The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-10

leayippthe North wrapped III snow ana VIII
it's rivers locked up in icy letters, While the
east winds sweep over the frozen soli, ana
all nature seems benumbed OF dead -,
1t is early in January, and clothea III Tue
.h;ct garments Of an invalid, we leave win
fer behind us and turn our faces southwark.
Thanks to the spirit Of our age, as carried
ont in railroads, we can leap at once from
one climate to another, and by twenty -four
hours of rapid travel we find ourselves In
another land and under milder skies.
We have avoided storm-swept aatterass
and can now take steamer and coast along
among the islands in smooth water, although
in the ocean. There Is nothing more slngu-
lar than this inland ocean Navigation OH the
southern coast; but / will not speak OF IL
now, nor even Of the noble river st. johns,
but will land, as the second night comes on,
at Pilatka.
sleep as best YOU can until tomorrow morn
ing. and YOU win wake up in new world.
I said sleep RS best you can. 1t is a dimctlt
matter to sleep on the Ock-la-Wha-ha.
Steam. as I did, twenty live miles up the
river St. Johns, and then enter the mouth OF
tbis stream, whose notwithstanding name
means Bogey river, and you will lind that
sleep is LETT behind. My berth was in the
fore part of the boat, and l was startled,
after thirty miles Of sleep, by succession
of crashing, runlbling blows against the
plank sides of the boat just by my head ana
body.
The steamer was in the river, and was
forcing her way through the boughs OF trees
that lined the bank and swept the water
with their overhanging branches. rms was
kept up all night. l never had such n
thrashing administered, though fortunately
there was stout plank between my body
and the switches.
When the day dawned stepped out on
the little fore-deck and looked around it
seemed that / had gotten into an entirely
new world.
/ had not examined the steamer when !
] came aboard in the darkness of the night.
/ now gave her good inspection, and
more curious little affair never saw. She
was ninety feet long by twenty wide, and
drew only two feet OF water. LII the stern
was one large wheel about sixteen feet in
diameter, with rudder on each side; lit
tie steam engine labored and snorted just in
front of this wheel, supplying motive power.
with the top of it's smokestack level with the
INNER deck. Ii was of no use to have made
it higher, for the first stout limb would have
swept it smoothly off.
The boat was roughly made, implanted,
and its sides actually SCARED by the rasping
of the trees through which at timesit hadto
force its way.
The river was nowhere wide enough for
two boats to pass each other; there was no
up and down passage on the same day, nor
could these boats turn round !; and in many
places there was barely room for them to
get through 1t was after a tight fit and
close squeeze when two large cypress trees
took their places OH opposite sides OF the
river, and the boat had, as it were, to wrig-
Gle through as best she might. For crook
edness this river beats the world. Each
bank is Just no bank at ALL mean bank
OF earth. There is no land to be seen, only
swamp on both sides as far as the eye can
penetrate amid the trees. These trees are
generally cypress, growing in and rising
out of the water and stretching their tall
trunks and branches some seventy feet or
more IN air.
So thick is the growth and so numerous
are the tree stems that although at the time Of
leaf. it was impossible to see far into the
woods. You are hemmed in by a palisade
of wood; and when the foliage is out in all
its southern luXuriance, you pass along this
narrow, tortuous canal, with a wall OF YER
dure on each side, higher and grander and
gloomier than that of the narrowest street
of some old European town, with its rows
of tall houses on either hand. And this Is
no long, monotonous canal, in which far
off the two lines seem to come together in
point, thus appearing to confirm the opin-
ion of that wiseacre who asserted that par
allel lines would always meet if you extend
them far enough. As said, this river is
crooked, more crooked, most crooked, and
still more crookedest, of any other. AS you
stand on the boat and look back you see no
stream Of WATERFOWL seem to have come
Just out of the swamp. AS you look for
ward there is no watery pathway before
YOU the boat appears to be running right
into the trees. The turns are so short that
they are made as though upon pivot. The
boat will turn almost within her own leng
and it is accomplished thus The steering
apparatus consists of man at the helm and
two big negroes, with stout poles, at the
bow. By no other management could she
be nayigated. AT every turn of the river
they have to be up and doing; and the
place is no sinecure, for the turns are many.
Bending and pushing, working and
swearing, they force round the head of the
boat and give her new direction. Some
times she will get stuck in among the trees,
and theih, the poles are manned by many
men. and all hands and the steam-engne
are employed to set her free. have seen
bow thus stuck on one side and stern on
the other, both fairly pushed in among the
trees and boughsss requiring time and pa
thence and effort to- set her off. Sometimes
an oyer-tasked pole will break, and there is
plunge overheard of its holders. Nothing
worse than ducking, however, is re-
ceiyed the river is too shallow to drown
even boy, standing up. Sometimes pole
will stick fast in the mud, too tight to be
removed, and will draw its holder over also
as the steamer moves on.
We have all kinds Of incidents to give in
terest to the journey. A tree has fallen
across the river, and just as though we were
in wildwood road, We must get out axes
and cut away the obstacle.
Limbs of trees are perpetually sweeping
the boat, requiring very skilful lodging by
those who stay out Of the cabin. An occa-
sional alligator, or q flock OF parroquets, or
sometimes an adventurous butterfly, who
thinks winter over and that flowers ought
to come out, is seen. Sometimes land is
to be seen on one or the other side as though
it had come down to afford a landing place
for the steamer, and now and then what is
called bluff; that is, a bank six feet above
water level. In this low country such ele-
rations have all the force Of hills.
The water of the Ocklawhaha Is as black
as ink and not at all tmbid, but perfectly
clear; there Is scarcely any current; in
many places it is completely filed with
water plant, their broad leaves covering
the surface !; its inhabitants are fish, frogs,
snakes, and alligators. This stygan black
ness Of the water is due TO the color inn
parted by the cypress roots and leaves; it is
full OF tannin and other vegetable matter,
and only requires its passing through q bed
of iron ore to render. it a perfect writing
f1uid--a river Of ink.
The swamps extend far out lmore than q
mile on each side), and afford delightful
retreat for all manner, kind, and variety Of
g .garInmts," ranging from mosquito up to
q panther. We travelled all day In our slow
and uninterrupted manner up this black
and silent river. It seemed devoid of life.
1t was too early in the season for the cypress