Morning journal and courier., 1893-03-07
AFAIRY LIKE soRrE.

Ing Place OF Princes-One OF Flor.
ida,s Finest Architectural Adorn-
ments-Connecticut Honored by q
Representative Connections Man OF
Wonderful Enterprise Improve
ments of Vast Benefit to the Land
OF Flowers.
TAMPA BAY, Fla, March 8.-Near a
gently flowing river whose azure tinted
surface is slightly fretted by q balmy
breeze, palace lifts It's graceful walls to
continual summer, from out wealth of
varied foliage. Surrounding it, an extern
sive park, replete with the many beautiful
trees that thrive In climate SO luxuriant;
lofty pines sway gently, nodding at and
whispering to each other, like groups of
human gossips might. The river bank Is
lined with palmettos that seem like senti-
nels on guard. One grand old Hve-oak,
the monarch of them all, extends from it's
massive trunk, far-reaching boughs and
from their intermost limit, droop graceful |
branches, forming thus an extensive bower,
In the shade of which regiment |
might find shelter. Then there are
the countless palms, Towering scrubs
and bushes in profusion, all deeply |
trained, but with such taste that there Is |
no suggestion of the artificial. Graceful |
fountains murmsr softest music every
where. Rose vines bedecked with the fra
grant queen of flowers are formed into |
bowers to which narrow paths circuitously |
lead through we'll kept lawne. Animate ma
ture, too, furnishes completely this grand |
park. The proud peacock struts about |
and many beautiful small birds live among
the branches. Even the emblemic ''Bird
| of Freedom," perchipg high in a
lofty cage, looks down wisely and
sadly as if his fettered condi-
ton was for him a most uniting one
Amid such surroundings rise and extend
the walls of the Tampa Bay hotel. Of
| Moorish architecture, there is present
every where the curve of horseshoe arches
and all along are far extending galleries.
The towering facade, high arched, the sew
eral lofty domes and frequent minuets, all
surmounted by the CRESCENT, bespeak close
adherence to Sevillian design
1t is a task too difficult to describe full.
| ly so grand a presentment as this noble
| building makes, and yet, extensive as 1t is,
it does not Cypress by Its immensity, but
| rather invites ones admiration by a gent
| ler means. Grand as is all observed from
without, an acquaintance with flor no cas.
ual notice half sufices) shows it to be.
The interior enthusiastically in perfect
keeping. While proper description of
the furnishings, decorations and sdorn-
ments cannot be compressed into the mar
row confines of a newspaper letter, some
few features may be mentioned. The 70,
tunda, to which all arrivals are ushered,
occupies, in the center Of the building,
a space about sixty feet square, This grand
reception room Ia carpeted with rugs,
choice in texture and design. is furnished
6ttingly with luxurious lounges and the
easiest of easy chairs and is adorned with
bronzss, vases, mirrors, and paintings.
Among the many beautiful works of art
in the rotunda are several divans once in
use in the salons of the Tuilsries, grand
old painting ian Originally of Louis XVI,
also a clock which was first set ticking in
the time of that luxurious monarch. Ad-
J joining the rotunGa is spacious salon,
, which from the very entrance guarded by
| two artistic bronzes representing q couple
of strange characters in ancient German
folklore.
Once within this grandly charming
salon, the first glance makes the eve .
slave to form and color and one hesitatea
, to break the pleasant spell. Soon the eye
rests on some one thing. With most people
l 1t is likely the carpet, which is scarlet, and
T Its design lion rampant. 1t was made In
/ | France and is a replica of ono Of Louis
O XIV, and on it rests chairs and divans OF
the same era, some original pieces, others
8 replicas-all beautiful. The room Is fur.
q Tier furnished by several antique cabi.
nets, veritable gems, every one, of italian
. French and Spanish workmanship. There
3. are vases, too, and bronz4s, one remark
able clock showing much of patient, care
3 full art in its design; but it is useless tc
:: more than hint at few of the many
Il beautiful things. Hours might be spen
entertainingly and instructively, for these
beautiful things many of them have his
o tories behind them, and suggest to tht
artist and student much that is inter
T esting
O The entire building is furnished in keep
% ing with these two public rooms her,
- | spoken of. The waiting rooms are espe
" cially beautiful and tasteful The 1opf
} colonnade leading through the entire Iengtl
of the building is q veritable delight al
along through it thrive beautiful plants ii
profusion; its walls are hung with an we'll
nigh endless profusion. walk through
it would reform a stoic. aud make the yer
lest mslcontent another being, henceforth
In words of commentator, hours Nigh
be used and yet the story would be still
unfinished. This Is not all there is o
o Tampa, to be sure, but it is of such valu
. from the standpoint of the tourist, the art
% irt or even the reader that its interest l
If apparent.
/, In this vicinity there is good shooting
!, both fur and feather, and fishipe-wel
a now, to recount what the writer has him
- self seen and taken part in, would weake
~ confidence.
Here in Florida there ia present every
10 where an all pervsding influence, an 81
- mosphere, as it were, which gives life
3 creates, transplants, sustains. 1t level
e forests or resets groves; it turns water
L hal 10 OH
= deepens rivers, making navigation possibl
:, where it was never known before; it epau
streams with bridges, bringing settlemen,
s. nearer to each other; it makes villages
= builds up towns and bands all togethe
y with iron rails; makes desert places bloom
~ projects far-resching piers across wild
= beaches out to deep water, and send
- :, swift ships to foreign lands carryir
n the products Of ours, bringing BAG
- the fruits of other countries; employ
=, ing thousands, making thousands happy
~ This all pervading influence that does a
this and vastly more, is known as tb
s. "Plsnt system" The head and front of a
this 81. B. Plant, who some years ago use
to. give his address at Branford, Conn
G. Half the readers of this know very we'll tn
old homestead out on the Branford road
standing on the corner, where the road t
W ''the point" turns off, and just befor
ts coming up with the railroad trestle-wel
at that's the PLANT place" and how CAREFUL
1t ia kept, spic and span, in its vivid Goa
of orange yellow, fences, house, outbuild
N ings, barns and all. Connecticut ought {
70 be, Connecticut is, proud of 81. B. Plant
a The history of his life and career from tn
H first all the way along, is one, no page o
a which is clouded.
n The story of his success speaks not o
II conquests in Wall street nor is the path t
10 his fortune strewn with the wrecks o
IL others success has attended deserved 81
n fort. That's the way of it in a nutshell
n Mr.. Plants intelligence showed him wha
Florida needed, his indominsbls force CAV
"a 1t to her-and Florida gaining strength
4 continually, by and by will be grsat-an,
"a 81. B. Plant, Connectiout's son, more tina,
any other, more than all others, will kav
made her so.
These ideas are great thoughts. I can
le not drop back to commonplace description
" SO I glance out here at the window, breath
In the fragrance of the orange blossoms
see the moon, just risen, shed its widening
10 belt of Pickering sheen on the river
n breast, and touch with silver the crescent
l. topped turrets, It'll now the whole park
:. bathed in moonbeams, my soul is wooe,
. away from work, and from hstless ham
y tho pan falls. J. g., JR.