The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-08-02
REMENISCENSES
OF Old PALATKA
Sketch No. Two, by One Of
the Old Ganq.

where TO look for the site OF Under.
woods windmill which for years was a
landmark, visible long distance, both
on account of the height as well as the
bulk OF the structure, totally unlike the
present day feathery framework of steel
surmounted by steel tank style OF
standpipes? This old mill at least as re.
CARDS the tank, was built in a square
shape with a ManSard roof effect on
each side. This tank was as large in
the amount of space occupied as a fair
size house, and had considerable eleva-
tion. The wooden wheel was also an
immense affair Col. Underwood with
his charming family spent the winters
at his elegant Palatka home which was
surrounded with magnificent orange
grove, and this home was quite often
the scene of considerable gaiely with
the younger set, and not infrequently
including some of their elders. This
was years before the "big freeze" ;"
The family spent their summers in the
north.
How many people in PaIatka now
know that a relic of the sixties in the
shape of what is left of the wreck of the
Fannie Louise" said TO have been
torpedo boat, is lying at the bottom of
the river just south of Boyd's Shipyard2
Right here we want TO shake hands
with Will Boyd, as showing what hard
work and sticking 10 the job will do in
the making of a business success. Still
further south, along the hammock front,
about at foot of Dodge street, lies i'm
bedded in the sand and mud of the
river bottom the remains of another
"old timer" the steamer Silver Springs,
which information may be new 10 some
of the readers of The Palatka News.
Now, TO digrcss little, how many OF
the younger sci of the Palatka of to-
day ever even heard of the old fisher
man, William Brush, who at the time TO
which we refer was TO be seen daily
along the river front plying his voca
lion; with big, heavy cast net, some.
time using dugout or batteau, piloted
by one of his boys, but again going il
alone, waist deep in wafer. il made no
difference 10 him. But when il came
to spreading CaStnet we have yet 10
see his equal, and we used TO know
little about handling cast-net ourSel
YES. This man Brush claimed, we be.
lieve, 10 have spent quite long period
of his life with the Indians, and his
speech and manners certainly justified
his claims.
In these past days now so long gone,
a large part of Palatka's commercial life
was intimately connected with the
traffic.
Suppose, for instance, that instead OF
making Jack Sonville their terminal, the
Clyde Liners from New York continued
on up the noble St. Johns TO Palatka.
We opine there would be some "rubber-
necking." Yet in this early period OF
Palatka'S history there were magnificent
ocean steamers making regular twice a
week trips from Charleston and Savan-
nah direct 10 Palatka'S wharveS. The
fine steamers, Dictator" and CITY
Point were elegantly appointed boats
in every respect. If ocean liners could
go TO Palatka then, why not have them
go there now? We drop this hint for
the attention of Mr. w. B. RoySter, the |
live secretary of Palatka'S live board of
trade
In addition TO these fine ocean steam,
crS there was regular fleet of finely |
appointed river steamers Begin with |
the old Darlington" although she was
not the first steamer on the river by any
means. Then came the Hattie" fol
lowed by the Geo. NJ. Bird" the
Starlight" "Rosa," "Gazelle," =" "Wa.
ter Lilly" "Pastime," and David
Clark" all fine boats. Later came the
chesapeake" one OF the
swiltest boats ever on the river, and the
elegant Florida" Besides these there
were number of others whose names
we do not now recall. Then there was
The Post line and the Baya line of win.
Ter or tourist season day boats from
TO Palatka and return by
daylight OF the boats of these lines
many will recall the elegant steamers
John Sylvester" and ELIZA Hancox"
Of the Post line, and the "H. P. Baya"
md another fine boat of the Baya line.
Lively races between these boats were
Of almost daily occurrence.
Then there was the OcklaWaha river
raffic TO be cared for-no light business
N volume either. 1t was ably handled
by the fine Ocklawaha river steamers,
some of which were the Marion"
Capt, II. A. Gray, "Tuskawilla," Capt.
Edwards, "Okahumpka," Capt. Rice,
md the "OsceoIa" and "Lallie Boy"
proving conCluSively that the business
was there.
In concluding this very rough sketch,
we can perhaps do no better than TO
contrast the present fine public high
school system: for the boys and girls of
Palatka OF today, with what il was for
years in these early days. Suppose the |
pupils of today were told that their
school house was 10 be built of rough, |
lndreSSed, y inch pine plankS, stood
on end, the cracks battened with strips |
Of wood; no cloak room, hang your hat
on a ten penny nail in the wall; one wa
Ter bucket to supply anywhere from
forty to Seventy-five thirsty boys and !
girls with drinking water. Ii took two
boys with one bucket between them,
anywhere from fifteen minutes 10 three
quarters of an hour to go distance of
from hundred yards to a mile after
that one bucket of water, too. Such
hing as a grade" was unheard of.
One professor taught all classes when
he could spare the time from welding
a gallberry switch in teaching some
fellow his "mannerS. What would they
think? Yet lot of the successful bust
ness men Ol inc dldlhd vi lOudys SSNCI-
al of whom have been councilmen OF
the city, and one at least who has
served more than one term as mayor OF
The city, were started for an education
in this same old ''Shack" of a school
house. The writer knows whereofhe
speaks because he was lone of the !,
gang" RENOCO.
Reddish and mangrOve snappers are .
tits.z- fr,ol,r tbaca 6na Summpr daVs /