Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-04-01
From the West Chester Republican
THE SILVER SPRINGS OF FLORIDA

duced to their sway the inhabitants of the main
land of Central America, they found strange
and remarkable myth among the Aborigines
| from the coast of Honduras to the farthcst is
land to the east myth whose parallel mod
ern research has found only in the rich myth
| ology of the Hindoo Vedas, and among the
Magi of Persia. 1t spoke of fountain, called
in the poetic phraseOlogy of the natives, BIZ
| mini, 'sThe Fountain of Lifc,'' whose wa
| ters posscsse the virtue of healing the sick,
rejuvenating the aged, and comforting immor-
tality. 1t located this magic fountain in
| pleasant and genial land to the northward,
where Florida now lies. The origin Of this
myth IS involved in doubt but certain it is
| from the combined testimony of all the Span
ish historians, that the belief was very preva-
lent, that it originated several migrations of
the Aborigines to the northward, whose settle
ments were discovered in the southern coast
Of Florida, and that it induced the adventu-
rers, Prince de Leon, in 1912, and Fernando
de Soto in 1889, to undertake their ill-fated
expeditions. In default of better theory, it
| seems not inconsistent with the Indian char
acter to impute this belief to the veneration
of some actual spring, remarkable for some
unusual property, and exaggerated first by the
art Of the priests for selfish purposes, and next,
by the stereoscopic power of time and dis
tance.
The Silver Springs of Florida no less from
their own beauty and strangeness, than from
the indsputable signs of dense Aboriginal
| population in their vicinity, such as Indian
mounds, pottery, arrowheads, &C., regard
I vol t1,X.f
this widely expanded tradition. This will be-
come more evident on an examination of their
beauties in detail. To appreciate them best,
we should approach from the Ocklawaha.-
! Turning almost at right angles from the dense
! cypress swamps that everywhere skirt this
muddy and obstructed river, into a clear and
rapid stream, VIC emerge into broad prairies,
clothed in summer with thousands of brilliant
and oderiterous flowers. But the greatest
! beauty is beneath us. Standing on the PROV
of the barge, watched with delight the chan
| ges in the subaqueous scenery. Now the bot
tom is clothed in long, dark green, reedy
grass, waving slowly in the current, here
sunkcn log is draperied in messy vegetation,
/ as thick and as green as ivy, while there,
| bottom Of greyish sand throws in bright relief
concentrated arecs of brilliantly white frag-
ments Of shells deposited upon the lower side
! of the ripple marks in the numerous circular
/ basins. Far below us, the sluggish catfish bal
anccs itself near the bottom, or the swift trout
! hastcns away, or the sullen alligator stares with
stupid amazemcnt at the noise Of the poles.
! The "run,'' as it IS called, which furnishes
| this living panorama, extends for ten miles,
| ranging in width from sixty to one hundred
and twenty.fv feet, and in depth from fifteen
/ to fifty. At first sight the head or basin, from
whence it rises, disappoints. 1t is in shape an
irregular elipse, its longest diameter, ranging
/ n. E., S. W, about $50 yards, its shortest a.
bout 100.
The east side is bordered by All open cypress
| swamp, while on the west lies dense ham
mock, of cypress, maple, palmetto, ash, gum
| and other trees. 1t is very unfortunate that
the scenery above is so tame compared with
| that below. The water has its principal exit
at the northeastern extremity. Here q sub
aqueous bluff, forty feet high, presents three
cragged ledges of limestone. Between the
lowest one of these and the bottom is cave,
| the opening Of which, as measured by the'eye,
seems about feet by Is. From this gap
| guSneS the water, with 1orCc enough TO deHect
| q common plumb bob several feet from a vcrt-
cal line. On favorable day, when the air is
still and the sun is bright, so great is the de-
lusion arising from the clarity of the water,
that one standing on the bank would hardly
believe but that the whole ledge of rocks
stands out of the water. | took with great
care the temperature Of the spring, and from
several observations at various hours of the
day, ascertained it to be 73 deg, 2 Fab. This
comparatively high heat should not surprise
! us, as it is but little above the mean annual
temperature of the locality.
The next point was to determine as near
as possible the amount Of water given forth
The data obtained on the spot l have since
worked up according to the formulas of Buat,
and after making all possible deductions for er
rors unayodaby arising in such calculation,
the result is that it ejects $50 cubic feet per
second, at least 400, ,OO0, 900 gallons per day
1t is impossible for the human mind to grasp
such an array of figures, but with different
unit it will be comprehensive. 1t is caicuia-
ted that ancient Rome, in her most flourish
ing period consumed l96, 100000 gal water
per diem, that London now uses about 4O,OOO,-
600. and New York, 100000 in the same
time, so that this one spring would supply all
these and yet have a stream as large as the
Croton acqueduct besides, or would furnish
10 Londons, or 13 New Yorks, at once.
| Where now does this vast mass come from