The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1911-05-19
THE SUMMERS
IMPORT PIERCE
The President of Board of Trade
DispeIIs Usual Notions
COOL BREfZtS PREVAIL
No Case of Sunstroke Ever Occurred in
Florida - Gulf and Atlantic Breezes
Sweep State-Nighls are Cool
Fort Pierce, Fla, MAY 10, 1911

Fort Pierce, Fla, May 10, 1911.
Editor The TRIBUNE:
! am informed that many people have
been deferred from coming to Florida,
as bona tide settlers, for the reason
that they fear the heat of the summers
will be uncomfortable to the northern
temperament.
This letter is for the express purpose
of alaying such fears by giving the ex-
act truth as to climatic conditions, as
borne out by the writer's experience,
with Florida summers, for about twen-
ty.fve years.
When | first came to Florida in the
winter of '86, | looked with the grea:-
est apprehension to my first summer
and secretly vowed to myself that when
the heat became too great would re-
turn to the old home state for few
months, or until the insufferable hot
period had passed.
Imagine my pleased surprise when |
discovered that the supposed unbear-
able hot period never came, and that
was cooler, when living on the EAST
Coast" of Florida, in the summer
months, than had been elsewhere dur
ing the same months. If had taken
time to think a little | might have
known that my exaggerated notions OF
climatic conditions here could not be
sustained in fact. How could we suf-
fer with unusual hot periods when on
both sides of this "shOe string state"
the magnificent ocean breezes are in
cessantly tanning the whole state, and
there is no time, during the hottest
months, when one can not keep re-
freshingly cool when in the shade. Hot
nights are unknown to Floridians, and
it is seldom one can sleep through a
Florida night without resort to some
sort of covering before morning. The
highest have ever known the mercury
to rise here was one hundred and TIN ee
degrees, and that happened only once
with in my memory and lasted only a
few hours. 1t is seldom that the mer-
curry reaches 95 even for short time at
mid day. OF course, it would be folly
to say that one can keep cool in the
mid summer sunshine, but Vt Is
positively true that one can cool otf al
most too suddenly when one resorts to
the shade. 1t is a remarkable fact
that there has never been case OF
sun stroke in Florida Evidently this
condition is true because there is no
continual hot period night and day. -,
In nv native state | have wallowed
all night long in suffused perspiration
because of the oppressive heat OF the
night, but here can always sleep,
with the cooling breezes of the ocean
filling nv bedroom, and making my
night rest thing of JOY instead OF
torture. Even while am now writing
the waves are ripping along the sur
face of Indian River (only one block
away and the trees, shrubery ana
flowers are nodding, like some animate
thing, under gentle winds from ola
Neptune, just two miles to the east OF
Fort Pierce. 70. the skepticai nave
onIy to say; try it for yourself and see
if What have written is not true IN
every line. A young lady residing IN
fine northwest, wrote a friend. some
time ago: at is one hundred and seven
degrees here, in the shade, and am
almost Frustrated with the heat; what
must it be in Florida!" Imagine her
surprise when informed that it was
then eighty degrees with US, and that
Florida was a stranger to the tempera-
ture complained of by her. No; it is a
trayesty on Florida to say that our
summers are insufferably hot, and that
one can not remain here all the year
round without suffering great discom-
fort from the heat. suppose that i'm
preston prevails because this is sub
tropical country. and it is natural to
suppose that our summers must neces-
sarilv be hot. Come and live with US
and let us prove the truth of our state
ments. Very sincerely yours
"N A. D. PENNEY,
President Board of Trade.