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The Commoner
VOL. 16, NO. 2
30
A Message From Miami, Florida
Tf you profor sunshino to storms,
and palms to icicles; if you consider
surf-bathing and golf good appetizers
for a New Year's dinner, theso words
about Miami will interest you.
Miami's 50,000 winter visitors In-
Jcludo old people and young, golfers,
J swimmers, fishermen, canoeists, mo-
'tor boat "fans," tennis enthusiasts,
baseball dovotees, the disciples of the
fox-trot, motorists, aviators, kodak
experts, botanists, artists, motor-
I cyclists, and hunters. All of those
and many others And their favorite
pastimo admirably staged amid the
gorgeous tropical sconery, the clear,
balmy days, and tho calm, starlit
ovonlngs of Miami.
Lot this winter bo a rovelatlon to
you that tho world's best winter cli
mate is not abroad and far away, but
right here at homo, "Made in Amer
ica." Miami invites you to spend tho
most delightful winter you have ever
known.
MIAMI, FLORIDA'S MAGIC CITY
Miami, a city of more than 20,000
population, is on beautiful Bay Bls-
cayno, at tho southern end of the east
coast of Florida. It. is 3GG miles
south of Jacksonville and 156 miles
northeast of Key West, on the main
lino of tho Florida East Coast rail
way. Miami has direct water con
nections with Jacksonville, Koy West
and Nassau and is only 41 hours from
Now York, 4G hours from Boston and
48 hours from Chicago.
Miami's popularity as a winter re
sort, evidenced by tho presence of
nearly 50,000 tourists last season, is
solidly based on the ideal climatic
conditions, excellent and moderately
priced accommodations for visitors
in hotels, boarding houses and apart
ments, tho picturesque tropical
sconery, abundance of recreation -and
- splondld conditions as to health.
There are twenty hotels in Miami
and about fifty boarding houses and
apartment buildings, offering com
fortablo accommodations at reason
able prices. Many people will spond
this winter in Miami's suburbs such
as Oocoanut Grove and Miami Beach,
which are within a few minutes ride
of tho center of the city.
South Florida Is tho onlysub-trop-.
leal section of this country. The
luxuriant profusion of tropical plant
life, nblazo with color, can no more
bo transplanted into printer's ink
than can tho splendor of tho Grand
Canyon, or tho majesty of Niagara.
Miami has made the most of its na
tural resources, and travelers who
have seen the world's most beautiful
cities, place Miami among the very
first.
Amusement is easy to find in Mi
ami. There are two good golf courses.
Tho city parks contain many public
tennis courts. Tho "Boston Braves,"
1914 world champions, will train in
Miami next spring. Bay Biscayne is
an ideal yacht harbor (10 feet of
water in tho channel) and affords
perfect facilities for sailing, canoeing
, and motor boating. The annual speed
boat regatta brings to Miami the
fastest motor craft afloat.
Miami has one of tho best bathing
'beaches in tho world. Tho water is
warm, even in mid-winter, and the
three large casinos havo every con
venience for tho bathers. Visitors
at tho beach may choose between the
surf and the largo concrete and white
tllo pools. All the casinos have ex
cellent dance floors and restaurants.
Ferry boats run across tho bay at
frequent Intervals, and there Is a
motor bus line, to the beach by tho
way of Collins bridge, one of the
longest vehicle bridges in the world.
Thousands of people come to Mi
ami every year for fishing. Several
hundred different varieties of fish are
found in tho waters between Miami
and Koy West. Numerous boats,
largo and small, aro for hire, and
plenty of fish can bo caught within
easy distance of the city.
Miami is a thoroughly safe place
to live In, or visit. The city's sani
tation is always maintained at a high
standard. The water supply is pure
and abundant. The milk is clean and
from rigidly inspected dairies. Prev
alent diseases aro practically un
known here. Mosquitoes and flies
aro few in summer and almost en
tirely absent in winter. Miami's
balmy climate is ideal for convales
cents and those suffering from ca
tarrh, hay fever, throat troubles and
rheumatism.
MIAMI'S CLIMATE MOST DELIGHT
FUL IN THE WORLD
According to the records of the
government weather bureau (obtain
able in pamphlet form from the Mi
ami chamber of commerce) Miami's
average temperature, by months, is
as follows: January, 67.1; February,
68.0; March, 72.3; April 74.2; May,
78.2; Juno 80.6; July, 81.9; August,
82.2; September, 81.3; October, 77.6;
November, 73.0; December 6b6.
