The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-28

"REMINISCENCES or FLORIDA.
The Development af the state In
Twenty Five Years.

/ twenty rive hfAfNs
ST. James Hotel. jacksonville. Dec %.
-Twenty-ave years ago my first Florida
letter 90 the Morning News was dated
/ from this hotel. then as now. under the
management Of Mr. J. r. Campbell. che
veteran hotel man OF this state. The only
business. are Col D. L. Maxwell. the
general manager 81 the seaboard Air
| Line Railroad In Florida. and Capt VIM.
A. Shaw. OF the steamer city Of Jack
sonvIlle. and Editor W W Douglass OF
the Metropolis; an OF whom have stuck
90 the "oid rut." and steadily risen TO
positions Of greater influence.
| twenty-five years ago the ST. James
was the only trst-class tourist hotel in
I the state on the main line 81 travel. and
was only about half It's present size: az
( that time Colonel lthen Captain Max
I well was SUPERINTENDENT Of shackly
railroad from Cedar Key 20 Fernaudina
I and to Tallahassee: Capt Shaw was com
mander OF the little steamer Lollie Boy.
owned by Mai. Teasdale Of Palatka, Mr.
W w Douglass was living from hano
90 mouth" serving newspapers that hard
| ~ outlived their infancy. the Savannah
I Morning News then being the daily paper
that brought FUN Geographic news 10 the
! people Of the state. At that time no
waves Of development We're rolling In this
direction. and oven Jacksonville made
very slow progress in the direction OF
her later rapid and substantial develop
ment AZ the chief city of long neglected
state Of the Union.
South Florida was then a sealed book.
No railroads. no clay roads, few ana wide
Iy scattered settlements. and an outlook
for the future that was not encouraging.
1 reached the now famous city of Oca a.
bv going an tie Ocklawaha river ani
riding over from Silver Springs. Where
the elegant brick Ocaia house Of the
Plant System now stands. there was an
old wooden hotel. but we'll kept 10y Land
lord Harris aud his excellent wife. 10 the
S. Johns river into Lake Monroe, the
nov iourishiug Gate City 10 South Flor
ida" known as Sanford, was not To- eN-
lstence. but Mcuonville was quite lively
place To-day there is hardly a trace Of
I that town To be- seen on the lake shore.
TAMPA was "out Of the world" except
hy a steamer line from Cedar Key. then
sharing the honor with plcolata, on the
81 Johns. Of being the most "God-for-
sakeu place" la Florida.
Gov Joseph r. Brown of Georgia. and
other clear headed men who then visited
the state. could not penetrate the future
Of it's career very far beyond Its then
! very slowly and not surely developing
/ condition certainly nowhere near rs pres
ent wonderful growth and activity In all
kinds OF enterprises. The Plant System
was then unknown and the Waycross
short Line hardly dreamed Of by the most
sansuinc developers. 81. Augustine. the
l famous old city OF the state. could he
l reached only by outside steamer or up the
/ 81 Johns aud across from Tocol on
/ shackiy railroad. which dumped you IN
| swamp and compelled you TO ride
corduroy road IN rafting omnibus 10
reach a hotel. But there were men here
| then. pioneers. who had faith in Florida's
/ future. and they held on and pushed ahead
into the anticipated era Of development
As tine years rolled on Manager camp
| hell saw the need OF constant improve
mentr and euiarEemeuts 90 his hotel. ana
I to-day the elegant St James recently
/ modcrnizcd covers an entire square
! fronting 81 james Park. aud has never
seen a season that was not prosperous AMI
successful And u has seen year By year,
new and elegant hotels spring up al
around IL IN the city-the Windsor. the
Carleton. nov the United States HoteD
the Everett. the piacide. the Duval etc.
And all down the East Coast are sent
| tered Flagler's pa,ace hotels. while the
| Plant system palace hotels line the Wori
| Coast Millions aud millions Of dollars
have been put into hotels ln this state
/ since ] wrote my first florida letter from
this. then leading hote. Of Florida.
~ those early days the st. Johns river
was covered with steamers Of al sizes
aud kind Capt Shaw. O. savannah boy.
whose father. Capt shaw was Killed on
the river b. an explosion. then command
"a % the little Lolie BOY Next / fouul
MIN on a larger steamer. the George ~.
Bird. then he suporintonded the building