Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-05
TOURISTS IN FLORIDA
Probably Over Twenty Million
Dollars Spent in a Season.
OVER 100000 VISITORS
characteristics of the More Notable
Colonies.
GREAT NEED OF GOOD ROADS
Plenty of Material to Be Found at
Hand-Example Set by Mr..
Flagler.
GREAT NEED OF GOOD ROADS

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
PALM BEACH. February IS. 1907.
1t would be interesting to know how many
tourists and health and pleasure seekers
come to Florida during the winter and how
much money they spend. 1t is difficult to
make more than rough estimate. In Swift
zerland they can tell almost to a mananda
dollar. because daily registers are published
of arrivals and the bank deposits at the re-
sorts show exactly how much money is
taken in; but there is no such system here,
and. consequently, no sound basis for a cal
culation. We can get at it in a sort of a
way, however. There are on the East Coast
railway south of Jacksonville 1874 hotels.
There are twenty-four in that city accom-
mOdating from 20 to 600 guests respective
ly, total of about 5000 At St. Angus
tine are twenty-seven of similar size, that
can accommodate $500 people; at Palm
Beach there are fifteen, with capacity of
1000 guests: at Daytonia thrty-one, with
accommodations for from 20 to 200: Palatka
and Ormond have seven each, with a ca
pacity of 90 to 600. and at Miami are twelve,
of about the same size
The 1SS hotels on the East Coast railroad
can accommodate altogether not less than
-b,Ub people, ana tDere are boarding houses
in every town and village which charge
from 81 day upward. You can find list
in one of the railway advertising books Civ
ing the locations, the names of proprietors
the number of rooms and the charges by
day or week. This year they have all been
filed and people have been packed away on
cots Last winter was a poor season; il
warm in the north that people did
not come SO far south. The hotels a Wash
ington were crowded all winter with people
who usually come to Florida The winter
of 1000 was the banner season-the most
profitable ever known. because it was cold
and stormy in the north. and it is estimated
that more than 100000 strangers came into
the state for pleasure or profit. and proba-
bly, each one of them spent 800. That is a
low estimate, because the railway fare
from Washington to Palm Beach and return
is $50, without including sleeping berths
The total for railway fare. board. amuse-
ments and purchases must have aggregated
as much as s20.OO0,OOO. and it was undoubt-
eddy nearer thirty millions.
The Flagler Hotels.
Mr. Flagler can tell exactly how many
people are taken care of at his hotels, be-
gets a report every morning. The capacity
of his nine hotels is as follows:
Ponce DO Too, 9, ,u.n.,,,. Guests;
Alcazar, st. Augustine .................... 600
Continental near Jacksonville. .......... 800
Ormond, at Ormond .s................... coo
Inc BreakeFs, Palm Beach. 900
Royal Ponciana, Pa1m Reach .......... I5OO
Royal Palm, Miami. ....................... 500
Royal Victoria Nassau NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 4o9
iotai. .'............ -..-.......-...-. o,ioo
Some of these hotels open in December
and the rest in January and all of them
close about the first of April except the
Continental, which is a summer hotel for
southern patronage on the sea beach twen-
ty miles from Jacksonville, and is open
from March TO October. The big Poinciana
is open from January 10 to March 81,
average OF eighty days a year. which is
about the same all the rest
Last winter total of 1S9, S44 guests were
reported in the daily returns from the six
winter hotels in Florida belonging TO Mr..
Flagler. This means. of course. that the
same person is counted several times. but
that gives an average of nearly $500 guests
per day for the entire season. The Cont
mental and the Nassau hotels not in
Guided. Assuming that each guest remain
ed an average Of three days this represents
a total of nearly $1,000 people at the Flagler
hotels alone, without counting the 1872 hotels
under other management.
The receipts of the Fldgler hotels for
the season of eighty days were S1.430. 900,
which is equivalent TO an average of about
$4,000 day for the six hotels.
Interests Work Together.
There is good deal of curiosity as to
whether Mr. Flagler's enterprises pay. AS
no reports are made the public has no in
formation on this subject, and everybody
in his employ is exceedingly discreet in dis
cussing such matters. Mr.. F1agler's income
is very large. He is one of the six richest
men in the United states in the world.
His interest in the Standard Oil Company
is second only TO those of John d. and Will
liam Rockefeller, and even If his railroad
and hotels down here paid him an Irish
dividend every year he would not be obliged
TO borrow money appeal to his friends
FOR assistance. But he is an exceedingly
shrewd and long-headed man, and the gen.
eral opinion is that his interests pay as a
combination, although. as separate propo-
sitions they might not do The hotels
contribute business to the railroads and the
railroads bring down guests to the hotels.
It's a long days trip from Jacksonville to
Palm Beach and two hours and half lon
ger to Miami. The railway makes a mar
ket for the land, and the farmers furnish
freight to the railroad. Owning everything
himself and having to ask no ones con-
sent or opinion, Mr. Flagler can work one
of his interests for the benefit of the others
and get all there is to be had out of all of
them.
1t is an exceedingly satisfactory situation
when man can go into great business
enterprise without considering whether IL
is going to pay him not, and that is
Mr.. Flagler's good fortune. His ambition
is not to make money. but to build up the
state and while the qualification will be all
the greater If he finds balance on the
right side of the ledger, he does not hest
tate on that account.
Some of the Colonies.
Most of the colonies along the road have
been well advertised in song and story, as
well as In railway folders. and the col
umns of magazines and newspapers
Florida has a large literary population
Lots of northern people who make their
living with their pens come down here for
the winter and write books and magazine
articles about the country, and each pro-
claims the advantages and the beauties of
his favorite locality Most of the colonies
have thus become well known, and while
they are all more or less alike, some have
a distinct individuality.
Fort Lauderdale. for example. Is trad
Ing post of the Seminoles and the entrance
to that mysterious region known the
Everglades which begins only a few miles
distant. The New river. on which the fort
was formerly located, is utilized by them
as a highway TO bring out their fish, SKINS
furs and other articles which they barter
for supplies of food and clothing. There is
always collection of nondescript-l looking
Indians around the railway station and the