Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-31

W ohkAI HAS BEEN THE DEMAND OF
~ fashion Of late years for alligator skins that
IN some parts Of the south the hunting OF these
animals forms quite profitable industry. Men
band themselves together in couples and in
companies Of half q dozen, provision their
boats for weeks OF months trip and seek
the wilder and more secluded streams and
bayous. So thorough are such hunts and 90
crafty and cunning are the hunters thats To-
cality that previously contained from ten to
fifty gators will az the close Of huntbe either
totally depopulated, or, at best, possess but
one or two cautious. wary old fellows that are
next to impossible TO get q view Of, TO say
nothing of q near enough approach for shot
This mode of systematic hunting has had q
tendency to make the alligator extremely rare
in many sections OF the country. and 70 for
ever drive him away from some. They are
queer, uncanny brutes. and . few facts in re-
gard to them may prove interesting.
A. TO THEIR s1zr.
To begin with, stories Of allisators msasur-
ing fourteen and sixteen feet in length may
safely be put down as cxaggerationA / doubt
if such a one exists; twelve feet is q tremen-
dous size, and rarely, very rarely. they run 10
twelve and half. I have measured slligators
innumerabie, and fully IS per cent ran from
nine to eleven and half feet SO scarce is
one attaining the mythical fourteen feet that
reward Of $500 for one Of this size has been
unclaimed for the last twenty years.
The part Of the skin used for commercial pur-
poses is cut from q line along the side, Just
where the heavy scales begin, and includes the
sides and belly, the back being so tough a. 70
be utterly worthless and almost impervious to
rifle ball In fact the two vulnerable points
are the eyes and lust behind the fore leg, while
ball striking his coat of armor in any but
direct line will glance OF q IL from . metal
plate.
Although denizens of the water they have
the most abiect horror OF rain. and no sooner
does the first faint sprinkling manifest itself
| than, plunging from the bank or log, they seek
dry quarters beneath the surface. On warm,
sunny days they bask on the banks FOR hours,
but even when cloudy il is unusual TO see one.
As q rule they confne themselves to what ma
ture has provided for food, occasionally vary
ing their diet with stray deer or calf, but at
times they become man-eaters and are then
terrors to all. Like the tiger, having once
tasted human iesh they prefer it " everything
else, and, with watchful eye, anvy all who come
within reach. At such timer the community
organizes and institutes a regular siege, which
sooner or later ends in capture.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN A BrNr.
1t was my pleasure in the winter of 's7-ss,
together with friend, to be more or less in
timately associated with q party Of alligator
hunters on the upper St. Johns river in Flor
ida, and upon one or two occasions to psrtio-
ipate in some remarkable hunts.
We were encamped on a sluggish little creek
beneath a group Of palmettoes q mile or more
from the river, And for some weeks past had
been investigating the bird life OF the sur
rounding region. Alligators were particularly
numerous and their roarings and bellowings
| could be heard on still nights, from creeks aud
sloughs, five miles distant One dark night,
| just as we were about to turn in-hunters never
go to bed. they turn ina bright light came
suddenly around the bend and boat with
three men, armed and equipped for gator
shootin, pulled up to our camp. They
proved to be Just out from yoluria, and an nc
cident having happened to their coffee can
they had come up to borrow Of us. They in
formed us OF their intention Of remaining in
the neighborhood for some time and extended
| q cordial invitation to join them in the chase.
There are two modes Of alligator hunting.
First and best Of all is FIRE lighting OF Gre jack
ing, second by floating in the daytime. For
| the first q strong reflector light is placed in the
bow OF the boat and provided with O dark slide
| or door; the man who is to shoot for the even
ing sits directly behind II, while his companions
propel the boat The light flashing full in the
animals face, appears TO blind him and to
make him insensible to all danger, but the
slightest sound proceeding from the boat is
sufficient to arouse him. Nearer and nearer
the boa. creeps until the distance is q mini
mum, when the rifeman, taking a careful aim,
pours murderous discharge into the most
available part Of his body. Those killed at
night sre pulled out on the beach and skinned
| the following day, while those killed In the
| daytim are usually skinned on the spot The
second method OF floating consists in stealing
softly within range of a sleeping gator by day
it is difficult thing to do and on .he whole un-
remunerative. Il il usually practiceo by local
| hunters AMI very rarely by professionals.
HUNTING BY yInELIGHr.
Our party tried the FIRST method. Stepping
into the boat the light was trimmed, .he riae-
man took his accustomed position in the bow
and the party started. A mile from camp the
stream widened ont into fat marshy prairie,
filed with small islands and Quantities Ct drift
| wood. Turning the light full ahead an inn
| merse fellow was seen lying On pilu of drift
and intently watching the steering apparatus
With gentle padding the boat approached
closer. twenty feet, fifteen, teu-would the
man never shoot? A fash. o roar, and the
great beast dropped sullenly into the water,
| shot through the heart. Instantly some part
OF the body is grappled with the boat hook TO
prevent its sinking forever, and with pulling
and hauling it is got ashore.
The next one shot was swimming at little
distance, only his eyes and snout being above
water. but an explosive bullet sent with I'M
erring aim crushed into his brain, and after
| few minutes work he. too was lying on the
bank. Occasionally the animal sinks TO the
bottom and is lost, oftener he is only wounded
and crawls away to die by inches, while occa-
| sionaiiy a sharp fight ensues between hunter
and hunted, and pair of jaws crunching the
| gunwales Of the boat is no laughing matter.
| A LIVELY TIME
Proceeding up the creek about Q mile, We
came to place where two streams met and
on a point Of land lay three, varying in size
from seven TO ten feet Approaching in the
same manner az before, two shots were fred,
apparently killing one and wounding . second
| The wounded one slid into the water and swan
softly by the boat; as IL passed blew the top
| of his head of, but before could grab him he
| sunk All this took but Q moment but that
was long enough for some lively scenes 20 be
| transacted on land. The apparently dead gator
| was the smallest Of the three, but he was the
| liveliest corpse I ever saw. One of the men
landed to examine him and inadvertently rot
| within reach of his tail, which appeared sud-
/ denly TO become possessed Of extraordinary
life, and in sn instant he WAS lying senseless OF,
| his back DOZEN feet away. The blow was A
| light one, however, % under ordinary circum-
/ stances it n sufficient to break the leep of a
| horse A second shot finished him. The injured
| man gave place 10 another at the rife and the
sport continued until long after midnight
| Five gators In al were killed, the skins of
which, when cured, represented about s75-not
. bad nights work.
NATURALLY rrnD, But THEY WILL FIaBT.
An alligator 10 naturally timid, but mother
In defense Of her eggs or young ID one o. the