The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-28
PORT TAMPA CITY.
How Fitzgeraid's Boom Town Has
Extended Its Borders.

Extended Its Borders.
Port Tampa City, Fla. Aug. Z.-This
is my first visit to the once booming new
town on Tampa Bay. near THE Port"
started by Capt. J. W. Fitzgerald Of the
Plant Steamship Company. and Mr.. c.
". Prescott OF Erie. Pa. Like all Tam
pas suburbs, the foundation was laid
in cigar factories. TO which liberal
grants were made until i've fourishing
establishments were secured. These gave
the new city 2 large Cuban population,
located near the bay on the side where
Picnic Island is situated.
Then followed, as a matter Of course,
a large American population Of mer-
railroad officials, etc, which located near
the depot. about a mile from the bay
In this part Of the city many handsome
residences, fine brick stores. etc. can be
found. with a handsome church edifce.
school house and the Bungalow Club
house Of the swell Calumet Club. The
depot is also quite an attractive one. and
near It fine brick bank building at
tracts attention. Opposite is the large
twO-stOry store of Messrs. ]. w. Ostecn
& Co.. in which the postohice is located
When THE Printing" of the Honduras
Port Tampa-Louisana Lottery Company
came here it was expected that the post
office and express Office would prove to
be perfect bonanzas In the way of bust
ness, but the prompt action of congress,
in response to the appeals of the anti
lottery people of Florida. soon dispeled
this hope. and THE Printory" folded its
tents like the Arab and as silently de-
parted l am quite sure from the rush
Of trade at the postofice store, that the
removal of the lottery curse has been a
benefit to the city in every sense. So
long as it remained here the better class
of people hesitated to locate under its
very shadow, not knowing into what
dreaded and demoralizing proportion it
might be developed in the future.
The announcements in the press within
few days that the Graham printery Of
the defunct Louisiana Lottery at this
place had been closed, is very old news. /
gave this Information to the public
through the Morning News several weeks
ago, and predicted that the building would
probably be turned into cigar factory.
To-day, however / made an inspection Of
the plant and find that it is too valuable
a structure for that purpose it being a
fre-proof building, with steel roof frame
covered with slate. There is also a fine
Atlas boiler and engine with a high smoke
stack. For machine shop and foundery,
having a woodworking department up
stairs, the "Printery" is just the thing,
and II is limited that the Plant system may
yet purchase it for that purpose. as the
present repair shop here is too small and
mere shell. The printery has ample
grounds, part of which are enclosed by
a high, close board fence, and could cas-
lily be reached by a very short side track
The whole establishment, except type and
cases, is offered for sale to suit pur-
chasers. The printing presses. etc, and
boiler and engine, and one lot of land
are offered separately from the building,
which is a very costly structure and will
hardly sell for half its original cost. The
Plant system could use it more prohtably
than any other corporation or Individual.
The Plant system has here a machine
shop In which some very important iron
work is done for the improvements being
made at the port. Then there is a large
iron vat which is filled with steam heated
earbolineum, and into this vat all the tim
Der and planking to be used for bulkhead-
ing, cross-ties, trestles, walks, etc, are
dipped. This makes the material resist
the destroying influence of worms and wa
ter better than the old creosoting process.
As the steam heat comes from the Elec-
trio Light Plant two gangs of men are
and another at night, to keep up with
the demand for prepared material. The
power of the electric plant is also used
to pump water into large pipes that run
to THE Port" to supply fresh drinking
water to the Inn and the Plant steam
ships and for other purposes. This build
ing is a handsome brick one, located near
the depot, and with the machine shops
brings some excellent families as resi-
dents of Port Tampa City Many of the
railway and steamship employees at the
Port have attractive homes here and a
regular dinner train runs up for their ac-
commodation.
When Capt. Fitzgerald started this set
Element in barren waste 1t seemed al
most as wild a scheme as President
Plants when he located the now famous
Tampa Bay hotel in an old field over
the river from Tampa. But both seems
to have made no mistake, as the hotel
has been several times enlarged and
Port Tampa City is every day growing
in size, beauty and business thrift. 1t
has good church, school and social priv
ileges, the Calumet Club giving the la
dies a regular series of dancing and social
gatherings at their elegant club house
AS / have already stated, the cigar fac
tories and Cuban settlement are some
distance from the depot, and form dis
tinot part of the city. In view Of the
important and valuable improvements
now being made at THE Port" by the
Plant system it is safe TO predict that
this city will rise rapidly as a desirable
residence place for railway and steam
ship officials and employees. and become,
in due time, Independent of the cigar in
dustry that gave it birtn. Mrs. Chapin's
electric street railway from Tampa to
Ballast Point runs within three miles of
this city, and in the future may be ex-
tended through here to Picnic Island
and become a part of the Plant system
This would give thriving Port Tampa
City another healthy boom, the distance
from Tampa Ing only nine miles, most
~ in sight of the bay and through a sec
ton lined with elegant seaside resi-
dences.