The Penn's Grove record., 1912-02-16
A PLEASANT TRIP TO FLORIDA
What Jersey Folks Are Doing There

FRIEND SUMMERILL =
Having been a regular correspondent
of you valuable paper several years ago,
| fancied a letter from the Sunny South
and a d description OF our trip might inter
est YOU and your many readers. MY
husband. thinking it would be beneficial
for our health, agreed that the children
and | should spend the winter with my
parents, Mir. and Mrs. Geo. R. Pedrick,
of Pedricktown, in Hallandale.
We had a delightful ocean voyage from
New York to Jacksonville, via Clyde Line
Steamer "Comanche." l proved a good
sailor. not being seasick on my first trip,
but the children were not so fortunate,
Father and mother have not been trou-
bled since their first trip, four winters
ago.
These steamers are quite large, run
thirty miles out at sea and fourteen miles
al hour. They are nicely fitted up with
all conveniences including wireless teIe-
graphy, Tile steamers We passed were
few and far, as we were only near enough
to salute two while on the ocean. A
flock of sea gulls constantly followed us
to devour the refuge that is thrown over
board.
The only landing between ports was at
Charlestown, S. c., where we had a view
OF Fort Sumter. There a large amount oil
freight was unloaded. Newspapers, mail
for the passengers and post cards were
brought aboard. | vent ashore with a
party from New York. We visited the
old slave market OF slavery days, the
custom house, St. Michael's Church, saw
the pew in which Washington sat. We
were then compelled to return to the
steamer thoroughly d~reIiched, owing to a
heavy shower. | did not care Tor this
city. The buildings were old and diIap-
idated and showed the effect OF the re-
cent tidal wave and tornado, but perhaps
we did not see the best part OF it.
The next incident which drew our at
tention was while the steamer Was leav-
ing the dock. The passengers gathered OH
the decks and threw coins to the negroes
on the wharf, who have assisted in ull-
loading the cargo. 1t was great fun to
watch about thirty negroes oil ali sizes
and description clamOring over one an
other to secure the coins. Quite a num-
Der of the nickels and dimes fell over
board, and | thought that would be the
fate of some of the negroes too, then they
would sing and yell lor another shower
of money.
The scenery up the st. Johns river to
Jacksonville is very pretty. The steamer
was in mid-strean and the river not very
wide. We had a plain view OF both
banks. | was more iavorably impressed
with Jacksonville. 1t seemed more like
our northern cities. Owing to the incle-
ment weather which prevailed We were
unable to do any sight seeing, but expect
to visit tile ostrich farm and other points
| of interest on our return trip, which Will
be about the first OF April. We 0 had
365 miles by rail to complete our journey.
Our train LETT at 4 O'Clock, 2. NJ. After
travelling all night We reached our desti-
nation at 7 o'clock i'll the morning. MI.
E. E. Somers was at the depot and ac-
companied us to our bungalow. He has
been South five winters and is very sue
~cessful at farming. He informs us he
will soon pick strawberries. He has
built a cosy new bungalow here this
year. H%allandale is a thriving little
village, situated directly on the Florida
East Coast Railroad. Farming being the
| chief industry, it has numerous packing
houses, where oranges, grapefruit, pine
apples, squashes, beans, cucumbers and
tomatoes are packed Tor market. 1t has d
church, school with two teachers, hotel,
restaurant, three general stores, post
office, bicycle shop and Il nice depot
larger than any Oh the Pehn's Grove
Branch. The weather has been normal
the past month for Southern Florida, &C.
cording to the official weather report,
with the exception OF the amount of rain
fall which was in the excess. 1t has
which is now eight weeks. Some of the
glade land which they till is under
water. The killing frost noted in last
eek's RECORD was extraordinary for
this season.
The recent moonlight nights far sur
pass those at home. The sky is studded
with myriads of the brightest stars. The
moon shining on the white rock roads,
the homes and buildings, the great, tall,
dark pines sillouetted against the hori-
Zon make a scene hard to describe.
We have our social affairs. Besides
entertainments by the school and athle-
tic club, the younger set have dance
parties. The majority of the people are
hospitable. Some few seem jealous and
call us Yankees, which does not bother
lis N.Y.. We feel rather proud of it.
We have no conveyance of our own
and have to depend OH the kindness of
Oul HOlEibOios INK hfluCo u U oupCiiO
a baptism afew Sundays ago. We read
lily accepted and were conveyed in an
open wagon drawn by a mule W miles
away to a dyke, which we would call a
ditch.
A crowd had assembled, hymns were
sung. Two persons were immersed. The
service was concluded with more hymns.
The novelty OF the occasion added to our
enjoyment.
Insects abound here. Mosquitoes do
not all inhabit Jersey. There are feas,
but the most troublesome are the red
bugs, a minute red insect, hardly visible
VITA the naked eye. They are known
with us as 'giggers." The farmers wear