The Republican journal., 1873-02-13
G.jnpses a. tie South.



e2i narrowed until, as Il seems 10 ne, all
the crop tey can possibly WELD las been
harvested. j oecurreI 10 me that an cS-
cursion 10 it, mouth ard The territory al
j4aeus ir;ght aiioId msserial for thought
and open Il volume which thus far, to me
at least, has been sealed book. Not
outstanding The assertion OF some and
the prediction of others that | should have
to rough il" and should wish mvself back
again | resolved 10 90 have been:
Am glad went"
The order of my going was in this wise
By invitation OF Capt Mcdonald, of the
Prescott Hazeltine, Went on board Of
her ut noon of the 10Th ult. Yielding 20
the persuasion of the steam tug Godfrey
Keebler. the schooner got under way.
and soon after dark arrived and came ID
anchor not far from the mouth of the river.
The uufavorabe state OF he tide prevent
ed her from going to sea. My compagnon
de voyage was a gentleman well known
IN your vicinity, as the most expert angler
hat ever dropped bait on the bosom OF
iiiy-pad to the world at large, as Presi-
dent OF The North American Pickerel A.
socltion. Before leaving The Prescott
HaZeltine, cannot refrain from whisper
ilg to You that i you should ever be 50
fortunate AZ 10 he invited bv her captain to
come on board, don't fail to accept the in
yitation He understands well the science
u making hi. guests welcome and happy.
and his steward is an adapt in the mystic
rious art Of manufacturing and coucocting
hose "viantis pure" as Milton hath it.
that make camp-lfe luxurious.
have referred to the bar, which lies a
short distance outside the mouth of the
river, the waters of the Atlantic breaking
over il, wrapping it in q sheet of foam. It
is in fact 4 sand bank, perpetuallv chang
ing its location, 50 much that pilot. pass
ing over it find It necessary for the safety
Of their charge TO make soundings every
day. There is seldom more than seven
'eet ~ water on it at low tide. Loaded
vessels bound outward usually come to
anchor near the mouth OF the liver and
remain there until the tide iavorS, when
they are taken over the bar hy stean-tugS.
These rugs are constantly on the look
ant for vessels arriving outside the bar.
md there is very commenta5'e DECREE
nj emulation among them 10 get the first
sight and hold OF every vessel ii the otfng;
q source o! profit 10 them, i Is true. but
also Of thanktulaess often 10 the storm
driven mariner.
This bar is a serious obstacle to the
navigation of the s.. John; one which is
beyond the power of arj to remove, prob
ably yet not beyond the power of art
anu skill to render lar Jess dangerous and
less OF an obstacle than It would other
wise be. Serious as the obstacle IL, how
ever, ii does not deler the hardy mariner
ot the north tr~m encounteling 1t in pur-
sol, OF the wealth OF pine that lies this side
Of it,
Our vessel anchored about midway be
tween Pilot Town on the north and May
port on The south side Of the river Both
villages are small The inhabitants of
the latter are employed principally in the
fisheries finding u market for the larger
portion ct their catch in Savannah, Charles
ton and New York. One could hardly
find Il more undesirable location for resi-
ience than that portion occupied by these
fishermen. Shade trees there are none;
for soil there is literally nothing but sand,
white sand not loose, shifting sand,
blowing hither and thither with every
hreeue. not 50 hard as a beaten road, but
nearly approXimating to it. Extending
inland from the shore for a mile OF more
in extent are low white sand hills, OF sand
dunes The sight OF them reminded me
of Longlellow in his Hiawatha
Till the sand was blown and sitted
Like great snowtirifts DER the landscape,
lfeaping All the shore with sand dunes
Nagou, had he been fond Of catching
-hat. mullet and sheepShead, might have
fancihd such residence, but would YOU ?
I can give Won no better idea of the ap-
pearance of these sand hills. or dunes, at
D distance, than Nv comparing them 10
the ridge 81 land IN the eastern side OF our
river in the early springtime, when the
snow is partially melted and the tops OF
the knoj!5 and tips of tau grass begin TO
peep out above the snow. Strange AS it
may seem. Il tuff OF grass or 4 scrub prickly
pear VIII here and there force its way mp
through This almost hopelessly sterile
Sand-soiI
PHO, Town, situated on Baton Island on
he northern side Of the river, as its name
mparts, is the home Of the pilots who ply
their hardy highly responsible and some
times portions vocation of plotting vessels
across the bar They constitute a kind OF
Joint stock association, own a handsome
pilot boat, and the proceeds OF their labor
are divided among them; but by what
rule did not definitely learn. They have
the reputation OF being careful, skillful
reliable, temperate men. One of the mo 81
prominent men among them, the most
prominent | think, is Captain johnson, q
Norwegian by birth, who has resided there
for a long time. The story of his trials
and reverses during the late civil war is
repete with interest and incident. He
IS well known by shipmasters from your
port. Under his roof ! found n goo(
nights repose and at his table a most gen
srous hospitality. The lighthouse IS 10
Gated on the south side of the river direct
iy opposite his house; the old light house
now abandoned. is farther down toward,
the ocean.
On the morning after we arrived at on
place of anchorage, we took boat ant
rowing about mile landed on the south
Of Island. tho