The Yale expositor., 1895-11-22


ing fish in this way watch another
fellow.
Our party landed fully 400 pounds
OF red snapper, blue fish, cavallia and
salt water cat, one weighing fully
10 pounds. This Is tame fishing as
compared with that done by others in
deep sea fishing, when tarp6ns of 400
to 600 pounds, Jew fish of 500 -Pounds,
sharks Of from 800 to 2,0oe and the
smaller fish are caught In numbers
greater or less as may be determined
by the size OF the fish and difficulty
in landing. A full day has been spent
by Palm Beach sportsmen in landing
a single tarpon.
When our party had reached Lyn-
ton on our return north the writer
passed about n half hour upon the
open beach as the tide was coming in
taking blue fish. The surf was roll
ing in quite strong. Out about 700
feet, just before the breakers occur
red, would be an immense wave lit
orally filled with blue fish plaiRly dis
cernable from shore. AS the wave
would break, the blue fish in their
search for food Tin the shape Of small
blue fish by the hundreds of thou
Nd6l UP ny LAC otel III bhO SAAA-
low surf ut our feet would rush upon
the beach until half of their bodies
would be exposed. Hundreds of
them would be left high and dry and
dry by one wave to be carried back
by the next. We had caught q dozen
by hook and line lit was too tame
sport to pick them up from off the
sand as they madly attempted to
reach the water) when we called Mrs.
Il. and induced her to land the next
dozen in as many minutes. In all 81
were taken, varying in weight from
two to six pounds. TO add to the eX-
element of the moment four or i've
large sharks were to be seen swim
ming up and down the beach not over
300 feet away, and in easy rifle shot
had we had our Marlin So at hand.
To satisfy ourselves that the cut
rageous stories we had heard told
about mullet, pampano and cayallla
jumping aboard boats while passing
over the waters Of Lake Worth, and
especially if yawl boat were tewed
behind a tug or other large boat at
night with q light aboard the yawl,
Mr.. Marvin, of the supply department.
Of the canal company, arranged
pitch fire wand light aboard the yawl
after dark, on our trip up and we got
aboard. We set there an hour with
out results while the captain was
steering the tug for every school OF
fish he could see jumping. We got re-
suits at last-1S fish in half that num-
Der of minutes took possession of the
yawl. 1t occurred to us that the SAT-
est way was to dump the light and
evacuate the yawl, which we did and
got q good round laugh from those on
board the tug who had been waiting
for Just such a finish to our endeavor.
We are told of lot Of big fish ex-
periences which we do not dare to re-
peat lest we lose reputation for verac-
ity. One or two examples will do. A
pampano weighing 90 pounds jumped
over the stern of the canal company'S
tug Hattie and did not stop until it
had cleared the cabin Il feet long and
landed in the engine room. The Win
dows of one of the canal companyS
tugs, tug lying very low on the wa
ter, are filed with canvass instead OF
glass. The glass had all been broken
out by pampano and cavallia jumping
through them at night when the boat
had its lamps lit. :
These two stories Mr.. Geo. &. Miles,
the general superintendent of the ca
nal business, is authority fer. Be-
cause we were disposed to be incred-
ulous he was inclined to be offended.
He did his best afterwards to place
us in a position to see some fish and
take some, as our recital sets forth.
We were his guests for four days
on our Biscayne Bay trip, and a most
courteous gentleman we found him to
be. He is the youngest son or an
Irish landed squire and has settled In
America, investing his wealth in the
stock of the canal company.
Florida, and especially the section
about Cutler, about 20 miles south Of
Miami upon Biscayne Bay, has some
fine sport for the hunter. One of eur
companions, Geo. Spencer, chief en-
gineer, shot thirty quail in less than
an hour from the wagon in which we
were riding one evening just before
nightfall. An attempt was made to
flush" them as we had no dog, and
they were not pursued. At Cutler,
which is practically a huntir< camp,
$50 quail are frequently shcc by one
man in q days hunt. Bear, deer, fox,
otter, panther, wild cats, wild turkeys,
partridge and other game are plenti-
full. Combining this with the fine
fishing to be found everywhere, and
the sportsman can employ his time
for several weeks. There is about six
months open season in the fall and
winter In all game.
In bringing this series of letters to
a close we would add this: There are
in Michigan, and especially in the
lumber sections, thousands of men
who must seek new homes some
where. In seeking these new homes
why should one not cast his lot where
the lines of life are easier instead of
harder than in Michigan? We state
with confidence that a man can sup
port a family far better on three
months marsh truck gardening and
perhaps in fruit raising in Dade coun-
ty, Florida, than he can with u
months hard work in Michigan either
on the farm or in the mandatory.
Dade county, in 1890, had 1,500 popu-
lation. Last month it had 9,o00 pop
ulation and within twelve months this
population will be doubled. l will
gladly answer any and all questions
asked me i'm relation to this section
,.oon laffQr n in