Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-04-08

America are not very favorable rey.ra;no
their policy or success
Notes Of n Journey south.
JACKSONVILLE, March Is.
Up THE ST. JOHNS RIVER. MOL
nj Every one who has looked at \ man of
4 riorios' must have noticed long. crooked
nser, iaid down as running from the
south to the north, and within a mode,.
ate distance OF the east coast of the FIori-
ia peninsula, and entering tho Atlantic
. by sharp turn TO the east in about lati.
tude thirty degrees and ten minutes
nortn- Let one who never has seen and
oeen on That river can have formed no
adequate conception of its magnitude and
importance. This Is the river ST.. Johns
on which is situated the city Of Jackson.
vile, just where the river makes it, turn
from a southern To an eastern course TO
enter the Atlantic. Looking south ward
from the wbarves and river banks at the
city, one sees before him "a great en- pause
OF water, of from three 10 five miles in
width, without reckoning. occasional bays
OF a depth equal 10 or greater than the
general width Of the river. The appear
ance Is that of sea, reaching south ward
lar beyond the limit of vi-inn. At the
mouth OF the river the width j. not far
from a mile. From there 10 Jackson VILE,
"A distance of twenty-five or thirty miles.
the width varies very much, from the
numerous and deep bays into which il
spreads; but though the Traveller ON his
first trip acknowledges 10 himself that
the St. Johns il much larg-
er river than be had supposed,
he finds his conceptions Of its size and
| Importance marvelously frightened when
the great expan-e Ia the south above
spoken Of, meets hir eye. Sea going
steamers ply between Savannah and
Charleston, aud Piatka. place about go
miles above jacksonville. Ships and
steamers Of any size, ascend the ST.
Johns u PIlatka, provided their draft Of
water Is not too great Ia allow of their
crossing the bar at the mouth of the river
This bar is cbangeable, from the effects Of
the rain and the sea waves, both ar TO its
position and depth / believe vessels
dra wing nine or ten feet Of water find no
difficulty in crossing the bar when the
tide IL favorable The tide flows A hund-
red or more miles up the river: rising at
Pilatka from ten "a fifteen inches. Above
Pilatka the bars which occur at the en-
trance of the lakes above, limit vessels to
that draft ply regularly from a hundred
and fifty To two hundred miles above
jacksonville. On one of these steamers
we took passage, few days ago. for a
round trip to Lake Harvey and back The
number of persons who desire Ia take the
trip. II so great, after the FIRST of March
till the hot months come on. that il j. nee
essary for one IA secure "a Passage from
a week To ten days IN advance, If one
wishes 10 secure any better place 20 sleep
at night, than a mattrass on or under a
table. The round trip occupies six days,
the steamer lying 10y one day at Eater
prise on Lake Monroe. and there, and at
PIlatka, for most or all of each night.
Though the little steamer was crowded
with passengers, and ats accommodations
were Father narrow, Vet the fare was very
good and the Officers courteous. The
party Was made up of agreeable people,
To whom the novelty and strangenees of
the navigation, aud the peculiaritie- of
the scenery, We're extremely interesting;
the weather also fine, aud all declared
their satisfaction with the excursion in
unqualified terms.
As the steamer carried the L. s. mail,
We bad 10 take a rather zig-zag course up
the river 10 PIlaika. This Is the only
place Of any size above jacksonville. IL
is pretty village on the west side of the
river, containing, / was told, perhaps
seven hundred inhabitants. IL has some
nice residences, measured by the Florida
standard, and II l. a place where a good
deal of freight is landed Tor distribution
in the interior and from which, in good
season, cotton and other productions of
Florida, In considerable quantirIe-. have
been shipped northward. We lett PIlatka
before day-break, 80 that we had no
chance ON the upward trip 20 see the river
between tina: place and Lake George
This lake l. beautiful sheet of water
-'---. G-.---- --.i-- l~---, --d -i-<Lt a. ..i..s
miles broad, with an average depth. il i.
said, OF twelve feet. As high grounds
are no where TO be found in this region.
the lake looks, when still, like a large
saucer Of water with d low green rim.
on the border with occa-
.ional flowers the higher trees of the
same color, save that the stems are grey.
Steaming directly across the lake, il
looked a. IL the boat was about u run di-
rectly ashore, stem ON. Tor there was no
sign of a passage. But when near the
shore, stake or two was seen standing
np out of the water. and the steamer was
slowed and carefully turned 10 the left,
where a narrow and shallow channel was
ound running parallel Ia the coast. This
passage soon brought us into the rivera
deep stream Tor almost any
Vessel. and perhaps from one hundred 10
! hundred and fifty feet wide. skirred on
both sides with denSe growth of trees
he border OF the river bring almost
wampy, and lt- course for about sixty
niles between Lake George and Lake
Monroe a. crooked as can well be con-
eived of. The turns of the rlyer were
ometimes 80 short that setting poles had
o be made use of to get the steamer
".nd point OCCASIONALLY, too, IN.
liver would for short distance be boz
ered by quite an c&panse of fat. marsh
and, covered with grass Of some sort,
whose dry stems w-re iive or six feet high,
nd which ia a rainy season, the captain
aid, were all covered with wat4r Once
n while bit of dry hunmoek land
You'd occur, elevated "A few feet above
ugh water, whore Wild orange trees wer.
rowing. or where iIttie clearing Was In
'rogress IA order la plant an Orange grove.
Along this DEVIOUS piece of navigation
etween Lake George and Lake Monroe
which occupied m"st Of the dan the
portsmen of the party had a lively time
y nhDolihe at ibe hllSat"f---or tgater-,
$ they are popularity called in this region.
was a warm, sunshiny day. and the alli-
ators take such weather Ia crawl ont of
he water, wholly or partially, To bAsk
n the sun among the high weeds,
r on the edges of the low hanks
here were several rifles ON board, and
We had hardly entered the river, before
he crack of one was beard aud from that
ime till we entered Lake Monroe, hardly
mile was passed without the cry there's
ne by that point yonder"-''.ee that large
ne just IN the edge of the bushes" fol-
,wed by the crack of gun,-sometines
be simultaneous discharge of two or
hree would be followed by furious