Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-01-10
o,d Exra's Floating fnrm.

Speaking about paying taxes y ssid
man who had perhaps been performing
that pleasant 6utv, reminds me Of an old
fellow, q sort Of hermit, ~ao lived where
| did IN smsll town in New Hampshire.
and If be wasn't the vut-snd-outest chap
for avoiding the demands Of the State, then
Pm mistaken
s'Whv didn't they sell him out p
because they couldn't get hold of the
property No. it wasn't air castles. and
he DIDN'T 1--we in balloon, but on solid
property, and every time The tax-collect'I I
came around IN New Hampshire, Ezra
and his property were in Massachusetts,
'-Oh, i see. He had the State line on
wheels, end showed it about to suit
'.Not exactly, but be had his property
fixed so that he could shit it anywhere
he wanted. Ii vas psthing more o: less
than a floating island made up OF bog and
stuff, and for good many years IT blew
about the pond, until finally the old Chap
put up q hut on 1t, Kept a COW, chickens
and ducks, and had a regular floating
farm. But one day be heard the assessor
was coming, so he cast of the moorings
that he had rIgged to the island, and be-
fore the next day the wind had carried
HIM over the State line that ran through
the pond into Massachusetts, and when the
collector vent out in a skIff the old bog
skipper, as they called him, actually
threatened to have HIM arrested for trying
10 collect taxes Of a reigbbor State. He
anchored the islsnd on the Massachusetts,
side until the selectmen got after him there
4 Il hs q, -aA han nd
forth, and dldh't pay cent On his four
acres. But fEally they put up Job on
him, and two ssSessOrs, one from each
State, went out in skf, the island being
anchored in the middle of tie lake. Inc
old man SAID be was ready TO pay, only De
wanted It Just right, Is he lived in both
States-the house was in one State and
the barn IN the other. The collectors got
50 mixed up trying to straIghten II, tnat
they had 10 take il into court. Anyway,
| don't think the old mans taxes are
square yel."
"A similar case might happen at another
place IN New England" ssid one of The
group of listeners. On Lake Menomsn-
aux there is an island that tor long time
was called the mysterious lsland. 1t be
IDlEEu " INT tONu Vi -kdco-,
contained about SIX acres, ant was covered
with trees about thirty feet or more high.
Some Of the people declared they had seen
the island move years ago, but they were
generally iaughed al, until one morning
they found it gone, and now 1t Is, or Was
short time az over the State line ia
New Hampshire, nearly three miles from
where II al first stOnd Ii was originally
boz held together by roots, and the water
had gradually undermined II Until a good
sharp breeze took the trees as sails anu
away IL went
'.Msny lakes have similar islands, even
in sjr,ams effected by tide. They are
found anchored by rooIs, rising and fall
ing aiib The water, aud swinging by thS II
vegetable cables. Some Of the European
lakes have such islands that are us,d for
pasIuIHge. aud they ofteu carry the island
population TO great distances.
During the great food in the Aiissis-
sippi IN 1874 vast floating islands were
formed ia the nver and carried far Out
into the Guf stream. One that vessel
Tar into three hundred miles from the
delta Was over al acre in extent aud pCpu-
lated wth great varie y Ut Snakes. frog,
and IuItles, besides a number OF land anI-
mails hat hau sought protection there nom
the IISlng waters, Ouiy To De swept out TO
sea. The gtogTaphlcal distribution oi
HE, il VIII be seen depends much upon
these hOalBg Islsnds-A iact proved by
con parug tie Inhabitaats Ot is aBds mi es
apurl. Several year ago a large snake
was picked up of tue Bermuda islands
clIngIug 10 1JaJIug island tEst without
DOUBT lad COME from The Amaz u. Miles
OF cOrdage float out OF the great rivers IN
the same way CARY ing seeds and even
animals lar around the circuit of Ihs At
lantic. The same is true OF the Ganges.
Great RATS. populated with animals, from
the In,eriUT, have been found toy Vessels
over 2UO miles from the mouth OF the
river.
"ihe great mass OF seaweed, occupying
en- area of many thousand square miles, in
the Atlantic, better known as the SarSasso
sea, IS d vast Island inhabited by 1auna
entirely different from that of the SUI
rounding waters, anu all the animals ARE
in some way peculiarly adapted or mOdl-
hec To ;heir surroundings. cIuiiar tracts
occur IN various PARTS If lhe wOrlu, olIen
90 thick that The passage o. vessels through
them Is seriously lmpeded."
well, l declare" SAID the first speaker
then o.d Ezra's floating farm wasn't such
q very singular tang alter all; but reckon
he made al orig mai use of IT..