The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-25
HAS BEEN A GOOD SEASON.
TOURIST TRAVEL BETTER THAN
FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

There Has Been Nothing This Season
to Interfere with the BusineSs-Of
Late Years Conditions Have Been
Such as to Keep the Crowds small
er Than Good Season Calls For.
Railroads VIII Figure Passenger
Receiuts at About 80 Per Cent.
Larger.
A member of abe conference committee
of the Southeastern Passenger Assoeia-
ton. who returned yesterday from the
meeting at st. Augustine, said that Flor
ida is simply overlooking with winter tour
lists. The state has been making a good
thing OUT of the visitors, as all the hotels
and boarding houses have been. doing a
good business.
The passenger man said his lire has
been making its receipts in the passenger
department show fine figures. The season
has been at least 25 or 80 per cent. ahead
of last This means big thing for the
roads that have handled the tourists, as
the expenses Of operation of the hand
some tourist trains remain about the same,
whether or not many passengers are car
ried.
1t is said this. season win take paere1'
dence over any of late years. Last
season there was the presidential election
TO keep things unsettled and business
men from knowing whether things were
going to turn so that they could afford
trips to Florida for themselves and their
families This year there has been nothing
TO interfere. The season of 1886 was q
poor one on account Of so many OF the
Northern people going no farther south
than Atlanta, where the exposition was
being held. The year before there was
something else and then came the Worlds
Fair in '93 10 make the season unprofita-
be
The orange trees were killed several
years ago in the upper portion of the pc
nlnsula This caused che tourist business
TO fall off, as the oranges have always
been one of the greatest attractions for
the tourists. The trees are putting ont
their shoots now all over the state and
they are again yielding large supplies OF
the yellow fruit up as far as Ocala. When
the entire state has reasserted its supe-
riority and claim to the palm when IL
greater place of winter resort.
The passenger official says the pres ant
| season is better than that of last year On
account, too, of the tourists remaining in
Florida longer The movement North Is
strong but there are more people in tie
state than there were at this time last
year. Last season at a corresponding time
the tourists were leaving faster. The
trains on both the Plant System and the
10 and lar a Il
go back North crowded every day, and
this win continue for some three weeks
the movement growing stronger for the
next ten days.
The East always supplies the greatest
number of the tourists that go to Florida
The rule has not been deviated from tl'is
season The West furnishes a good num-
Der but those from that section are far
behind those from the East. Both the
East and the West have sent down more
tourists than last season.
A good many stop-oyer privileges are be-
ing used in Savannah. II may be observed
any afternoon that d great many strang-
ers, who bear all the marks of the touring
Northeruer, may be seen riding out on the
roads leading from the city.
Among the railroad men in the city yes
terday was Mr. w. A. Turk. general pass
enger agent of the Southern Railway. Mr.
Turk is one OF the most widely known
| passenger men of the country. He is pop
ular with all the railroad men with whom
he comes in contact, and has made the
| passenger department of the Southern one
of the finest in the United States. His
position as president of the Generel Pass
enger and Ticket Agents Association of
America is testimony TO the esteem in
which he is held personally and the conf
dence that is imposed in his ability rs a
railroad man. Mr.. Turk stopped over in
Savannah on his way back TO Washing
ton after having attended the conference
| committee of the Southeastern Passenger
| Association meeting at st. Augustine
Mr.. s. II. Hardwick was among the Wis
iting railroad men in the city yesterday
Mr.. HardwIck is assistant general pass
enger agent of the Southern Railway, with
Office at Atlanta. He was on his way
back home, after attending the meeting at
St Augustine Of the conference committee
of the Southeastern Passenger Association.
General Southern Agent Nathans, of the
Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad
was among the visitors who spent yester-
day In the city Mr.. Nathans headquarters
are at Cincinnati
Mr.. MacGregor travelling passenger
/ agent Of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and
Dayton Railroad. with headquarters at