During 1914, Miami had only ten
days with a minimum temperature
below 45.
The highest and lowest recorded
temperatures of Miami, Los Angeles
and San Diego, California, aro as
follows :
Highest Lowest Range
degrees degrees of temp.
Miami 96 29 67
Los Angeles 109 28 81
San Diego . .110 25 85
Miami uses the shortest thermom
eter in the United States. The
marked evenness of Miami's cli
mate is duo to its proximity to both
the Atlantic ocean and the Gulf of
Mexico, whose vast waters are nearly
constant in temperature. Maimi is
almost surrounded by the Gulf
Stream and, therefore, is never too
cold in the winter and is, in summer,
frequently much cooler than New
York or Chicago. In 1914 there
were 274 days with the prevailing
wind of the ocean.
Miami's rainy season is in the sum
mer, there being little rainfall in the
WHEN IN" NEW YOIIK CITY STOP AT THE
HOLLAND HOUSE
JULIAN CHARLTON RIVERS, Proprietor
Discriminating: Amoiicans and foreigners have called tho Hniinr.fi
Houso tholr Now York homo for many years. Tho Holland I House unfiP
most hotels, has a distinctly homelikeYtmosphero, duo m part to tho fact
that it is not largo and guests qmckiy become known to all employees and
so receive .personal attentions of a much valued nature. emPlyees and
lho Holland Houso has an ideal location on Fifth Avenue with the,
best shops at Its very door, and tho theatres within easy walking distant
ronot
made. Bedrooms havo been enlarged, no v &wmr$u?tVV&R been
itary plumbing have been installed, and tho ontJS houso redecSraf San"
The Cusine, famous tho world over, Is recognised th w xr
York; and tho servico in all departments will Sn foiiSi ? SV .V0 In New
ballon of all. Write for f older ilSSHetalta appr-
HOLLAND HOUSE, FIFTH AVENUE I THIRTIETH STREET, NEW YORK
winter months. These conditions are
in marked contrast to those on the
Pacific slope, where winter tourists
find a great deal of wet and stormy
weather.
Tho world-famous Riviera can not
compare, in- winter climate, with
Miami. The mean temperature at
Nice from November to April is
49t13 degrees, while Miami's average
for the same period is 69.2 degrees.
The Riviera enjoys 981 hours of sun
shine from November 1st to April
30th. Miami's average total for the
same period is 1226 hours. A much
advertised feature of the Riviera cli
mate is its stability of barometic
pressure, varying only 1.34 inches
annually. Miami's total barometic
variation in 1914 was only .73
inches.
During the year 1914, "Miami had
2594 hours of sunshine. The aver
ago wind velocity was 9.8 miles per
hour and there were only two days
with fog. The maximum daily tem
perature was only once below 60 and
only eight times as high as 90 de
grees. The greatest daily range of tem
perature Miami has ever known is
33 degrees. The following are the
greatest daily ranges of temperature
of other cities: San Diego, 39 de
grees; Pittsburgh, 52 degrees; Phil
adelphia, 43 degrees; New York
City, 40 degrees; Louisville, 45 de
grees; Los Angeles, 41 degrees;
Jacksonville, 40 degrees; Kansas
City, Mo., 65 degrees; Cleveland, 52
degrees; Chicago, 47 degrees, and
Boston, 44 degrees.
RAPID DEVELOPMENT
The southern half or the east
coast of Florida, of which Miami is
tho principal city, has developed very
rapidly in the last few years. Cen
tering in Miami is an excellent rock
road system, totaling about 500 miles
of automobile highway. Miami is the
southern terminus of the Dixie high
way, the new national thoroughfare
from Chicago through the south., The
first official tour over the Dixie high
way begun at Chicagot October 9th,
915, .and, eqded at Miami, October
21st.
Miami is. also the southern termin
us of the Montreal, Canada) to Mi
ami, international highway.
