The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-09-11
AHaersau yntettiget1esr.
THE ALLIGATOR HUNTERS.
Life Along tho Florida Rivers in the Hot
Summer Months.

Summer Months.
GULF HAMMOCK, Fla, Aug. 12.-The
men who hunt alligators for their hides
and teeth are now reaping their harvest.
The warm weather induces great numbers
of alligators to frequent the marsby
banks of the rivers, and the absence OF
sportsmen during this season makes them
comparatively fearless. The most sue
cessful hunters hunt only In dark nights.
A few nights ago I had my slumbers
broken several times by the discharge of
guns. On repairing to the banks of the
river the next morning to ascertain the
cause of the noises I found two young
men occupying a hastily constructed
palmetto fan camp. Six dead alligators
were lying around the camp, varying in
length from four to eight feet. The
hunters had killed them the previous
night. One of the young men was busy
skinning the alligators, while the other
with the aid of q single cooking utensil,
which answered the purpose of baking
oven and coffee pot, was preparing a
frugal morning meal. The skin is re-
moved from the belly, the under part OF
the jaws, and the inside of the legs.
The skin on the back is worthless. As
soon as the skins are removed they are
salted and packed in barrels, which are
shipped to New York firm. The hun
ters receive 81 piece for all hides four
feet long and upward.
After the skins are removed the hum
tiers cut off the head, and place them on
the edge of the river, where they remain
for about week. At the end of that
time the teeth become 30 lose that they
can be readily pulled out with the fingers.
The teeth from half dozen large alliga.
tors weigh about pound and are worth
81.
) Thetw,o young men killed fifty alliga-
stors in tte week; k;that they hunted inthis
sneigh6orhood.s They begin bunting as
soon as it becomes thoroughly dark.
Their huntipg outfit consists of a bulls.
eye lantern, in camp language called
9look-'enl.up,n ble.barrelled shot
gun, or fskill'-em. sure,o and ahatchet,
with which they split the alligators's
skull, and to which they have given the
very expressive name of dynamite"
The man who is to do the shooting for
the night fastens the lantern to his fore.
head, and takes his place in the bow Of
small boat. His partner paddles the
boat cautiously along the stream, while
the man in the bow keepsa sharp look
ont for alligator's eyes, which under
favorable circumstances he can shine"
with his lantern at distance Of two
hundred Yards. As coon as they discoy.
er pair of eyes they paddle cautiously
up to within couple of feet Of the
ailigator's head and discharge load Of
buckshot into it. As soon as the shot
is fred the paddler catches the alligator
by the jaws, which he holds together
with one hand, while lie cleaves the
skull open with his Ratchet.
Sometimes the alligators retain consld.
erable power of action. When such is
the case, it is rather exciting work
getting them into the boat. Sometimes
very large alligators turn the boat over.
If an alligator is not handled at once
after being wounded, he sinks to the
bottom and is lost.
/ asked one of the hunters, who has
killed more than thousand alligators,
what was the size Of the largest one he
ever killed, and he told me 134 feet long.
He said that his father killed one on the
st. Johns River III feet long the head
of which when placed in a flour barrel
projected two inches over the top. He
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