The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-08-12
In THE WILDERNESS. .
TEE PEcULIARITIEs OF SAN PEDRO BAY
AND ITS SURROUNDINGS.
The Hogs EIysinn...Land Where Liv.
ing Comes Easy-..A Little MILL
The Parnlizing Effect OF NcgIect--.
New BrRnfOrd.


49,. San PEDRO BAY, FLA, Juno 90. 1885.
EdttOt' IrrsS ana Hammer:
To geographical nnvltiatcs tho heading OF
this article would signify something different
from the meaning OF the term "bny" In this
instance. San Pedro BAY Is not n body OF
water, either large or smull, but IN Immense
tract OF waste land. II, Indeed. this wonderful!
mtNture OF water, mud and moGcasins, under
land at all. Like tho great Pocosln this tract
Is simply M extensive bog. covered, with
| small bay trees and gigantic terms, filled with
Insects. reptiles and solitude.
! The pOcosin. San Pedro Bay and the swamp
of Stcinlntchic region must forever remain
The legitimate domain or reptile creation, ull-
less, perciinncc, three million years OF evolu'
tion may people IL with monkeys and ten
million more bring up beings from which n
Constitutional Convention might be chosen.
Cooks Hammock Is n rrdceming feature OF
this country. Its arcn extends over many
strange 10 SAG, the universal verdict Is, that
this section is az healthy as any of the fine
land surrounding 1t. lIrre Is said to exist the
finest hog range In the State, the mast con.
sisting OF the paw-raw, which is here a mere
shrub and bearing n nut like fruit, which
bears buttlttlc resemblance to the same plant
OF Kentucky where II attains the size and
Shnpe OF the largest bannnaS, and rNccls that
fruit In taste and flavor. Then there is the
saw palmetto buds and pith, dewberry, black
blue, buckle, goose and lo2bcrry, the may.
htw, the Florida cranberry, The sugar lluw on
HiSu w dl'pic CdIl DC pTdllCu. INC OItSSuIl
lnw. the persiInmon, ild plums, smuII wild
grapes. maiden conc and the large juicy bolus
are muScadincs. Then the over cup acorn
the acorns Of the live, white. post and black
ouk Trees. the chincapin and the buck apple,
which grows on the gopher root, and the
wanpse root, which Is very fine food. Then
comes the best OF NIL, the seeds of tho wild
Sliulip (must be II corruption OF tuIlp) which
falling into the mud gives the hog his fnou In
his mrorite way, viz: mixed with dirt.
Cooks Hammock Is the Mecca Of tho La
FayHll county hog raiser. Brush Hammock
Is not so good the soil being rather too sandy
for wear or the growing of large crops.
n man meets up with some curious thing
IN visiting great ports OF the country and
picks up much food for thought.
All along the rivers Of Florida, MS Is the case
In Georgia and Alabama, are numerous evil
denGcs OF the prehistoric race, known to Us
rs the mound builders, Who they were. what
they were or how they lived or loved, the L.
gcndary lore or the American Indians tell Us
not, nor can we CLEAN anything relative "a
them from The narratives OF the earliest Span
ish discoveries. Buried beneath the great
mounds they have left us only q few bones
which, ut the first touch OF air and sunlight
obey mt once the terrible mandate. dust thou
art and unto dust shalt thou RETURN" giving
no time TO gain n little Information BY unsnt'
isfactory processes Of comparative anatomy
\ few stone weapons of war reveal the fact
that the blood OF Cain flowed In their veins
Notwithstanding the fact that the great Ill.
mansions OF some OF these bones would lead
US TO believe that there were giants In those
days, yet Of their achievements they have
left us no record either In copper brass oI
marble. The proximity Of these mounds Ia
the rivers goes To show that like many ~ day
they preferred fishing and trapping 10 hard
work., but what Is the use to moraliZc; they
are gone and what matter Is it to tbs whether
they were oblitrrntcd by Asintic cholera OF
the measles. whether their infants persisted
for the want Of Winslow,s soothing syrup o.
