Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-02-23
4 Remarkable Body Of Water.
BY PROF. }. P. srrFLr.

e HON al Omana paper 1 take the fOi.
lowing, relative TO remarkable body, of
water, known to exist in the Cascade
range Of mountains.
8" This lake rivals the famous valley of
Sinbad, the sailer. 1t is thought to ave.
rage 1000 feet down to the water, all
round. The walls may be reported as en-
tirely perpendicular, running down into
the water and leaving no beach. The
depth Of the water is unknown, and its sur
face is smooth and unruflied, as it hes so
Tar under the surface Of the mountain that
the air-currents do not effect it.
Its length is estimated at twelve
miles, and its breadth at ten miles. There
is q beautiful island in its center. No liv.
ing man has ever yet reached the waters
edge, and 1t is not probable that any ever
will. II lies silent, still, and mysterious,
in the bosom of the everlasting hill,, like
a huge well scooped out by the giant genii
OF the mountains, in the unknown ages,
long ago, and all around it great primeval
forests an eternal watch and ward are
keeping"
Remarkable as this body of water may
seem, it is by no means the most remarka.
bic on our continent. I write this in Gen.
trail Florida, where have just examined a
body of water which certainly excels the
great sunken lake Of the Cascades, in very
many particulars. As nothing has yet
been published concerning it, have con-
cluded to give our readers Of the american
Journal Of Microscopy brief account of
what / saw, believing that it will not prove
wholly uninteresting, even to them:
In company with an experienced guide,
reached the little lake in question at
about ten o'clock a. m. How large it was
Icould not tell, but judge it must be of
considerable size from the fact that l could
not see across it, although enjoying kind
of birds eye view from location some
distance above the level Of the water
Seeing nothing unusual about the place,
l was on the point of expressing my disap-
pointment to the guide, when he, having
read my thoughts, cut all short by asking
that make careful survey Of the water,
remarking, at the same time, that while
there was really nothing extraordinary
about the lake itself, it was strangely and
wonderfully inhabited.
turned my attention to the water, and
was soon convinced that had, undoubt-
eddy, met with phenomenon, for 1t was
so clear, so very transparent, that could
see through it in every direction, with as
much apparent ease as if it had been the
atmosphere itself Presently, saw one
of the inhabitants limited at, little crea-
ture of light brown color, looking, as it
glided here and there through the pure
element, like chimney swallow. Then
another came, and another, and another,
until all the waters of the lake seemed to
be thickly swarming with them. H
They were very busy and very swift in
their motions, darling, whirling and ang-
ling with the grestest ease and the most
charming grace--the guide said that, like
birds of the air, they were in quest of
their prey, feeding upon animals too small
to be seen by us from our tand-point.
Suddenly, while | was gazing in wonder
upon these strange creatures, new actor
appeared in the person of larger animal,
about the size, shape and color of huge
muskmelon. He was quite transparent, so
much SO, that | could see through and
through him as plainly as If he had been
glass jar; and as he moved leisurely
about, noticed that he was catching and
devouring the little Swallow" without
mercy. His interior, which seemed to be
q huge cavity, nothing more, was literally
filled with them, some still alive and
swimming about in their, strange prison.
The entire mass, held within his gigantic
stomach, kept up rapid whirling round
and round in one direction, from which |
inferred that he had no regular digestive
organs, but simply rore out his food-that
is, reduced it by friction to proper con-
dition for his sustenance.
Scarcely had / got fairly interested in
this extraordinary animal, when along
came something which looked, with its
slim, arching neck, very much like swan.
Its course was so directed that ere long it
was brought into contact with the musk
meloa," and fight was the consequence.
1t was short fight, however, for neither
of the parties seemed to relish the business,
SO they separated and struck off in oppo-
site directions.
A little distance, and the "swan" met
another of its kind, and they commenced
billing and cooling like to mated doves !;
but their pleasures were destined to be of
a shor duration, for, just at that instant, q
large and hideous looking creature, with
great horns and glaring eyes, pounced
upon hem from covert hard by, Selling
them both. A terrible struggle ensued, in
the course of which one Of the swans
made its escape; but the monster gripped
the other fiercely by its slender neck until
it ceased to struggle, after which he settled
down with 1t to the bottom of the lake,
and very quietly began converting 1t into
meal.
About this time noticed second mon
ster, equally as frightful in appearance as
the one just referred to, though evidently
of different species. He was moving
along on the bottom Of the lake, and, un-
less his course was changed, would pass
very near the other. The first monsters
treatment of the swans" had made me
his enemy, 30 was well pleased with the
turn affairs showed a prospect of taking
/ desired that his banquetting should be
disturbed. Audit was The new conner
found him, and went In for share Of the
prey.
A battle, the most frightful that / had
ever before witnessed between two living
creatures, Immediately commenced. They
seized each other and rolled over and over
in real death struggle for several minutes,
in course of which they actually tore each
other limb from limb. Finally, one OF
them yielded up and died, after which the
other, with but two legs left out Of six,
dragged itself slow away. And another
instaIlment of animals, some like gigantic
ieeches and others like Oriental turbans,
and all effecting locomotion by stretching
and pulling themselves into every con-
,lcxxn a.<<taI Ixr.rsr s.,.I f,.1I IN