﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  191 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  of 
  runniug 
  liues 
  of 
  souudiiigs 
  was 
  began 
  at 
  Indian 
  Pass 
  

   and 
  continued 
  toward 
  tlie 
  eastward. 
  Many 
  of 
  tlie 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  of 
  St. 
  

   Vincent 
  Sound 
  are 
  very 
  narrow 
  and 
  small, 
  and 
  therefore 
  the 
  liues 
  had 
  

   to 
  be 
  run 
  quite 
  close 
  together. 
  

  

  The 
  scheme 
  of 
  sounding 
  lines 
  in 
  general 
  consisted 
  of 
  one 
  system 
  of 
  

   lines 
  running 
  in 
  a 
  north-aud-south 
  direction, 
  these 
  lines 
  being 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  shore 
  by 
  a 
  system 
  of 
  zigzagging. 
  The 
  lines 
  were 
  run 
  

   from 
  50 
  to 
  100 
  meters 
  apart, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  

   as 
  the 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  or 
  areas 
  of 
  scattered 
  oysters 
  were 
  discovered 
  they 
  

   were 
  developed 
  by 
  additional 
  lines, 
  and 
  the 
  physical 
  observations 
  and 
  

   close 
  examination 
  of 
  oysters 
  and 
  beds 
  were 
  made, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  explained 
  

   hereafter. 
  

  

  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  on 
  the 
  lines, 
  and 
  at 
  all 
  times, 
  was 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  by 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  the 
  three-point- 
  problem 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  

   as 
  commonly 
  employed 
  in 
  liydrograpliy. 
  Therefore 
  the 
  contour 
  of 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  and 
  delineation 
  of 
  reefs 
  are 
  as 
  accurately 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  sheet 
  

   as 
  they 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  had 
  the 
  survey 
  been 
  a 
  hydrogra^diic 
  one 
  

   purely; 
  and, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  tidal 
  observations, 
  lasting 
  

   4i 
  months 
  and 
  including 
  122 
  low- 
  waters, 
  an 
  excellent 
  plane 
  of 
  refer- 
  

   ence 
  was 
  established 
  for 
  reducing 
  the 
  soundings 
  to 
  the 
  plane 
  of 
  mean 
  

   low 
  water. 
  In 
  running 
  the 
  lines 
  advantage 
  was 
  taken 
  of 
  the 
  shoalness 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  softness 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  to 
  place 
  and 
  locate 
  poles 
  with 
  

   flags 
  for 
  ranges. 
  Throughout 
  the 
  survey 
  the 
  lines 
  were 
  run 
  on 
  these 
  

   ranges 
  tlius 
  established, 
  and 
  the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  considerably 
  

   increased 
  in 
  consequence. 
  

  

  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  shallowness 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  localities 
  where 
  oysters 
  

   were 
  found, 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  ship 
  for 
  dredging 
  purposes. 
  

   The 
  oystermen 
  employ 
  tongs 
  entirely, 
  and 
  tongs 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  

   serviceable 
  than 
  the 
  boat 
  dredge 
  for 
  our 
  pur])ose. 
  In 
  estimating 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  oysters 
  to 
  the 
  stated 
  given 
  area 
  — 
  as 
  for 
  instance, 
  a 
  square 
  

   yard, 
  the 
  comparison 
  generally 
  used 
  in 
  former 
  surveys 
  — 
  the 
  boat 
  was 
  

   moored, 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  were 
  tonged 
  and 
  counted 
  Avithin 
  

   the 
  limits 
  covered 
  by 
  tlie 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  boat, 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  reduced 
  to 
  

   square 
  yards. 
  Any 
  method 
  employed 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  although 
  correct 
  

   enough 
  for 
  the 
  particular 
  locality 
  where 
  used, 
  would, 
  of 
  course, 
  only 
  

   give 
  a 
  rough 
  approximation 
  for 
  tlie 
  Avhole 
  oyster 
  region, 
  unless 
  an 
  

   almost 
  infinite 
  number 
  of 
  such 
  observations 
  were 
  made. 
  Still 
  this 
  

   method 
  gives 
  a 
  standard 
  to 
  which 
  observations 
  made 
  in 
  future 
  surveys 
  

   may 
  be 
  compared, 
  and 
  thus 
  show 
  the 
  increase 
  or 
  decrease 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  on 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  The 
  shoalness 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  allowed 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  poles 
  in 
  taking 
  sound- 
  

   ings 
  and 
  obtaining 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom. 
  A 
  s<mnding 
  i)ole 
  was 
  

   constructed 
  on 
  board 
  ship 
  tliat 
  was 
  particularly 
  well 
  adai)ted 
  for 
  the 
  

   work 
  in 
  hand; 
  it 
  consisted 
  of 
  the 
  pole 
  proper, 
  made 
  of 
  juniper 
  — 
  

   the 
  lightest 
  wood 
  obtainable 
  — 
  and 
  a 
  metal 
  disk 
  fitted 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  pole, 
  connected 
  with 
  it 
  by 
  a 
  copper 
  wire. 
  This 
  wire 
  was 
  simply 
  

   to 
  prevent 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  disk 
  in 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  breaking 
  of 
  the 
  pole, 
  

  

  