The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-03-22
srAUNToN. VIRGINIA. MARCH 90, 1888.
A Sail up st. Johns and Hunt on
Lake Apapka

A Sail up st. Johns and Hunt on
Lake Apapka.
AT $50 clock on the evening of FEB
ruary 18th, the whistle of the I'll B.
Plant" one of most magnificent steamers
that floats on TIE American waters, gave
three long, deafening toots as signal that
she was about ready to sail, and in few
moments the gang plank was drawn in and
she backed out into the middle of the river
opposite Jacksonville, and went slowly
around until her bow pointed up stream,
when three taps Of the captains bell set
the huge engine to work and the might
side wheels began to revolye, sending the
great boat with her freight of over SEQ
souls on her way toward the southern and
central part of the Howery State of Florida
| wanted to learn all | possibly could of
this section, and to see all that was of in
terest to be seen along the routes tray
eled, and at once began to cast about to
find some one who could give me all the
information to be had
Many years ago | learned the lesson that
TO secure the greatest good one mnst make
friends with those who have the good
things TO bestow.
| noticed, while the steamer lay at her
wharf at J acksonsVille, that she had a
small room Oh her upper deck called the
pilots house, and that from this house one
could command view far beyond that
reached from the other decks, so after the
boat started on her course up the river, |
began to devise means by which to get
within the pilot house.
With my lesson Of years ago impressed
upon me, | sought the captain, whom |
knew to have it within his power to give
me permission to 60 whittier chose upon
the boat.
Dr.. Black, from Utah, whom met in
my search for the CAPTAIN, Informed me
when he learned that my desire was to
take look from the pilot house, that |
might as WellsaYe myself further trouble,
for be had just cone from the very spot |
was trying to reach, and that the captain,
who WAS at the wheel with The pilot. alb
solutely refused any one permission to any
upon that deck" | felt little set back.
bat after little hesitation | concluded to
make the trial anyhow Every man living
is approaehable from some point, aud I
was sure could fasl some way into Capt.
Halls good graces. and /; did.
Ten minutes after | feuai that most
| polite. attentive and accommodating OF
licer, had been rendered the privileges of
the ship from the furnace room at the
very bottom, to the top of the smoke stack
! (f could reach it 50 feet above the up
per deck.
And took advantage of the great lib.
erty | was allowed, for peeped into every
nook and corner, and learned all could
relating to the construction and manage.
ment of steamboat Capt. Hall and his
intelligent pilots. Albert Butler and Sol
ONION Jennings, came near making me
sailor. | could make a fair stagger at
! vocabulary of sailor lingo.
| stald in the wheel house at the elbow
of the pilot four lifths of the trip up and
down the st. Johns river
| have never met man who had on
hand so ineXhaustible stock of first class
anecdotes as Capt. J.. c.. Hail. of the
steamer Fl. B. Plant. He can just keep
fellow splitting wide open all the time. l
was sore from laughter for several days
after leaving the company of Captain Hall,
| felt like there was another son-of a-gnn
/ for Texas, :" after the boat touched at San
/ ford.
| At Sanford, Capt. Hall went with me to
the Orange County Fair, and afterwards
showed me how to bait q hook and make
thrown for catfish. He stood by me while
| caught nearly cart load of big cats.
some of which weighed % his They were
of no account, however, as no one wanted
them, there being too many better varie-
ties of fish in the river near. and so
threw them back into the water before
they died.
Florida is the land beyond which the
hunter and fisherman need never 60, for
| in every lake and stream there are fish in
such great numbers that it is an easy mat
ter to catch q couple hundred pounds
in half a day, while the woods and
hammocks abound in game of all kinds.
There are deer in large droves, raccoons,
opossnms, squirrels, dacks, wild turkeys,
partridges. etc, &c. running in every dl.
rection. heard Georgian say the other
] day, that the train, on which he was pas
Senger, OH his way to a town inland ran
through flock Of fifty wild turkeys, and
that they flew aud ran bat a few rods,
seeming to care but little for the train.
John l. Witty. of Ocoee stood in one
place and shot 3 fine deer month ago.
Deer are not near so difficult to secure as
in Virginia, or other sections. Capt, J.
a. Harris told me few days ago that he
and his wife were going to Orlando last
fall, and drove their mule right into a
small herd of deer. The little animals
cared SO little for them, that they seemed
not to care whether they moved or not,
And when the captain, in order to see how
near he could drive. turned his mule S head
and drove within a few feet of them the
two that were lying down, got UP very
slowly and deliberately. stretching their
legs, the drove moved away at a low walk.
stopping every few steps till they reached
the top CT Il hill hundred yards away,
where they came to a full stop. The soft
sand is everywhere imprinted with the
traces of game, yet there is comparatieyly
little hunting done.s
John Witty, living near Lake Apopka,
is the Nimrod of central Florida He
knows all about his chosen occupation, and
makes good living from the sale of wild
turkeys, venison, deer skins. alligator
skins and teeth and the plumes of various
birds.
His hunting grounds are from the north
end of the lake upon which his father s
farm lies. and where he has lived all his
life to the Gulf of Mexico John is Oft