The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-03-15
DOWN INDIAN RIVER.
How it Seemed Eight Years Ago--A
Retrospect and Calculation.

y
piled the st. Johns, and they did busi-
ness in a leisurly way that was most
pleasant to the tourist but so vexatious to
others that many preferred to run their
own sail boats from the upper river to
Jacksonville for supplies. A hungry
hunting party would often consume all
the available provisions in towns where
now are a dozen well appointed stores.
We once had a party refuse to sell us
bread in any shape even when we offered
to pay double his usual exhOrbitant price,
because he chad to go eighty miles to
get more The trip from Jacksonville
to Palatka often consumed so many hours
that we are afraid to number them, and
the steamers would stop at the most inn
possible landings to get an order from
some lone settler for a barrel of hominy
and take on a saddle of venison. If
majority of the passengers wished it, the
captain would anchor his boat off Salt
Creek and organize a grand fishing party
without regard to connections anywhere.
If this was the case on the st. Johus,
imagination cannot picture the state of
affairs on Indian River. We have just
received a letter from a friend in Bre-
ward county who gives list of the towns
along the river banks and the settlements
which have replaced the deer and coons
and bear. 1t is hard for us to believe,
because we have not seen that section for
eight years, and then found it only the
paradise of the sportsman, and therefore
coming, for seven months of the years,
nearest of all the earth to our ideas of
heaven. During the summer we after
wards found it very near our conception
of the other place.
But in March 1877 two of us sailed in
a small boat, hunting and fishing by the
way, from Big Lake George on the st.
Johns to Salt Lake. Thence we had our
boat and traps carried across in a wagon,
and saw Indian River for the first time.
A strong breeze from the northward was
rolling lively surf on the sandy beach,
and we only waited to take in supply
ofwater before launching the ''Numnok." !"
At Sand Point were then two little stores;
on the other side of the hammock Titus
vile showed four stores. Burton Will
liams had acamp some two miles further
down, and then there was little other
evidence of mans presence till we pass
ed the Spratt and Dixon groves near
City Point. So with full sheet we
swept on down what is still to us the
most beautiful river in all the world
past groves of stately palms which bow
ed their feathery crests in welcOme-past
bluffs crowned with musical pines, and
past forests of solemn oaks hung with
draperies of moss from whose shades the
owls hooted at midday. In the after
noon we lowered sail, and pushed our
way into afresh-water creek along whose
shining banks we wandered in silence
and realized that we were at last lost on
the banks of the Unknown river. For
we knew not where we had camped and
cared less; sufficient for us the knowl-
edge that Nature took us kindly to heI
bosom and her sweetest musicians ac-
companied the wind-harp which lulled
us to sleep.
Early next morning we were astir and
rivalled the sentimental songsters who
had charmed lis the evening before in
our search for breakfast. We satisfied
Al, ;,,,,o, ,,.o,, ~, ,,,,lIo4 v,-I;cb c,rorr, n
in the waters at our feet, and the faith.
full breeze again filled our still as we re-
sumed the voyage southwark. Occasion
ally we passed farmers house built al
most entirely of palmetto leaves; a few
orange trees had usually been planted il
the immediate vicinity, but Charley
Stewards small venture in pineapple
was then considered a rash speculation
and the settlers depended mostly on rive
and forest for their supplies during the
winter and got lean on trtle-eggs from
the full-moon in May to the middle o
August.
We found no convenient harbor tha
night, and watched the phosphoric fire
which glowed on the wave under th
rush of the boat, the stroke of the oar, o
revealed the course of each passing fish
The Agricultural College building wa
still unfinished at Eau Gallie; there wa
a little settlement ut Elbow Greek and a
Williams grove; Arnolds light glare,
clear from the top of his shell bluff, an
Beard and Parks slept soundly as w
sailed through St. Sebastian's Bay an
camped on Duck Point. Then ami
the sleeping glories and thousand islet
of the narrows we passed Two Dolla
Bluff, and swept on till we emerge agai
into the broad river, and the sight of
shark chased us from an oyster bed a
too soon.
Alas! for the glories of the past \
more does the panther's scream distw
the peaceful slumbers of the bird hunt,
whose dreams are made sweet by til