The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-09-29

some of the Strange Freaks of Nature Be-
fore the Mouths Of the Mississippi-mud
Lamps, salt Wells. BottomIess Springs.
From the New Orleans Bulletin.l
Where the fresh waters of the Missis-
sippi river meet the salt waves of the
Gulf of Mexico may be seen some of
most wonderful workings.
These are the celebrated mud Jumps or
islands. They are situated out in the,
gulf, q short distance from the ends OF
all the passes, or separate mouths of the
river. They vary in size, from one to.
twenty square acres, and in height
above the level of the sea from one to.
ten feet. Some of them have evidently
been out of the water for hundreds Of
wears, while some of the largest of these
singular islands have risen from the bot
tom of the gulf within the past two years.
The causes for their formation have been
accounted for in q variety of ways by
professors and savants OF modern times,
and it is likely that many more theories
will be be started as to the forces which
lifted them from the bottom of the sea.
As the delta strips at the mouth of the,
river slowly work seward, these little
islands keep in advance of and at regu-
lar distance from the main land. They
have thus been lifted up from the bot
tom where, in ancient times, deep water
existed, and with them have been raised
old wrecks and hulks, and many other
things. sunk down in the gulf, and
supposed to be lost forever more than
100 years ago. On the crests of these
mud Jumps may be seen small circular
craters, where the gases that raised them
escaped through the center; then the
earth caving into the hole left hollow
basin at the top Of each mud island,
which basin is surrounded by an en-
bankment like a circular levee, and is
about twenty feet in diameter. Some of
these islands are covered with small
trees and rank salt water weeds and
grasses. Such are famous haunts for
game during the hunting season. Others
are bare, low flats, whose tops are white
with salt left there by the evaporated
spray. In a single night these islands
have risen up from the bottom of the sea
in water several fathoms deep, and in a
single night many of them have sunk
out of sight. Those that have sunk have
generally receded only foot or two be-
low the surface of the water. Over the
site of these sunken islands in the calm
est weather the spray is constantly
shooting up several feet in the air, being
forced upward by the constantly ascend
ing volumes OF carbureted hydrogen
released from the vast subterranean
depths beneath. Thus, sometimes,
when all the rest of the sea is smooth as
glass, may be seen patch of foaming,
tossing water, presenting very much the
same appearance as if an immense fire
were beneath boiling it up in a satanic
cauldron.
Where this apparent boiling is going
on are many springs, which, though,
they have been frequently sounded with
the longest lines by ship captains and
others, have never shown any signs of
having any bottoms. In some of these
springs the water that shoots up is sew
eral degrees colder than it is in the sur
rounding sea. This is particularly the
case with one on Osgood's island, off tine
mouth of Pass-a-POutre. The water in
the spring or we'll of Osgood's island is
much salter than that of the gulf, and has
q mineral flavor. 1t is thought by many
to be specific against rheumatic COM
plants, and is sold in some drug stores
in this city.
There is brick fort, which was con-
structed more than q hundred years ago.
by the Spaniards, on one of the md
islands off Southeast Pass. The fort
has nearly sunk into the sea, but the
portions of its walls remaining out are
still intact.
On Gordon's island. which is between
the mouth of South Pass and the end of
the old Balize bayou, may be seen
grove of old fig trees of enormous size,
and apparently over century old. Near
these fig trees is cemetery or grave
yard for the fort. In this graveyard are
many marble headstones bearing Span
ish names, almost nodded away and OBJ
liberated, and dates of the past century.