Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-06

Rio CARRABELLE, June 27,-Editor Morning
Nea0s: All of Florida is not on the st. Johns
river. The Gulf coast offers attractions for
tourists, health and pleasure seekers, equal, il
not superior. to any other portion of the State,
and to emigrants seeking homes in this eli
mate this island, on the mainland, is well
worth an examination. 1t is, at present un-
known, and hence unnoticed. This island is
located midway between st. Marks and Apa-
lachicola and separated from the mainland
by Crooked river, which unites the OchIocko-
nee and New (or Carrabella) rivers that
empty into the Gulf, the first at the east
ward into Dickinsen's bay, the latter into Dog
Island Harbor at the West. The island is twen-
ty-six miles long, and averages four miles in
width. 1t embraces the highest land on the
Gulf coast between Pensacola and Tampa, and
its harbor DOG Island Harbor) is second only
to that of Pensacola. Vessels drawing nine
teen feet easily cross East Pass bar and all
the large craft that load with lumber from
Apalachicola, twenty-s six miles west, anchor in
our harbor. The settlement of this place was
commenced little over three years ago and
now we have two large steam saw mills, two
stores, a very fair hotel, and about five hun
dred inhabitants. The town is located at the
west end of the island, ON an elevation
of fifty to seventy feet above the Gulf level
better location for thriving city cannot be
blessed with the salt breeZes from the Gulf; as
business point there are two million acres of
pine and cypress forest to the north ext nding
into Georgia. every foot of which must float
past our wharf on its way to the markets of
the world; for the pleasure-seeker, we offer the
best inducements in the way of hunting and
fishing, and in this there is certainly no part of
Florida can excel us in fish and oysters; we
are favored in our harbor with pompano. Span
iSh mackerel, blue fish, trout, etc, and five
miles distant are the far-famed Snapper Banks
where red snapper, grouper, turbot and other
deep-water fish are in great abundance.
There are several fine fresh water lakes on
the island we'll stocked with black bass Dream
and turtle, while the Carabella and Ocklocko-
nee rivers with their tributaries are also
literally full OF fresh water fish
For hotel men this island is to be big bo-
nanZa when they become familiar with its ad-
vantages. Our summers beng agreeable from
the regular breezes and the island becoming a
summer resort will enable houses to be kept
open the year round.
Want OF steam communication has been our
great drawback, but we have nearly completed
q good steamboat, and expect to have her run
ming within three weeks. She will connect with
the trains at st. Marks tri-weekly, and with the
river boats at Apsiachicola semi weekly
six hours run by daylight from the former, and
two and half hours from Apalachicola, will
give passengers a very pleasant trip to this
place. Overland, we are accessible from Tai
crossing the Ocklockonee ferry
a distance of about fifty miles, through pine
forest nearly all the way.
There is one singular fact in regard to this
part of the island. We are never troubled with
mosquitoes, and since the mills have started
their slab fires, the sandfies that have here
tofore been our greatest pest have almost en-
tirely disappeared from the vicinity of the
hotel. o. H. K.