The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-01-14
WAY DOWN SOUTH In DIXIE.
Trip ofthe scuth Dakota Edl.crs
to tine Home ofthe Alligator and
the Granae.

coach, for the accommodation OF 30 or
more Ocala people, was attached to the
special, who accompanied us as far as
Inverness and then had their car attach
ed to TIE return bound regular. They
waved their handkerchief and threw
kisses until out of sight.
The FIRST stop this morning was at
Blue Springs. The spring is but a short
distance from the track and only Is
minutes was taken up in looking it over
1t flows an enormous quality Of pure.
crystal water into a pond near its edge,
and the mingling Of the waters canses a
long blue streak down the pond. Hence
the name. Water tomatoes grow around
the edge Of the pond. They resemble
the common tomato, but are no larger
than a walnut. A popularity Of most of
the springs of Florida is the high tenn
peratnre Of the water-to warm to make
it refreshing.
The passengers were 10 sooner settled
in their coaches when the tram stopped
at the Dunncllon phosphate mines. 1t
was getting warm about this time and
sun umbrellas were at a premium.
However. this is the center Of the phos-
phate industry and we must all see it.
Florida is rich in phosphate mines.
thus having at hand n of the most
valuable OF fertilizers, and essential to
profitable fruit culture. The existence
OF phosphate in Florida has been known
for a decade, but it was not until five
years ago that the extent and value of
its deposits became generally known.
Then it Was the Crackers" learned why
this and that Spectator gobbled up their
piue lands at two or three dollars an
acre and now hold them at forty to fifty.
From Dunnellon as a center prospecting
rapidly extended in all directions. until
at the present time important mines
have been opened over a we'll defined
track over go miles long and elk miles
wide. Four kinds Of phosphate are
mined and the shipments afford u heay,
item in the freights Of the railroads.
Not only is the raw material consumed
in large quantities in the United states,
but heavy shipments are also made to
the various ports OF Europe. II many
localities the phosphate liz found right at
the surface and deposits OF the pure
material found in solid formation. The
Dunnellon mine is simply a large hole
in the ground about 2OOx5OO feet across
aud perhaps 80 feet in depth. When
water is found it is pumped out and used
TO wash away the base soil. The dumps
are hoisted by a mining engine. Earkies
do the work and they earn about $l.5u a
day the year around. The engineer, a
former Pennsylvania miner, said they
would work down In that hole through
the hott, st days in summer, when u
white a would die of exhaustion.
About noon we reached Inverness, q
little town located in the midst of thick
pine woods. Bit though the little ham
let is small the hearts OF its people
are large. When tho train stopped we
found spread in the shade of the little
frame depot a midday lunch of oranges
, cocoanuts, grape fruit, bread, meats
jellies and about a h%alf-barrel ~ice-cold
!, fresh raw oysters. In the opinion of the
!, writer the little town OF Inverness did
more for her size in ''setting 'em up'
than any town visited. Its a new town
but a few years old, and of course has
got a busy newspaper. Its editor, Mr.
, Williamson, mounted the steps Of the
depot and said the usual things pretain.
ing to such affairs, and Pres. Bishop
, lifted the GRAPHIC nan upon to the plat,
form az soon as Mr.. Williamson had con.
cluded to tell them the South Dakots
fellows knew when they were royalty
treated. Uncle Mark Barnum OF Wausau
( thanked them for the Wisconsin asso.
citation. During the feast a box OF choice
cigars was handed the writer for the
South Dakota editors by Mr.. W. F. Barrel
a resident, formerly Of Bookings, this
state.
That night we arrived at Lakeland, q
pretty little town of perhaps 1900 people
and with oneof the best hotels, the com,
mercial men say. in the state, so far as
good Accommodations go. Anyway. the
, tourists got their moneys worth, for they
, got an elegant supper, served in courses
and all the choice fruit they could carry
away. The mante]s in the parlors were
banked with all the varieties OF oranges
citrons and grape fyuit, and great
clusters Of oranges decorated the Office
In the parlOrs areception committee bid
> us welcome, responses to which were
made by John Longstatf OF Huron and
Fiefeld Of Wisconsin. Within a stones
, throw Of the hotel a beautiful little lake
adds a charm to the surroundings; and
as the full moon partly yelled by f1e,cJ
clouds arose slowly in the east and cas-,
its soft rays over the CLASSY surface CT
. the winters. the tourists either sat along
, the broad yeranda of the hotelo or lOunged
!, around the shaded yard, made more
: beautiful by an electric are light, n, {
mentally compared the soft. baImy SUM
mer-like night to the then ice-bount
northern home. It was too nice a night
10 sleep, and al the excursionists strollet
. along down to their tain in littl,
groups, talking over the incidents Of til,
day, OF the town and Of the 500 odd lake
the county contains, they could not bea1
to crowd into their little tucked up
curtain hid births. The train was no
7 to pull out until 1870, and it was natura
: for most OF the crowd to prefer a seat OF
the depot platform to the close air OF
Q sleeper. Song after song was sung b.
the happy tourists. to which a small
crowd OF darkies listened with broa'
grins on their faces. Then the darkies
among them an old dark.e, his Dinaf
and a little wee tot Of a girl, were mad
. t. sing and dance for "de white fol ks
, A big handful OF coin was given the oil,