The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-06-01
Down the Florida Coast.

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 il 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. Jupi-
ter is between latitude 26o and 27o. AL
though only 12O miles north of Key West,
it bulges to the east nearly degree of lon
gitude beyond Cape Canaveral. 1t is proba-
bly, the most inaccessible and barren nook
on the whole Floridian coast, and can be
reached only in light-draught boats, sailing
the whole length of the Indian river. Sharp
coral reefs fringe its shore, and high hilocks
of white sand sprinkled with thick clumps
of scrub and cactus, rear their heads above
the inlet. The lively sand-crab catches
firefes on the beach, and huge turtles de-
posit 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 toothsome
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 substantial diet. The
largest puma ever seen in the State was shot
in this region by the keeper of the light
house. 1t was as formidable as a royal Ben
gal 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, bonefsh, bluefsh, red
bass, drum, snappers and groupers are here
in myriads. Jewish have been caught
weighing over 500 pounds. Sawfsh the size
of young whales surge through the narrow
channels, and ravenous sharks from u to 90
feet in length keep rigid blockade 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 be.
come in turn the victims of the shark. The
smaller fish dart to and fro, making the
water boil in their efforts to escape Mil
lions are slowly but surely driven into a
|
waves into foam in their hungry fury. PEN
ned at last, the doomed fish leap into the air
} with terror, and shoals of them run ashore.
The sharks charge with rush. Their
jaws snap like pistol shots, and mutilated
fish are scattered over the water. Schools
of porpoises join in the slaughter, and oc-
} casionally an old alligator shoves off from
the shore, sinks himself like submarine
) battery and steals a bounteous meal.
Nor is an alligator the only free feeder.
The air is filled with thousands of lilac.
l feathered terms and gulls. Full well do they
understand the situation. The rush of theil
q wings is like breeze in the forest of pines
and their screams are deafening. BY pla
e toons they dash into the agitated water, and
!, soar off above the roaring surf each with
3 fish in its bill. The very air sparkles with
n fish, for the guls toss their victims up until
:, they catch them by the head. Then they
. are easily bolted. High above the term
q float flocks of grey pelicans, larger thar
= geese, and grave and formal as judges. TIL,
r wind whistles beneath their great wings bu
d they make no audible expression of satsfac
$ ton. Dropping into the waves with grea
t splash, after few lubberly maneuvres the,
, fill their pouches, and sail away as thougl
. the whole affair was arranged for their owl
D exclusive benefit. A party of stalwart heron
pace the strand in their Austrian uniform
D and pick up the tiny silver fish stopping
t ashore during the general commotion. AM
t last and least, our little Northern kingfsher
clad in sky-blue suit, springs his little rat
tie and hangs on the outskirts of the battle
|. picking up the choicest tid-bits Such i
r an every day scene at Jupiter during tn
: summer and fall.
The inlet is very shallow. Its bed is de
g tached coral rocks covered with sea. gree
e moss. This moss hides that peculiar shel
known as "bleeding teeth" At low tide tn
water rushes over these rocks, forming rapid
like those on some Canadian streams Bank
| of sand appear at the foot of the rapids, an
are washed by the breakers of the Atlanti,
). The tide sets in with wonderful force. Th
r current is very strong, and the banks an
flats inside are quickly flooded. Immens
K eddes are formed and, strange as it ma
seem, these eddies offer some of the fines
hy-fshing in the world. The bone or lad
s fish, bluefish, snapper, and cavallo take
D fly with the voracity of brook trout Gam
1 ey as is the bluefish the ladyfsh is his supt
s rior. The latter is very long and slende
). covered with small silvery scales. 1t has
e broad head, large and expressive eye, fin
h sharp teeth, and mouth like that of trou
n 1t reaches ten pounds in weight. The lad,
fish snaps the fly in the air and darts away
Il When struck it is marvel of nerve an
If elasticity, Swerving in circle it repeatec
!. ly leaps from the water and dashes ava
,e After hard fight ii either jumps ashore
h gives up gracefully, and is easily nette
d The cayallo, a strong, active fish, is frequen
a ly taken at fifteen pounds weight. II lacl
st the dash of the ladytish, but is much hard
a to kill.
IL While fishing these eddies salmon r.
ID and reel is preferable. The common trou
ID rod is altogether too light. Only two NJ
Workers, it is believed, have cast a fly
in Jupiter, namely, brother of ex-Aldermi
Monheimer, and the Hon. Thomas Jenki
Falls of the Sturdevant House.
y A lighthouse is the only sign of civili2
= tion at Jupiter. 1t towers 100 feet from
=, - sand hill on the main land, and is pla
:. ~ brick shaft crowned with revolving ligh
~ ~ Heavy eastern gales, combined with the g,
" stream, sometimes shut the inlet. About
~ teen years ago storm closed the gap. B