The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-08-04
KEYS OF TIE OCEAN.
Fertile Islands Near Florida Inhabited
Only by Beasts and Birds.

Very few of the young people who
notice what might be called the Flor
ida Archipelago have any idea, per-
haps, Of what these islands or keys
consist. observes contributor to the
Philadelphia Times.
Perhaps it is as well to explain here
that tie word key" is a corruption.
Properly speaking it is Il "caye," an
old French word signifying a small
island. To the people of the state
they are but little known, except to
sportSmen, who cruise among them
for the fishing and bird-shooting.
Imagine thousands of small islands
of every shape and size, but always of
the same rich green hue. The growth
on all is the same the evergreen man
grove with its seeds like slender tubers
elongating until touching the muddy
soil, they take root.
Most of these "kevs" resemble beds
of tiny oysters with the mangroves
springing from them; but very few
escape being submerged by each tide,
as they are elevated scarcely above
the water.
With the multitudinous dark streams
flowing out of the everglades winding
among them they form perfect laby-
rinth, in which one might wander end
lessly and hopelessly.
Until few years ago, rs night APP
preached, they were whitened by null
titudeS of sea birds, which roasted
among the branches; now on the
'outer keys" but few birds are found,
SO ruthless has been the warfare waged
on them by bird hunters for their
plumes. etc.
The elmer keys still are rookeries,
but to very limited extent These
mangrove islands are habitable only
Tor sea birds and mosquitoes, which
latter find i'll them elysium.
The few settlements that have been
made are on shell. mounds near the
mainland or on narrow strips elevated
about foot above high tide, which
border Il few of the creeks, near the
main, perhaps are really part of it.
These slips are of arabic land, none
of which exceed half an acre in width,
are quite fertile, and produce fine veg
etables and Sugar-cane. Onthese and
the adjacent shell mounds are grown
many of the tomatoes and egg plants
that are found in northern markets
during the winter months. for frost is
seldom seen, and is never severe.
One OF the largest of the shell
mounds is the island of Chocaluskie,
which gives its names to the entire
settlement, and also to the small, shall
low bay that surrounds it. Like the
nth I-
shells, among which it is difficult to
conceive how vegetables and tropical
fruits manage to exist. but the dark
fibrous soil that is intermingled with
the shells appears to be very rich
The mound is ve"y high in places,
with narrow gullies between the
ridges. What an amount of patient
labor these vast piles of shells repre-
sent. Chocaluskie was the site of an
Indian village before the remnant of
the Seminoles fled to the everglades at
the time that the greater part of the
tribe was removed out west.
The Seminoles, who reside in that
part of the everglades near the gulf
coast, visit the settlement every win
ter, bringing for sale venison and wild
turkeys, whieh they kill on the MAIN
lald. In costume they differ from all
other Indians the writer ever saw. A
long calico shirt is the principal gar
ment; sometimes. legginS and mecca
sins are added, but they are generally
used on state occasions
But the singular feature of their cos
tune is the turban-I allude to the
males entirely. 1t is composed of
small, gayly colored shawls and gaudy
colored handkerehiefs, twisted around
into a circular shape until the head
gear Is about the size of cheese box
The small opening in the center is left
uncovered and the coarse, black hair
shows through. Imagine such an ar
rangement on ones head in summer.
Another characteristic of these Ind
isns Is their enormous appetites. AT
whatever hour they drop in Won are
expected To feed them, and so they
pass en- from one neighbor TO another.
eating all that is offered them.
When one looks ut them and sees
what tine specimens of humanity they
are and then reflects upon their gas
tronomic feats, the question cannot
but arise: How about the hyrenic
rules with regard to regularity in eat
ing, both as to time and quantity?"