The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-01-25
Old Esra's Floating EARN.

Speaking about paying taxes" said q
man who had perhaps been performing
that pleasant duty, 'sremlnds me OF an old
fellow, sort OF hermit, who lived where
I did IN a small town In New Hampshire,
and If he wasn't the out.and.ou chap
for avoiding tho demands Of the State, then
I'm mistaken"
"Why didn't they sell him out ?"
"Because they couldn't get hold Of the
property. No, 1t wasn't air castles. and
he didn't live In balloon, but on solid
property, and every time the tax.collectur
camo around III New Hampshire, Ezra
and his property were IN Massachusetts. "
''Ob, see. He had tho State line on
wheels, and showed 1t about to suit"
riot exactly, but he had his property
nxed 80 that he could shit 1t anywhere
nc wanted. IL was nothing more O: less
than noating island made up Of bog and
stun, ana Tor GOOD many years 1t blew
about the pond, until finally the old chap
put up hnt on it, kept a COW, Chickens
ana ducks, and had a regular floating
farm. But one day ho heard the assessor
was coming, SO he cast of the moorinps
that he had rugged 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 went out in sk,tf the old bog
skipper, as they called him, actually
threatened to have HIM arrested for trying
to collect taxes of a 1leighbor State. Ho
anchored the island on the Massachusetts 8
side until the sclectmen got after him there
and Tor several years he lodged back and
forth, and dldh't pay cent on his four
acres. But finally they put up Job on
nm, anu two assessors, ono from each
State. went out in skHf, tho island being
anchored In the middle oi tie lake. The
ola man SAID he was ready to'pay, only ae
wanted 1t just right, as he lived in both
States-the house was in one State and
the barn IN the other. The collectors got
so mixed up trying to stralghtcn It, tnat
they had to take it into court. ANYWAY.
l don't think the old mans taxes are
square yet"
IA similar case might happen at another
place IN New England" said one of the
group of listeners, '.On Lake Mcnomen-
aux there is al island that Tor a long time
was called the mysterious lslan;i. 1t be
longed to tho town OF Wlnchendan, Mass,
contained about Blk acres, ant was covered
with trees about thirty feet or more high.
Some of the people declared thcy had seen
the island move years ago. but they wele
generally laughed at, until one morning
they found it gone, and now it ls, or was
short tmc ag', over the State limo in
New Hampshire, nearly three miles from
where It at first stood. 1t was originally
bog held together by roots, aud the water
hnd gradually undermined ii until q good
sharp breeze took the trees as sails and
away it went.
'Alany lakes have similar islands, oven
in streams effected by tide. They are
found anchored by roots, rising and fall
ing with tho water, and swinging by their
vegetable cables. Some Of the European
lakes have such islands that are used for
pastuiage, and they often carry the island
population to great distances.
''During the great flood In the Missis-
sppi in 1874 vast floating islands were
formed in tho river and Carried far on,
into the Gulf stream. Ono that vessel
ran into three hundred miles from the
dclta was over an acre in extent and popu-
lated with great variety OF snakes, frogs,
and turtles, besides Il number of land AM,
mails that had sought protection there from
the Using waters, only to be swept out to
sea. The geographical distribution of
lie, it will be seen, depends much upon
thcsc 1oal "ands-a fact proved by
comparing tb habi,ants of islands miles
apart. Scvcl / year ago large snake
was picked up off the Bermuda islands
c'inging TO floating island that without
doubt had come from The Amaz II. Miles
OF cordage float out of the great rivers in
tho same way carrying seeds and even
animals far around the circuit of tho At
lantlc. The same is true Of the Gangce.
Great RATS. populated with animals, from
the interior, have been found by vessels
over 200 miles from tho mouth OF the
river.
"Ihc great mass OF scawcctl, occupying
al area or many thousand square mlics In
tho Atlantic, better known us the Sarsusso
sea, Is IL vast island inhabited by fauna
entirely different from that OF the sui
rounding waters, and all the animals are
IN some way peculiarly adapted or modl-
he'd to their surroundings. similar tracts
occur in various parts Cf INC world, often
80 thick that the passage 0, vessels through
them Is seriously lmpcdcd."
"Wcll, declare" "sald the first speaker.
"then old Ezra's floating farm wasn't such
very singular thing after all:bnt reckon
he made an original use of IT,