The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-04

court house. its towering marble bank
building. long brick blocks. electric car
Ihes, etc. az the upper end Of the town,
opposite the depot Of the Florida Gem
tral and Peninsular railway, the eye Of
the visitor is attracted By a huge inverted
cannon. the muzzle deeply buried I'm the
sfound. standing In the front yard fence
corner OF a neat cottage. OF course this
unexpected and singular trophy leads 10
the usual inquiry as what 10 is there for.
ana the stranger Is told that "a marks
the corner Of the old Fort Brooke military
reservation From that point on every
thlng takes on "A new interest and. cross
ing the railroad tracks which run down
10 the mouth Of the river. the tourist
soon gels good view or the hroad-limbed
ana majestic oaks that have made the old
reservation famous. and i'm some things
remind one of the beautiful BOnaven-
turc at savannah
From the railroad you go down a gentle
slope. cross little brook. then up "A longer
gentle slope into the modern reservation
proper which cannot be described i'm an
intelligent manner. Ever since the
troops lett here, some fifteen years ago,
the tenants OF the barracks, which still
remain in use as dwellings. and an army
or squatters and renters. and Would-he
purchasers have about had their own
way. There is no order or system in the
layout Of the peculiar settlement But
for the massive oaks that spread their
long and mighty branches in every direc-
ton, the place would have no
bodv not exnec SiI,S't to "iw1,n..
claim or secure a homestead whenever the
long-continued and veXed question of OPP
enlng up the reservation is fully settled.
Aside from the inverted cannon up by
the depot and the United States revenue
steamer McLano lying at a wharf near
the river side Of the reservation, l saw
nothing of a military or warlike charac-
ter. On the river side there are railroad
elevators. stOrehouses steamboat Wharves.
big ship yard fun OF business. a boiler
and machine shop and other Industries.
and where the crack of the soldiers rifle
and the war whoop OF the hostile Indian
used TO break upon the stiffness OF an
almost unbroken forest. can now Zoe heard
the hum Of busy industries, the shri1
whistle of the railroad train and the
steamer, and the sound of the forge, the
saw and the hammer Of modern enter
prise and civilization. Beyond the ship
yard the reservation runs around the bay
TO De Soto Park, one of Tampa's new cigar
factory suburbs, which is reached by an
electric railway across the marsh that
forms the boundary of the original reser-
walton. This last new development Is one
that would astonish Gen. Brooke and his
old comrades in arms could they arise
from their graves and revisit these scenes
OF their military service. And then. across
the Hillsborough river. where once a dense
forest stood, is now the loVeliest part of
Tampa for elegant residences. This tract
is bounded by the bay on one side and the
magnificent grounds of the famous Tampa
Bay hotel on the other, and stretches
away down i'm the direction of Port Tam
pa City. the dwellers in the elegant bay
side residences having an excellent electric
street car service.
The actors in the scenes enacted in and
around this reservation for 60 years OF the
long ago are nearly all i'm their graves.
beautiful yacht is being built, 1 met Mr..
=. NJ Ltghtburn, son of Capt. John II.
LIghtburn. who commanded one Of the
two vessels used by the government in
its operations on Tampa bay In the early
days of the reservation. Until after the
barracks were abandoned by troops some
time in the eighties, there was no rail-
road INTO Tampa, and II was what might
be called a sleepy old town" But with
the advent OF two great railways lines,
several steamships and steamboat lines,
the city took on new life and moved
ahead, Not, however, until President
Plant put his millions into the world
famed Tampa Bay hotel did the growth
become magical" and the investments
'phenominal" From that day TO this
Tampa has made a development in every
direction that has challenged the admit
the spot once termed ''the courts of death
and danger-Tampa deadly shore" but
now, happily, and in truth, the land OF
sun and flowers"
So long as the United States army re.
mains, the cadets in grey and the Off
GERS in blue, in all their scenes Of joIlity
and mrth. will sing the. old familiar
song. Benny Ravens o." and drink tC
| the memory Of the gallant and genial au.
| thor, whose head In death was pillowec
| in this land Of sun and flowers. Some
| Porter Alexander, / wrote some addi
tional verses to this ever growing song
| the last of which is an appropriate clos
ing to this sketch:
And now, with heads uncovered, and
bowed silently and low,
| Let us drink to brave O'BSien-who ar
early death did know
For twas from off his sprightly pen the
verses first did flow.
| That swell in numbers with the years
for Benny Ravens, oh!
| OH Benny Ravens, OH OH Benny Hav.
ems, OH
Long shall o'Brien's name be hailed with
Benny Ravens, OH