The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-10

j. A. Crews Now Seeing Jackson
viIIe-The Fire Swept District BE-
ing Rebuilt Rnpidly-Quarter Of q
Million Dollars Being Paid Ont
weekly.e
(special Correspondence.l

L left the historic old city OF Charles
tor yesterday at 6:10 a m and reached
this city at l2:45 p. m. The distance is
Isl miles, and the run was made in
NEARLY seven hours. About forty sta
tions were passed. twelve counties ira
lyersed and several rivers crossed. the
Largest of which were the Savannah. Al
tamaha and Ogeechee, all in Georgia.
This long run was made on one of those
lsplendidly equipped fast trains of the
IAtlantic Coast Line and Plant systems.
The country being generally level and
1.-THE roads with comparatively little cur
IVature. with smooth tracks, fine SER
vice and everything modern and up-to-
date. IL would be hard to ind moreA
comfortable travelling anywhere in the
world than on these great systems.
/ really regretted to leave Charleston
land the great South Carolina Inter-
State and West Indian Exposition,
where 1 was having such a pleasant
l%soiourn with mine host Hinton at the
splendid hotel Argyle. and seeing the
interesting and varied sights of the
great show and the historic old city. but
] felt that / must move on if / expect
ed to reach those far south isles of the
sea for the sight of which 1 was greatly
longing.
Out from Charleston seven miles, at
ASHLEY Junction, the watches of all the
passengers suddenly became an hour
too fast. The cause of this was hat we
had crossed the meridian or line which
divides eastern from central time. / am
still holding on to the Die North State
time. or the time beyond the line, if 1t
docs keep ahead of the time of the good
lpeople down here a little.
soon after reaching this beautiful
city the metropolis of the
nountainless state of Florida, and find
ing myself comfortably quartered with
Mr.. G.. z. Smith at the Windell hotel.
4 was ready for a tour of the district
where the great fire swept everything
before it the 3rd of last May for a dis
Itance of two miles long n half a mile
Notwithstanding hundred
or one hundred and forty
eight blocks, estimated to have been
worth $12. 900. 900. l walked from the
IWindell hotel the entire width of the
burnt tract to the city waterworks,
urned and walked in another di-
Irection to where the fine hotels Windsor
and st. James once Stood, and where,
year before last. while on my tour OF
the world. n many years g when l
a part of two winters here. l saw
one of the prettiest and most beauti-
fully shaded parts of the city, I could
" SNS Il NV AASA w.
that stood then in all of the one-half by
two miles over which the fire passed.
But great progress is being made in
building up that great space. L am told
THAT more than fourteen hundred per-
mits have been issued for the creation
of buildings since the fire, and that now
in the neighborhood of a quarter of a
million dollars is being paid out weekly
for the construction of various kinds Of
buildings. 1t is said that at sunset on
the day of the great fire there were ten
Thousand people homeless and with
with which to face the world
the clothes they wore; yet the
recovery from this serious state of at
fairs has been so rapid that the Times
Union of today says:
1.-THE books of the clearinghouse AS
%|sociation. which includes the First Ma
|tional Bank of Florida, the Commercial
bank. the National Bank of Jackson
willie. and National Bank of the State Of
FlOrida-four of seven banks Of the
.city-show not only a marked, but a
wonderful increase in the business of
-901 Over that of 1900. the increase being
81 024. 724. 04. In all branches Of
the transportation business there has
a large increase, n the various
transportation ines have had more bus
mess the past summer than at any
other time. The wholesale business out
of Jacksonville for 1901 has been ahead
of anything on record. and has also been
important factor in this wonderful
increase of business through the
BANKS"
All over the burnt section of the city
new buildings of various kinds are rap
idly going up, and in a short time it
will present a prettier appearance than
before the fire except the thousands of
beautiful shade trees which 1T will take
to replace. The new Windsor no.
tel is nearing completion and the rub
bish from the site of the st. James is
being removed preparatory to rebuild
ing The Windell hotel, where l am
stopping. is a new hotel in the burnt
section.
The tourist season is now on hand
and thousands of people are coming
here from all parts of the country and
the various railways are making ar
engagements accordingly. The Times
Union of today says:
"This is a busy time at the railroad
offices. The rush of ravel to Florida
the winter now begins in earnest
The first of the magnificent tourist
will start on Monday. The rail
roads expect an unprecedented business
and are making preparations accord
ingly. The passenger agents here arc
now about the busiest men in town. n
Transportation Row is a lively place
have the various ines entering |
here offered so fine a service as will be
the case this year. All the comfort and
luxury that is possible in the highly de-
veloped modern methods Of travel will
put into effect. and the wealthiest in
the land will find nothing hat can in
them. though their journey
be a thousand miles to Florida's
welcoming cline. Through v~estihuled
with dining, drawing room,
and observation cars. Will
whisk the travellers from the regions OF
and ice to the magnificent resorts
in Florida. On the 5th and eth the
rains that will he inaugurated will be-
those from the west from Chicago, ST.
Cincinnati. etc. SThe New York
specials. the Southern Palm Limited.
and the Atlantic Coast Line New York