Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-02-20
FLORIDA LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent ]
JACKSONVILLE, FLA, Feb. 10, V5.

On account Of the warm, pleasant
days at the beginning of the past week
1t was thought that Old Boreas had
about worn out his welcome in 'the
land of fruit, flowers, fish and freezes, "
and had gone into winter quarters
somewhere up North; but on Thursday
evening the temperature began to
change and by Friday morning the
people awakened to the fact that king
winter had not yet departed, but meant
to give the crackers" another shrill
blast through his whiskers. At six
O'Clock fourteen degrees were recorded
at the Signal Service Office, breaking
the record Of February 1885, by ten de-
grees, and touching the lowest point
that of December 30, reached in the
history of Jacksonville. The unpre
cedented flop INDUCED in by the mer.
curry that morning has given all classes
Of people in Florida plenty of room for
reflection. The people had somewhat
recovered from the depressing effect of
the December breezes, and gone to
work with redoubled energy to parti.
ally recover their losses by planting
an unusually large acreage in all kinds
Of vegetables, etc. A great many of
the orange trees had began to leave
and blossom and the prospect was fiat
tering for fair crop Of oranges and
other fruits adopted to the climate of
Florida. But the queer antics of the
hoary king Of the past two days has
blasted the hopes Of the most enthus-
iastic orange and vegetable growers.
The only happy people at the present
are the plumbers and wood and coal
yardmen. They were taxed to their
utmost capacity to supply the demand
for fuel and to repair the bursted pipes,
etc. This State will not recover from
the effect of the two disastrous freezes
in the next ten years. Business will
undoubtedly be very dull to what it has
heretofore been. The only hopes for
the farmeris to change his methods and
not rely 80 much upon the orange crop.
A diversity Of crops are what is needed
here. The local papers, however are
not respondent, for they say the sup
ply Of grit is unlimited, and the st.
Johns River is full of fish. All out
door business, except what was COM
PEELED to be done, was suspended yes
terday and day before. Today it is
moderating fast and in another day
or two it will be as hot as "blue blazes. :"
At Tampa, $50 miles south of here,
snow fell sufficiently Friday morning
to cover the ground, something never
before known in that locality. Twill
relate one little incident eminatipg
from an old colored uncle as follows:
"Dey's all or talking er heap bout dem
water pipes Dustin. Huh; I amt got
nary pipe to bust. Use done busted
myself, l is." And that is the case of
many of the poor class here, the most
of whom are colored people. The city
suspended most of the street works on
the last Of the month, thereby throw
ing several hundred out of employment
with literally nothing to support them
selves and families upon. The suffer
ing among this class is bound to be
great. The action Of the city officials
in suspending work was caused by an
injunction being filed against the plac-
ing upon the market a million OF dol
lars in bonds recently voted for city
Improvements. The available means
is getting low and all city contracts
were ordered to be suspended, except
the finishing of the electric light plant,
except in cases where contractors are
able to complete their contracts and
wait until April, when the injunction
suit will be decided, no doubt in favor
of the city. The Knoxville Building
Company are pushing their work on
the market house and City Hall. The
four railroads terminating here moved
their various offices into the Union De-
pot on last Monday. The stir and bus
tie around the place was very great.
All trains now stop there, which causes
many of the hotel men, as we'll as the
travelling public, to think and say
things that would not look well in Sun.
day School literature. 1t is located on
the outskirts Of the city where the
streets have not been paved and almost
surrounded by bogs. However the
streets will soon be paved and electric
cars running from the place to the
various hotels and business portions
Of the city, and then peace will again
reign in Warsaw. The car sheds
are beautifully lighted by electric
lights, presenting quite an attractive
sence. The block recently tuilt for
temporary depot is well fitted up with
offices and appears good enough for
any city, but the depot in prospect Of
erection will eclipse anything in the
South. five hundred and forty feet of
the car shed is yet to be built, five hun
dred and forty feet in length by one
hundred and sixty eight feet in width
having been completed. The lumber
is now arriving and work will be com.
menced at once upon the extension.
The merchants here, as well as all busi,
ness men, are not feeifss their oats to
any great extent since the blizzard.
They are all blue and respondent, and
say trade is bound to be very dull for