The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-29
TAMPA STILL BOOMING.
Notes About improvements in and
Around the Magic Cfty


Tampa. Fla. Dec. II took a run down
70 this Magic City" last night over the
south Florida division Of the great Plant
system A. daylight broke well upon US
our train pulled into Lakeland. and I
was surprised 20 see how much the place
had grown and improved ia appearance
during the past three months. II re-
minds me very much Of Waycross. the
magic railroad city Of South Georgia
There is the same centering OF many
main tracks and switches. the presence
OF a large array Of locomotives and trains
ana q small army Of railroad men al
ways in sight. A handsome addition Is
being made 10 the depot. while all around
Railroad square new buildings some quite
large and attractive, have been recently
erected.
Not only'at Lakeland. where the High
Springs route and the Punta GOroa trains
join the old main line, did / see signs OF
progress and activity. but at Plant City,
where the Plant system crosses the Flor
ida Central and Peninsular railway sys-
TEN, l was pleased TO notice many new
and substantial buildings in the heart
OF the city, as well as new dwellings
scattered about tho residence portion OF
the city.
From Lakeland 10 Senner the country
does not seem 10 have revived very rap
IDLY from the effects Of the destructive
freeze of last winter. The orange trees
have not put on, so far as / could see
from the car window, the healthy growth
10 be found up in Orange county. Cattle
raising seems to be largely followed, and
l also was glad to see some fiocks OF
fat, handsome sheep in much better con-
ditiOn than the beef cattle.
As we neared Spanish Park and East
Hbor. two Of the dozen or more suDurDs
OF Tampa, I was surprised at the num-
Der and fertility of the truck farms scat
tered all about, and evidently cultivated
by men who fully understood the busl-
ness All this lately Wild territory Is now
being dotted over with neat ana com
Portable dwellings, with here ana there a
cigar factory, and its little cluster OF
houses for operatives. But agriculture
seems TO have been the magic wand that
has brought this dark and fertile soil into
profitable culture. With Tampa's wonder
ful growth Of population, there ought to
be good money in truck farming around
these little suburban settlements
Despite the fact that the Cuban war has
carried away thousands of dollars from
this city to aid the brave and patriotic
insurgents. there is but very little, if any,
hull ia the lively building boom of the
summer and fan months. All kinds or
buildings and residences are going up ana
the welcome sound OF the hammer and
saw can be heard on every side. Tourists
note with the greatest pleasure that the
rows Of little shanties extending from the
Plant system depot toward Franklin
street, the main business artery, have been
demolished TO make room for handsome
brick structures, some one and others
two stories high. 1t is a long desired ana
much needed Improvement.
President Plant keeps his end of the
Improvement boom well in hand, and thus
helps TO inspire less hopeful investors
with more cheerful anticipations with re-
gard to Floridas' future. He has steam
pile-drivers and dredges at work. hand
somely bulkheading his more recently ac-
quired additions to the Tampa Bay hotel
grounds. along the bank of the HILLSIDE
rough river. When completed. he will
have a solid front from the city bridge
on his northern boundary TO his new rail-
road bridge on the southern border. For
lack of funds the magnificent stone, brick
and steel draw-bridge over the main
street tOsthe Tampa Bay hotel and all the
country below remains unfinished, and
only foot travel can cross the temporary
wooden bridge just below it. Winter Wis
itOrs will be considerably Inconvenience
by this suspension of an important work.
l noticed to-day for the first time the
large and well equipped fishing fleet that
has made Tampa noted far and wide as
one of the greatest fish and oyster ship
ping points in the south. This business
has assumed immense proportions, and
not only supports several large shipping
establishments here.Eu but. gives the
Southern Express Company a most prof
table revenue. Quite a fleet of good
sized steamers also bring a large guam
tity of freight from points all along the
Gulf coast, much of which, of course,
goes TO the Florida Central and Peninsular
railway system, whose tracks run to the
wharves The Plant system makes Port
Tampa its chief shipping point for the
Gulf carrying traffic, yet the Southern
Express Company gets good deal of
freight from here over the Florida Central
and Peninsular system, that comes in
on the Gulf and river steamers connecting
with that system.
So far as it is possible for any human
agency to do so important a work Presi-
dent Plant has removed the last vestige
of the deadly freeze of last winter from
the spacious and beautiful grounds of
the famous Tampa Bay hotel. Even his
stricken orange trees have been so
trimmed up and cared for that they seem
more like new trees than revived shoots
from old trunks. No expense or pains
have been spared to replace the choice
plants, shrubs and vines that were frozen
or seriously damaged, and to-day, despite
the cold snaps already experienced and
Hicks predicted freeze in January, thou
sands of dollars worth of tropical growth
now lies spread out over the lawns along
the walks and about the hotel 1t Is such
pluck and liberal enterprise as this that
stimulates all classes to rehabilitate their
homes and gardens and make another
hopeful move into the uncertain future