The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-29
THE EAST COAST COUNTRY.
How FIagIer L. Moving on TO Key
West With His improvements

CdAApANs Ad.s fcAl- o. wen 'l'NiAN
on the far-famed east coast of Florida
has convinced me that it did not pass
through the late freeze in any better
shape than other sections Of South For
ida In fact, We now have on the west
coast more orange groves IN bearing tnan
] saw or heard-of there, ana our recuper-
ating trees show a much better growth
generally.
AS to pineapples. the pines around Or
lando are quite a. promising as those
Of the east coast. but the growers are few
er and the areas planted are smaller, IN
many cases On Thursday morning, FEB
~, / saw fires burning in some pineapple
plantations, near Palm Beach, that had
frost.
Unfortunately. I had a bad week for my
observations. At Daytona, on Monday
Feb. II, we struck a gale from the At
iantic ocean, and the thermometer az IS
degrees and Whereabouts, which lasted
week, and swept the entire coast In
some places tender vegetation was killed
or nipped, and many tourists made very
uncomfortable by the chilling winds. Ana
yet. the high winds saved vegetation
from severe freeze / am satished, there
fore, that South Florida has no place
Of assured safety from unexpected cold
snaps. There are some groves on the
east and west coasts, as well as inland,
having a water protection or some otnef
shield, that escaped the freeze, and are
still bearing. But what is more remark
able and Is seldom commented on, IS the
fact that a single bearing tree can be
round where every other tree lot miles
around was killed on the top. Manager
5. II. Peck has in front of his Plaza no
tel at Rockedge a single tree IN Tearing
out of a large and thrifty grove compoS-
ing the hotel grounds.
If you go into the interior. half way be-
tween the east and west coast, in Deacon
E. c. Hungerfords grove, on Lake Matt
land, you will find two or three similar
trees, and the same thing is reported from
near Winter Garden. Why these rare
freaks occurred no one seems able to ex-
plain yet they are very substantial, as
well as gratifying facts, and show that
some orange trees can stand any degree
of cold possible in this climate. The pres
ent winter has been, as a whole about the
worst ever known here, the cold snaps and
rain storms having been almost continu-
Gus and cold, strong winds too frequent
for comfort But all parts of the state
have suffered alike. Although in some re-
spectS the coast region where more eX-
posed, they are usually visited or settled
by people who like strong ocean breeZes.
The development of the east coast cOun-
try seems to have followed the railroad,
and the first half does not show that con-
unued progress which first characterized
it. And even now as the railroad jumps
from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauder
dale, this side of Miami, large crowd
pulls up stakes and moves on to that point.
In a few weeks they will make another
move to Miami, in the famous Biscayne
Bay country. Two fires have swept the
wooden buildings from two whole squares
that composed the business center of West
Palm Beach, and while one square. swept
out by the January fire, is
now nearly rebuilt with brick
buildings, the other square, fire
swept last week. will not be rebuilt as
promptly. Now. with all this building and
rebuilding, II is very hard for mechanics
and others to secure profitable employ
ment. f
The east coast boom towns, like Tampa
and some other places on the west coast
have drawn great crowds of people in
search of work, business openings or good
loa1ng places, and in consequence there
is large floating population of idlers. The
barrooms, pool rooms and similar places,
as IN western mining towns, are colning
money. One saloon man in West Palm
Beach was pointed out to me as having
made $4,000 since he opened there. At all
events, he is rebuilding extensively with
handsome brick buildings. OF course, a
prosperity of this kind Keeps the laboring
people who patronize these saloons always
poor, and always unreliable as skilled and
No person who has carefully studied Mil
lionalre F'lagler's movements doubts that
his objective point is Key West, and that
he will not rest, except in death, until he
has linked together che Florida Keys with
steel trestes and run his Pullman palace
car trains entire from New York to Key
West. 1t will take millions to do it, yet
he has the money, the courage and the OPP
portunity to do this grand work and leave
IL as monument equal to the Atlantic
cable and the Brooklyn bridge. The work
of investigation has been going on for
year or two in a secret manner. but now
the operations have to be carried on in
SlSnJ Ol all ODStINlHB pubic. eoOIic Sidhb
their heads and say il will cost too much
and be too risky, while many others say it
can and will be done as soon as men and
money can accomplish the feat.
The Improvements at Palm Beach, which
include the Royal Poinciana. the Inn and
the ocean pier, are all local in character
and will. not be seriously affected by the
transfer of the land terminus to Miami.
1t is admitted that that is to be the great
point of interest for years in the Flagler
system. There he is to build his largest
hotel, with the usual smaller one near at
hand. 1t will also be his chief shipping
point to Key West, Cuba and other points.
Visionary men are talking loudly of
great city there, and of big fortunes to
be made in that favored region of mild
climate, rich soil and fine deep water
that while Flagler's hotels are being built
and other improvements made, the new
city viii boom ahead of any place in
Florida.
However, we must bear in mind that
such a growth is never a sure and healthy
one The floating population drawn into
boom towns is not a desirable one, and
1t helps to I'LL barrooms and demoralize
labor. When the rush of work is over
few mechanics will have made good
homes for their families or saved much
always be men of sterling business habits
and men of Industrious, sober qualities
to settle in these new towns and finally
bring them to a more substantial and or
Derby basis Miami will be the boom city
of the east coast, however for several
years, and its growth promises to be phe-
nomenal Messrs. Richardson and Ingra-
ham of the Flagler system are among
developers of new country to be found
anywhere. They have lands to sell, they
want the settlers, and they will get them.
Trees Five Centuries Old.
From London Public Opinion.
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