The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-04-11
DR. wolf Interviewea.

pr1etOf OF the windsor Hotel IN Jackson
vile, was in Tallahassee a short time ago.
Upon his retusn to>Jacksonville he was
interviewed by Union reporter, to whom
he said:
Last week made my first visit TO the Cap
| ital of the State. started from Jacksonville in
| the evening train, and after riding all night ar
rived in Tallahassee the following morning.
The coach rode in was not Pullman sleeper,
| but q plain one with two facing seats which
formed the foundation of a good bed for rest or
sleep, l was The only through passenger in the
| car SO escaped for once the accusation of snor-
| ing in my slumbers, which know to be gre
! vious habit If il were true" an regard 10 Tai
hassee," said the Doctor, g am in love with ii
It is built on hill5, has pure air and excellent
| drainage. Tie citizens cultivate flowers extern
sively, and those / talked with displayed an
| amount OF intelligence and refinement not COM
mon In many paris Of the peninsula State.
1.-THE country around the old town is undulat-
| ing Polling, and seems almost bludy in its out
lines against the sky. That which lies TO the
north OF the city, particularly in the environment
| of Lake jackson. seems as if II would produce
1 any crop that the best lands in the State will
| grow. The soil seems 10 be of the best quality.
| A head of cabbage grown in garden weighed
twelve pounds, and it was not the largest in the
patch. Potatoes, both sweet and Irish, grow in
abundance. / never saw finer peas, nor tasted
i
that grew in the country about Tallahassee. A
bad driver will spoil good horse. A poor
farmer will not prosper on the best of land. In
teigent, educated labor can make this famed
country the abiding place of prosperous peo-
ple.p
While in Tallahassee, DIR Wolf had pleasant
interview with Governor Bloxham, of whom he
| says: 1.-The young Governor is most cOurtly
| gentleman in manners, and a pleasant talker.
His information is varied and extensive, and
should think, in all matters appertaining to the
| political, financial and educational interests of
Florida, he is 80 we'll informed as to make his
opinion accepted as an authority. He is most
interesting cOnversatiOnalst, and one of the most
graceful parlOr orators 1t has been my privilege to
| listen to-"
During his sojourn at the Capital the
Doctor visited the famous Wakulla
Springs, and thus relates his experience
with an alligator:
There was an old batteau in the spring, which
made use of to float me aroundto see the sights.
The owner Of this ancient craft, Mr.. Casseaux,
padded the boat and acted guide. We made
| several fruitless efforts to capture fish with
@ Us w6e On We tne sS6dy beach gave him
prod with the gig which made him quickly slip
full length upon the white shell bottom, forty
| feet beneath the surface OF the water. Being en-
tirely out of reach we left him as 'twere asleep.
| In two hours we returned to see If he had
| changed his position, but he still remained in
dgnified repose, perhaps cOgitating over the lick
| / had given his head with the gig. Our boat lay
| lightly on the surface of the water above him.
He was as visible to our sight as he could be SEN
| sible to our touch He seemed to be fast asleep,
| and what strengthened this impression was the
fact that not less than hundred fishes, of all
sizes and varieties, swan around him, nipping
| watery parasites and MOSES from his horney
| skin. noticed this familiarity of the fish with
| the gator with absorbing interest. About his
head and outlines of his capacious mouth, the
fish seemed to be particularly attracted, and most
| industriOusy engaged. They clustered here as
| thick as flies, and were as busy as bees. While
entirely absorbed in watching this strange opera
ton, conceive Of my establishment when l saw
the gator gradually, and as thought lazily, open
his mouth to its fullest extent This, instead of
| frightening the fish, only gave them better faci-
| ties for picking crumbs of comfort" from the
alligatOr's tongue and teeth. They went In in
crowds each trying to be in advance of the other,
until the red passage TO Hades " was thrOnged.
| Sooner than can write it that deadly trap was
shut, and "the fish were. seen no more"
| Those that had got only half way 10 or half way
| out were caught in the middle. and wiggled for
| liberty or DEATH" and il was surely DEATH
| Closely watched the gator, anxious to see the
| end OF this massacre. l fancied saw him look
1 up at me with playful smile twinkling in his
| eyes, as be seemed to say II fooled em r. He
then gave q chopping gulph or two with his
ponderous jaws and again went TO sleep, or IN
other words, set his trap for new supply of cred
ulous fishes The philosophy of the gator is that
fishes are made for food. and eats EN-. s.
The Doctor, aside from this remark
able experience, was not particularly
struck with the spring, and in speaking
of it he fails to do it justice. For in
stance, be locates the spring in {" an i'm
penetrsbIe cypress swamp" whereas the
location is in a comparatively high, dry
hammock, with no cypress visible except
on the borders OF the river below the
spring. The growth around the spring
| 10 such as will be found in the average
Florida hammock. and consists of almost
every variety of wood except cypress.
| The Doctor himself noted some thirty va
rieties Of trees. He makes q like mistake
as TO the depth of the water, which he
places at shorty feet" over the shelf of
the rock beneath, which the spring rises;
whereas the depth was tascertajned by .
gentleman who was with him In the boat,
and so reported, to be one hundred and
eight feetl The fact is, the Doctor was SO
taken up with the strange, to him, way
Wakulla 'gator traps his food that he
failed to be struck with skhe natural
beauty of the surroundings, as others
have invariably been. A, few days after
the Doctors visit, Mr.. Frank Taylor, the
well known artist, accompanied BY Mr..
OK Munroe, of Harperls Young Folks,
and several others. went, over the same
ground and foated on the sapas water.
Mr.. Munroe sounded the spring and found
90 feet, and Mr.. Taylor made . sketch.
The whole party beard the Doctors ga
tor slide into, the water, and afterwards
saw him resting on the bottom fully 30
fest below the surface; but did not zee
the csaaturs take in. another draft of
e6shas The artist pronounced the spring
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