The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-07-13
Some Events in the Early History of Peninsular
Florida A Writer of Nearly 20 Years Ago
Tells of Events in By-GOne Days
By AGNEW WELSH
On The American Eagle, EsterO, Forida)

came upon the hut of two squat
tiers who were engaged in wreck
ing Their dog had been wounded
by this animal and the men were
in a state of fright The eXplor-
ers were armed and decided to
spend the night with the wreck
ers and cndeavor to shoot the
wild animal. Their efforts were
rewarded about midnight and the
animal proved to be a puma, or
American lion, measuring nearly
five feet in length and over two
feet high when standing.
An educated Fastener IN the
late Sos was doing some lnVeStI-
eating in the southwest corner OF
Florida and later wrote for Har-
per's Magazine a series of stories
concerning what he learned.
Among other statements was this:
"Punta Rassa was an important
place during the Indian wars. A
fortified blocKhousc and other
government buildings yet remain
O87D. The banks of the river
(Caloosahatchcc are enormously
increased in height by the shells
left by the Indians. A little above
the mouth Of the river IS the more
prctcntlOus garrison of Fort My
crs."
In speaking of the manatcc
this same writer was greatly in
error when he wrote that Cur
iously enough, the only locality
where this animal is found in this
country is a frcsh-Water creek
cmptying into Tampa Bay l
have seen them on two occasions
on the Atlantic side as the fire.
qucnt the semi-salt inlets as far
north as Palm Beach He also said
there are but three species of
manatce in the World-thc Florl-
da one, another in the Red Sea
and the third a habitat of the
Amazon.
This same authorization he
was a physician scientist, wrote
Sea Horse Key, high, mound
like island so feet from water
mark, is the highest peak south
of Hatteras (mark the language
and is of a white siicious sand. "
In the Ten Thousand Island
region, s. w. coast of Florida, a
shell mound on Chokoloskce Is
land covers 200 acres, the village
of that name being situated on
one such mound IS feet high. On
another is space of 40 feet
square leveled off These shells
are Of several species of mulusca,
but in the main are those of Oys-
tiers and clans (ThiS observer
stated that oysters were not found
south of the Caloosahatchcc Riv-
err WindleyS Island has a num-
Der of knobs Is feet high.
In the early COS Spain granted
to Gen w. F CBaldy'p Smith
an exclusive franchise, good for
40 years. for a telegraph cable to
Cuba. with Havana as its tcrml-
nal there The company was call
cd the International Ocean Tele-
graph Co. and proposed 10 cross
by driving long steel sockets into
the coral reefs of the keys and
channels between. inserting the
poles IN these and then >tUlnglne
the wires on them Two lines were
surveyed. one running south from
from Punta Rassa. al the mouth
Of the CalloSahatchce River. and
the other following down the East
Coast of Florida The line was
opened 10 Key West IN 1906 and
the cable across the Florida Straits
to Havana quickly followed
] { Bailey Mas IN charge os
the early surveys and while en-
gagged In thl> work made tenta
tive surveys f.r a railroad but
for whom an unable - say bu;
I give q JAS my humble opinion
that 81 jeory III Faelyr ~ cg-di;
Is dUc either tar me prnteg, Is.