Middletown transcript., 1893-07-22
down THE
INDIAN RIVER
WHERE THE ORANGE, THE BA-
MANA AND PINEAPPLE GROW.
A. TR0PIC WONDERLAND D
On the East Coast of FIorfda-A voy-
age Of all Pleasure and no Danger
for If Your Boat Sinks You Have
but to roll up Your Trousers and
Walk Ashore.

| for LIZ Your Boat Sinks You Havt
but to roll up Your Trousers and
Walk Ashore.
The Indian River, of Florida. is not I
river, correctly speaking, but lagoon abou
one hvndred and fifty miles long and vary
ing in width from few hundred feet to
four or five miles. 1t is connected with the
i ocean by two or three inlets, and in many
/ places is little too shallow for satisfactory
navigation and a little too sloppy for pleas.
ant walking.
1t is a very safe piece of water for the
| tourist If anything should happen to the
boat on which you are yoyaging, you only
have to get your grip, roll up your trousers
and walk ashore. Possibly when you
should reach the shore you would find in
your trousers enough fish for dinner
The Indian River Steamboat Company
runs passenger and freight steamers on the
river between Titusville and Jupiter, max
ing daily trips during the tourist season.
These steamers draw less than three feet of
water when carrying heavy load. They
are very comfortable, the table is good and
the officers courteous and accommodating.
Captain Fisher, of the "St. Sebastian, is a
particularly good fellow who always
makes the trip pleasant for his passengers.
Nobody ever get, sea sick on an Indian
River steamer The voyage is usually as
smooth as honeymoon, and during the
winter, when all the North is ice bound,
one of the most delightful trips the tourist
can take.
After recent ocean trip was very glad
to get on the Indian River. My great OBJ
lection to the ocean is, there is so much
water i'll it,
The scenery along the Indian River is
varied and pleasing. During much of the
distance the Eastern shore is divided from
the ocean by only very narrow strip Of
land, covered in places by dense native
growth, in others cultivated in pineapples,
bananas and oranges.
About twenty miles south of Titusville,
on the WestShore, is the famous Rockledge
orange region, which has probably paid the
growers more money per acre than any
other orange growing country in the world.
A little lower down, on the East Shore,
at Brantley, the banana is grown exten-
sively and the masses of these plants are a.
pleasing sight from the deck of the steamer.
The variety of banana generally grown in
Florida for market is the Chinese or dwarf
variety, (Cavendish6i). 1t is small but of
very fine flavor.
AT Eau Gallie is the present terminus of
the railroad that is building down the West
Shore. Here are extensive docks and much
loading and unloading of freight.
At Melbourne we enter the pineapple
country and South of here, at many land
ings, notably at Roseland, St Lucie, Eden and
Jensen, we see the West Shore handsomely
improved by attractive homes and thrifty
'pine" fields of those who are
making this Indian River country
both beautiful and profitable. The resi-
dents are generally Northern people who
have made themselves homes here to escape
the winters of the North.
The "Narrows" is an interesting part of
the voyage. Here the river is not only very
narrow but very crooked, and the steamer
seems strongly inclined at every sharp turn
to 60 out into the woods.
Jupiter is the end of the trip on the
Indian River. Here is an inlet from the
ocean and a lighthouse 10 feet high.
Freight and passengers for Lake Worth
points are transferred to the Celestial
Line" Of railroad, so called because its
stations a"e Jupiter, Juno, Venus and Mars.
This road connects Jupiter with the head Of
Lake Worth, where another transfer to
steamers is made by those who wish to visit
points on the lake.
The Indian River and Lake Worth
regions are just now undergoing rapid and
seemingly healthful development. The
healthful and pleasant climate has at
tracted good class of Northern settlers,
persons of means who have made them
selves beautiful homes.
Fruit growing has thus far been profta-
Bile. The Indian River orange, long fam
GUS, and bringing the highest price of any
orange produced in this country, must now
share some of its glory with the Indian
River pine apple, though these fruits are
not rivals at all, one coming in the winter
and the other in the summer.
The growth along the river is quite tropi-
cal and on the shores of Lake Worth espec-
tally so, wher thousands of cocoanut
trees may be seen in full bearing. The
winter climate is SO mild that even slight
frost seldom visits this region and a fire is
rarely needed for comfort.
Nowhere in the world, perhaps, are fish
more abundant than in the Indian River.
There are more kinds than l co uld name
among them the mullet, the sheepshead,
the channel bass, the saltwater trout, the
red grouper, the mangrove snapper, the
barracuda, the blue fish and the pompano.
The latter is generally acknowledged to be
the best of all food fishes of the South. 1t
is hard TO beat any where. The pompano is
great jumper. | have seen them jump
entirely across the deck of sloop, and
generally during trip OH the Indian River
enough 'pompano jump on the deck of the
steamer, and are caught by the crew. to
supply the tables.
Those who want an affidavit to the above
statement can get it by calling at the
TRANSCRIPT office and paying the freight
Tourists from Jacksonville connect with
the Indian River Steamboat Company at
Titusville by way of the J. T. & K. W..
known as the Tropical Trunk Line
which gives a good and quick service.
To know the Indian River one must see it
from the deck Of steamer, and the water
route through this tropic wonderland will
therefore be always popular one to the
tourist.
ScoTT WAY.