Ellsworth American., 1917-02-21

from the Southland. Ii comes 10 US ike
"warm waves to mitigate a Little the
many cold waves we have experienced.
Feb. S, 1917.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.
Dear Aunt Madge and NJ. BIS:
The goodman and l are long way from
home, and wish could send you all
sample Of the beautiful summer weather
we are having. 1t is hard to realize thst
the snow and ice we left in Maine few
days ago still continues.
Our party OF four left Boston Jan. 30, on
the steamer City of Augusta. There were
not many passengers, and the first part OF
the voyage was delightful. Wednesday
afternoon, about O'Clock, when we were
, q little south Of the latitude OF New York,
| we sighted a large steamer coming in from
sea. She came up very fast, and We soon
saw it was . big gray cruiser. She
changed her course to come near us, and
set the German flag and some signals.
her flag was behind the smoke from her
smoke stacks, and our officers had diff
Guilty in Identifying it, so did not
answer. She swung up across our course
and set another string OF signals dags,
and our officers did some hustling to set
Uncle Sans flag and some signals. They
said the cruisers second signal said
"answer, or heave to-.
1t was quite exciting, and would have
been more 30 il we bad known OF the rup-
| ture between the United States and Ger
| many. We had wireless news every day,
but not that. Probably it was suppressed
for fear OF frightening the passengers.
Friday We ran into q regular blizzard
thick snow and such galel 1t lasted all
day and most OF the night, and we were
| all glad when the steamer got in under the
land and in smoother water. AT sunrise
we were by the lightship on Martins In
dustry 1--WE do not have all the queer
names North and headed in for Tybu
island. The vapor was flying so thick we
| could not see the shore, and il hid the
hull OF the lightship, but we could see her
masts.
| The buoys there, and for some distance
up river, had big Jumps Of ice on them,
| aud our steamer was covered thick with it.
The captain said he had seen nothing like
it for twenty years.
The Savannah river is very muddy
| about the color of coffee with good cream
| in it-and the banks are fiat and uninter-
esting. The docks Of the city are very ex-
| tensive and fine. saw seven ships load
| ing there, the largest number OF square
riggers ever saw at once-two were Nor
| wegian and one Danish; the Others were
too far away to make out. They had their
name and hail in huge letters along the
side. and their flag painted fore and aft OF
| it. There were some steamships and OF her
sailing craft, but nothing like it was be-
| fore the war, was told.
We drove across Savannah and took the
train for Jacksonville. did not see much
| OF the city, but what did see impressed
| me favorsbly
Going across Georgia seemed like very
early spring at home, bare ploughed
| fields, some with rows OF tiny green
sprouts, some OF the trees bare, some just
| starting to leave out, with little red
| punches that reminded me OF the naples a
home; miles and miles Of cypress swamps,
| and on dryer grounds tks Nug leaf pine.
All the larger ones were c. % obtain the
sap-a v-shaped cash 9 foot high, with a
little red pail like q clay flower pot hung
at the point. The next year they make
another cut higher up, and SO on. saw
a great many trees that had been cut up
higher than ones head and on both sides.
| We passed many saw-miIls, with huge
piles Of hard pine lumber, and many
places where they make resin, pitch and
| turpentine OF the sap. There were negro
cabins everywhere, just like the pictures
we have all seen-chimney at one end,
| door in side, with two window openings,
one each side of it, with shutters to close
them no glass. Little black chill
dren played by the track, fat
woman stocd in the doorway,
a man or two aselep in the sun, and
pigs everyw here such looking beasts
never saw, all colors and sizes, wander
ing about like dogs. In one Of the larger
towns big pig blocked up the sidewalk