The smooth, hard-surfaqed roads
of south Florida haye greatly helped
tho speedy development of the enor
mous natural resources of this fer
tile region, and it is now one of the
nation's principal producers of grape
fruit and vegetables, being known as
"America's Winter Garden." The
1913-14 crop of citrus and tropical
fruits of Dade and Palm Beach coun
ties was $1,086,432.00 in value, and
the 1913-14 vegetable crop totalled
$2,474,948.00 Among the fruits
successfully grown in the Miami sec
tion are grape fruit, oranges, limes,
avocadoes (alligator pears), mangoes,
pineapples, bananas, sapodillas, pa
payas and the like. The vegetables
reach their market earlier than any
competing section can produce them,
and include tomatoes, potatoes, beans!
peppers, egg plant, cabbage, celery,
lettuce, radishes, cauliflower, sweet
potatoes and other varieties.
Tho world-famous Everglades, now
being reclaimed by the state of Flor
ida, are just west of Miami. This
vast acreage of fertile prairie, when
drained and fitted for cultivation,
will produce enormous yields. Anion
the crops already successfully grown
on reclaimed Everglades land are
corn, numerous forage crops and
grasses and almost every known veg
etable and fruit. It is predicted that
stock rasing will become one of the
principal industries of this section
when the drainage is completed
INTERESTING FACTS
bnJfi i?T)nildins a 'ep water
harbor to meet the growing demdndS
of south Florida's commerce. The
city is spending $585,000, and the
federal government $900,000, and
when tho work is completed Miami
will have eighteen feet of water, a
municipal dock and a municipal rail
road connecting the dock with the
Florida East Coast railroad. Miami
has the most southern harbor on the
mainland of the United States and
the nearest mainland harbor to the
Panama Canal.
The Collins bridge, nearly three
miles in length, crosses Bay Biscayne
to Miami beach. The peninsula across
the bay was a wilderness of swamp
and sand dunes three years ago. To
day, after a n expenditure of several
million dollars in dredging and fill
ing, Miami Beach is an exceedingly
attractive town with scores of homes,
miles of paved streets, several parks
and bathing beaches. Thousands of
people daliy patronize the three well
equipped casinos which face the
ocean.
The protected waters of Bay Bis
cayne afford many delightful boat
trips. Indian Creek, Cape Florida,
Cocoplum Beach and Coconut Grove
are within a few miles, of the docks.
Longer trips, among the wild beauties
of the Keys, or to the wonderful ma
rine gardens in the south end of Bay
Biscayne, are also popular. Travel
ers, who have visited the sea gardens
of Catalina and the Bahamas, say
those of Bay Biscayne are even more
picturesque.
Many yatchmen make .the trip by
the way of the Everglades drainage
canals to Lake Okeechobee, the sec
ond largest fresh water lake fully
within the boundaries of the United
States. The intercostal canal, paral
leling the shores of the Atlantic from
Miami to Jacksonville, is a protected
waterway for small yachts.
Twenty years ago" '"there "were but
a few scattered homes of early pio
neers on the shores of Bay Biscayne.
Today fifteen miles of the shore in
the vicinity of Miami is developed
and almost solidly built up. From the
Coconut Grove Country Club on the
south to Lemon City on the north, to
gether with a large frontage on the
peninsula, almost every foot has
been improved. The most extensive
of these improvements is being made
by Mr. James Deering, whose hun
dred acres of grounds are being
transformed into the most elaborate
estate in the south. Eight hundred
men are now at work on the Deering
mansion and grounds.
Among the well-known people who
spend all or part of the year in Miami
are James Whitcomb Riley, William
Jennings Bryan, Alton B, Parker,
James Deering, Charles Deering, Carl
G. Fisher, Kirk Monroe, Walter E.
Flanders, W. L. Douglas andmanv
others.
Miami has numerous clubs and
social organizations. The Miami
Woman's club, of 'which Mrs. W. J.
Bryan is an active member, is the
largest in Florida and owns a sub
stantial and attractive club-house.
The Cocoanut Grove Country club
has recently completed its home on
a beautiful site just south of Miami.
A. campaign for a Y. M. C. A. build
ing is in progress.
Thirteen denominations are repre
sented among the twenty church so
cieties in Miami. Fifteen of these so
cities own their own property, the
total value of which is. more than
$500,000. There are over 3,000
communications of the Miami church
communicants of the Miami churches
and 2,600 pupils in the Sunday
schools.
Miami has seven grade schools and
a high school, with 65 teachers and
2,325 pupils. Seven of the buildings
are of concrete and all are thorough
ly equipped. Besides the public
schools there is a business college,
a Seventh Day Adventist school a
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