The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-09-11
Suaersuu gutelligeaeer.
THE ALLIGATOR HUNTERS.
Lifo Along tho Florida Rivers In tho Hot
summer Months.

GULF HAMMOCK, Fla, Aug. 12.-The
men who hunt alligators for their hides
and teeth ere now reaping their harvest.
The warm weather induces great numbers
of alligators to frequent the marsby
banks Of the rivers. aud 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 a single cooking utensil,
which answered the purpose of baking
oven and coffee pot, was preparing
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 OIL the back is worthless. AS
soon as the skins are removed they are
sailed and packed in barrels, which are
shipped to New York iirm. The hun.
tiers receive 81 piece for all hides four
feet long and upward.
After tho skins are removed the hun.
ters 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 80 lose that they
can be readily pulled out with the fingers.
The teeth from half dozen large alIiga.
tors weigh about pound and are worth
"a.
F., The two young men killed fifty alliga.
tors in the week that they hunted in this
neighborhood. They begin bunting as
soon as it becomes thoroughly dark.
Their hunting outfit consists of bulls.
eye lantern, in camp language called
"look. 'em.up," ble.barrelled shot
gun, or "kilP.em sure" and Ratchet,
with which they split the allgators's
skull, and &c which they have given the
-e.y expressive name Of dynamite"
The man yho ia TO do the shooting for
the night fastens the lantern to bis 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 Keeps sharp look.
favorable circumstances he can shine"
with his lantern at distance of two
hundred yards. AS coon rs they discov.
or pair of eyes they paddle cautiously
up to within couple of feet of the
ailigator's head and discharge load of
bucEshot into II. 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 hatchet.
Sometimes the alligators retain consid.
cradle power of action. When such IL
the case, it is rather exciting work
getting them into the boat. Sometimes
very large nlligators turn the boat over.
II an alligator is not handled at once
after being wounded. be sinks to the
bottom and Is lost.
I asked one of the hunters, who has
killed moro 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 -four barrel
projected two inches over the top. He
sold it to museum for S65.