The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-15
FUN IN TURTLE FISHING.
GOLD HUNTERS IN LOWER CALL
FORNIA sUCCUMB TO THE SPORT.


and Got More Pleasure Out of IT..
Towed out to Sea by "A Turtle.
Turning Turtle story.
From the New York Sun.
Talk about sport" said red-faced,
bronze-armed man who was superintend-
ing the unloading of a lot of baggage,
suggestive Of camping from tIIm little
schooner just in from Lower California,
"why, I've been down to the original man.
ufactory where they make it-hunting,
fishing and all the rest of II. You know
this last gold stampede they had, most of
the miners went overland, but I thought
I would go by sea, so I chartered this
schooner with half dozen friends and
fitted her out with camping outfit. We
didn't get any gold, but we had the time
of our lives and left a lot of American
gold among the dagos which they need bad
enough. ] don't mean to say that there's
no gold on the peninsula, as there Is heaps
of it and some of the finest mines going,
but they have a way down there Of get
ting up a placer boom every year or so,
and though many people have been stuck
and fooled they all go again just as regu-
lar, never learning anything by experience.
I'm that way myself; this is the fourth
boom I've been on; got left every time.
But had lots of sport, as I always 90
fixed so that If we don't get gold we get
game.
Il don't think it is put-up job In all
OF these mining eXcitements some one
strikes a fairly rich placer and tries to
keep 1t quiet; and the more he tries the
more people think he has got a big thing,
then the move begins, and the excitement
grows until there is line of teams lead
ing down into MexicO-thats been the ex-
perence for years One or two get some
thing, a few more make day wages, and
good many come back dead broke. How
ever, we got something, as l say; we had
the sport We went to Ensenada first
where there is a good bay, and from there
struck across country to the placers, about
fifty miles away. When we got there there
was a town started with fifty tents. Two
of our party staid month and got few
nuggets, but the rest of US became dis
gusted In two weeks. The cause of our
leaving was a half Indian, half Mexican
named Manuel whom we had engaged to
cook for us. one day things got pretty
low so far as grub was concerned, ana
Manuel said I wish I was home, ia have
green turtle soup Where's that" ! ask
ed Why, down at Turtle Bay three or
four hundred miles from here
Il hadn't had tuTle soup for a long
time and the idea occurred TO me hat the
turtle hunting would be great sport. Much
big turtle? ! asked Manuel. 81, mocha
grande he said. Mocha grande sport.
You taka harpcon SO. sabe,' and he took
stick and poised. You pu1a up on mocha
grande tOrtuga and bin he tow you heap
all round Can you take rs TO this green
turtle country Manuel?' I asked. 81, SEN
or Well pack up and in a short time
pf The W. m tha Yacht
and two days later we sailed from Ensen-
ada to Turtle bay and did not stop until
We finally SGT into the Cuff of California.
Turtle bay, as near as | can figure it, is
about eight hundred or one thousand miles
south OF Los Angeles a pretty little pace
with a settlement of Mexicaus ana half
Indians that make their living catching
turtles with which the waters abound. We
found the story Of Manuel true-there was
mocha grande tortuSa, the water was
alive with them, and the day after we
reached there we s artcd out with a man
Manuel recommended as a great harpoon-
er, and that he proved to be. He was tall,
slender fellow, half Indian, with eyes and
hair as black as ink. The way he handed
the harpoon was a caution. The harpoon
was a tWo-prong> q affair with small barbs,
so that they did not hurt lie turtf that Is,
did net puncture tie caraplce and merely
held him. This was mounted on a long
slender poe which the harpooner could
send whiihng through the air dead on the
mark. As a javel.n thrower he would have
been dead shot
I'VE rowed out into the beautiful bay the
Mexican in the bow Manuel and a friend
at the oars. Manuel was visibfy excited
ana would stop and look around, ejaculat-
ing Mocha grande! then would row on,
the Mexican directing him to the ARG st
turtle. Finally ne saw enc TO suit him, and
as the boat drew up on ii he leaned back
and sent the quivering pole through the
air III struck fairly in the turtles back.
The turtle rushed ahead, FOL owed by the
Kissing line, which the man tossed over
board In coils. Then it came taut. In
second the boat was rushing through the
water behind as lively a stee1 as l care
10 follow. / had heard Of big turtles and
their strength, but l wasn't prepared for
such rush. and as 1 was standing up in
the boat to get a look at the animal /
went down fiat the boat jerke1 ahead
Ever see a big turtle swim? Well, us
like hid with four wings just pounding
tire water with motion 50 quick you can't
follow II. IL never went down more than
twenty feet below the surface, staying
down about ten minutes, then rising and
taking breath to pur &c down again, all
the tine towing the b1at ike horse.
I'VE went right out to sea beyond the
bay and passed a dozen turlTas on the way,
and after half an hours excitement the
a
but we all took hold OF the hGe aud soon
had the beat alongside The animal, that
never LEI up Tapping its powerful fins /
should not have thought 1t possible 10 get
such big creature into the boat but the
men got on the ral and took The flippers
and made a half hitch around them, and
then, with a leap TO the other side, fairly
Jerked il in. On the way back / took a
turn at the turtles myse f, but missed the
first and second; the third l pinned in
good shape, and I can tell you It was ex-
citing, EXCEPT that / got the Inc around
my foot and was nearly jerSed overheard.
This turtle towed us up the bay and finally
ran aground, so we put the boat in and
ran the turtle up on The beach. That night
we had the turtle steak, turtle balls and
turtle soup-high living for men just out
from dry plac mine. We stayed around
there for a month, and had the finest fish
ing and hun,ing; then we !caded up with
turtles aud came up the coast. Some go 10
San FRANCISCO some to Los Arge.es, where
i EIDnDEA IA & q / IA, m 1s,,.,