The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-07-05
THE EAST COAST Of FLORIDA
Ill


summer; the wind was light and
battling, and our progress was made
by lacking back and forth across the
river. So we saw most of the little
towns then in existence. We went
ashore only at few-had we stopped
at all it would have added a couple of
days to our time. But we all had
good eyes, reinforced by an excellent
double barreled spyglass, and three
of the younger men, including myself,
used the combination to the full ex-
tent Our skipper and one of the
young men had made the trip several
times before; to the others, it was a
new world. We We're from more
northern states; we felt like we were
almost on top of the equator and
would hardly have been surprised any
morning if our skipper had hidden US
prepare to cross the line.
The northerner was the pioneer Of
the East Coast; before he arrived
there were but few Floridians. An
old settler told me that before the
civil war houses were from twenty to
fifty miles apart along the river, and
that towns did not exist. After the
war few northern families came in
and made settlements-more follow
ed, but native Floridians were scarce
until after the railroad was built.
South of Titusville were City Point,
Cocoa and Rockledge, Georgiana, Eau
| Gallie, Melbourne, Niece. Sebastian,
st. Lucie, Eden and probably dozen
smaller places. They were all new
towns then, almost entirely wooden
houses, lively in winter, but rather
somnolent in summer. The now i'm
portant town of Fort Pierce was not
on the map, nor do l remember hear
ing of it. There were a number of
orange groves on both sides of the
river. Nevertheless, it was often we
could look up and down both shores
for miles and see no trace of human
habitation. Twice we went ashore, on
the eastern side, crossed the narrow
strip between the river and the ocean,
scanned to the full power of our
binoculars north and south and out to
sea, and saw no trace of human life.
The two steamers of the Indian river
line were laid off for the summer and
the gasoline driven boat did not exist
tho its predecessors, the naptha
launches were slenderly represented
There was one thing then the Indian
river had in plenty that is scarce
now-s ailboats. | do not believe there
was any time in daylight we coulc
look either up or down the river with
out, seeing a sail, and sometimes We
counted at least dozen. It is pit!
the art of sailing has fallen off, fol
the Indian river and tributaries art
fine cruising grounds for small-sizet
sailing vessels.
Bright and early, the fifth morning
from Titusville, we went out thru on
open sea. We stood away to tn
southeast to obtain an offing, an
there I learned the sad fact that tn
ocean, which looks like a millpon
from the shore is decidedly bumpy
= few hundred yards from land.
4 However, had been a "newsbutch
. er" on the Western and Atlantic rail
n road, in the days before the L. & \
relaid it's tracks with 80-pound raj
and when the General" and othe
Il sturdy little ante-bellum engines use
S to make the rear coaches crack like
S whip as they jerked the long train
n around the short curves, and tho
: have seen many square meal relir
lquished between Tunnel Hill an
y Marietta, / always held on to mine. S
S didn't become seasick, tho my ardJ
: Gus task as cook was increased by tt
e necessity of holding on to somethin
n with one hand and manipulating m
lculinary utensils with the other.
We stood out to sea until the shol
y line dropped from sight, then bore
: again until the land was plainly
d view and voyaged steadily. to tt
r southwark. There was no more tacl
e ing, but the wind did not drive US ver
: fast We had good view of tt
II shore and it seemed discretionary ;
e long intervals was there sign of hab
}, tation.
VI All day long we sailed down tn
Y lonely coast, and when night bega
IS to come down we could see no hous
j. on the land and no sail on the Sc
= But far astern lighthouse winke
# encouragingly 1t was one of thos
n clear, starlit nights; the skies wei
G soon set thick with gems; the lit
y boat slowly but steadily climbed U
: and down the long, lazy swells, breal
: ing the phosphorescent water into fiji