Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-05-26
THE BOTTOMLEsS BLACK POND.

ABOUT nall mile from the town OF
Danford, there was an extensive and
beautiful piece of forest land. Many of
the trees were large and picturesque, the
ground beneath them was generally free
from unpleasant underground and bush
-es, and, in some places, it was covered
with moss and delicately-colored wild
flowers; there were green open, glades,
where the bright sunshine played fam
tastic tricks with the shadows of the sur
rounding trees, and, altogether, the
Danford forest, was, a delightful place,
and any visitor, Of ordinary reasoning
powers, would have supposed it to be a
favorite resort Of the towns-people.
But it was not So. very few people,
excepting now and then some boys of a
.disobedient turn of mind, ever visited it.
The reason for this was the fact that
pond which had a bad reputation.
This pond was So large that in some
parts of the country. where such bodies
of water are not common, it would have
been called q lake. A -. ~e.--
In ordinary cases the presence Of
such sheet Of water would have greatly
added to the attractions OF the place, but
this Dond exercised an influence which
-overbalanced all the attractive beauties
of the woods, and made it a lonely and
deserted spot~yes 1# ~
The reason OF this was the peculiar
reputation of the Black Pond. A great
many strange things were said about it,.
Its color was enough to mystify some
people, and terrify others, for, it was as
black rs ink. Persons who had stood
upon its edge and had Touchdown upon
it, and over its vide expanse, were un-
able TO see an inch below tine surface of
the water, which, instead of being trans
parent, appeared, when there was no
wind, like one of those darkZcolored
mirrors called :. Claude Lorraine glass
-es," in which a whole landscape isTre-
fiected like little living picture. with
all its proportions, It's perspectiyea and
its colors, perfectly preserved
1t might have Been supposed that this
lake would have presented an attractive
picture, on bright days. when the skyy
the clouds and the leyerhanging foliage
were reflected inSits smooth and poll
ished surface; but water which is as
black as ink iSfaOt the lind Of wafer that
people genefdl7 like to look at. There
are ofiinsry ponds and lakes and rivers.
in which Nho skysclouds and trees are
reflected insaWay hat is good enough
for anybody.
But although it was In color such a
blot upon the beauty sof the -Danford
woods, the blackness or this pond was
not the grassest objeAtiDn toit. The
most dreadf1k thing about il was that it
had ho-, bottomI There Is something
truly terrifying inthe idea 81 2 body of
water that is botton1ess. There are
persons who would hel much safer id
sailing over those portions Of the ocean
which have been proved tobe five or six
miles deep, than over the vast expenses
of rolling pillows where bottom has
never been found.
And twas well known that bottom
had never been found In the Black
Pond Sons had heard this from their
fathers, and fathers from their fathers,
for Danford was an old town. and the
Black Pond had always been the same,
as far back as the local history and ira
-(litiOns went. sA E%F 81 81
For . long time no attempts at sound
ing or examining in any way the waters
of the pond had been made. Any un-
.dertaking of the kind would have been
too dangerous There was no boat on
the pond, and it was not easy to carry
one there, and if persons wished, to go
out in the middle OF the pond to make
:soundings q raft would have to be built,
and the consequences to any one falling
off this would be too terrible to c0ntem-
Mate. Even the best swimmer would
fear to find himself in water where he
would probably become cramped and
sink. and be- sucked down, and down.
and down, nobody knows where.
In winter. when the pond was frozen
.nvor and SO might have offered temp