The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1899-03-02
FLORIDA LETTERS,
Extracts from Letters Written Home
by Mr.. and Mrs. II. {. Wyatt.

NN~-A~~ @ASA-- @~NA~-N% 80
the south 1t was our intention TO +
stop at Atlanta, Ga, to witness the .
peace Jubilee celebrating the return .
OF the veterans Of the Mexican war,
but by reason of an error we were .
not permitted TO stop, and could .
only view the crowded streets and .
decorations as cur train passed !
through the city. OF course ali
southern cities seem new and strange
TO one FROM the north.
In Charleston we saw Ia the pref +
ty magnolia &C metery beaut full roses !
and Japonicas which attained almost /
perfection. One plaza IN the city /
which is used as drill ground has
in it pile Of granite on which is
placed the bronze tigure of Calhoun. +.
This plaza is bOrdered on one side |
with building, queer and old, with /
battlements GA top, such as one sees /
in the CID country pictures IT IS
the 5 Q military academy ballt IN
1912. But with all the queer things
and pretty flowers one can not get a
good square look at green grass; he
has 10 look at patch OF bare sand
| instead With all their natural flow
ers one is pressed with the amount
of artificial flowers used here.
We have just returned from ride
10 the Isle of Palms, where the pal
meto tree grows. We went right by
old Fort Moultree and fort armed
with mortars. We could see Fort
Sumpter 10 the distance; FIT. Stump
ter, they say, Is out of repairs, but
they are putting up heavy guns near
by We went through the old st
Michael church They commenced
building it in 1852 1 was exposed
to British al tilIery in 1850. struck
four times by federal artillery 10
1868, almost destroyed by an earth
quake ia 1886, but by great expense
it has been restored, it looks like the
old building might stand for q good
many wears yet There is a good
deal of shipping done here. The
barbor is % feet deep. Here, like
the other cities OF the south, the old
houses have front fences made of
high stone or brick walls or high
iron fences 1t is 10 uncommon
sight to see driven through the
streets, many of which are very mar
row, cattle hitcbed up o carts driven
with lines by a darkey The old
time darkeys carry big bundles on
their heads and walk along as spry
as if they had 10 load at all
We reached Jacksonville New
Years day. In our trip through
Georgia and South Carolina We Were
greatly impressed with the poor soil
Il does not seem possible that such
} worn out soil could produce living
for the population. Much of the
land is swampy Comparing Savannah
to Charleston We like Savannah
best. Here at Jacksonville We are
stopping at house that is on the
: banks OF the river which admits of
large boats going up to the city
It is a great place to fish and shoot
The orange trees are not full OF
oranges, as a storm in October dam
aged them much On the beach is
constantly heard the booming mot
, the booming TINES of the wayts as
, the white caps roll in.
Jacksonville seems to be built Cd
a vast bank of sand with numerous
swamps surrounding it, even reach
Irgup to the suburbs and these
swamps are mostly quite filthy The
streets of this place are quite pleas
ing to the eye, aud along which is
done considerable business The
lumber business seems to be the
principal one The soldiers that
were camped here have about all
left. Only two blocks from where
we are stopping they have the os
triches that we saw at the Omaha
exposition. but they have more of
them here basides.
On Jan. Is. we dropped in OIL old
81 AUGUSTINE We are stopping
near the old Fort and sea wall and
not far from the city gate-we did
not know before that there was q
: civ gate in the United States. This
: queer old town has very narrow
5 streets. The narrowest are seven
? feet wide, many of them not over ten
or twelve feet an d the principal bust
p: ness street, St George, is eighteen
:. feet. and has many overhanging bal
!. comics These streets do not run
: straight, but reminds one of the
e streets of Cairo at the worlds fsil
5 at Chicago. In the new part of the
E citv there are some fine buildings
: w go throuoh the old st 10
e seph cathe dral, built in 1871. The
: old Fort covers several acres, the
1 walls are made of a concrete Of
shells and cement and are quite
z E~orn Fort Marion tn the