Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-02-12
FLORIDA LETTER.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA,
January 81, 1896. (

Herald and Tribune. The people here
have been unduly excited over the
Cuban and Venezuelan questions and
seem very anxious that Congress shall
take immediate steps in the matter, and
at least, twist the tail of Johnny Bull,
and recognize the Cubans as belliger.
ants. They appear very anxious that
we should have a little scrap" with
England, and, N 10 doubt, many of them
would enlist under the Stars and
Stripes, that some of them and many
of their ancestors tried so hard to trail
in the dust during the late unpleas.
antness" of 61-5. The most of them,
no doubt, have seen the error of their
way and would gladly avail themselves
of the opportunity to prove their devo.
ton to the flag of our country. A fire,
some two weeks ago, destroyed the
principal business places of the town,
burning some twenty or more buildings.
The loss ran up into the thousands, but
instead of sitting down and crying
over the result, are going ahead and re-
building much better houses, and in
the near future the grounds will be
covered with much better buildings
and all occupied by business men. The
houses heretofore were all frame work
and sided up with pine boards, which
burned like finder. Now the buildings
are frame and brick veneered. The
cost of brick work here is enormous, as
the brick have to be shipped from Jack
sonvilie and vicinity, as there is no
clay along the East Coast of Florida
that will make them. Nothing much
here but white sand, water and scrubby
pine. Henry NJ. Flagler, owner of the
East Coast line of railway, and also
several fine hotels, has about completed
his work at Palm Beach, and the con.
sequence is several hundred men are
out of employment. He will commence
the erection of a fifteen hundred room
hotel at Miami, on the Biscayne Bay,
sixty five miles below, as soon as the
extension of his road Is completed,
which will be about April first. Mr..
Flagler has certainly done a great work
for South Florida. Indeed it has been
said of him here, that the Almighty in
creating the world left Florida until
the last, and becoming disguised with
his work, left it unfinished and dele
gated Flagler to finish up the job. Let
this be as it may he is certainly beauti-
flying q great deal of the East Coast.
He has put on an ocean steamer be-
tween Palm Beach, Florida, and Mas
sau, in the West Indies, and is opening
up a trade with that section that is
eventually bound to very beneficial to
the whole South. The steamer makes
two trips a week and as the trade de.
mands it of course others will be put
on. There will be a considerable boom
at Miami, Cocoanut Grove, Lemon City
and Linton, below here, when the rail.
road is completed which will give en-
ployment to many men. Town lots are
being laid off and many of them are
being taken up by prospective inhabi-
tants. That is said to be a fine coun-
try for vegetables and all kinds of semi
tropical fruits. 1t is below the frost
line and the two freezes of last winter,
that damaged the State millions of dol.
lars, did no damage there whatever. A
great deal of it will have TO be drained
before it is fit for cultivation. A large
colony from Michigan have taken up a
body of land and are engaged in drain.
ing and experimenting in the raising
of the many kinds of fruits and vege.
tables that are adapted to the soil and
climate, and all seem highly pleased
with the outlook. We have plenty Of
new vegetables, such as beans, lettuce,
radisSes, tomatoes and the like on the
market now. The gardens, when they
have been properly cultivated certainly
present a beautiful sight to one not &C.
customed to seeing such things this
season of the year. Northern tourists
are coming in pretty rapidly and the
two big hotels are pretty well filled.
Every incoming and outgoing train is
loaded with passengers. Hotel rates
from four to ten dollars per day. The
opening up of travel from this place by
way of steamers, partly through a ca
nal recently finished, has increased
travel at least 100 per cent. The hotel
managers say that business thus far
this season is greatly in advance of last
winter. 1t is said that the whirl of
visitors will not set in until February.
A large number of the National Ed.
torial Association, some four or five
hundred strong, including their wives,
came in on Sunday last, and spent the
time until Wednesday morning at the
Royal Poinciana and visiting points of
interests up and down the lake. None
OF the silverware was missing at the
hotel after their departure, neither were
any of them locked up during their
stay, which certainly speaks well for
the editors. A boat capsized in the
ocean neal the beach last Saturday,
containing four men, two of whom sue
ceeded INJECTING to shore, while the
others were drowned. One of the bodies
was recovered yesterday . short dis
lance from the shore, floating on the