Wilmington journal., 1871-04-21

steamer HalcyOn-Captatn CIark-Aui
gators, NtId Turkeys, Steamboat Land
tngs, Fisheries and Flshermen
Dear Jo~naZ:-If you will look al
| your map Of North Carolina and put your
| finger down on little creek that rises in
the northwestern part of Caldwell county
In the mountains, then trace its course out
eastwardly for six or eight miles you will
| find a name put down "Yadkin River,
| follow it as it turns off, the southeast,
until you find it effecting a junction with
another stream named the "U wharIie, y
which comes in from the North. then fol.
! lowing down you find another stream
coming in from the westward called
"Rocky River" and from this confluence
on down into South Carolina to its mouth
in "Winzaw Bay" hear Goorgeton. it is
called the "Grcat Pee Dee" This river
waters some of the fine st sections of North
Carolina, and has on its upper course some
of the best sites for manufacturing pur-
poses to be found in the United States.
The whole length of the river, not follow
miles, and it visits i'll it's course Territory
of over five hundred miles IN length. 1t
was TO look at that portion OF the Great
Pee Dee lying in South Carolina, shat on
the 10th of April, A. d. 1871, we stepped
from the cars of the Wilmington, Colum-
bia and Augusta Railroad at Pee Dee
Station, where we found Capt. Jno. NJ.
Clark, of the steamer HalcyOn, who invited
US on boald. and as steam wGS up, the
lines were cast off and tho brave little
steamer was soon breasting the swift cur
rent with her head turning towards almost
every point Of the compass, but the Cap
taid had his Aead fixed on Cheraw. From
''TTE BRIDGE" by which is meant the
bridge Of the railroad at Pee Dee Station
up to Cheraw, the river averages in width
about three hundred feet. There are
places narrower and places much wider,
but it is bold stream everywhere in its
course and We found even at it's present
low stage-being lower than at any time
during the past six mOnths-p!euty OF
water for a boat drawing six feet. Our
little ninety-twO ton boat spun aloL any
where now darting swiftly through SOM
eddy ; now passing mp against the de- +
rushing current Of some gland betd ht rt
gliding So that you could almost snntca d
flowed troin the OvelAanglug bushes, ana
these III the middle Of some broad eX-
panse, but ever making steady aud not
slow progress. It is not our purpose now
to speak of the various landings we made
during the day list Of them for the
whole rOQte Of the boat will be appended
for the use of the readers of the JOURNAL.
In former years the trade of this river
was immense, but since the Cheraw and
Darlington, and the Wilmington, Char
Iotte and Rutherford Railroads have been
built they have taken nearly all the trade
away, and one reason that the farmers
have had to abandon the river was that
the steamers ran at such irregular times
that there could be no calculation made to
meet them. The country lying north Of
the river below Cheraw has this difficulty
in getting to the Cberaw and Darlington
Railroad, that they have to cross the river.
The ferries are few, very difficult, not to
say dangerous, and expensive !; kept up
by individuals mostly for their own con-
venience, without any desire to accOmmo-
date the public. The banks of the river
are steep, muddy, and in wet weather very
slippery, and altogether ferriage was dan
gerous to teams goods and drivers
Through the foresight of men who take
an interest in the public good and who de-
sire also to protect aud assist other inter
ests in which they are interested, the
Halcyon has been put on the river. She
connects with the trains of the W., G. q
A. r. H., Pee Dee station, regularly; she
leaves there every Monday mOrning on
the arrival of the train from the North at
8! O'Clock, a.. M, and goes up the river,
delivers all freights, loads up and returns
every wednesday, leaving Cheraw at 8
O'Clock, a. m., and reaching the bridge IN
time for the Express train North The
merchants of this section have already
taken advantage of her as a passenger
boat. as they can stay two hours longer in
CheraW than if they went by railroad, and
still connect with the train to the North,
and those coming fr n the North arrange
to strike her trip Monday morning and
get to all the villages and business places
near the river below Cheraw before night.
The last trip down the Captain Informs US
be made an average run through the day
of seventeen and half miles per hour;
but this was with Il strong freshet helping.
OF course up stream no boat could make
over half that We have rarely ever en-
loved q more beautiful day than we had
on the up trip Monday last. We sat under
the shade of the hurricane deck forward,
chatted, smoked and inhaled the balmy
spring air Shortly after leaving the
bridge we espied an alligator basklug In
Il,
tried pocket Smith & Wesson on him,
at about twenty yards distance; the balls
glanced from him and splashed mud in
his face, but he did not even wink. He
lay as if he rather liked the fun and offered
a fair broadside, as much as 10 say ''hre
away, old fellow, until you get disgustei.
Whether so or not, we got that very thing
and quit. We passed two flocks of wild
turkeys lounging along the bank. who did
not seem to be the least alarmed, and
could have been killed with gun from
the deck. The fishermen were busy at all
the ''seine bars, and every plantation had
its hooks and lines out, with loafer at
the end of the pole. We passed at least
two hundred ''good plow-boys engaged in
this actire business Cotton planting and
preparation for it, is going on everywhere,
but still hundreds can 60 fishing Mon
day morning. Labor wanted, in this free
country. but cannot be had. The fish
| kla opo Y,oOsf1v GSnhaAo and