Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-03-10
WAY DOWN SOUTH.
The Inter-Ocean Man Tells of the
Delightful Trip of the North
Dakota Editors.

"We and our wives" began to gather
at the Winsdor Hotel in st. Paul
Saturday morning, Feb. 1, and i'm
proved the time until O'Clock Sun
day evening visiting bargain counters,
seeing the plays and acquiring oity
airs.
So large q delegation of literary
lights naturally attracted the attention
of some of the reporters and Mr..
Straub, manager of the excursion, had
to divide his time between interview
ers and applicants for lower berths. It
is to be regretted on occasions of this
kind that all the berths are not lower
ones, or the excursionists more willing
to accept the best that the management
has to offer.
Promptly at sos p. nj. Feb 5th, we
rolled out of the Union station over
the Burlington tracks attached to the
regular scheduled No. 48 limited, tho
pride Of the Burlington system. Oon-
ductor Sullivan kindly offered to con.
duct all who cared to see through his
train which issolidly vestibuled through
out and abundantly equipped with
every modern convenience and luxury.
Col. Wilkinson, representing the Bur.
lington advertising department 10.
companied US as far as st. Louis. and
took especial pains to make that part
of our Journey as pleasant as possible
We spent several hours In st. Louis
and on account of the extreme cold
confined our sight seeing principally
to the union station said to be the
largest in the world, accommodating
some thirty tracts under its great train
shed and the Planters Hotel, famous
for its wall paintings and the beauty
of its decorations. One could not
help but contrast the ease and luxury
enjoyed by its habitues with the fate
of q mother and child whom the morn
ing papers reported as having died
that night but few blocks away oi
cold aud starvation.
Three days and nights of steady
travel were necessary TO land Us In
Tampa, and the landscape ssit changed
from the level corn fields Of Illinois
to the swampy pine lands of Florida
offered very little Of interest. Tht
Cheerful Idiot" however made things
interesting within, especially about
6 o'clock iD the morning just as we
we're beginning to enjoy a little sleep
be would shout, "twenty minutes stot
at the next station for breakfast" 4
scene of confusion would follow. Th,
ladies In charming dishabille hurryinQ
to the dressing room. gentlemen pant
ing and muttering as they struggled
with refractory collars or frantically
searched for lost collar buttons. Their
after all we're in readiness we would
find that the train was late and woult
not reach the breakfast station unit
10 O'Clock.
As we had only one day in lamp,
and vicinity most Of the party pre-
ferred to visit St. Petersburg in th'
forenoon and but in the balance 0
their time in Tampa. There we're tel
Of u however, who elected to go VI
the alanatee river on the comfortabl
little steamer Marguerite, Captain
White, and this was in our opinion th
best part of the whole trip. We con
cluded to land at Braidentown, as W
would have an hour and half befor
the boat returned in which to drive t
Braiden Castle, q famous spot abop
four miles up the river. The livery
man happened to be at the dock an
"reckoned" he could get US back il
time. "No reckoning about 1t
shouted the captain, "these people ar
from ths north and you have got t
get them around on time" To show u
that southern people could hurry, b
put his horses on the gallop whereve
the road would permit. Braide1