The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-04-10
BLOOMFIELD MAN
SAYS FLORIDA IS
AUT0|STS PARADISE
Jay L. Adams, Jr., Writes of
Interesting Trip Through
the Southern State.

Jay l.. Adams, jr., of Bloomfield, Who
recently returned from an extended
motoring trip through Florida, during
which time he attended the automobile
races on the Daytona-O rmond beach
track, gives it as his opinion that
Florida is destined to become a
motoring paradise in the course
of a very few years, as the
authorities there are waking up
inducement, the Northern motorists will
come to spend the winter with their
cars In over Increasing numbers. Mr..
Adams, VITO Is a member of the New
Jersey Automobile and Motor Club.
went South armed with letters to sew
eral prominent motorists of Florida, and
was extended every courtesy by the
officials of the Florida East Coast Au-
tomobile Club, who are conducting a
strenuous campaign to turn the almost
impossible highways of some portions
of the State into fine shell or mari
roads. Mr.. Adams says in part:
Referring to roads in Florida and
our experience on same: We arrived
at Beresford,- the steamboat landing
on the st. Johns river for De Land, and
found the first two miles of the road
to be what is called a pine needle
road that is, the droppings of the leaves
from the long-leaf pine are collected
and put over the sand, which prevents
a wagon or an automobile from sinking
into the loose sand. This kind OF road
is fine to ride over, being springy, and
fast time can be made on same. The
last mile of this road Is made of mari,
which is taken nut wet from a pit or
bank and put on the roadbed and rolled
smooth. The hot sun bakeS this o
and makes 1t as hard as macadam.
These roads get holes in them which
are not filled up as they should be, n
the bumps one gets, if not careful, are
d caution. The road from De Land to
Daytona is about twenty-four miles
long and has been built at an expense
of $3.50, 900. This road has all been
built by convict labor, hired by a con-
tractor. The road from Daytona to
Port Orange is a mari road, and is good
thence on to New Smyrna, fifteen miles
from Daytona. The road from Port
Orange to New Smyrna Is made of shell
and Is superb. The road winds
through palmetto and live oak forests
heavily hung with Spanish moss, often
passing through large orange groves
redolent with bloom. After leaving Or
mond and coming toward st. Augustine
the road runs through vast open pine
forests. In many places heavy sand
is encountered. to get through which
one has to go back to second speed.
Where small streams are met with the
Florida East Coast Automobile Club
have built troughs which are just wide
enough and placed far enough apart
for q motor car to run across. These
troughs are made to take a 56-ineh
tread Northern machine or a 6O-inch
tread Southern machine. The road
from. st. Augustine to Jacksonville is
almost impossible in some places, as at
fords the machines have to be hauled
through with block and fall. The ques-
ton of good roads in Florida is being
very vigorously taken up. II has been
said that the authorities of the various
counties along the coast from Jackson
Vile to Miami are considering the ques-
ton of putting in good auto roads all
along the coast. State legislation is
talked of. and the State seems to be
| thoroughly aroused on the question
Florida is blessed with an abundance of
good road material, and all that is
needed is a little energy and lots of
value will attach itself to property now
| almost worthless on account of being
inaccessible owing to the poor road
conditions"