The Portland daily press., 1894-11-03

down the lake. Hut its Importance has
been added to yearly by the opening OF
new winter homes along the lake front,
and now by the presence of the Hotel
Royal Poinciana, the southernn.osb at
present of the great caravanseries built
>by Mr.. H. M. Flagler upon the American
Riviera. One glorious morning a month
ago the representative of the PRESS
stood in the cupola of the great hotel.
about 140 feet above the sea level, and
had most magnificent view of the
entire Lake Worth country. The lake is
parallel with the ocean, is % miles in
length, and at no point is it separated
from the sea by more than mile of land,
in fact, in most places the width of this
neck or peninsula IS only from one-duar-
ter to a third of mile. 1t is densely
wooded with cocoanut palms and other
tropical trees and shrubs, whose in tense
green, contrasting most effectively with
the blue of the sky and the sea and the
pale green of the lake, formed picture
that morning never to be fogotten.
.Northward, as far as the eye could
reach. rolled the Atlantic, it's incessant
surf lashlng the white islands of the
peninsula in one unbroken line, close
down to which grow the palmetto, the
cypress, the m angrove, and the young
water-oak. At the head Of the great
lake the little town of Juno appeared
only as speck ON the northern horizon
while her royal spouse Jupiter, eight
miles above her, was discernible only by
the aid of a powerful glass, and then
only by reason of it's lighthouse tower
pointing the way to the inlet from the
sea.
The west shores of the lake showed
miles upon miles of pine land, broken
only by the bustling town of West Palm
Beach directly opposite the hotel, the
wharves and few scattering buildings
at Riviera, Lantana and Hypoluxo, and
the dozens of pineapple plantations, each
with planters house and little pier
which have come into existence chiefly
since the completion of the Jacksonville,
st. Augustine & Indian River railway
provided quick transportation for tourist
TO the North and West.
On the lake were sailing craft almost
innumerable and in the greatest variety
of size and design. Without the aid of
glass 3S sails were counted. ranging in
size from ffteen-ton schooner to the
tiniest sloops and canoes, while of steam
aud naptha launches there were at least
a dozen. Lake Worth varies in width
from 2, 500 feet to nearly two miles; its
vvo foro al IL So1 b. rbro fov IS,
merely an estuary and their depth
varies from three to thirty fest in the
channel, the bottom is OF white sand or
coquina rock, with occasional areas of
black mud and at least fifteen varieties
of the finest food fish in the world may
be taken from this lake with hook and
line or with nets. At this season the
temperature of it's waters is about 70
degrees, and bathing in them is most de-
lightful.
At Lake Worth Inlet. about five miles
north of the Royal Poinciana, feet Of
at least fifteen sloops and schooners on
bne morning in question was awaiting a
favorable tide and wind to go out to sea,
many of the larger craft being bound
for Bay Biscoyne and the Bahamas.
But the scene to the southwark was
the one most surprisingly beautiful.
Thousands of tall cocoanut palms
crowned the narrow peninsula, their
crisp green leaves and great clusters of
fruit glistening in the warm sunlight
them here and there the gladio,i shot
out volleys of flaming bloom. Thous-
ands of mullet and pompons leaped from
the lake high in air to get brief little
taste of sunshine, leaving silver show
err behind them as they disappeared in
the green waters again. Far away to
the southwark. miles below the foot of
the lake, two black streaks of smoke
curling skyward told Of the two great |
dredge boats of the canal company
rapidly approaching each other--the |
Matanzas for the north, and the Biscayus
from the south-the canal which they
are cutting through some of the finest
muck lands in the world being designed
to form a navigable waterway from
Lake Worth to New River, nearly thirty |
miles away.
In the Gulf Stream, less than two
miles east of the high lookout in the
Poinciana's tower, could plainly be dis
cerned three English "tramps" north
bound, and two black hulls flying the
American flag, and apparently belonging
to one of the regular lines to Key West,
Havana, New Orleans OF Mobile.
Without warning the wind suddenly |
shifts to the northeast from its regular
quarter in the southeast, and great fleecy |
clouds begin to chase each other across
the sky; their shadows fly with equal |
speed from sea to land, across the palm
tops, over the lake and off into the
depths Of thelpine forest. Then comes
the rain "a sheet of water almost as
white as snow squall, which pelts the
villa roofs and the palms at furious |
rate. But is all over in five minutes.
when the sun shines out brightly again |