The Democratic advocate., 1915-03-12
Letter From Dr. Geo. Y. Baughman.
Tampa, Fla, February 22.1915.


Tampa, Fla, February 22,1915.
10 Editor:
I promised to let you know how I
enjoyed Florida, and what impression
1t made upon me- So much has been
written about Florida that 4 fear 4
cannot add anything to what has
been said, but it is to me revelation,
how 1t is possible in a few short
hours to pass from snow and ice, to
flowers, fruit and sunshine; from
winter to summer. The climate here
is ideal, have been out all the time
in summer clothes, and have been
riding in open cars, passing gardens
full of vegetables ready for the table,
have picked strawberries from the
vines, pulled beets and turnips, fine in
size and delicious i'm taste, even the
onions here when you pull them fresh
are not strong, but sweet and nice. 4
have hoed celery,-whole fields Of it
are being made ready for the table;
have picked oranges off the trees at
MIR. Reese's kitchen door; have seen
miles upon miles of orange and grape
fruit trees, full of golden fruit, and
it seemed to me enough ON the
ground to supply Westminster for
years, going to waste All you want
for picking them UP. ! went to Tar
pom Springs with Mr.. Reese and
found a beautiful little city, fine
paved streets, the sidewalks lined
with palmetto, Live Oak and Camphor
trees, giving the place senic trOpi-
cal appearance. This city (Tarpon
Springs) is full of Greeks, who are
engaged in the sponge fishing indus
try. They are getting along finely,
they have their own bank, coffee
houses, pretty homes and fine stores.
1t was funny to me to see SO many
Greek signs, and think if one was
to suddenly wake up at Tarpon
Springs and start up street, he GER
tainly would think he was in Greece,
for there are signs everywhere writ
ten in Greek.
I also visited St. Petersburgh,
which is about Is miles from Tampa,
across the bay. 1t is a beautiful city,
fine streets, paved with vitrified
bricks, parked in the center with
semi-tropical trees, flowers in bloom,
beautiful houses, fine hotels and
stores, busy hustling place, full of
tourists, climate now like the last
of May. 1t would take me a long
time to write all / saw, and the i'm
preston it made ON me.
/ also visited Pass-a-Grille Island,
on the Gulf coast. On my way from
St. Petersburg to Pass-a-Grille Q
don't know what it means) I saw
the most orange groves, and the
most grape fruit trees that | saw In
SO short a space in Florida, ii is
four miles from st. Petersburg to
Gulf Port by trolley, and i thought
we were passing through groves all
the way; the trees loaded with fruit
and the ground covered with fallen
fruit. You can buy grape fruit here
for Is or 20 cents a dozen and 1t is
better than that you get at home, as
it is ripe when you get il off the
trees, it is acid in taste but not bitter.
From Gulf Port to the Island OF
Pass-a-Grille Is across a beautiful
bay; the town of Pass-a-Grille is
beautiful place, more like a tropical
city than any one here in Florida,
you can stand at the dock on the bay
side and see the Gulf of Mexico, only
600 feet away. Here the low ground
has all been filled in and nice cement
sidewalks layed, bulk heads built,
everything clean and neat, fine
bungaloes on the Gulf fronts; instead
of board walk they have one built
of cement, wide white beach com
posed of small shells, mixed with
fine white sand. The Gulf OF Mexico
was a surprise to me, l saw no surf,
it seemed as smooth as pond. u
thought we would have surf like on
the Atlantic Ocean, but they do not
have ii, it only gets rough when
they have South or West storm.
l was also on the Island Of Anna
Maria" a new place they were de-
veloping, about 34 miles from Tampa
and south OF Pass-a-Grille. Here
you can see the Island as it was,
Palmetto scrup sWamps, and little
lakes right in the town. The place
did not appeal to me, it may be nice
when they raise it out OF the water.
The people all over Florida are
kind and hospitable, the people On
Anna Maria particularly 50. It is
said to be one OF the finest fishing
shores on the Gulf, but it is too soon
to fish, the wind has been too high,
driving all the fish out in the Gulf.
When landed at Anna Maria, fish
ermen had just caught two immense
Jew fish, one weighed 200 and the
other SO pounds. Tampa is a fine
city, busy and UP to date, fine streets,
stores and homes Will tell you more
when ! come home. All are we'll
Yours,
@. X. BAUGHMAN.