The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-15
NEAR THE EVERGLADES.
soMETHING ABOUT PUNTA GORDA
AND IT'S COMMERCE.

Big Rattlesnake-A Visit to the
Rookeries - An Inchoate City - A
Turtle Cannery and Crawl-A Healthy
Town - Magnificent Hotel - Every
body Goes MISUNDERSTANDING Hotel
"A Word of Advice-Fort Ogden
Never Any Yellow Fever There
The Cattle King-On to Arcadia-The
Arcadian Newspaper - Alligator
slaughter-Arcadia Phosphate Com
pany-A Visit to the Mines-A Nam
moth Turtle Shell-Fine Quality of
the Phosphates - Big Works to be
Erected-The County Site Agitation.
Having parted with the reader at Barlow,
LET me transport him without pause over
train of the Florida Southern railway to
Puuta Gorda, which is the nearest point to
the tropics ever reached by any railroad on
the peninsula. Recently the name of the
town has been changed from Trabue to it's
nresent designation in Difference to the
boary memories and traditions of the past.
Despite the glamor cast over the whole re-
gion by the prevalence of yellow fever at
Tampa last year, quite a number of i'm
movements are observable, and there has
been marked increase in the commerce of
the port. Thus, from the deputy collector
of customs, Mr.. F. M. Durrance | ascer-
tanned that the number of vessels arriving
coastwise from other districts from Oct 10,
1887. to MAY %, 1888, footed up forty-eight,
with a tonnage of "a sos.
The arrivals from foreign ports via Kew
West for the same period were 81 showing
a tonnage of %, $40 tons. Total arrivals re-
corded 10. Total tonnage 4S, 44S.
l. addition to the above, four large
schooners and five steamers ply regularly be-
tween New Orleans, Mobile, Key West and
other points on the coast, and a multitude
of smaller craft. No less than 300 of them
were reported as coming in last month by
the lighthouse keeper at Boco Grande Pass
These include fishing smacks and small trad
ing vessels along the coast, carrying fruit,
merchandise and various other commodi-
ties for traffic.
WHOLESALE BUSINESS.
The wholesale dealers also have greatly
extended their operations One firm has
moved in from Tampa and constructed a
wharf and large warehouse on the Bay,
where they load and unload the cargoes of
their own steamer, which runs regularly
between Punta Gorda and New Orleans.
They handle an immense amount of grain
and heavy groceries.
Among the prominent merchants of the
town running general stores are C. S. Dreg-
gors, Stetson & Co. Doth of these firms are
Georgians) and G. Hart, Agent. W. H.
Jenkins is a boat builder and keeps popu-
lar restaurant. Capt. w. B. Allen owns a
well-appointed livery and sale stable, and
can furnish tourists, fishing parties, ETC.,
with good teams.
j. B. Thomas, j. p, bears on equal beam
the scale of justice. Many important cases
involving all the intricacies of the law come
before him and are deity disposed Of 1t
should be remembered that perhaps a
majority of the great causes that find their
final solution in the highest tribunals of the
country, have their origin in our justice
courts Hence the greater necessity that
those who preside over them should be
properly qualified.
A TAXIDERMIsT.
Mr.. Thomas Hartigan, formerly of
Charleston, devotes all of his time to the
stufiing and preservation of birds, reptiles
and animals, and is an expert at the bust
ness His specimens are very interesting
and will number 1000 the present wear
He hunts and shoots the living creatures
himself, boldly exploring the dismal swamps
and marshes of the Everglades for that
purpose, spending the nights when prac-
tlcable, on board of his yacht, which is
well stocked with provisions and the chem
icals and other appliances needed for the
work. His preparations are eagerly sought
after by winter tourists.
Among Mr.. Hartigan's collections is a
large rattlesnake which has existed for
months without food When disturbed the
venomous reptile coils itself and makes the
ar vocal with its resounding rattles There
Is much of adventure as well as hardship in
the life of this intelligent naturalist.
A VISIT TO MYAKKA RIVER
This is a bold inlet of the gulf, twenty
five miles i'll length, which debouches into
Charlotte harbor about five miles below
Punta Gorda. Until recently it has been
almost terra tncOgntto frequented only
by multitudes of water fowl, and the shores
aooundlng in panthers, coons, bears, foxes,
deer and quail. Here, too, on low islands in
the midst of the broad stream which
are daily submerged by the tide, the cranes,
herons, pelicans, cormorants and other
blrds congregate in the incubating season
TO deposit their eggs by thousands. They
build rude nests of twigs on the tops of the
dense mangrove bushes and there rear their
young, without the least jar or discord,
albeit representing so many different
breeds With singular sagacty spot is
always selected surrounding by water, and
usually overflowed, to avoid the depreda-
lions OF raccoons and other enemies. The
writer visited one of these
RooKERIEs,
as they are termed and routed the feath-
cred inhabitants from their nests. They
crcled around with loud cries, always in
compact fiocks, as if for mutual protection,
and occasionally settling upon the water in
serried ranks. We had a gun along, but
not shot was permitted 30 be fired at the
mothers of the young nestlings. The banks
OF this river in some places rise into bluffs
aifording every variety of semitropical
scenery The soil of the hummocks and
elevated plateaus often having a substratum
Of marl is admirably adapted to the growth
OF oranges, lemons, pineapples, guavas,
bananas, and other fruits and vegetables.
Already many groves and farms have been
started, and soon the very earliest straw
berries, tomatoes and cucumbers in the
northern markets will come from this region.
AN INCHoATE CITY.
The tide Of progress and civilization has
reached at length even this remote section,
and company has been formed consisting
OF d. Macpherson, l. NJ. Wier, and w. Gill
ctrIst, possessed of ample capital, who have
purchased 10000 acres Of land front
ing for miles on the MyaklSa river,
ana laid off town called
southland on an eligible and beautiful
site, with fine view Of the harbor, and
depth of water exceeding ten feet at the pro-