The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-15
THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA

We reached Fcrt Pierce just after
church time, and while the people n
spite of blue laws, were engaged in
that most popular Of indoor sports
Sunday dinner. Fort Pierce is evil
IDENTIFY well fed-for there were not
enough people on the streets to block
the traffic on a fire escape. |
Fort Pierce is solid and evidently |
busy town, with good streets and fine
buildings. St. Lucie county, Of which |
it is the shire town. has a great ex-
Itent of undeveloped back country, but |
otherwise is little more than narrow
strip beside the sea. And yet it has
a magnificent road from end to end. |
land other excellent roads leading into
1.-The interior. It's arabic territory and
lof Marion county, but when it comes
Ito roads it has old Marion tied to a
post.
We had lunch at Fort Pierce. We
: had our own grub, and the proprietor
Iof little restaurant near the railroad
station let US have a table and chairs
A., under a fan. We bought coffee and
/ coca-cola and butter from him. but
he would probably have accommodate
ed US anyway. With the town block
t AIDED as twas, he did US a consider
5 able favor.
e We tarried not long in Fort Pierce,
a but rolled on southwark over that
s magnificent road. For a time we
= Travelled in apprehension, for said road
2 was too good to be true, and we ex-
q pected it to end every minute But
f lit stayed right under US, and didn't
: come to a finish until we went back
t lover it.
e The highway and the railway both
e left the river shore and turned inland,
j. and the villages were far apart and
e Ismall. ST. Lucie county had good
y pluck to build that fine road thru the
= wilderness.
After awhile we passed into Palm
Beach county, than which there are
few in the United States more enter
prising and few as charming. Palm
Beach showed the handiwork of hard
."iiron men and hustle from the time we
t. passed the border. Not only in live.
III looking towns but once in awhile fine
III farms. Late in the afternoon we
Ill came to the nerve center of a crowc
n of little cities and pleasure resorts
ly This was West Palm Beach, hardly
less a magic city than Miami. 1t il
ed settled and substantial; it is alst
w building and spreading, and develop
r ing in an uptodate and enlightened
ks manner. It is plain to see that tn,
he people who do things there do not in
al tend to have any shabby suburbs.
by We were in hurry and going RICH
al thru the town, but stopped to give tn
lis auto drink. At the filling station,
d. found my old friend, the friendlies
ed man in Florida, Joe Earman, who i
at one of the leading spirits in the de
III velopment of this growing community
er- He wised US to our road, and easil
nd secured promise to stop to see hir
.se on our return. Going by his direc
or tions, we crossed the river, followe
ch the road that wound thru the palm
81 by one of Flagler's great hotels an
he soon found ourselves again by tn
W Atlantic.
OF This ocean shore differed from thu
ct far up the coast in that it had no wild
of beach. The shore rises rather abrupt
ly from the high-tide mark, and til
SITS water is evidently deeper near in tina
me at Seabreeze and Coronado. 1t is po
'ad sibly better for swimming, as one ca
his launch out close to the shore instea
bic of having to wade some thirty
nd forty yards. 1t is also easier to lar
oil. here from a boat. But there are nor
ed, of the long, white-topped waves, con
OIL ing rank on rank, to break in va
ced tho gentle music on the wide stretc
IN of sand
lte' What Nature didn't do, man is d.
Ia ing. There is a wide, firm road alor
OF by the sea, high above high waite
10 mark, tho / have no doubt that wht
IN the old Atlantic gets in a rage
spatters it numerically. This ros
makes a splendid drive, and that SUI
day afternoon was crowded with ca
filled with pleasure seekers Our Ii
Lne tie auto galloped steadily along, f
et- we had far to go, but we lost none
Jus the beauty of the scenery nor deligl
ely of the breeze. which came in cooled |
We many miles of passage over dimplt
los sea. About two miles out, one
~ Uncle Sans subchasers, probably p
'oo trolling against bootleggers, was ma
~ ing about ten knots, and still furth
out a good-sized freighter steam
slowly along. Thickets of seagrap
= and young palms were to our right
places, but the houses and punches
Avn houses were thick. This is typic
N stretch of the southeast coast, and
=. will not be many years before it W
be an unbroken stretch of holiday r
NV sorts and homes.
g At Delray, we went inland agai
'he land in that neat little town obtain
some gas for the fiivver and Eskin
pies for ourselves. First time I ev
ate an Eskimo pie, and was disa
IL IL l.