Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-09
GULF NTERC0ASTAL CANALS.
Special

II and the Chicago Recor0-Herald.
markets in competition with the railway
lines. Perishable garden truck must nat
urally go in refrigerator cars and is kept
perfectly fresh by the admirable system
they have down here of cooling the con-
then keeping 1t at a constant tempera-
ture just above the frost point, so that
vegetables and fruit arrive at their des-
tination in q condition as perfect as they
were when they were shipped.
This process was invented by an engi-
neer who has charge of cooling cars on
the Southern Pacific system and has been
in use for a year or more in California
There are cooling plants near Sacramento
and near Los Angeles. After the cars are
loaded they are run into chamber and
by vacuum treatment the natural heat Is
extracted from vegetables and fruit and
their temperature slowly lowered to a
point that will arrest all decay and riren-
ing indefinitely.
No such arranE ement has yet been ap-
Piled to the handling of fruit or vegeta-
bies by sea, but 1t could be easily intro
duced into an ordinary ship at a slight
expense.
Work on the intercoastal canals is now
going on at four places-first, between
Galve ION and the
Cutting New mouth of the Brazos
wa+eruov. river: second, between
"eA" "ye' the Brazos river and
Pass Cavallo: third. between Pass
Cavallo and Arkansas pass, and. fourth.
between Arkansas pass and Corpus Chris
ii. The coast ITS miles between Corpus
Christi and the Rio Grande has not yet
been approved by the War Department.
nor has the section between Galveston
bay and Sabine pass toward the east: but
1T IS expected that the engineers will
complete their surveys during the pres
ent fiscal year and be ready to submit
estimates to the next Congress.
The people along this coast are more
eager or perhaps more public spirited
than those in the north. Very seldom,
If ever. has any port on the lakes or the
north Atlantic or any community upon
navigable river offered to pay half the
cost Of Improvement. as is regularly the
rule down here The Arkansas pass, the
natural outlet from Corpus Christi bay
to the deep water Of the gulf. abounds In
yer king" as it is called in Florida, which
has been the chief hunting ground. The
gulf coast from Galveston to Vera Cruz,
and especially between Corpus Christi and
Tampico, has not been SO thoroughly
hunted for tarpon as the coast Of Florida.
and the endless schools of mullet which
feed along this coast attract them here.
Professional fishermen dread the tarpon
away the mackerel and other small fish
which they catch for market; and they
have done everything within their power
to destroy the "silver king" Their eff
resulted in making the tarpon more nu-
merous than ever, and sometimes ten or
twelve "silver kings are taken daily.
A fisherman at Corpus Christi told me
pom around his boat at one time leaping
into the air for fun, frightening other fish
and playing the devil'' with the nets
January and February are the months
for tarpon fishing, and boats and tackle
can be hired at Corpus
The Tarpon Christi. The approved rod
is seven feet long, made
1VAIAS' Of carefully selected bam-
boo and polished as smoothly as possible
so as to prevent the line from wearing.
The reel should be unusually strong,
and should carry at least six hundred feet
of line The mouth of a tarpOn is prac-
tically solid bone, and has very few places
for the hook to take hold. Therefore 1t
is necessary to have a sharp hook with
strong barbs fastened to piano wire
leader at least six feet long.
The custom here is to anchor row
shore and cast the hook baited with null
let king fish or mackerel. AS the tide
GIBBS and flows through the pass. which
is about 800 yards wide, the tarpon come
and go. making an eternal circuit between
the gulf and the bay. usually in schools
of ten or twelve. The fishermen say that
there is no way to account for the con-
duct Of the tarpon. because food Is SO
plentiful that no kind of bait ought to
tempt him, but they believe he snaps 1t
simply for deviltry or from reckless
ness" as he passes through the channel
The line is cast fifty to 100 feet upon
the rapid waters. and the fishermen may
sit all day without bite. Then again.
the tarpon may strike the moment his
hook hits the water. However. the man
at the end of the pole cannot be deceived
in the matter. II his hook is In the
mouth of a tarpon he will be advised of
the fact in about half second, and then
will begin a fight between the man and
the fish that will continue anywhere
from two to twelve hours.
Tarpon fishing is admitted to be the
most exciting of all sports. No fish Or
animal has the strength. speed. obstinacy
and alertness Of the tarpon. 1t is the
most effective fighting machine in the
water Whenever it strikes the bait the
man at the end of the pole feels as If an
electric shock had passed through him.
The fishermen here say that one out of
ten tarpon is landed, hence whoever
brings one home is a hero.
Y =
Outside the pass, in the gulf, the great |
est sport is with Spanish mackerel. a |
very gamy fish |
Sport With weighing up to
Spanish Mackerel. from o one to two two
feet long. They are caught with lines |
from rod and reel, with shrimps for bait |!
but they will strike spoon Or a trout |
fly, or even a piece Of red cloth attached |
to q hook. Mackerel run in enormous |
schools. and II the angler can manage |
to get his boat into a school the limit |
of his catch Is governed by his ability to |
pull them out of the water and unlock |
them. The professional fishermen here |
do not consider mackerel fishing true |
sport They declare that it is like taking |
pennies away from child. 1t is too |
easy.
The best months for mackerel fishing |
are June, July, August and September.
Founder fishing is great sport, and it |
is done with a forked spear like salmon !
are sometimes killed in Scotland and |
pickerel in the lakes of Japan. The fish !
ermen lash torches to the bows OF their !
boats, which light up the shallow waters |
along the edge OF the bay. and show |