The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-06-04
HOW OCALA WILL LOOK
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS HENCE
CONTINUED from Yesterday

He turned me over to another at
tache of the hotel, who led me across
the roof garden to the east. The ho
tel seemed to cover the entire block.
The southwestern quarter of the roof
was given up to a hangar, in which
stood several aeroplanes, facing to
the east My guide called an aviator
in attendance, small but wiry and
smart-looking young man, and told
him to take me around until | was
ready to return. The aviator nodded,
and began pushing one of the ma
chimes out of its shed and looking
over it. Meantime / walked to the
edge of the roof and looked down. 1t
was like looking into the Grand
Carpn, for there was an open square
right below. The Coast Line station
and the Empire Cafe were gone, and
I soon figured that the open space
was our civic center. 1t seemed to
extend to Watula street and be en-
tirely empty. Where the city hall,
fire station and Star Office had been,
was one immense building, which
] huge signs on the west and north
fronts proclaimed to be the "Ocala
Municipal Offices" Over a wide curv-
ing entrance to the north, about
where the old city hall had fronted,
was the sign "Fire Department"
/ was so surprised at this that I
called the airman from his machine,
and asked him why was the space,
on which / naturally supposed would
be the finest civic center in North
America, bare of buildings.
"That ground" said he, els the
best peanut patch in the world. Some
thing in the soil causes it to grow
peanuts in solid masses. And since
the process to make rubber out of
peanuts was discovered, they are
among the most valuable of pro-
ducts"
/ went to the south parapet and
looked over. The Merchants block,
little taller than the NJ. & C. Bank,
but still a dozen stories lower than
the Ocala House, seemed right under
me. Later found it had big de-
partment store in the lower stories
and Offices above. On the northeast
corner, or rather curve, was large
restaurant, the sign of which read,
welsh Dewey, Meals Every Min
ute." "Gerig's Drug Emporium,
Wholesale and Retail" had gone to
it's own building, where Fishel had
done business, by the Baptist church,
and filed a quarter of the block. AS
we shall learn later, Mr.. Gerig had
retired, and the firm was Fox, Kille-
brew and Green. Ards Waterman
owned the department store, Burnett
was setting watches among the stars
and Ballard was living on the inter
est of his money.
The Harrington Hotel stretched
from Main street to Osceola, and was
almost as tall as the Ocala House. l
couldn't see the building beyond the
Harrington, but on the northwest
corner of Osceola and Main, once oc-
cupied by DIR. Chace's garden, stood
q thirty-five story edifce, every win
dow of which looked out like a bright
eye into the night. On its roof, a
wireless station continuously shot
sparks toward the armament, and
glittering letters ten feet high spelt
out the words "Ocala Evening Star"
The airman, coming over to tell me
the machine was ready, found me
looking at this last building with in
terest. "Smartest newspaper in the
state" he said. "Has bulletin board
in every hotel and office that amounts
to anything in fifty miles of here.
There is one." He pointed to a square
column rising up in the roof garden,
and in view from every part. There
was a bulletin board on each face,
and as looked at it, it lit up with
the message: London, May 49,
Dover and Calais Undersea Tunnel
opens today with imposing ceremon-
les. Prominent engineers and people
from all parts of the world will be
present"
s'The machine is ready, sir" said
the airman.
1t was monoplane, rather smaller
than any / had seen, but not dis
similar, but / could see no engine
As / sat down by the aviator, l
noticed box similar to the one on
the auto before him. He pressed a
spring with his foot, there was a
musical buzz behind us and we went
out into the air. It was = rather I'M
canny feeling. but the ms chine seem
ed SO steady that it wal impossible
for even an Impractical voyager to
feel alarmed.
where shall we GOT"
"Silver Springs first"
We were thousand feet up, and
the city was like map below. The
business center seemed to end at
Watula street; indeed, with its tall
store and Office buildings, accom-
nodating twenty-five thousand peo-
pie this part of town covered little