June, 1920 
FOREST AND STREAM 
303 
From Conch Bar we sighted the tall 
brick tower of Jupiter Light, where we 
soon arrived. The tower, one hundred 
feet high, stands on a bluff fifty feet 
above the water, at the confluence of 
Indian and Locohatchee rivers, where 
they unite and flow as Jupiter river to 
the sea, a mile or more away. From the 
balcony surrounding the lantern the view 
is at once grand and comprehensive. 
First, we see Indian river stretching 
away for miles toward the north, where, 
in the distance, we obtain but fugitive 
glimpses of it between the intervening 
hills and clumps of foliage, “like orient 
pearls at random strung.” Then, the 
Locohatchee, winding along through the 
savannas with many a devious turn, like 
a huge serpent gliding from the setting 
sun toward the sea. Toward the south 
lies a panorama of pines, cypress and 
sawgrass, with their varying tints of 
green, amidst which is a network of small 
streams glinting in the sunlight like a 
filagree of silver while far beyond lies 
Lake Worth, a burnished shield on a 
velvet sward. Turning at last toward 
the east we behold grand old ocean 
“darkly, deeply, beautifully blue.” stretch- 
ing away to the vast horizon, where the 
blue above meets the blue below. 
We camped at the foot of the bluff, and 
slept with the huge eye of the lantern 
flashing and gleaming on us, as it kept 
watch and ward over the vast expanse 
of the sea. The next morning we decided 
to sail at once for Lake Worth if the 
wind and sea were favorable. I ascend- 
ed to the lantern with the superintendent 
to get his opinion as to the chances for 
a safe trip outside from Jupiter Bar to 
Lake Worth Inlet. As the wind was off 
shore, and the sea comparatively smooth, 
I decided to go at once. 
While enjoying the view from the bal- 
cony just described, our attention was 
arrested by the baying of hounds, hot on 
a scent, which the superintendent said 
was an almost daily occurrence, when 
his two foxhounds enjoyed a deer chase, 
though they were never known to catch 
a deer. Pretty soon we saw through a 
vista in the woods, several deer leaping 
over bushes and moving with the speed 
of the wind. Then through another open- 
ing among the palmettos we saw them 
halt and proceed to feed as quietly as if 
nothing unusual was going on. Within 
a few minutes we saw through the vista 
first named the dogs following on the hot 
trail at their utmost speed, when they, 
too, disappeared. Then as the sound of 
the baying dogs approached too near the 
feeding deer they started off with a wild 
rush, leaping and bounding, and when 
last sighted were circling back again to 
their feeding spot. And so the merry 
game went on, both dogs and deer seem- 
ing to enjoy it. At last the dogs ap- 
peared near the foot of the tower with 
lolling and dripping tongues, glad to lie 
in a shady, breezy spot, to ruminate on 
the uncertainty of life when the race is 
not always to the swift, but with the con- 
solation that the joy of anticipation 
might be realized with the morrow and 
their prowess in the chase established. 
F OR the twelve-mile sail at sea, from 
Jupiter to Lake Worth Inlet, I de- 
cided to take with me only Frank 
who had taken a fancy for sailing and 
who proved an apt pupil, and to let the 
other boys tramp the beach, which was 
a mode of transportation quite common 
between the two inlets. The boys read- 
ily agreed to this suggestion for they 
had no desire to trust themselves on “the 
briny” in a boat with but eight inches 
freeboard. Accordingly, I put them on 
the south side of Jupiter Inlet with the 
admonition to make the trip as quickly 
as possible, so that they might arrive at 
the lake before nightfall. 
My plan was to leave Jupiter on the 
last of the ebb tide so that when I ar- 
rived at Lake Worth Inlet the flood tide 
would be running strong. Frank and I 
went over Jupiter Bar with a fair wind, 
and found quite a heavy swell outside, 
which I feared might give a touch of 
seasickness. But by keeping inshore as 
close as possible, and with a beam wind 
we arrived off Lake Worth Inlet in little 
more than two hours. As the flood tide 
was making strong we went through the 
narrow inlet to the lake without mishap. 
Our passage along the coast was rather 
better than I had expected, but as the 
wind freshened when we were fairly out- 
side, we arrived at our destination three 
hours before the “tramps,” as Frank 
called them, put in an appearance, much 
to his satisfaction. He told them a 
graphic and thrilling yarn of our en- 
counter with man-eating sharks during 
our passage through the inlet. His story, 
however, reconciled them to their tramp, 
especially as they had collected some fine 
shells, corals and sea-fans on the way. 
We camped that night on the north 
side of the inlet. A small house at the 
head of the lake was the only one in 
sight. Next morning we sailed several 
miles down the lake, and the boys trolling, 
meanwhile, captured three bluefish, which 
seemed to be abundant. The houses of 
the settlers, which were few and far be- 
tween, were all on the east shore. We 
learned, subsequently, that, all told, there 
were but about twenty-five settlers along 
the length of the lake, some twenty miles. 
As it was rather too windy for oranges, 
they were engaged in the cultivation of 
bananas, pine-apples, guavas, sugar cane 
and vegetables, which gave quicker re- 
turns. The cane was manufactured into 
syrup. The climate was simply delight- 
ful and most healthful. Most of the set- 
tlers were from the northern and western 
states. 
We anchored off a two-story house in 
the midst of a tall, bearing cocoanut 
grove, with an oleander hedge twenty feet 
in height, the fragrance of which had 
been perceptible to us for several miles. 
It proved to be the home of Charley 
Moore, at one time, many years before, 
a sailor in the United States Navy, but 
later engaged in wrecking along the 
coast. He was very glad to see us, and 
was desirous that I would settle on Lake 
Worth, as the only physician within easy 
call was at City Point, near Titusville, 
and two hundred miles away. He offered 
to make me a deed, for one dollar, to five 
acres of his banana patch. That it was 
a good offer I may remark in passing, 
that the probable value of the tract to- 
day would not be far from one hundred 
thousand dollars. I had already declined 
a similar good offer at Rockledge, which 
may go to suggest that opportunity 
knocks at a man’s door more than once. 
The south end of Lake Worth is sepa- 
rated from the sea-beach by a ridge of 
but a hundred yards or so in width, called 
the “haulover.” 
It was there that the wreckers made 
their camp whenever occasion demanded. 
And in connection with it Charley Moore 
told me the following story, which he 
said was as true as gospel, and that he 
would take his “bible oath” as to its 
probity: Whenever the wreckers were 
at this camp it was frequented by fish- 
crows, who had been encouraged in their 
visits by the men who would, at meal 
times, throw portions of fish, meat or 
(continued on Page 333 ) 
* 
A scene on Lake Worth, Florida, at the time of Dr. Henshall’s visit 
