Fort Pierce news. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) 190?-1920, 1911-03-10

after having lost two and a half bours
ran nearly twenty miles out of our wav
ana used up over half Of our fuel. This
proved to be the Arcadia road and in
excellent condition the balance of the
way across the saw grass and at times
we registered thirty miles per hour and
very seldom less than twenty. Leaving
the saw grass we took an old abandoned
road across the cattle country on which
we made poor time getting around fall.
en- timber, ETC., but scared up deer on
the route. AT 2'3O we found settle
ment but found no one at home till we
struck the school house, where we
broke up the school temporarily and
got some good road directions from one
OF the pupils, boy about Is. who in.
formed us that was Fort Center school.
Here we saw the first person since leav.
ing Kissimmee River at 9;20.
Six miles from Fort Center we cross
ed Fish Eating creek, which is one Of
the big streams Of that section and car
ries large volume of water during the
wet seasons. Here we lost more time,
for Mr.. Penny tried to catch flock of
wild turkeys which the car scared up,
but the big birds were too nimble and
outdodged the Ford 10 the palmettoes.
Half an hour later, after running
through more pasturage, we reviewed
an object lesson in land clearing. Some
land company has sold several thousand
acres of this land to settlers and are
clearing it for the purchasers by means
of traction engine and gang plows
All that is necessary is TO run the en-
CINE over it and scratch the surface
with the plows, the light palmetto
scrub being only about six to eight
inches high with very little roots. We
judge the purchasers have never seen
What they have bought.
Continuing the run southwest we
reached the Caloosahatchee river, one
of the prettiest, as well as one of the
most crooked, streams in the state, and
crossed to Labelle at five o'clock. Forty
minutes was spent here, during which
time we secured enough gasoline to
anlsh che fun 70 Fort Myers, 81 miles.
Ths 6fip then for IS miles was over
heavy sand road, and we again got lost
and wandered about three miles out Of
our way until resident of the Buck
ingham settlement kindly put US on
the right road and the last ten miles of
the run was over hard rock road. We
reached Fort Myers at nine O'Clock
and did full justice to supper in res
taurant and later slept the sleep of the
weary in the comfortable beds of the
Cottage Home, cozy hotel on the
main street.
All day Wednesday we took in the
city and were delighted with every
thing we saw. The many pretty homes
of the residents and winter visitors
show taste and afiuence, the well kept
clean streets speak well for the city
government, and the condition OF the
streets surface also impressed US
They have been treated to a coat OF oil,
which has not only preserved the paw
ing but eliminated the dust and glare
Miles of substantial cement sidewalks
also add to the beauty OF the place. The
city is on a boom, as was attested on
every hand. Probably nowhere were
there greater evidences OF this tnan In
the newspaper offices Both the Lee
County News and the Fort Myers Press
have more than they can do and the
proprietors of the latter intend to add
to their burden by starting daily next
week.
All Of the Fort Myers citizens with
whom we talked were delighted as well
a. surprised TO know that the run mad
been made from Fort Pierce 10 one DAY
and judging by the enthusiasm OF some
Of them il Is probable that an attempt
win be made 10 lower our record for the
nm ana more passage will be made
over the route between the two coasts.
Returning we left Fort Myers at 4:lS
a. m. and arrived at Labeile As 7Do.
Here we ate q hearty breakfast at the
hotel and replenished our gasoline sup
Div, remaining one hour at this pretty
little town. ....,a
ocossIug the river at 800 we passed
through i new colony about SIX miles
A l.. sol