﻿206 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  channel, 
  but 
  overflows 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  

   after 
  leaving 
  the 
  month. 
  Also, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  tidal 
  current 
  at 
  the 
  bar, 
  which 
  tends 
  to 
  remove 
  any 
  deposit 
  of 
  silt 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  brought 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  the 
  dredging 
  of 
  the 
  cut 
  at 
  the 
  

   entrance 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  in 
  progress, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  mud 
  removed 
  was 
  

   dumped 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  this 
  bar. 
  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  this 
  deposit 
  of 
  

   mud 
  will 
  destroy 
  the 
  bed 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  proved. 
  

  

  Oyster 
  bed 
  near 
  TMgpen 
  Bar. 
  — 
  A 
  small 
  detached 
  bed 
  lies 
  just 
  east 
  

   of 
  Thigpen 
  Bar 
  and 
  northwest 
  of 
  black 
  buoy 
  No. 
  5. 
  It 
  covers 
  7 
  acres 
  

   and 
  has 
  the 
  same 
  characteristics 
  as 
  Thigpen. 
  At 
  the 
  east 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   reef 
  there 
  are 
  only 
  3f 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  and 
  this 
  shoal 
  spot 
  

   is 
  exactly 
  in 
  line 
  with 
  the 
  dredged 
  cut. 
  

  

  Area 
  of 
  good 
  planting-ground. 
  — 
  The 
  area 
  suitable 
  for 
  cultivating 
  

   oysters 
  includes 
  a 
  long 
  strip 
  extending 
  in 
  a 
  north-and-south 
  direction 
  

   nearly 
  from 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar 
  to 
  Green 
  Point, 
  and 
  in 
  an 
  

   east-and-west 
  direction 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  cluster 
  

   of 
  outlying 
  oyster 
  beds. 
  It 
  is 
  4 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  averages 
  about 
  a 
  

   mile 
  in 
  width, 
  covering 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  2,440 
  acres. 
  In 
  this 
  area 
  there 
  is, 
  

   opposite 
  Silva's 
  Bar, 
  a 
  small 
  circular 
  space 
  of 
  nearly 
  three-eighths 
  of 
  a 
  

   mile 
  in 
  diameter 
  where 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  soft 
  mud, 
  and 
  therefore 
  unfit 
  for 
  

   cultivation. 
  The 
  lower 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  planting 
  

   area 
  has 
  a 
  bottom 
  covered 
  with 
  shell, 
  which, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  some 
  time 
  ago 
  

   was 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  scattered 
  oysters, 
  and 
  which 
  will 
  become 
  one 
  again 
  in 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  time. 
  All 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  has 
  a 
  bottom 
  

   which 
  consists 
  almost 
  entirely 
  of 
  hard 
  sand. 
  

  

  THE 
  EASTERN 
  PART 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  BAY. 
  

  

  Norman''s 
  Bar. 
  — 
  This 
  name 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  bed 
  lying 
  nearly 
  

   1^ 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  Cat 
  Point. 
  The 
  bed, 
  although 
  not 
  at 
  

   present 
  of 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  oysters, 
  is 
  quite 
  extensive 
  and 
  covers 
  an 
  

   area 
  of 
  285 
  acres. 
  It 
  extends 
  in 
  a 
  XJSTW. 
  and 
  SSE. 
  direction 
  for 
  2^ 
  

   miles 
  and 
  is 
  about 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide, 
  except 
  in 
  its 
  southern 
  

   extremity, 
  where 
  it 
  gradually 
  narrows. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  depth 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  

   of 
  4^ 
  feet 
  on 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  reef, 
  with 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  5 
  J 
  and 
  6 
  feet 
  

   to 
  the 
  westward 
  and 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  reef. 
  At 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  reef 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  slight 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  Avater 
  from 
  the 
  

   waters 
  surrounding 
  it. 
  The 
  bed 
  contains 
  no 
  marked 
  ridge, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  

   uniform 
  bottom 
  consisting 
  of 
  hard 
  sand. 
  

  

  A 
  i)eculiarity 
  of 
  this 
  bed 
  is 
  that 
  its 
  crust 
  is 
  thicker 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  

   beds 
  thus 
  far 
  spoken 
  of 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  

   shells 
  comprising 
  it 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  closely 
  packed. 
  The 
  probe, 
  with 
  

   a 
  sharpened 
  steel 
  point, 
  could 
  hardly 
  be 
  driven 
  through 
  the 
  closely 
  

   packed 
  mass 
  of 
  old 
  shells, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  3 
  to 
  3^ 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  

   Soft 
  sand 
  was 
  found 
  underneath. 
  

  

  