Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1882-11-04

An Atlanta wEter SAYS: suppose
Mofehead city is the only c.sy i'll the
world without a wheel III II. | 10 not
tfilih There Is a wagon of a bugev horse
IN the town, and Very few in tue county.
everything Is dose III boats. There Is
LOT mouse III ti4e county that boat
cannot get Within a m.ie OF. Not n
doctor or lawyer III tie county owns a
horse-thev practice IN boats The
people 60 to oionerals III boats, ana waen
.hey arrest man they carry HIM to
| JAIL III boat
1he main export Of the town besides
track IS fish, but the fish caught here
embrace everything fron whale to a
| shrimp Last year two or three whales
were hken of this coast, and a whale
IS vs'th from 81, 900 to $1,000. 1t is
SAID rnat-tley get between the sLore
and the gulf stream, and III trying to
beat out to sea are slckened by the
warm water. They turn III shore again.
! and soon strand themselves. Along the
bays and lnlets III ackerel are caught in
large quantities III nets. Bu, !his whole
sale fishing Is neither picturesque nor
Interesting. A pretty sport practiced
along shore Is spearing founders, 4
small row boat Is put adrlft. 4 man
with f1ambesu walks alongside up to
his knees III water. In the bow of the
boat sportsmen stan. with slender gigs,
Along the bottom, by the reflection of
the light, can be seen white founders
half buried In the sand. They remain
perfectly still while the gig is poised
above them, and never move until they
are either speareu or missed. The only
drawback TO this sport is that occasion
ally your tCrcAbearcr Is stung by a
stlngaree. A stmgaree is simply long
and buggy whip, broken out with SMALL
pox and filled with steel springs, aqua.
fortis and needles. When he hits YOU.
lockjaw IS the mlldest possible result.
The 'coIored man contingent abou,
Morehead makes its living by grabbing.
With little boat, hardly bigger than {;
tub, they go out in the surf, and Topping
, III and out like amphibia, soon come
in with a b,lshel or so of the uglies
looking aud sweetest tasting things tha
swim the water.
II One other very important industl,
of this most interesting place is tn,
: raising of ''marsh tackles" The marsl
tackey is q shaggy pony hardly large
> than the Shetland, light built and hardy
He lives in the water and will not ca
corn or hay. He is brought up on tn
marsh grass, which he eats betweel
+ tides. They cost literally nothing
bree iingi in droves as wild horses. Eacl
drove has its leader, who selects th
d eating grounds and decides when tn
i tides are going out or coming in. One
!, every year the owners have what i
!. called "pony penning.'' All tn
! ponies along the coast running into th
thousands, are driven in by boats an'
:, either branded or sold. They brln
from S15 to $50 apiece, and it Is trlbut
g to their wildness, that a "broke" pony
l. that Is, one that can be ridden or driven
O is called trained tacAey,' and bring
- $40. They are in great demand in th
middle part of the state, eating littl
and doing heap of work. They ru
e down to skin and bones before the
II learn to eat corn or hay, but then fatte
S rapidly aud lose the ugly reddish colo
o the salt water gives them. There ar
- men who buy them in large number.
train them, and take them to the noun,
aims and get fancy prices for them, a
l. [ write there is a drove of tackles marcel
S ing in slow and sedate procession agains
!. the horizon. The leader, bearing hl
o responsibility With dignity, picks tn
way carefully, and his company folio
with blind sense of contideuce I'll
q water, as it splashes about their leg
n glistens like showered silver, and the
If red sides shine against the sun llA
;r bronze. On they go, as birds beat hom'
ward in the twilight, growing smalIe
:, and more indistinct as they plod the
q steady way At last they are but speci
5. above the water, moving dumb and p
d tieut to some Well desired goal.