Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-03-08

time trust has succeeded in drain
ing the life from the tree-a three
year process-it is sawed up into
lumber. The lumber trust has
evidently not arrived there vet. as
the prices are quite moderate. but
the country is being devastated and
looks like destruction.
One would naturally think from
the presence Of phosphate mills that
the all important fertilizer would
be near at hand and cheap, but it
all has to be shipped out of the
country and be made over with
other additions. and when it gets
back, q finished product, it costs $40
per ton.
At Punta Gorda we got our first
view of the Gulf of Mexico. and
the electric fan the porter turned
on felt good. This town evidently
had boom in the past, but now is
dead enough. The big hotel is un-
painted and falling down. Fishing
seemed to be the only thing doing,
and the town was given over to the
blacks. There seemed to be a great
lack of paint all over the State.
Even in the big towns, and through
the country not house in sight
was painted.
We got to FIT Meyers, late as
usual, and found the land party |
had been chasing gone on up river
to Citrus Centre, a point | was
bound for. There was nothing to
do but wait till morning for the
mail boat, and meanwhile to find
hotel, and bath and shed some Of
nv clothes. Then ] took a stroll
through town. and it was surely
wonderful to a man from the frozen
North. All the front yards were
full of palm trees, and every kind
of Towering tree and shrub. The
orange and grape fruit trees were
full of fruit and blossoms and
the air was almost oppressive with
sweetness. Bushels of the fruit
were lying on the ground under the
trees seemingly of not enough value
to pick up.
l turned in early to be ready for
the morning mail boat up the
Caloosahachee. and found my bed
under a balloon affair worked by cord
and pully for protection against
night marauders. l ate my early
breakfast. by the light Of a tallow
candle. served by a gentleman as
black as the ace of spades.
The mail boat was small one
carrying but Is passengers but she
sure was a "fyer": we stopped
everywhere along picking up pas
sengers.
At Fl. Meyers the river is a mile
wide, but it becomes narrower. so
we could see both shores which
were lined with big palm trees
and live oaks draped with yards of
Spanish moss. The river is the out
let of Lake Okeechobee and has
been dredged so that it is navigable
to the lake by means of canals. 60
feet wide. The State is now dig
ging a canal from the lake to the
Atlantic ocean making a short cut
from New York to New Orleans and
the Panama Canal-and incidentally
draining the Everglades. We met
lots Of freighters coming down
river loaded to the waters edge
with fruit for the eastern markets.
There are no railroads so the river
furnishes the only transportation.
Orange and grape fruit trees stand
so near the water that bushels of
the fruit were lying in the mud
or floating down stream. Each
town and big fruit farm have a
packing house and the "culls' are
thrown into the river. It seemed a
shocking waste, they all looked
good to me-
The mail boat goes only to LaBelle
Park and then we got small gaso.
line boat to take US to Citrus
Centre, twelve miles further up into
the Wilderness on the edge of the
Everglades. We saw two alligators
and a poison moccasin which was &
bad locker.
We were met at the wharf by g
mule team. and taken mile and 8
half to "Citrus Centre" which
consists of one nothing else
in sight for miles and miles. W.
had a fine supper and the eighty
guests turned in by 9p. M, as
the electric lights go off soor
after. NV room had q beds in il
and all but two were occupied
Next morning, declining to go out
to look at any more sand-whict
the agents call land -, Joined (
party which chartered private
yacht and ''set sail" for Lake
Okeechobee. the third largest lake
excepting Michigan lying all within
; the United States.
! The route is by canal to Lake
Hicpochee-twice the size of Greer
Lake, then still on by canal to thu
big lake, which looks like the
ocean only smoother. and on ever,
side the terrible Everglades with