had planned drive
around and about the city for us. but the
latenvss OF the honr prevented, much to
their disappointment and ours. Every
effort was made to reach this point
earlier, but a delayed train held the
special an hour at kissimmee. Mayor
Palmer and the reception committee
were at the eity's handsome brick depot
TO receive us, and in o"e of the waiting
rooms the chief executive of the city
made a brief but eloquent address oil
welcome, Hinged with expressions of re-
greet that we could not have arrived
earlier and promises OF the best the city
afforded for the time we were there, and
right we'll were these assurances carried
out. John Longstaif Of Huron said some
nice things i'll response as did E.-Lieut.
Gov. Fietieid OF Wisconsin. The tourists
were then escorted to the oprra-llGusp,
where the citizens had prepared a ban
quet. Tht sight OF the large room filled
with Icing rows Of tables covered with
fruit and flowers and more substantial
d%elicacies vas greeted by the tired and
aud hungry newspaper men aud their
ladies with profuse and lavish praise.
They had been out Of Chicago a wee.:.
travelled hundreds and hundreds of miles
and been the recipients OF the most
ilospitable treatment, but they hadn't
ran across anything like this. Tom Rob.
erts was pretty nearly right when he
said in the Armour Chronicle that "Clatp
Tinan's rafting good response" was
through inspiration derived from the
sight OF those tables.
Mayor Palmer proved himself to be an
adept az a toastmaster and a ready and
an effective speaker. Alderman Mahlon
Gore. a former South Dakota and Sioux
City newspaper man, addressed the visi-
tors and h. was followed by Editor Graft
bee, OF the Orlando Record, another ex
Dakota newspaper msn-the South Dako-
ia contingent were getting stuck on
Orlando. and ii the mayor hadn't at this
time arose and introduced Z. r. Tinan
some one OF the boys might have Jumped
On to a table, thruwed his hat in the air
and ben ready t. whip any man that said
Orlando wasn't the best town outside of
| South Dakota.
At the conclusion of the banquet the
tourists were invited to be the guests for
the remainder Of the evening of the
Lucerne club, that had arranged q hop
in enc of the city's handsomest halls
and an ideal ballroom it was, On the
way over u number OF the tourists stop.
ped at a real estate store and saw the
finest display of fruit seen anywhere on
their tour. Such pineapples no one ever
saw outside Of Orlando-grown near the
city--and 1t was at Orlando. after the
hop, we ate of The finest ripe, juicy, sweet
and most delicious pineapple we ever
tested. ana no more like the common
fruit Of this variety shipped north from
other points than Il green peach is like q
ripe one. Here, TOO. III the real estate
office the guests sampled a dozen or two
bottles OF grape fruit and orange wine