Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1918-02-28

Sunday and sure had dandy time
II is a pretty place, but / don't lik'
II nearly so well as Miami. Their
were very few people there-mostl,
elderly people or those who wer'
there for their health. took
bunch OF kodak pictures and thei
lost the films on the way back ant
was quite disappointed over the fact
Next Sunday we are all going to tn,
Everglades. They sure do take Vi
on lot Of sightseeing trips here.
well, you would laugh If you
could see the kind Of work they have
put some OF to work on. They've
turned us into carpenters. making
shelves, tables, desks, etc, to furnish
the school / am learning that !
can do as good job pounding a nail
as used to a Morse key at the Radio
school,
II didn't read much about the Tus-
cania affair, but all can say is that
when we get over there that sort of
stuff has got to stop, for that will
be one Of our main duties chasing
and capturing subs.
n "a ~
Following is a letter telling of the
soldiers life in Florida. II IS from
Edward Crawford
Having cotton out of quarantine,
last Saturday, with a thirty hour
leave of absence, four of my com
rades and | decided we would have
an outing Accordingly we planned
a trip to st. Augustine. the Oldest
city in the United States / had al
ways wanted to visit this place and
was not in the least disappointed, for
it is most quaint and interesting
Sunday morning we hired a car
Cadillac s, If you please-at Jack
sonvile and at nine o'clock were
off on our trip of thirty-six miles.
We crossed the st. Johns river
by ferry and, if so popular a drive
across such a river were located in
the North, we would build bridge
across it instead of paying toll to
cross on ferry.
The road all the way is brick |
paved. The scenery en-route is I'M
worthless acres of sand |
covered with pines and scrubby
palms sometimes scattered and again
in thick forests covered with moss
and vines. The country is sparsely
settled with negroes, as worthless
as the land on which they exist
The point of greatest interest to
ne at st. Augustine was the old
Spanish fort which was ninety-one
ears in building, having been COM
nenced in 1866 and completed in
1856. 1t was called San Marco,
nd is now owned and controlled by
ur government, which furnishes
he guards and guides In charge.
lectures of the fort and even it's APP
from the outside are de-
Giving as to size. (Did these men of
40 practice camouflage?) APP
reaching from the west, the walls
opear on the top of hill, but the
rt proper is eXcavated from the
de of this hill and borders on the
& bay, reaching almost to the
aters edge. On each corner are ia
rrets for the guards Entrance is X
ined over a double moat-now In
thout water and through the =
ties where they once had their al
awbridges. The bridges are gone Ill
t the old pulleys used for raising El
Q bridge are still over the portals m
side is large court with rooms st
all sides built into the outer
lis which are sixty feet thick. fic
Two dungeons where prisoners
re kept, have each a little slit of az
window up near the ceiling adj 20
ting a faint ray of light. Another ~
ngeon, only discovered in recent ar
IRIS, was reached through dark ~
Ssage and is wholly without light nis
ventilation. 1t had been walled sie
at the entrance and human bones re
re found in it. The legend is Du
It people were left in there when I'M
entrance was closed and died
re. mel
0ut of the past we come into the
endid present by visit to the
nee de Leon hotel, the most i'm
ing and beautiful Spanish archi- iro
ture and surrounded by wonder TO
flower gardens and fountains. qu'
had the pleasure of being shown TN
ough it. Prices per day range are
m $3.50 to $4,000, for the Re- t&o
suite. This suite was occupied car
day we were there, so we in TN
med the management that we mu
lldn't stop with him that night. or