Evening star., 1921-04-10
BY J. w. BRASHEARS, JR-


According TO conservative estimates,
about 10000 people from the north
spent the winter 920-o1-in Florida,
cooking their own food and using
their own outfits as sleeping quarters.
The outfits included everything from
a Ford runabout without SO much as
a f1y-tent addition to living wagons
costing thousands of dollars. BY far
the greater number of these people,
however. lived in tents carried in
automobiles. These tents ranged from
mere pieces of canvas hooked onto
the top of an automobile to tents
large enough to shelter the auto
mobile itself as well as the humans
of the outfit.
The camps were anything from a
single party more or less permanently
located at particular place to the
well organized gatherings near the
larger towns. There are no statistics
available.
known as Tin Can Tourists"
All of these folks come under the
heading. "tin-can tourists" but strict
ly speaking, the tin-can tourists form
a well organized fraternity with Off
GERS. a high sign a membership but
II
publication. a creed and a radiator
emblem.
The highest office is that of royal
tin can opener, and there are other
officials al each camp. The member
shin button has the letters 'T. c. t.
on a white ground The radiator en-
blem is small tin can. gilded or 9TH
erwise fancifully painted, used either
with or without the letters T G. T. on
the radiator. The organization song
Is sung to the tune of Wei! Rally
Round the Flag" The chorus begins:
''Hurrah for the tin can and ends
with Shouting the autocamp forever
The official publication is the Tin
Can Tourist. published in Indiana.
with contributions from everyw here.
The creed in general is informality
and strict observance of the rights of
Others and help everybody if it costs
you nothing. and leave your camp
ground clean"
Slogan Last November.
The slogan last November was:
six thousand members before Christ
mas" and the organizat ton must have
gone away above this number. be-
cause it has been swearing in recruits
by the cluster all winter.
Not all campers in Florida by far
Join the Tin Gamers" so that the
estimate of 20 900 is proba bly, under
campers.
At Tampa the camp is in De Soto
Park. set aside by the city for the
purpose during the winter months In
the center of this camp is large
pavilion used for everything from
dancing to preaching. Shower baths
and toilets are housed in brick
building. There are electric lights,
and city water is to be had from fau-
fine trees. including tall palmettos,
furnish shade. and a small building
houses the register. camp master. post
Office. etc. This park is about 400 feet
square and there are no charges for
camping space nor restrictions other
than those necessary to keep the
place clean and safe.
We stepped off the size of this park.
and a carefully made estimate placed
at time when 1t was only normally
occupied This means about 1900
people. and there was an annex camp
adjacent that seemed to have about
500 more people.
We photographed sections of other
large camps at Clearwater. Orlando.
st. Augustine. Daytona, Palm Beach
and Gainesville. There are other or
Eanized camps at towns not visited
by us and scattered campers on the
roads in all parts of the state. All
things considered the estimate Of
10000 looks rather too low.
When an outfit enters a camp some
one in authority takes it in charge
and locates it according to it's size
the length of it's probable stay. and
other circumstances. The member RS
themselves known to their neighbors
and are then entitled to all the con-
veniences of the camp. have seen
a party busily engaged In laundry
work within a half hour after coming
into a camp.
Reminiscent OF Army Life.
The life is strongly reminiscent Of
life in the Army There is little pri-
vacy and less formaIfty. There is. of
course, no discipline. and the popu-
1ation OF camp is continually
changing. Always parties are leav-
ing and others arriving. When a
party wishes to go elsewhere it sim
ply "upstakes and goes"-to return
later il desired.
The tin Gamers seem to be large
" midde-aged folks. who have ac-
Quired a competency by hard work
although all sorts of people are to
he found among them. A large pro-
portion of them are exceedingly skill
full mechanics and their ranks include
automotive experts of the highest
ability They are mostly family par
ties, but groups from various locali-
ties frequently are met. Distance
means almost nothing to the true tin
canner--he eats II up.
For example. Mr.. and Mrs. Authier
They have an alfalfa ranch in South
Dakota. brought to rent-producins
perfection by hard work. With only
one arm, he has driven a moderately
heavy onffit from the ranch to Mata