The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-06
SPLENDID PALM BEACH
By Frederic J. Haskin.

i y T
 Palm Beach. Fla, Jan. 5--An Eder created out of a wilderness by the < magic of money that rich Americans may have a winter paradise--that Is " FalIu Beach. At the easternmost point
 Of the Florida peninsula. warmed by $ <fe sweep of the great Gulf Stream ii
 is the -northernmost point on the
 Atlantic Coast where one may find the <Eepuine tropics. It is directly south tof Pittsburg and is the nearest tropi- 4nai resort for the millionafres of ChscaEo. Cleveland, Cincinnati and Rftssburg. as we'll as for the, very wealthy people of New York, Boston
 Philadelphia and Washington.
 Here Henry H. Flagler. the genius of the Florida East Coast, has his InagnIficent winter palace. Mir. John X, D. Rockefeller not long ago modestly Itaxowed that Mir. Flagler was the brains of the creation of the Standard Oil z Eompany However that may be, 1t Is 4 gospel truth that Mir. Flagler was the ttbrains and the money and the creative agent In reclaiming the East coast of the Florida peninsula from the primeval estate of the Jungle King.
 Palm Beach is located on the mar row strip of land which separates Lake Worth from the ocean. Lake Worth is really salt water lagoon, a mar TOW sound. twenty-two miles long and
 
 which divides it from the ocean is also about a mile wides Years and years ago q few adventurous persons with some money. and with a great desire to escape from cold winters, came here and established holmes for themselves. using yachts for fngress and egress. Mir Flagler came with the railroad, which he owns, and built the great tfQurist hotel, which he owns, and es- taniished town. which he owns in 5 essence if not in fee simple. The few people who were here when he came 5 he has made rich. Those who have come { since owe their prosperity to him. N Bpmewhere men may rail against the z standard oil. somewhere men may say HIaEler is ''malefactor of great wealth" somewhere men may look upon Flagler's millions as tainted money--but not on the Florida East Geast Here Henry M. Flagler is the fairy godmother. the perennial Santa Claus. the indulgent father of every man and every enterprise.
 On the narrow strip of land between Lake Worth and the ocean and facing the lake, MT. Flagler built the Royal foinciana Hotel. It has been enlarged more than once until now 1t Is the largest tourist hotel in the world. A little more than half a mile to the east 1acing the ocean, Mir. Flagler built. me Breakers. another immense hotel. On the lake a little south of the Royal Poinciana he built his own palace. Whitehall. Up and down the beach for several miles are scattered the villas of other millionaires who come here to live in the winter and enjcy the gayety afforded by the socie- tv of the merely transient wealthy ones who stay at the Royal Poinciana and The Breakers.
 he Saag0u haDfna ahouf ba fiv,,a oF the Christmas holidays, and continues through the month of March, For nine months of the year all this mag niffcenee and splendor is deserted, but the three months shine with added glory because the reign, is so brief, Hundreds of caretakers are present all the year round of course It requires an expenditure of S250.000 each year to open the hotels of the Flagler Florida Coast Hotel system. That in cludes the expense of cleaning up the grounds. re-arranglng the furniture Sand bringing the servants from the North.
 At the two Palm Beach hotels there is a servant on the payroll for every guest. When there are 1900 guests at the Royal Poinciana anu 800 at The Breakers, total of 2,00O, the servants roll will show 2,200 names. This in= clHdes the outside servants as we'll as fn0se who are employed In the hotels. the wheel chair men. the fishing facto- funs. the golf caddies. and so on.
 There are other hotels, several of them across the lake at West Palm Beach and some on the same sacred strip of land with all the milllonaires. They are much cheaper. but they are not what one would call dirt cheap" One of these. situated close to the Royal Poinciana, -nalvely adveftises it. self as 'next to the biggest tourist hotelTsin the world"
 Of things to do the idle rich find great variety at this resort. There is fishing. not so good as at Tampa or Miami perhaps. but also not so strenu- ous. which may be a recommendation. There is yachting and. motor boating and sailing. There Is a stretch of