The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-06-17
From Indian RiVer----Rud Among
Countless Mosquitoes and Flies.

AOIA LAEtCI@--@lGtlN Aiming
Countless Mosquitoes and Flies.
OAK HILL, VOLUsIA Co, June 10, "a.
Editor PALATKA DAILY News:
Daytoha and Rockledge are rivals in
beauty The two towns are the most
beautiful in our lovely state. Only one
advantage, which Rockledge has and
Day coma not, is the rocky shore; but
for this DaytOna has ten other advan-
tages. Just think of a town laid out in
the giandest style-streats 100 and 10
feet wide shelled sidewalk, and between
this and the drive proper, about twenty
feet on each side, with palmettos, oaks,
Oleanders, etc. Almost every yard is
covered with a natural strong growth Of
grass. Along the shelled river street are
large oak trees, which have a very pc
culiar shape, slanting backward from the
| ocean side. Some three hundred yards
baSk luns a straight married road for
/ seven miles, and standing in the middle
you can see the whole length Of it.
! We stopped at Daytona over Sunday
night, and, strOlling along, saw the door
! Of the Halifax Journal open. Going in,
we aRade the acquaintance Of the editor
and proprietor, Mr.. Mann, who treated
| Us very kindly and politely.
Monday morning we hoisted sail for
New Smyrna. Passing the Inlet again,
we sailed down blythe tugboat Maybe,
which was towing a schooner over the
| bar.
| New Smyrna we made about noon Find
ing rot much of q town, and nothing Of III
terest there, we kept on our journey
up the HiIIsbOrough liver. Mr.. Acker-
man had by tbs time gained his former
! humor and appetite About noon we
passed white cranes roost, and I hon
estly believe that about five hundred of
them We're roosting together. We
| jumped in our row-boat. but could not
| get " thin several hundred yards of the
place. The wind died out, and sand
| flies and mosquitoes became almost I'M
bearable. Insect powder, oil of penny
4 royal anu OJIlCI dIIlltiOlCS were Ol no
avail. Our captain said they fed on
those things. Having no rest or peace,
we padded and pushed the boat until
about midnight, when we reached Turtle
mouth. As soon as we reached ground
| jumped out. Mr.. \. and myself, and
started for the beach, expecting some re
lief but no use. We came back and
sat in. the cabin, almost suffocating with
heat and insect powder fumes At day
break | fell exhausted into a sIumber.
| Mr.. A took basket and walked to the
beach again, bringing, in about one
hours time, 1919 large fresh turtle eggs.
The stove was quickly lighted and about
one dozen of the eggs boiled. which Nh.
A. and myself got away with in a re-
markably short time.
Then an expedition up to the top of
Turtle Mount revealed it to be about 80
feet high, and entirely composed of
shells, oyster shells prevailing. Three
more mounds of smaller size we saw
/ close by. Are these artificial or natural:
/ If artificial. what an inCalCulable amount
of work this has taken! Through a very
crooked and partly shallow channel we
proceeded toward Oak Hill. and lust
about two miles from it we had to 90 for
anchor-wind and current We're against
us. Nr. A. and myself took or guns
and rowboats, rowing towards Little
Margnove Islands, to shoot cranes and
other buds. The mosquitoes were Sc
bad that nobody could stand them, and.
drifting through she'low water. we
made a raid on the ttg-feeding fish.
shooting a half-dozen drumfsh. guessed
by all three of US to weigh % pounds
each In sealing one with a hatchet
I cut myself badly in the left hand.
One of the f 1 is all cut up nicely. and
our good old Captain Ward has just
prepared tempting chowder from part