The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-12-24

tower on the corner of Fort King and
Osceola, where Ben Condon's big
store, formerly the Star Office, now
stands. The volunteer fire depart
ment was very efficient. don't re-
member ever seeing the fire engine,
tho | heard of it, for 0cala had good
water pressure even at that time.
The electric light plant was the old
sheetiron building, or part of it,
Town in the hollow at the crossing of
South Main and South Fourth. 1t
ad, think, two small engines. The
streets were Illuminated on dark
nights by are lights at long intervals.
think there were four arcs ON the
public square, all of them equal prob
ably to one of the present white way
lamps. They We're strung along a
block apart on the principal streets
Interiors of buildings were lit by the
old-style incandescents. Not more
than ten per cent of the residences
were lit by electricity. There was
not an electric motor nor stove in
town, and butt few electric fans The
street lights followed the moeH-that
IS, they were not shining when the
moon was. The incandescents were
| cut of in stores and residences at
midnight There never was any cur
rent in the daytime, and the luxury of
turning on light on a dark day or
as soon as the dusk began to gather
was unknown. The electric light plant
belonged to private company, and
while its rates were reasonable for
then, they were much higher than
they are now.
Ocala had good water supply but
it would not meet a fourth OF the
present demand. The power was a
couple of old-style engines in little
brick house at the corner of Fourth
street and Orange avenue. There
were two or three good wells, and the
reservoir was on the brick tower at
the top of the hill on what is now
Camp Heights. A simple plant,
but a very reliable one. Few towns
IN the state had such powerful water
pressure. The water company was
very economical and its rates were
high. People paid a dollar month
for one faucet, and additional if it
was used to supply garden hose
The people were yet drawing large
supply of their water from surface
wells, and typhoid fever was not un-
common. Like the electric light plant
the waterworks belonged to a private
company,
Ocala had two baHks-the First
National, where the Commercial now
stands, and the Merchants National
in the same building now occupied By
the Munroe & Chambliss National
Bank. The two banks were at wal
with each other, and the Merchants
National, aided by the panic of '9S
and the freeze of '95, downed the
First National. 1t was Pyrrhic vic
tory, and in go the Merchants Ma.
tional also went smash. AT that time
Ocala touched rock bottom. Score.
CT families left the city and hundred:
the county. Money was never 81
scarce nor business so dull. Yer
there was very little actual suffering
People continued to eat and veal
clothes, and as there were scores o.
houses empty nobody had to stay ou
in the rain.
The county had to build new Jail
and the city managed to buy the ole
jail building and move its Offices int
it, where they have been ever since
The fire hall was built, the fire depart
. ment concentrated in it, with few
. paid men and big volunteer force t.
aid them. The city bought the cleo
trio light plant and began to improv,
1t, and has been improving it evel
since. Then it bought the water
! works and concentrated the TIVE
utilities on their present location
There has been great deal of none!
spent and some wasted in these ope
rations, but the people have NOR,
than received their money back il
lower rates.
II The county has built new court
| house and two new jails, the latte
now in use, at combined expense O
{ $150,000. The federal government
has erected solid and well construct
ed postoffice and courthouse, at cos
, Of about 100000 on a city block tina
, was unoccupied ground up to 1907.
The two "busted" banks have beer
t replaced by three, the Munroe anC
E Chambliss, the Ocala National ant
4 the Commercial. Either of the first
i named two does much more business
5 than both the two old banks put to
E gether. The Munroe & Chamblis
: Bank and the Commercial have re
j modelled the buildings they bough
: from the executors of the dead ant
2 gone firms and made them handsom,
! and uptodate. The Ocala Nationa
has put up good-looking and sub
/ stantial building of its own.
One of~the greatest institutions O
: the city was not even thought of ii
: 1892. 1 refer to the Marion Count!
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