The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-04-19
Correspondence Of The baltimore Sun.

Shores, Abundant Wild Game and segeta-
ton.
Correspondence Of the Baltimore Sun.
When at Cape Hatteras one is impressed
with the situation as that Of remote sea
island. | was there late in the month Of
January. my second visit to that locality,
and spent week. No steamers touch
there and visitors are infrequent. My first
STAY there was in September following the
great August hurricane Of 1899, when !
was subdued at sight of the wreckage, and
on my last visit my mind was equally full
of wonder at the sight of the wild fowl.
I have used the gun as amateur hunter
and collecting naturalist for 80 years, yet |
saw more game at Hatteras the one week
I last spent there than in all former expert
enees combined. On the first day of that
week | easily saw quarter of a million
wild fowl-brant, geese and various ducks.
I am accumtomed to computations In the
millions, not to say in money, and realize
something Of the proportions Of the 25O, 600
number. | saw all Of those living forms IN
a three or four hour period and not while
lacking ship across wide zone, but in
making tolerahly direct course through
the cape channel for anchorage under the
land opposite Cape Hatteras Light. These
wild fowl were feeding or flying over the
shadows Of the Pamlico sound Relatively
speaking the same species of fowl were at
that time equally numerous along the ocean
banks Gin the sound, of course) to New
inlet and southwark to Ocracoke inlet,
combined distance of about so miles.
GRAVEYARD FOR SHIPS AND MEN.
was first attracted to Cape Hatteras by
the remarks of an unknown commercial
traveller whose vivid description of the To-
cality as an untoward graveyard for ships
and men awakened my keenest interest.
At once felt desire to see for myself, as
I have done, the scene Of horrors and get
close enough to feel the presence Of the
destroyer in Diamond Shoals But when
I landed there month after the summer
hurricane of 1899 there were but three
graves. each on the sand beach at high
water mark, and designated by long
straight stick. Only these were drowned,
all Others being saved, and through the eff
forts of the live-sayers nearly all lives Of
late years are saved Many vessels are
lost and the Insurance companies writhe
under the burden, but the mortality among
the shipwrecked is hardly more than 2 per
cent The place, therefore, presents
more cheerful aspect under this changed
and brighter condition. Diamond Shoals
are still there, jutting Is miles out to sea,
submerged, but easily distinguishable, ow-
ing TO the almost continued presence of the
snow-white foam on the crests of the break
ers. Careless nayigators are the ones, |
was told while there, who are the more nu
merous victims to their furies When ships
ground there the life-sayers have to go out
to them in open boats, and when this has
to be done through the surf there is an al
most Incompatible strain on both muscle
and nerve. When | was there the first
time the lightship had been washed from
the point of the shoals entirely out on the
high land Of the banks.
DENSELY GROWING VEGETATION.
The ocean banks, which traverse the
greater part of the North Carolina coast,
dividing sound and ocean. are ordinarily
narrow, but along here, from the Cape to
Hatteras inlet, they are quite broad and
most agreeably clothed in densely growing
vegetation. The sheltered tree area is
about seven miles long and two miles wide,
and the growth is SO largely composed Of
evergreen species that the landscape is
impressively tropical. In midwinter it is
as verdant as the heart could wish. A
large percentage of the rich, glossy green
is the foliage of the yopon, shrub, but
often of tree proportions. 1t is native
tea plant, and extensively Incorporated into
the diet Of the dwellers there. This plant
is not mentioned in the North Carolina
Handbook, nor is the word in Webster 8
Unabridged Dictionary, and | may not
have the spelling correct. 1t grows every
where there in great profusion, and bears
indefinite pruning The leaves and branch
es are chopped or broken and used green
in making the tea decoction, or the year
stores are cured at given time in smoth
cred kiln. They excavate, forming pit
in the sand ridge, and burn brush as for a
barbecue, and at last throw in the chopped
up mass and cover over with earth till all is
dry within. It is sold at retail at about
so cents bushel. The cured tea is uni
versalIy known to be irresistible to house
cats, and the utmost precautions are neces-
sary to prevent them from sleeping on it.
This plant, with the holly, pine, live oak
and dwarf palmetto, makes growth which
is intensely pleasing and satisfying.
YopoN AND HOLLY BERRIES.
But charm, not to be left unmentioned,
as being part of the winter evergreen is the
unriyaled crown of red berries which orna-
ment the yopon and holly. This land be-
ing surrounded by salt water and SO near
the Gulf stream, the fertilization of the
flowers on these plants is more perfect than
person of ordinary experience can con-
ceive, and the fruitage is so complete that
the stems are festooned in clusters, resem-
bling sumac berries. Last January it
would have been possible to gather 500
barrels. 1t is too far out at sea for the
robin and such other birds to frequent
those berry storehouses with ordinary safe
ty. Also the dogwood berry is uncom-
monty abundant, and when it falls to the
ground comprises an important element in
the diet of the deer, which are here in con
siderable numbers. The abnormal berry
product observed at Hatteras has its coun-
terpart on the opposite or mainland shores
of the sounds, and is quite marked in the
black gum tree The fringe of gum growth
nearest to the water being most productive
of berry fruit, affords the choicest bear
hunting of this region The hunters noise
lessly follow the shore line in small boats,
and finding the game aloft feeding on the
gum berries, do their shooting at safe dis
lance, from the water.
FIRST GROWTH PINE FORESTS
The pine tree growth on Hatteras Island
is sufficiently abundant from commercial
viewpoint to have attracted capital. 1t is
first growth and in vast body, but very
handsome modern sawmill plant put there
within two years is for some reason lying
idle. There is long and expensive wharf
built out into the sound for boating away