The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1909-11-25
Letter From j. A. Matthias.
CONTINu ED

In coming through the South
especially Georgia and Northern
Florida, nearly all the timber il
pine, thousands Of them tapped to
make turpeptine with, occasion.
ally a turpentine, still land mostly
lays well, but poorly fenced OF
farmed, good deal not fenced al
all and grown up with kind of
rough grass or weed about Is
inches to 2 feet high, looks brown
and dead like from the cars, tits
even in the cotton fields or corn.
fields which are not plenty. !
think if the people from the Hook
ing rolling prairies were down in
Georgia and would work as the
majority do there in Ohio, they
would surely find it much easier to
make living and make money be-
sides, and would not freeze seven
months In year as quick as they
left the room with big fire in it
and a couple suits of warm cloth
ing and u big overcoat on.
Jacksonville has improved wond-
erfully in the last few years, so
said by those who ought to know.
1t is indeed a fine city, fully up
to Cincinnati or Columbus in ap-
pearance, neatness, etc. Here we
visited, besides the city, st. Johns
River and the Ostrich Farm, most.
ly full grown birds, not all, sever
al small bears, wolves, guineas,
pigs, crocodlles, rattle snakes,
turkeys, chickens, skunks, hawks
white rats, and l forget to say
about 20 ostriches, mostly large
enough to trot off with a man on
their back. After s P. NJ. we
boarded the cars on the South
Bound East Coast train, arriving
at New Smyrna about 10 p. M
We Immediately started for the
Byrd House, where we were ac-
commodated with beds, got good
breakfast then started out to see the
city and look out for accommoda.
tions for the winter of which we
had a foretaste before we left
Ohio, but we soon had to dotf our
winter garments. AS we came
from Jacksonville to New Smyrna
afternlght | cannot say anything
about the country, will try to see
it in the future. 1t certainly is a
pleasant place here, with every
thing green, great festoons of moss
hanging from the live oak and
holly and other trees, oranges be-
ginning to ripen, also the grape
fruit, and we are surely in the
land Of flowers, although not
where they bloom forever, and the
sun is always bright. 1t has been
very dry here this fall, but we
have had several showery days
and nights since We are here, and
today IL was cloudy nearly all day.
l was out in boat fishing this
afternoon with Mr.. Swinefort and
Mr.. Ives. We caught about forty
sailors choice and will have some
for breakfast. We had four or
messes last week. We had oysters
for supper today. Lester gathered
them up last evening at low tide,
Had big mess last week. They
are not very hard to get here, but
taste pretty well.
Last Saturday the 18th. we
made our first visit to the Atlantic,
as it was quite windy none of us
had any anxiety to go sailing, but
me and Lester both took off our
shoes, rolled up our pants and
waded in and had a jolly time
with the waves. Oh, it surely
was grand sight, but prefer
being on terrafrma to being on
boat when the waves are running
ten to fifteen feet high. 1t is one
and half too two mi es to the
Atlantic from New Smyrna, but
is water, part of it bridged and
part of the way graded up, called
Indian River, and a kind of back
water in low places, really part of
the ocean. More anon.