The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-02-02
DOC" SMITH IS
NOW ON THE JOB
INTELLIGENCER'S CORRESP ON D
EMIT WRITES OF THE SUNNY
SOUTHLAND.
Tells Of Hunting, Fishing and Bathing
Stunts While We Are Wrestling
With Snow Balls.
Miami. Florida, Jan. 4. 1917

November IS. Stayed In sleeper until
I In the morning and went I" the Hotc:
Grayland and there | met my old friend
Mr.. Clark and another gentleman ey
the name OF Williams.
On the 10Th OF November We got
ready to take our trip TO Lake Okac-
koba to enjoy TWO weeks Trip hunting.
We went to 1T. Lauderdale and there
took the boat up the river TO Lake
Shooting. and caught some very nice
bass.
We crossed the lake TO Moore Haven.
new town that has been built up In
the last two years.
The land around Moore Haven Is very
rich. 1t Is the best land In the state
Of Florida The town Is on the nor.ii
west side OF the iakc. IL is building
UP rapidly. There We're 2hout 60 new
buildings being built when we were
there. The soil Is we'll adapted for
raising sugar cane. cattle and hogs. lor
extension or everglades and good 1or
truck gardening.
wild Cat and Black Bear.
We went from Moore Harsn 10 4
place called Big Cypress. There we
had some good hunting. plenty or WIG
turkey and deer. catamount ana via
cats and black bear and plenty Oh ptS
diamond back rattle snakes. Mr. VIZ
liams killed the largest rattlesnnke
that l ever saw. S feet and inches
long. He has the SKIN on exhibition N
Miami. We killed of these monStrous
snakes On our trip. That ls one part OK
the glne that ! don't care much ABOUT;
but where you generally ma pient! OF
snakes you will most always lind plenty
We came back to Fort Lauderdale and
then returned to Miami and took little
rest and then went on our annual nsh-.
t"s ' Big Time Fishing.
Mr. tA Se ily.'' Of AFrOn oho: Mr. Clark;
OF Cincinnati. Ohio: myself ana Captalh
We went on threc-day cruise We
Ind some fishing ut Cape Florida and
futile Harbor offered very fine llSn,
ing. At Elho Reef we no &au GIc. s% wns
French Reef. Here we caught the nlS-
rest fish OF the trip. Mr. Kelly caught
q harrancrida that weighed forty
pounds. We caught some line ahsel-
fish at this point.
We caught somo fine groupper
trowling in the channel, also Two hnlle-
fish. i want TO say, ~ al the lovers
of the fishing game that when You nook
a bonefsh you know that you H I;r g or
they are beyond 4 doubt the eameSt IlSh
in the sea. They are not large iish: :
\ bonefiSh that weighs rish, ,-il }ioG i've
YOU n greater fight than 4 harTancreiaa
bonefish that weighed six pounds hooked
and he took 200 CO.,, feet trr OF b iae head eat my
landed him all right but. believe me me;
standing on my noble brow ,,a
Captain Baker sold me nio ina about m1 100
! miles FROM here where the honeI iSn
come to feed when the tide Is gong
! out. You can see their fins sticking up
! out of the water. Still lheF "'e " N'A'
lis" ~ vanderbilt Makes Catch.
! Well. nonors were about even. take
II all around. We all caught SOM
nice fish. w. X. Vanderbilt: IT, IT,
Ne work millionaire his h"S am nh for
hc returned yesterday morning from
the Bahama banks with devil nSh
weighing in the ncighborhood OF Ton:
The monster was tied to the side OF
t,o Vanderbilt yacht, Tarantula. and
brought to, Miami where 1t was taken 10
the Establishment OF Harry brigham;
the taxIdermist. 1t VII ne moHn,ru
and will form q part Of Mr.. NenHrrnii. ~:
| York Central railroad offices in New
! york. Mr.. Vanderbilt enthusiastically
told Of tho encounter with the big devil
! fish to u few persons who c"nGrcEatca
| mr. tho terminal dock after tn" party mr.
rived from their trip yesterday morn
; ing and insisted that his ambition TO
capture one Of this species OF FISH had
at last been Eratlfed.
! Vanderbilt harpoOnS.
The Tarantula, with Mr.. Vanderbilt
and his brother. Harold S. Vanderbilt
and w. S. Holt all Of New York City.
on board, left Miami last Saturday for 4
| cruise across to the Bahamas. Ihn
yacht was loaded down with provts-
| ions and accompanied ny Captain Chas
Fl. Thompson, the well known guide.
The party began Il search or the waters
in the vicinity Of Andres Island. After
several days of splendid hshing IN
! taken, the party started out on We'd
ncsday in the yacht, Tender. Mr.. Wand
erhilt soon noticed a large object In the
water raising his harpoon sent the in
strument into It's back. This was fol-
lowed by another thrust from Captain
Thompson and pretty soon the fish was
at the end If the line. buoy was
: placed on tho line and the deep sen
| monster was left in order to take hold OF
another one Of about the same size
| which apparently was It's mate.
More Fish Story.
! After five and one-half hours OF hard
work In which eight harpoons were
buried in the mo9ster's back "a and twen;
rifle were fired into its huge body. the
big devil fish was hosted alongside the
! Yacht and the party at once returned
! 10 Miami, arriving here early yesterday
After taking the present fish the party
set to work to bring tho other ono tn
| the boat but owing to the latcncss of
! the hour this was abandoned and the
! rome that held it was cut and the other
/ fish was liberated. When taken to the
. taxidcrmIst to be mounted tho big fish
was measured and proved TO fifteen feet
and ten inches across and fourteen feet
and six inches from tin to tail. Its
mouth measurer four rect and TOUR
inches. It was impossible to weigh the
! fish. Old fishermen estimated its
weight at one ton. It's body was TWEEN
ty Inches in thickness In the center.
The devil fish is similar In shape to
the whip wray. al though It's hide Is
tho same as that of a shark while, the
! whip wray's hide Is smooth. Mr.. Van.
derbilt came TO the city yesterday and
procured q hunting license and viii
leave with his party today for tho Flor
ida Keys on hunting trip.
| Meets Kid Mccoy.
| For the benefit of some Of the OLD
timers in and around Wheeling. | wish
/ TO state that I had the pleasure yes
terday Of meeting Norman Sclby. better
| known to fame as Kid Mccoy. for many
| wears one Of the foremost mon in the
! world of athletics and Il pugilisi IF rec
ognized ability. He was one Of tn" clcv-
! crest and most scientific men Of his
. class or any other class. He was the
| weItcrweight champion t?p Of the world
/ from 1896 to 1927. For the benefit nr
! those that don't know why he left the
/ nehting game. 1t appears that while inc
Kid was on his way riding in q street
~AAn an AT