﻿OYSTER 
  REGIONS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY, 
  ETC. 
  

  

  193 
  

  

  off 
  Apalacliicola 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  Saturday 
  afternoons 
  for 
  tlie 
  same 
  pur- 
  

   pose. 
  The 
  vessel 
  could 
  not, 
  without 
  danger 
  of 
  delaying 
  the 
  work 
  by 
  

   waiting 
  for 
  high 
  water, 
  make 
  an 
  anchorage 
  nearer 
  the 
  town, 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  shoal 
  water. 
  When 
  the 
  work 
  had 
  reached 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  

   Apalacliicola 
  Bay, 
  the 
  ship 
  was 
  moved 
  every 
  day 
  to 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  work, 
  

   that 
  as 
  little 
  time 
  as 
  possible 
  might 
  be 
  lost 
  in 
  going 
  to 
  and 
  returning 
  

   from 
  work. 
  These 
  short 
  runs 
  were 
  made 
  under 
  one 
  boiler 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   save 
  coal, 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  under 
  way 
  nearly 
  every 
  day 
  

   an 
  average 
  of 
  only 
  six-tenths 
  of 
  a 
  ton 
  of 
  coal 
  was 
  used 
  iier 
  day. 
  

  

  As 
  is 
  usual 
  in 
  hydrographic 
  work, 
  each 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  was 
  

   plotted 
  on 
  the 
  boat 
  sheet, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  ofiftcer 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  

   boat 
  might 
  know 
  his 
  exact 
  location 
  and 
  direct 
  his 
  course 
  accordingly. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  was 
  kept 
  plotted 
  up 
  to 
  date 
  on 
  the 
  smooth 
  sheet, 
  the 
  

   draftsman 
  each 
  day 
  plotting 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  previous 
  from 
  the 
  

   record. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  work 
  remained 
  

   to 
  l)e 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  draftsman 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  sheet, 
  and 
  prepare 
  a 
  new 
  

   one 
  in 
  such 
  form 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  pliotolithogra])hed 
  for 
  i)ublication. 
  

  

  SUMMARY 
  OF 
  WORK. 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  low-watera 
  observed 
  for 
  estab- 
  

   lishing 
  plane 
  of 
  reference 
  

  

  Total 
  number 
  of 
  observations 
  for 
  densitj'.. 
  

  

  Total 
  number 
  of 
  observations 
  for 
  temper- 
  

   ature 
  

  

  Kumber 
  of 
  times 
  current 
  observations 
  

   were 
  recorded 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  specimens 
  preserved 
  

  

  Time 
  in 
  which 
  survey 
  was 
  made, 
  Novem- 
  

   ber 
  12, 
  1895, 
  to 
  March 
  28, 
  1896. 
  

  

  122 
  

  

  SU8 
  

  

  Area 
  surveyed, 
  square 
  miles 
  fH 
  

  

  Area 
  of 
  oyster 
  beds 
  located, 
  in 
  .icres 
  — 
  

   thick 
  growth 
  1, 
  786 
  

  

  Area 
  of 
  oyster 
  beds 
  located, 
  in 
  acres 
  — 
  

   seatteiinj; 
  gi'owl 
  h 
  H, 
  5G9 
  

  

  Area 
  of 
  "ood 
  i)lanting 
  ground 
  located, 
  in 
  

   acres 
  G, 
  859 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  soundings 
  taken 
  75, 
  125 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  angles 
  taken 
  7. 
  815 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  miles 
  of 
  sounding 
  and 
  deter- 
  

   minations 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  914.8 
  

  

  Answers 
  to 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  questions 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  all 
  oystermen 
  

   and 
  dealers. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  DESCRIPTION 
  OF 
  THE 
  AREA 
  COVERED 
  BY 
  THE 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  The 
  area 
  covered 
  includes 
  an 
  extent 
  of 
  about 
  21 
  miles 
  in 
  an 
  east-and- 
  

   west 
  direction 
  and 
  at 
  its 
  widest 
  part 
  about 
  GJ 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  north-and-south 
  

   direction. 
  It 
  consists 
  of 
  Indian 
  Lagoon, 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound, 
  Apalachi- 
  

   cola 
  Bay, 
  East 
  Bay, 
  and 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  (Jeorge 
  Sound. 
  

  

  Apalachicola 
  Bay 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  these 
  bodies 
  

   of 
  water, 
  and 
  is 
  bounded 
  b.v 
  the 
  mainland 
  to 
  the 
  northward 
  and 
  by 
  St. 
  

   Vincent 
  Ishtnd, 
  Sand 
  Island, 
  and 
  St. 
  George 
  Island 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  

   and 
  southward. 
  It 
  is 
  entered 
  from 
  seaward 
  through 
  West 
  Pass. 
  

  

  The 
  extension 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  is 
  called 
  St. 
  

   George 
  Sound. 
  This 
  sound 
  is 
  inclosed 
  by 
  St. 
  George 
  Island 
  and 
  the 
  

   mainland 
  from 
  ('at 
  Point 
  to 
  the 
  eastward. 
  

  

  East 
  Bay 
  is 
  a 
  shallow 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  adjoining 
  Apalachicola 
  liny 
  to 
  

   the 
  northeastward. 
  

  

  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  that 
  name. 
  It 
  narrows 
  

   toward 
  its 
  western 
  end 
  and 
  communicates 
  with 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  Indian 
  Pass. 
  

  

  Indian 
  Lagoon 
  is 
  a 
  small, 
  shallow 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  formed 
  by 
  Indiar 
  

   Peninsula, 
  and 
  having 
  only 
  one 
  narrow 
  inlet 
  at 
  Indian 
  Pass. 
  

  

  F. 
  R. 
  1)G 
  13 
  

  

  