the adults were taken off by Jamaica rum Z
Vale! vale! mOunI builders
While picking my way along through the
chlichpin and pin oak shrubs avoiding M
best ! could u collision with rattle snakes Oh
l%'ctnlant pole cat l was arcnSted with the re
mark, "Beatnt yOu Il tooth dentist? Raising
my eyes | saw d natsve whose phiz was made
up OF inch long Interrogation points md eyes
mentioned by Victor Hugo IN his "Tnavai
: lrurS der Mcr," rs lie fXcd them upon the
g!linting nickel trimmings OF my canvas sntcli'
et;, "No. sir" replied, II AM only inciHen
profession well you be q rcdlar then
expose? 2" Again l answered In the negative
well | reckon YOU is the man sot to preach
for en- down to The bend next Sunday, ham
psychologist and phy$olosist. l take In the
whole OF q man, body and soul, at q glance
turn Him inside out In n second-' but my
words were nlII!ig on the Silent air, tho mar
lihu plunged In the chaparal hard by anu !
was alone.
Horse Shoe Bend OH the Gulf coast Is tho
great incXlihllstublG meat house OF Columbia
Suwanec, Lafayette, Taylor and Hamilton
counties.
In September the mullet fisheries are I'm full
blast. and In October, November aud Dcccn
her long lines OF carts wcnd their pOkc-easy'
way to the salt seaside In quest of their year
~ supply. Of this universally admired, yet
ON pared with Slierphcad. red snapper or scr
trout. very Inferior fish. The fishermen sci
to the farmers and The f~1sll.lnonscrs all they
arc able 10 catch ut two dollars per hundred
as they arc taken from the sun. The buyers
clean and salt themselves or hire profession
MS ut tho fisheries 10 do IL for them. Then ;f
ter consuming their supply OF snake ricdt
cine, and having filled mp on fresh fish one.
more until the Grccchcs ~lltagain they gear III
for the homeward drive, bidding care fly ava.
to 'old Nick"
On Downing creek ut the mill of Mr.. roore
who by the way (ns he tod NEE Is not kin u
Ben lrrley, / saw Il rue plant thirty year!
old. Now why such an observatory "yart'
ns the rue should be allowed such Il long
. term Of years when the vine OF the mucl
priced "MiIligan' is SO unfortunately frlIl.
am unable TO tell, for IL l concentrate my fee
bic mind but a mCincnt upon my iucful day:
my stomach calls for mint and waiter ilnnle'
uintrly.
Close by this mill very unlike the mill O
the Floss. was located fort Downing. the only
evidence of which could bc gained | found III
bits OF broken glass and blue edged crockerS
scattered here and there on the POUNDS made
by the gOplrrs. An opening OF about fouI
acres marks the place where the cntllc mt
The horses of the g%nrrisOn were kept, AID this
little spot thus enriched, tempted IL man by
the naIne Of james Booth TO clear and build 4
cnbln thereon, but years have passed since
the fertility Of the soil was exhausted, The
fences and liuts have .rottrd and j. Euotl
himself lies mouldcring In the dust.
The rcd skins have passed away and moth
Ing breaks the still mess Of the spot save Thu
cIackety clack OF Mr., P0oro's poor little mill
and once In II while IL Is huSlicd when thu
ronr OF q bull alligator Jars the wheels out o
gear.
Many people have gotten the Idea that New
BranIord Is sickly. 1t Is not moro so than ar
hundred Places In Florida, where land is liel.
Mt enormous figures and with not half the It'd
vantngcs that This lovely station has. 1t Ii
singular how IL prejudice will lead people. \.
well kill Il dog us give him q bad nnme !
real estate agents of Jacksonville. Ocola, san
ford, DrI.and, Barlow or Waldo had II, pres
TO change ! and IL would be as healthy Il.
the garden OF Eden. Enough FOR the present
More unOn. j. u. L.