The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-16
THE LAND OF FLOWERS.
Trip Through the South with n
Temporary Stay in jacksonville,
Florida.
Jacksonville. Fla. Lee. II, 1902.
C3y J. A. C-ews.>

10y - a S-SSS-
L left Wilmington on tho 5th and
reached here on the Oh. making stops
at Mullins, r. florence, On lrIestJn IN, Savan-
nah and Waycross. Ibis lip of 4ss
miles was made on lie splendid fast
trains OF the greater Atlantic Coast
Line. The service OF this spIond-d sys-
tenn of railways Is scarcely excelled. If
ecualled %, any 9th :: reeds OF the
Running through mostly n
level country, with very 1 CtI" curvature.
the riding on this conIvaly'r trains Is
very pleasant. On my Iast trip here, l
could only reach Charleston on the At
Iantic Coast Line. but this tine / came
the entire uip TO Jacksonville and could
have gone IN through u Torrpa, Punta
Gorda and vartous otl-r points lower
do1yn In Florida on this hne system OF
railways.
1t sounded strange to ne while at
Waycross, Ga, to heir the conductor
calling out "All aboar for Montgom-
cry" or All aboard fer IT, evansville
and Albany" 1t sounded -trange also
to hear The ct Charleston
calling out. All aboard fer ~SaVannah.
Jacksonville and all points south" and
these calls for Atlantic Coast Line
trains,
AS well rs 1 remember when 1 went
to North Carolina IN 1877 there was
nothing OF tie Atlantic Coast Line ex-
cept from J. edmond to Charleston and
Columbia With a single branch from
Rocky Mount to TarDoI0 the gauges
of the Wilmington and Weldon and the
Wilmington. Columbia and Augusta
were different and the trucks had to be
changed a. Wilmington Bul now be-
hold what 4 change a few years has
wrought.
1 had several hours IN Charleston.
long enough to get dinner and take a
street car r.Ge-seeing much If the city.
1 see that III 1890 the pCTulstion was
81. 1855. while in 1900 it Dad increased to
only 55, S07-making It's gICwth about
III per cent.
L found Savannah a pretty, progress
sive and up-to-date city witt. a pOpula-
thon of more than 54.na) with an in
crease in the last ten years of more
than p pc cent. 1 mad neaIly a day
there and Travelled on 100. ara on street
cars some twenty miles sec:hg a great
deal OF the city.
I also found Waycroas to be a pretty
and growing city. 1t Is quit" a railroad
center and ell but one arr Atlantic
Coast Lines roads. and I fEd Jackson
vile to be rne of our moSC beautiful and
most progressive southern cities. Its
population Las increased from 1901 in
1890 TO 2S.429 in, 1900. y: more than 60
per cent.
This is my fourth visit here. Many
years ago l spent parI OF two winters
travelling ONeI the state and visiting
the JacksJ vile and OCala eXpositions.
In the early part of 1909. Jacksonville
was the first stop 1 made on my never
to-be forgotten trip around the world
we live N. In January o. this year, /
made u snort stop here On my trip to
Cuba and the Bahama IsIaItos. and ]
hone I am Thankful for pha rIiVflnOp of
being in TINS pretty pushing. southern
city and in the Land or Flowers" once
more; for lis down her" that there
are sunshine. birds and lowers all the
year round.
1 see many North CaOIiniCns here in
Jacksonville as 1 also saw nIany in Sa-
Yannah and Waycross, and it makes
me feel much more at t' me to see
them. They are getting TO be quite
strong in a business Way here. l would
like to me ition names ar! firms of peo-
pie from North CarollEa VIII IN 1 have
met here and in other places If time
and space would permit.
Since reaching here 1 have been al
most all DER the city OIL loot and on
street cars. Today 1 took a long walk
over the burnt district and visited the
ostrich farm and also went down and
took a view of the beautiful river. st.
JChns and saw the large steam ship
Apache come in from New York loaded
to the water line with freight and pas
sengers. This is one OF the Clyde Hines
finest and largest ships.
The burnt district of the city is being
very rapidly Quilt up. Pretty residences
and public buildings are t. be seen IN
every direction. Secretary Charles Il
Smith of the board of rad informed
me today mat while nedTlv tWe nty-four
hundred buildings wer- destroyed.
more han that number wee now COM
pleted AMI being constructed The fol
lowing brief description WI. give the
reader an .dea Of the greatness of that
awful fire:
ION Ma 3. 1901. at e." p. ~. a IRE
broke out in Cleveldm1s Fibre Fac
tory, IN the northwestern section Of the
city of Jacksonville \ BRISK north
western wia1 quickly sLread the flames
to adjacent dwellings, n before the
fire department could reach the scene
the fire wd: beyond CoLtr"l and swept
rapidly in u southedaterIy direction.
The wind became q furIoES gale and the
houses being chiefly fTarlC. burned like
cigar boxes. and as there had been a
long dry spell, the nyinE Ciniers We're
carried from roof to roof until the city
became = ,oaring furna"a OF fame. in
which solid brick buildings melted like
wax, and Notwithstanding The citizens
of F~ernan1ipa. Tampa. st. Augustine
and sent their fire depart
ments to The assistance Of the Jackson
vile IRE department., Ut SEE -. m. one
hundred and forty blocks. covering an
area of four undred and ffyy five acres
OF the best and most 2cDuicus portion
of the city was in ashes, en:b acing the
city hall and market lie DUIal county
court house. the county clerks office,
with all thu public records. the armory,
the boar1 II trade and city library,
the fire department arC three engine
houses, the police headquarters, the city
iail the Seminole and Eihs club build
dngs. seventeen churches and the higa
school.
The total humble OF buildings con-
sumed was two thousand three hun
dred and SiAty-eight, aid the number
of people rendered homeless was about
ten thousand. The value Of property
destroyed was about from twelve to fif-
teen million dollars, ON which there was
only six million dollars insurance"
t is said that this. was the most rapid
fire, considering area covered, on re-
cord. 1t burned from IL sc o. m. until
DON ~ ~, ,5-, -;nr r-hioh rtY,a IiS SnIl1r6c