Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1928-02-23
Mr.. Eggers Writes
From Sunny Florida
Local Realtor, Wintering at Fort
Lauderdale, Is Favorab!y I'm
pressed With Resort State

some of our friends that | would
write line to your paper. We left
Boone on January f. | guess all re-
member how cold it was. 1t took US
a little more than three days to get
here. We had good trip in every
way, no accidents or trouble of
any kind. The nearer our destina-
ton, the warmer the weather was.
We found it around 80 and most of
the time the thermomemteer stands
from 70 to 80. Children here go
barefooted, flowers are in bloom,
gardens are growing, vegetables and
fruits are being gathered and ship
ped from here daily.
This is great country in winter
time. People are here from nearly
every state in the union.
We took the time as we came
down to visit the old Spanish fort at
st. Augustine, where we saw many
wonderful things such as ancient
relics of war, old documents of
writing and even the old fort itself
with the thick heavy walls made of
rock qdarried from an island near
the fort and hauled to the place by
boats. We were taken through the
fort by guide who explained all
the different details
of which | will not try to give here
(but may in later article), but we
saw the court room where they held
the courts and tried prisoners of
war. Then we saw the prison rooms
and the awful dungeon where they
kept those that were termed their
worst enemies. This dungeon is the
darkest place | have ever seen. 1t
is said that the life of prisoners in
this dungeon is not over twelve days,
and it is only in recent years they
paved some of the cells, and in clean
ing them out they found quantities
of human bones.
We then visited the large room
with the wishing chimney" Ira
dition has it that whenever you
would bow before the large open
fireplace in this room and make a
wish, it would come to pass. Hence
the name wishing chimney" You
can see there the old cooking uten-
sils that were used in those days.
In an adjoining room to this is the
Chauncey M. Depew collection of an
cient war relics and weapons, as
well as some of more modern times
which is very interesting.
Then we visited a room where you
see the works of an ancient skilled
taxidermist, the dressing, the dress
ing of birds, animals and snakes
make them appear almost natural.
One special attraction here is a
Hindu carrying home rabbit he has
slain with bow and arrow.
Next we were taken to the top of
the fort which has large courts on
top and at the corners are towers
that were used for observation
points, watching for the enemy dur
ing wars on land and sea.
After spending the night in the
historic old town at the Ocean View
hotel, we left early next morning,
taking the ocean boulevard drive, a
highway just opened and running
along the seaboard for miles, and
giving fine view of the Atlantic.
Coming to Palm Beach we stopped
for while, where we saw hundreds
of people upon the beach, playing
and swimming.
We got to Fort Lauderdale late
on Saturday evening and through
the courtesy of our good friend, Mr..
S. B. Sullivan, he carried us to a
house we at once adopted for .our
home and began keeping house i'm
mediately. Went to church next
day, also to the beach where we met
people just like those we left. =
We have seen quite bit of the
East Coast of Florida since we have
been here. We have seen Miami,
with her skyscrapers, her crowded
streets, beautiful parks, etc. Also
Miami Beach with it magnificent
hotels and throngs of people. This
is where Carl G. Fishers estate is
located. Then we saw Coral Gables
with its wide boulevards and beau
tiful >gardens and Hileah with her
race tracks, flying field, etc. Then
Opalaka, new town with it's nice
park and fine collection of wild
animals, snakes, birds, etc. In this
park you will find animals and birds
from many foreign countries. Bears,
monkeys, foxes, wolves, wild cats
several kinds of squirrels, rabbits,
snakes of all kinds and many kinds
of birds, etc. They also have tower
there, high in the air. We went up
in it and looked for miles over land
and sea. Another feature there is a
refuge house for use in time of a
storm. 1t is built of concrete, the
walls are five feet thick. We saw
President Coolidge and party pass on
their way to Havana.
Best wishes to everybody,
S C. EGGERSy