The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-04-30
LETTER FROM
ISLE OF PINES
F. W. Meyers, Formerly Editor of Re-
view, Now in Far South Land.
Writes Interesting Letter.
SEVENTEEN POUND PINEAPPLEs
Brief Description Of Country enroute
to Isle of Pines-key West
Thoroughly Spanish.
Santa Fe, Isle of Pines, w. l.
April 20, 1913,

April 20, 1913,
Dear Review Readers:
1t is a long time since l have writ
ten anything for the old Review, but
you may be sure that it's readers have
not been out of my thoughts.
should not inflict myself upon them
now but for the fact that chance has
brought me to part of the world OF
which knew but little and which |
believe is still an unknown country
to most of the Review family.
TO start right, the Isle OF Pines is
an island about twice as large as
Crawford county and located some
fifty miles south of Cuba.
My family first became interested
in the island through the glowing re-
ports given us by Mrs. H. H. Savage;
later we got hold of some Isle OF
Pines real estate literature and still
later got in touch with people living
on the island. 1t was then decided
that | should make the journey in or
der ~ satisfy myself that all the re-
ports were true.
l left Iowa City and two inches OF
snow on April 7th. There is little
need to speak of the trip. The less
said about Indiana the better. 1t
made my heart ache as | passed
through. There was a cold, sleety
rain. the marks of the flood were
everywhere High water marks along
the second story windows, great iron
bridges, three or four hundred yards
from their piers, frame houses tele-
scoped and rammed into each other
by the waters. The people looked
discouraged and disheartened, and
little wonder.
The mountain scenery of Kentucky
and Tennessee was grandly beautiful,
the great granite peaks rising like
castles on the Rhine. Past the lovely
town of Knoxville we rolled into pros
porous Georgia, the Iowa Of the south.
Long before, the signs OF spring
were plentiful, the white bloom OF
the fruit trees and the pink of the
dogwood adding charm to the view.
The next morning found us at Way
cross, Ca, just on the threshold OF
Florida. We had reached the land OF
summer, but it was not very attract
i've. Flat as a pancake, deep white
sand, little pines and scrubby palms.
Jacksonville was much better. 1t IS
a beautiful city and the day spent
there was delightful. The next morn
ing found me in southern Florida,
near Miami, then still further south
until the solid land turned to swamp,
through miles of this and then out
on teh open sea, creeping from island
to island along the wonderful Key
West extension of the Florida coast
railway. Key West does not seem
part of the United States. 1t is SO
thoroughly Spanish and foreign in
every way. If these letters interest
my old friends l shall extend them
into series and 60 back and tell you
more of Jacksonville, the Key West
extension, Havana, Moro castle, a
Spanish home which l was privileged
to visit, and more about the Isle OF
Pines
Delays along the way caused me to
reach Key West in the evening in
stead of the morning, and l thus
reached Havana too late to catch d.
rect connection with the Isle of Pines.
The three day stop in Havana was a