The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-25
THIS IS NOT
AN . AD.'
Simeon H. Smiths Wonder
full Discovery for All
Pulmonary Com
plants.
The BAlMY AIR OF FLORIDA
Story of His Delightful Vaca-
ton In the Land of Or
anges and Flowers.
THE BALMY AIR OF FLORIDA

Mr.. Simeon H. Smith, former Collector
of this city, has made a great discovery
In the pathological world. Like the true
spirited citizen he is, he wishes the great
est number of citizens possible to penent
by his discovery, and has, therefore,
chosen to make it public through the
columns of 1.-The Jersey City News" Mr..
Smith has discovered a sure cure tor all
pulmonary complaints. 1t is the little yli-
lage of Lakemont, which is about tour
miles from nowhere, in beautiful tropical
Florida For fifty years Mr.. Smith mas
been actively engaged in business, and
such strict attention did he a to his
work that he did not take a vacation
When he gave up the office of Collector,
last spring, he practically ave up BUSH
ness and concluded to take a well earned
rest. Some years ago Mr.. Smith had a
serious attack of pneumonia, and ever
since he has pulmonary troubles of his
own. In seeking a place in which to
spend his vacation Mr.. Smith took into
consideration his weak lungs and sought
an atmosphere which would be congenial
to them. Finally he concluded to go to
Lakemont, Polk county, Florida, which IS
located about as far away from the mad,
ding crowd as one could wish. Mr..
Smith and his brother Charles, from
Chicago, and his brother-in-law, on Octo-
Der % last, after a four days journey,
found themselves in a typical old South
ern homestead, twenty-six miles from a
railroad, with the closest %neighbor half a
mile away, and the nearest store WITHIN
a nine miles journey. They were fortu-
nate in getting into an intelligent, Chris
tan family, whose hospitality made the
little party from the North feel perfectly
at home and added much to their en-
joyment of their trip. They rode twenty
six miles in a wagon after leaving the
cars, at Barlow, the county seat of Polk
county. Although in the late fall 1t
seemed to the Northerners that they had
slept over the winter and had awakened
in early summer All nature was green
n b~lossoming. Oranges and grape fruit
loaded down he trees, and the ground
brought forth potatoes, peas, beans,
Strawberries and other vegetables and
fruits. Across the street, or road, from
where Mr.. Smith and his relatives lived
was an orange grove of 120 orange and
81 grape fruits, all laden down with fruit.
On February 10 last a heavy frost Wis
tied that section and did much damage.
1t injured all the pines and young orange
trees, but did not hurt the full
grown trees. All the oranges and grape
fruit were taken from the trees by the
frost, and the only way any were saved
was by burying them in the sand
But this freeze as the natives cali
it, was a very exceptional experience for
that section of the country, for all the
time that Mr.. Smith was there. there
were only three days hat he could not
sit out doors in his shirt sleeves.
Lakemont is on the so-called sand ridge
of Florida, which is 100 feet above the
level of the sea, and extends forty miles
north and south and ten miles east and
west. 1t is an ideal spot for the legiti-
mate sportsman. 1t is surrounded by nu-
merous lakes, which are stocked with
black bass and pickerel, and the country
abounds in deer, wild turkey, partridge
and squirrels. There are seven lakes
within easy access of where Mr.. Smith
stopped, the furthest of these was two
and a half miles away; one was on the
premises and three were within a half
mile. The bottoms of most of the lakes
are of a pure white sand, the same as is
found in the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean. A walk of a mile or two from the
house would bring you to a deer or wild
turkey course, while plenty of the small
er game could be found within a half
mile. Mr.. Smith spent most of his time
hunting or fishing and the remainder sit
ting in the front yard, writing or reading
9Th Jersey City News Mr.. Smith
says he was never more impressed with
H. I1~,-:+,rEoF ~, TT-aJo Co.., flar 1N
was while at Lakemont. Every day a
man ON horseback brought the party
their mail from the nearest postoffice,
twenty-six miles, and your Uncle Sam
paid the bill, the horseman ranking as a
letter carrier. At least four days out of
the six Mr.. Smith spent in hunting and
fishing in one lake or the other. Fish
were plentiful and easily taken. 1t was
simply a question of how many you
wanted. The largest black bass captured
by a member of Mr. Smiths party weigh
ed 111a pounds. The general run was
from five to seven pounds, n nothing
less than two pounds was kept.
On January Q, Mr.. Smith and his party
started in boats on a trip through a
chain of lakes. They first crossed Lake
Reedy, a distance of four and one-halt
miles, and then poled down Reedy Creek
for sixteen miles, to Arbuckle Lake.
The creek was SO narrow that they could
not row and had to pole the entire dis
lance. They rowed the five miles across
Arbuckle Lake and entered the creek of
tina name, which they traversed eight
miles. Then they entered Ash Creek, and
after rowing twenty-eight miles came to
Lake Okeechobee, which is a large body
of water, which finds its way to the At
lantic through the Kissimmee River. 1t
was a most delightful one, the party
pitching camp wherever night found
them. The country is full of pine tim
Der, scrub oak and Palmetto patches. The
trip was not devoid of excitement and
something occurred almost all the time to
keep up the interest. One afternoon,
while they were polling up Reedy Creek,
Mr.. Mumsey Carson; being in the bow
and Mr.. Smith in the stern, a magnificent
que suddenly appeared not more than