Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-27
Observation-Disclosures:
lCorrespondence OF the Dlspatch.)


:: ::
Correspondence OF the Dspatch)
CARIBOU, ME-, November 1O-We have
heard the glories Of the ex-Spanish pos
sessions exploited from the point of view
of the expansonist, the merchant, the
patriot and the traveller, but no one has
yet pointed out what vista Of happiness
opened to the sportsman with the raising
of the Stars and Stripes over Porto Rico.
With this new possession and the ex-
tension Of the Bangor and ArostoOk rail
way TO the very edge Of the Canadian
wilderness, the domain of the American
sportsman has been heightened to nearly
four thousand miles. and he has been
given the choice Of nearly every climate
ranging from 30 and 40 below zero to more
than 100 degrees above. In Porto Rico
there is no big game. The only large
animal is the wild goat, which IS fOuni
in the beautiful mountain country IN
the interior Of the island, and these are
too much like the trained "Billies' that
are harnessed to chldren's gOcarts TO be
mistaken for the wild creatures of the
woods But, on the other hand, there Is
an infnitude of bird life, especially from
November until February. Nearly every
bird which flies south upon the American
Continent finds it's way 20 the MARSH
lands or forests of Porto Rico. The wild
goose and turkey duck and ortolan are
visitors as regularly az the sunrise ana
the spring. So rich is sport IN the IN
terror that already a movement IS on
foot among the hunters Of the North TO
open a number of camps in Areclbo ana
I nd Ia hliGh A Dig game pre-
serve many miles in extent From Porto
Rico the American sportsman can 90 to
Florida where, thanks to the late war
there has been a mighty spirit or pro-
/ gress awakened. Roads are extending
/ southwark and eastward from Tampa
/ and southwark and westward from
Miami and Palm Beach. In thls district
/ are deer bear, wildcats, and II Is sald'
I some monstrous "burgaters," which IN
habit the recesses Of the everglades.
Florida ought to be a paradise for the
/ SPORTSMAN. but at present the laws are
! so lax that the game is being Tuthlessiy
destroyed.
At Tampa. early in the summer. met
an old darky, who claimed TO ne a ue-
/ scendant Of some long-forgotten Inhlah
chief He spoke in pitiful terms Oh tns
way the "nigger loafers wuz Mi.lr Oh
/ everything in dem woods" lie SAID that
! IN Ills youth a. Hhl4ANA ''N'NN
eral deer I'm a single morning, but mat
/ NOW II took "more'n a week. 10 ina one
/ that formerly there was quite trade IN
! hear skins and other furs, Dut no"
there were not more than dozen pears
I'm the sntire State, and as Tor caters
they once could be counted by huhurSus
and big fellows, twelve ana fourteen loct
long at that, but now they were NUM- ~,
so relentlessly for their hides it was INN
feet long. Inele Is
no reason why Florida should not nave
the same wise laws respecting game as
are enforced i'm New York and Name
rho fishing of Florida / found like that
/ Of Porto Rico. In the waters or each the
I tarpou IS easily king, but there are more
/ tarpons in the gulf, apparently, IMAM III
the Atlantic or Caribbean Inc DesS !
have seen i'm Porto RICO Welshed pI'
thirty or forty pounds, and were mere
| ,,ioroies compared with the magnificent
/ ,ino+v-nounders which one finds az t!ie
! Iglorida fishing resorts. Those delicious
| fishes known as grunters or pB-Ish09 !
found common to both the FLORIDA anu
Porto Rican coasts. In FLORIDA they are
more varied. no less than SIX weil-deilneu
enecies being recognized. Whlle III Ior'o
Do only three of these species are seen
g., tbe market. Coming north. there are
deer along the Appalachian chain, reach-
inc an apparent maximum in virginia
II is strange 10 an observer lhat tilis
state should have been so Overlookeu anu
neglected by the sportsmen. Inc cllnldle
Is ideal, and the range or territory VIZ
game Is found runs from the wilderness ,
(. &c The Dismal Swamps 10 the mountainous
oa,',,t.,, Of its northwestern corner II has
ducks and deer. wild turkeys and pear,
ouail and partridge sufficient TO sausiy
On army of Nimrods. and enough iish III
&c streams and harbors 10 please the most
cautious disciple Of lZaak walton
me lover OF the beautiful Will ma Nlr-
ginia an enchanted land. It's fertle son
and noble plantations, us cieaT a,u
bright streams and rivers, It's rolilhs H Nh
"a graceful mountains form a comoina-
~ ;,,roeeih,e 10 surpass. The climax Is
reached not 90 much in 'he fashlohapIe
srrinos and beaches as In the famous
shenandoah Valley aEshat wonder or the
world the Iurav Caverns. To those whose
evneriences of caves and caVerns IS con-
ened 10 the small wet holes IN the gIouhu
80 tba Eastern and Middle States, the Tor
u1otion is a perfect miracle The rooms
and messages are miles in length, ana art
has helped nature by constructing GU
bridges. odd stairways ana coiiiioI 'aDIe
lr.idors Where the floor was once Tag
God and rough 1 noticed cement walks
AMI 40 II TO unite civilization WIN Ihe
nrineval world. the vast interior Is illu-
minated by arc and incandeseent hsh's.
II Is interesting TO recall That IN those
owes YOU are beneath the scene OF some
of the fiercest fighting ana most wear,
come marching and countermarching ol
.be civil war From 1861 TO 1860 the Sheh-
andoah Valley was practically an armed
camp whose occupants were northeshers
ono dav and southerners the next. Ih-re
g. hardly n square rod of it's surface Du'
,Sbat was baptized with the blood of hght-
ING men. At that time the caves were
nroctically unknown. their discovery
dating from 1878 During the late span
,sh- American war the caverns were Ia
vorlte stopping-place for northern traVel-
,ers Going to the army camps, and also
FOR the sick and convalescent WOUNDED
ON their way TO the North.
The sportsman territory runs across
MARYLAND and jumps the fertile counties
OF PENNSYLVANIA into the forest-clad one
~ its northern and northeastern frontier
thsrce masses into New York state, ano
then again crosses field and farm to the
Adirondacks in the North and the greater
forests of Maine, New Hampshire, ane
Canada. 80
came up 10 the White mountains AM
Maine after my return from Cuba an'