The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-03-18
In SOUTHERN CLINE.
More Notes Of Travel In The Land OF Sunshine and
Flowers By Cecil Countian

came to halt, a long Y mile from
shore. Those who did not see the long
dock had some apprehension how to
reach the city, and how such little
town is going to handle the crowd.
only 5000 inhabitants and the papers
say over 5000 tourists. Well we did
not meet trouble half way and as soon
we could got Off. got busy looking for
place to hang our grips which to Us
was another exemplification that it is
better to be born lucky than rich.
Feeling our inability to take on any
unusual excitement for the balance of
the day. took bath, and refreshing
sleep that did not loose it's bonds till
after the sun had settled beyond an
Iorange grove that loomed UP from our
back window, had stimulated us to the
point of attending a theatre The next
mofning was most beautiful and bright
i and the first impulse was to do up the
town. Being new place and a typi-
cal southern town, the streets run at
] right angles and are very wide, only
j one being paved about one mile tho
most all side walks are laid, giving one
some idea of the thrift of the town. In
1900 three shacks, today {, 900 Of pop
ulation count the census OF the town
with five miles of beautiful water front
| along which in the next five years
sea wall will be built and the 15O acres
OF low land is fast being filled in, ana
in the next three years, at the rate they
have filled in, in the last six months.
Will see the whole of the low lands Id
and around st. Petersburg ali filled In.
This being contract taken on by the
city will be great source Of revenue,
/ and as a winter resort is fast forging
to the front I met people there spend
Ing the winter who live In Frisco, Los
Angeles and Pasadena, who say no
place within the borders of the States
has such a delightful climate, such re-
/ sources for amusement, fruits Of ali
kinds, fishing, boating, all kinds of veg
etables the year around, If people are
not too lazy to grow them. BY. this
time we felt able to do UP the town.
The first thing to interest aus was an
orange grove OF two blocks, right in;
the centre of the city. For the tourists
to say they clipped oranges from THE
trees, the fruit was given, hence sthe
i clipping. Well, we certainly; enjoyed
/ going to the groves of both oranges and
grape fruit, and the hospitality of the
southern owners was very suggestive
of the true courtesy, by giving yolis
/ what you could conveniently carry II
and the people from the North, are also
suggestive, with the trees bending with
oranges, and the grape fruit pulling
the limbs to the ground. had not one
to sell at any price, or give away. This
class Of people you find in every day
life, only one man on this earth.
Our first trip was on trolley OF
about 80 miles to Veteran City, situated
on Boca Ciga Bay. This body or land
is also owned by the City OF st. PEI 1
tersburg, has a beautiful water front
and some day will be city. bat now
has shed for building boats, and In
this shed a post office. Here we took
a steamer for place on the Gulf
coast. 27 miles distant, called Pass-a-
Grill. Nothing of any interest to the
readers of the Midland Jaurnal came
under our observation. only to see la
dies sailing small boats and running
gasoline launches, at the disposal Of
| the many tourists, who have hunted
every little villa within the lines OF
the State for a place to spend some
time, and this has been the banner
winter in the history of the State
Here we are at Pass-a-Grill, a strip Of
land from SO yards wide to 500 yards,
| about Is miles long, separating Boca
Ciga Bay from the Gulf. One might
think at high tide the two bodies OF
water would merge. being so near the
Equator, and the influence OF the Gulf
stream. Seldom the tide rises over Az
| feet, and another strange thing is, the
water is always rolling. never quiet, as
you at times see the Chesapeake, and
most beautiful shells. over which the
tourists go in ecstacies, to see how
far far they can excel each other in ga
this time it was time for dinner This
was fish dinner in the broadest sense.
oSraS 0ystsr;S z s1 s1ams fish Sf all kinds Pre-
took a dip in the, Gulf Of Mexico, and
my kiddish wife was one to add to the
up the bay. for warning we ali well
understood, and at $50 we reached our
haunts haal;i in st, Petersburg MT Editor.
tire you, as well as disgust the many
readers of the Midland journal, beg
closing. Our last visit was to Egg .
mount Key. Fort Dade and the Jack
son grape fruit grove on the Big Mani
wholly given to the raising of grape
fruit, and at tbs the @ time we called they
was vet To- ciin wovIa nHeha ana d waaS
that amount BY $500 boxes. This being
on the frost line, results were feared
cause had q frost come they would have
saved $4,000 by SO doing. In my pre-
eeding letters did not speak disParag-
ingly about Florida beyond what Is
written, or what had seen. All States
have sections inferior to others. In
make any mistake by investing in and
around St. Petersburg. A great strife
Is on now between Tampa and ST.
Petersburg in advent of the Panama
Canal. ST. Petersburg, much nearer by
water, certainly gives her the decided
preference, but Flagler is not to be
his pet railroad has its beginning and
dockage, the finest in the world. The
delightful, only one day has it been
so any could not go out for the rain,
yet we have had plenty, and strange to
say, 1t has fallen at night. Another pc
cullarity of this section is, no twilight,
dark at sunset. and the nights, tho
clear, are very black Was sorry to
see in the home papers Messrs. Biies
and Reynolds did not like Florida
Jacksonville used to be South, but that