The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-29
Fishing on Buffalo.
WILgURN's MILL, Oct. Dist.

WILYURN'S MILL, OcJ. ZlSI.
To he Editor ofhe Herald and Mail:
Did you ever go fishing? If so, where?
In the muddy streams of MaurY coun-
ty? You can always tell the fertility of
a county by it's streams-a rich soil
makes sluggish, muddy creeks, and a
sandy, billy country causes the water
to be clear as crystal, bright as the sun
and sparkling as a diamond. Game
fish much prefer to inhabit clear waters,
and the streams of the Barrens are gen,
orally full of them. Black Bass, how
ever, prefer limestone waters to the
clear, treestone waters, provided they
are not muddy. A party OF fishermen,
made up of anglers from Hickman,
Maury, Williamson and Davidson coun-
ties. left Ceutreville Monday morning,
October 18th, for Wilburn's Mill, on
Buffalo River. They crossed Indian
Creek, (there are three Indian Creeks
in Middle Tennessee) up Brushy Creek,
and a prong of Beaver Dam. Mr.. II.
Clagett and Capt. John Barnes went
ahead and met old "Whig" Anderson.
mr.. Anderson got this name of Wing
in 1910, when he was the only Wing at
at his precinct, which polled seventy
five YOtes.) Mr.. Clagett told old
"Whig" that they had man who was
crazy on the minnow question-that he
wanted to catch minnows out of Beaver
Dam and carry them all the way to
Buffalo; that he was a large man and he
and Barnes were afraid of him, "Whig"
said he would "fix" him; but when the
wagons came up and the big man got
out, old "Whig'' looked out, aud said he
believed the crazy man could whip
them all. We soon came by the old Mt.
Etna Furnace, owned and run by Dams
iel Hillman, of Nashville, and now
owned by l.. s. Goodrich All is gone
except the immense smoke stack, or
chimney, small house, and immense
piles of cinders, etc. Bob Charter, our
colored driver, told us that fifty or six
ty hands used to be employed at this
furnace, and it took seven wagons to
haul the iron to Duck River, seven
miles off, where it was placed on flats
boats, and taken to Tennessee river.
The gunwales OF the hatboats were
brought from Maury county. The fur
mace was stopped in 1868, and has not
been started again, because it is too far
from the market. Prof. Stafford, State
GeOlogist, says there is enough iron ore
around Etna Furnace to run a dozen
furnaces an indefinite period of time
and ore of the finest quality. Hickman
county is rich in minerals, and she
stands in her own light in not build
ing cheap railroad through her borders.
When will she wake up7
After travelling up creeks and over
wide barren stretches, we at length
struck Cane Creek, and caught min~
nOws. We camped at Capt. Burnham's |
store, where we were treated well. AZ
ter we were all snugly ensconced in the |
little room back of the store, Mr.. John |
Mary Scott Mayes, aged so, told some |
inimitable stories of his youth. He is |
charming cOnversationalist, and can
tell an anecdOte or story in a manner
not to be excelled. Among many 9th
er things, he told how he weHt deer
hunting all day in the snow, barefooted,
in the Zion country, seventy years ago.
with Sam Blakely. Mr.. Mayes is now |
enjoying green old age, and is as
youthful, cheerful and agile as most of /
son to have in camp. We arrived at |
Wilburn's Mill, went fishing, and re-
turned with several fine fish, a big Jack |
among the number. Wilburn'a Mill
was built forty nine years ago, by Rev.
VIM. Horsley, it is thought. DIR. Will
burn treated us well, and Mr.. Clagett,
Bobby Clagett, Mr.. John Mary Scott |
Mayes and Esq. James T. Moore slept |
at his house. Did you ever see Buffalo |
River? 1t is a beautiful stream, and al |
most or quite as large Duck River |
What beautiful thing is clear, spark
ling water! How pure it looks! How /
unlike everything else, which has the /
marks of earth about it! Looking AT
the curling, dashing, bright, sparkling 4
water, as it goes by our camp, we sigh 1
and think, "Ah, beautiful water! thou |
art almost as pure as when thou fell /
from the pure skies. But alasl thou
wilt soon have to struggle with the i'm.
purities of Duck River and the grand |
but murky Mississippi. We pity thee!o
We are all, except J. d. Miller, at the
mill-dam, and dozen fishing rods are
setting out" waiting for a bite
Look there, Uncle Scott, one has your
cork under the waterl Jerkp' out
comes trout, and Horsley de-
clares that "pncle Scott" has drawn
The first blood. Now observe the
line of battle-"Uncle Scott" on the
right, Capt, Barnes next, A. S. Hershey