Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1877-05-26
A VIVID SCENE In FLORIDA.
The Feast of the sharks and the Gulls--The
Battle of the Sharks and the AlligatOrs--
The Water Reddened with their Blood.

The Feast of the sharks and the Gulls--The
Battle of the Sharks and the AIigatOrs--
The Water Reddened with their Blood.
A correspondent of the New York San
gives the following graphic description
of scenes witnessed on a barren and
nearly inaccessible point ON the coast of
Florida If you Will look at the map of
Florida, away down the eastern coast of
the finger-like peninsula, you may see
spot marked "Jupiter, or "Jupiter
Inlet" Some maps make it Juniper"
! This is wrong Its namesake was old
Jupiter, the slave of an army officer,
who was stationed at this point during
the first Seminole war. Jupiter is be-
tween latitude twenty-six and twenty
seven degrees. Although only 100 miles
north of Key West, it bulges to the east
nearly a degree of longitude beyond
Cape Canaveral. 1t is probably the
most inaccessible and barren nook on the
whole Floridian coast, and can be reach
ed only in light draught boats, sailing
the whole length of the Indian river.
Sharp coral reefs fringe it's shore, and
high hillocks of white sand, sprinkled
with thick clumps of scrub and cactus,
rear their heads above the inlet. The
| lively sand crab catches tirehies on the
beach, and hugh turtles deposit their
eggs in the sand. This attracts scores
of bears from the swamps and ham,
mocks bordering the Everglades; for to
them the turtle and its eggs are tooth
some delicacy. Spotted tiger-cats play
among the sand hills by moonlight, and
the fierce puma prowls along the shore
in quest of king crabs or more substan-
tial diet. The largest puma ever seen in
the State was shot in this region by the
keeper of the lighthouse. It was as
formidable as a royal Bengal tiger, and
measured over thirteen feet from snout
to tip.
The shallow salt water swarms with
fish. Schools of mullet and pompino
flash in the sunlight, and cavallo, bona
fish, bluetish, red bass, drum, snappers
and groupers are here in myriads. jew
fish have been caught weighing over 500
pounds. Sawtish, the size of young
whales, surge through the narrow chan
nels, and ravenous sharks from twelve to
twenty feet in length keep rigid block
ade outside. AS the tide rises they
come within the inlet in search of prey.
The bass and other fish that have been
feeding upon the mullet, become in turn
the victims of the shark. The smaller
fish dart to and fro, making the water
boil in their efforts to escape. Millions
are slowly but surely driven into small
bay by the sharks, who whip the waves
into foam in their hungry fury. Penned
at last, the doomed fish leap in the air
with terror, and shoals of them run
ashore. The sharks charge with rush.
Their jaws snap like pistol shots, and
mutllated fish are Scattered over the wa
ter Schools of porpoises join in the
Slaughter, and occasionally an old alli-
gator shoves off from the shore, sinks
himself like submarine battery, and
steals O bounteous meal.
Nor is an alligator the only free feeder.
The air is filled with thousands of Lilac
feathered terms and gulls. Full we'll dc
they understand the situation. The
rush of their wings is like breeze in q
forest of pines, and their screams are
deafening. By platoons they dash into
the agitated water, and sore off above
the roaring surf each with fish in its
bill. The very air sparkles with fish
for the gulls toss their victims up unit
they catch them by the head. Ther
they are easily bolted. High above the
terms float focks of gray pelicans, larger
than geese, and grave and formal az
judges. The wind whistles beneath
their great wings, but they make no au
dible expression of satisfaction. Drop
ping into the waves with a great splash
after few lubberly maneuvers the,
fill their pouches, and sail away al
though the whole affair had been ar
ranged for their own exclusive benefit
A party of stalwart herons pace th,
strand in their Austrian uniforms, ant
pick up the tiny silver fish sloppinl
! ashore during the general commotion
And last and least, our little Northern
! kingfsher, clad in a sky blue suit
springs his little rattle, and hangs OF
the outskirts of the battle, picking III
, the choicest tidbits. Such is an ever,
day scene at Jupiter during the summe
and fall.
, A lighthouse is the only sign of civil
zation at Jupiter. 1t towers 100 fee
from sand hill on the main land, and i
| plain brick shaft crowned with re
} volving light. Heavy eastern gales com
bined with the action of the gulf stream
, sometimes shut the inlet. About fiftee,
years ago a storm closed the gap. Bill
5 lions of salt water fish were damned in
= Then long rainy season followed. Th
Jupiter, North, Allokehatchie and LAX
= Worth rivers, which empty into the Ii
dian river within a mile of the inlet
| poured out volumes of fresh water, bu
the ocean had done it's work well, an
the dam remained intact The fres
water passed through Hope sound an
$ forced its way to the sea through India
river inlet, fifty miles north of Jupiter.
r The salt water at Jupiter became fresl
t All the oysters died. Trillions of fit
l dlers and hermit crabs gave up til
q ghost. The mangrove trees turned
/ sickly yellow, and the thousands of il
Y sects that draw their nourishment frol
0 saline disappeared. Schools of blac
bass left the fresh streams and appeare
fishes piled themselves into the blight
the inlet, and fought for the sea watC
that oozed through the sand at high It'd
. The alligators of the Everglades got win
o of what was going on. They came dow
@ the Allokehatchie and Lake Worth cree
/. in scores, and attacked the fish damme
s in the blight. The slaughter was astol
IL ishing.
/ The water turned to blood, and WI
:. carpeted with dead fish. The alligato
! were re-enforced until their number WI
v estimated at five hundred. They gorge
e themselves with fish, and dozed avs
l. their days on the hot sand beneath IL
d scorching rays of the sun. The beat
n was black with their mailed bodies.
night their muttered thunder fair
,f shook tho foundations of the liohtbous