The Republican journal., 1905-03-16
Letter From Florida.
Something About the Everglades. Palm
Beach Personals.
Correspondence of The Journal. ]


PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, March 5,
1905. Most of the readers in the north
are laboring under the impression that
the Everglades are impenetrable ana
that they abound in snakes and alllga-
tors as well as Indians, who with their
ducouts sail about without mOlestatlon
from the whites. Mr. listed, "a we'll
known photographer, who comes here
from the north makes visit each year
with an Indian guide into the heart OF
the Everglades, where he spends sew
eral weeks. He has earned the title OF
the ..Big White Chief" and tells many
stories of the interior. Last week he
made trip into that section and found
the Indians participating in their an
nual "corn feast" No white man is
permitted to be present at this celebra-
ton, and so Mr.. Histed postponed his
trip until some weeks later. This is
VIVA. he has told me of the interior:
The islands of the Everglades are
covered with luxuriant virgin forests.
The live oaks and the bays are present
in large numbers, interspersed with
wild cucumbers, wild lemon and wild
orange. The papaya, the custard APP
pie and the prickly ash are of very fire.
auent occurrence, and here and there,
governed by the size and elevation OF
the islands, are the cabbage palmetto
and pine. Wild rubber trees are also
found in some localities, growing to
enormous size. Throughout the region
there is phenomenal growth of vines.
The morning glory and honeysuckle at
tain great size and are almost every
where. The wild fig. which fastens it
self about a massive trunk OF live oak
or hay. lives it's cannibal life until the
supporting tree trunk has been destroy
ed. Wherever the land is dry enough
the coentie plant tiourishes. This plant
is really the Florida arroWroot. 1t is
the mainstay of the Seminole. From
its root he extracts flour and starch,
both of which are delicate and dlgeStl-
BILE
A team of white baseball players from
Ormond came here last week and play
ed a game of baseball with the colored
team from the Hotel Royal Poinclana.
The colored team beat the whites, one
to nothing 1t was one of the cleverest
games of ball ever seen on the diamond.
Readers who live in the north would
think nothing of this, but the fact that
white boys should condescend to play
ball and actually be beaten by the neg
roes. causes a great deal of criticisms. IL
yoa who live in the north have for a
moment believed in equality, visit to
Georgia and Florida and association
with the white residents would surprise
you. The feeling is even more intense,
| am thinking, than it was before the
war
We had word from Mr. Marcellus
r. Knowlton last week, who with Mrs.
knowlton is pleasantly spending the
winter at Seabreeze, farther up the
coast, midway between Daytona and
Ormond. He reports delightful win
ter, and says that the warm sunny skies
and ideal surf bathing are very con-
uuCiF0 w Hlo ooas eiSiS'
At Miami next week the County Ag-
ricultural Fair will open for the week
and there is likely to be a very interest
Ing exhibit. The fruits and flowers are
rallving from the recent freeze and there
is everything to make a very successful
fair
Miss Margaret, daughter of Capt.
"Bob" White of the steamer Miami,
while enroute to school the other morn
Jug ON her bicycle was attacked by a
vicious dog and one of her leg was Sc
verely lacerated. Capt. White, who is
native of Belfast, where he has many
friends, has been a resident of Miami
for some years. His ship which is one
of the finest in the Peninsular and Oc-
cideMtal line, sails from there.
Miss Rose f. Cleveland, accompanied
bv Miss Ames, who are well known as
summer residents of 1slesboro, have
been spending the winter farther south
AT Napes-on-the-G Gulf, where Miss
Cleveland has beautiful winter home
They will return north for short time
before going to Maine for the summer
months.
A recent issue of the Savannah News
speaks very highly of the schooner
Horace A. Stone which was then in
port. This schooner is said to be of the
finest to visit that port in recent years.
1t will be remembered that the ''Stone''
was finished in Belfast, although her
hull was built in Brewer
The recent freeze in this State, which
was so disastrous to fruit growers,
killed many thousands of the fish in
the lake and waters of the Atlantic
adjacent. A very peculiar fish known
here as the ''moon fish, is SO named
from its peculiar shape, and bright
Transparent colorng. The fish is almost
purp white and nearly round except for
the tail and mouth. The morning after
tie freeze went down to the lake and
there the poor little fish were seen
swimming toward the shore in blind
fashion. only to turn over and die when
they reached the banks. Similar con-
ditions were observed with the toad
fish and others.
The name OF Wilson is quite common
haro INT aside from that there are