Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-01-24
LAND OF ALLIGATORS.
DOWN WHERE THE WEATHER PRoPH-
ETS DO NOT SEND COLD WAVES.
A Tropical Climate of Sunshine and Flow
ers-Next Week We win Go stIIi Fur
ther south,

TAMPA, FLA, Jan. l9.-My last let
ter left the National Editorial Asso-
citation nearing Thomasville, Ga,
where an excellent supper was OBJ
tanned at the Mitchell House. This
is fourishing winter resort of 1000
inhabitants and several fine hotels,
1t is 80 miles from the gulf and $50
feet above the sea level. l was very
favorably impressed with the town
from the short visit we made to it.
Resuming the journey, the run to
Tampa, about 344 miles, was very
tiresome trip of sixteen hours. Day
light Sunday morning found us away
down in Florida, with no town capa
BILE of feeding the crowd nearer than
100 miles. The party got up early in
order to see the country, which was
new to most of us. The road ran
through semi tropical country with
many lakes, swamps and pine forests
along the line. Great stretches Of
palms were seen, extending under the
pine trees as far as the eye could
reach. AS we reached Tampa, the
orange section was reached and
many groves killed by the freeze last
winter came to view. The trees have
put up from the stumps, but it will
be years before crop can be So.
cured. The great industry of the
west coast is phosphate mining, the
phosphate being shipped all over the
country and also abroad for fertiliz-
ing purposes. 1t was II o'clock
when the party arrived at Tampa,
tired, dusty and ravenously hungry,
having tasted since p. m. Saturday.
They all went to the magnificent
Tampa Bay hotel, which cost $780,
600, and is the finest hotel on the
gulf. 1t gives a $500 a day rate to
the Association. The Eastern con-
tingent arrived few hours ahead of
our party and the whole body is here
to. might, about $50 in all. This af-
ternoon all went out to the port, nine
miles from here, to see the Havana
Steamer, Olivette, come in. To-mor-
row all hands will be taken on a
steamer outside of the bay and given
chance to get sea-sick. Tomorrow
night the trip across Florida will be
made to st. Augustine, where the
rest of the week will be spent. Next
Sunday will be spent in the southern
par. of the state, at east coast resorts.
The program after leaving here will
be discussed in subsequent letters.
The city of Tampa is on the gulf
side, 555 miles below Montgomery,
Ala. 1t has $4,000 inhabitants, only
5000 of whom are Americans. All
the rest are Cubans engaged in the
cigar business, the city being filled
with cigar factories working thous-
ands of hands. 1t is almost as cool
here tonight as it was at noon the
day l left Kentucky, but the weather
here is as cold as it ever gets. In
every direction, IN the beautiful
grounds surrounding the hotel, there
are flowers of every kind blooming in
the open air. Palms are seen large
enough for shade trees and great live
oak and pine trees are on every hand
with moss six feet long hanging
from the branches in graceful fes-
toons that wave in the breezes that
are always blowing from the gulf
All this is very nice and pleasant for
a change from Kentucky, but it will
be observed from the financial stats.
tics quoted elsewhere in this article
that it cost money. This week we
are picking our teeth in 100000
hotel to start with. I am told the
hotels get finer as we proceed until
Friday night we wind up in the
Ponce De Leon, that charges only
$500 day. 1t must not be in
ferred, however, that the newspaper
men are paying these millionaire
prices. They will not be charged
more than $500 day anywhere and
most of the hotels give them very
reasonable rates. My next letter will
be from st. Augustine.