Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-08-11
FLORIDA MYSTERY.
The Dense Smoke that Rises from the
Depths Of an unprecedented Swamp
a Phenomenon which Nobody has

writer, ana the CndiilPlOh AShSA u WIZ
country, contributes the following from
Tallahassee, Fla, TO the chicago
Times" About twenty-eight miles
from this city. i'm the midst Of dense
ly timbered marsh. there has been
seen for more than forty years dense
column of smoke. rising almost con-
stantly. and defying the Investigations
of the curious. IL has long been local.
" known as the Wakulla Volcano, from
the fact that IL is situated at no great
distance from the famous Wakulla
Spring. Only yesterday / stood upon a
high hin south of the city and watched
the smoke roll up and drift away from
that mysterious spot whittier as yet no
human foot has wandered. Judge
White, formerly of the circuit court
here, and now a leading lawyer of this
city, has furnished me great deal OF
information touching the so called vol
cano. In fact, he ii was who headed
the most nearly successful Of the many
parties which have from time to time
attempted 10 explore the mystery. The
New York Herald" once organized a
corps of discovery, which most disas-
trously failed 10 accomplish its object
the leader losing himself in the awful
morass and nearly starving himself be
fore finding his way out. The volcano.
or whatever il is sends up column Of
rather blacksh smoke. which may be
seen fully thirty miles in fair weather.
When first it attracted attention, some
fifty years ago, 1t was supposed to be
the camping place of a band of Indians
left behind when Osceola's braves were
expelled from Florida. Later the wise
heads attributed the great pillar of
cloud by day TO fires kindled in the
swamps by runaway slaves. A few
years afterward, during the war, it was
declared to be the work of deserters
from the Confederate Army of men
who had skulked into the jungle to
avoid CONSUMPTION. But the Indians
are all gone; the slaves are free, and
the war Is long since over; still the
smoke ascends, and still the sailors
along the Gulf coast, and the tourists
through Mddle-Florida gaze and won
der. This is no hoax, no silly lireside
story. The thing called a volcano act
ually exists. "Some years ago." said
Judge White, in response TO my inqui-
ries-"some years ago determined to
visit the spot and solve the mystery of
that smoke. felt sanguine of success.
believed then as do now, that some
thing I'm the form of an active volcano,
but Of course Of very small dimensions,
could easily be found. i organized a
party of active young men, and, arm
ing myself with surveyors transit,
set out for the scene Of exploration
From a high point Of land trained
my instrument.upOn the smoke column,
and having fixed on the line ordered
my men to begin cutting away into the
swamp, which at the first, was bad
enough, but gradually grew worse until
progress was next to impossible. Cy-
press, ash, oak. elders, vines, air-plants,
briars, long moss, every thing that
ever grew in swamps grew there
tenfold tangle Of luxuriance.
The weather was terribly hot, for in
order to get through the wettest parts
we had TO choose midsummer for our
exploit, and, after two days of swelter-
ing among the mOccasins, alligatOrs
and mosquitoes, all my men deserted the
enterprise. leaving me and a plucky
colOred lad TO 60 on alone. Progress NJ
once became painfully slow. Every foot
OF the way had TO be chopped out while
we stood I'm water from one To three
feet I'm depth. and suffered the assaults
Of millions of ravenous insects. In the
afternoon of the third day we reached
n tall pine standing on a sandy hillOck
in the swamp. by cutting cieats and
mailing them transyersly TO the side of
this tree, as 1 had proposed TO do be-
fore beginning the exploration, 1 was
enabled TO climb TO the height of nine
~ feet, whence | viewed the smoke
column rising from the midmost tan
gle OF the swamp. not more than five
miles distant. The Immediate point
where the smoke issued seemed To be
the apex OF a flat mound of about a mile
In width. covered with n mass of
swamp growth absolutely impenctrable.
My resolution fersOOk me, and nearly
dead with exposure and fatigue. /
made my way back TO the track I had
cleared. One thing is sure. the smoke
Is there and the mytery is there. IL
ought to be thoroughly investigated. |"
There IL no mistaking Judge Whites
sincerity or doubling his truthfulness.
Then. too, his companions in the ex-
ploration are here, and yonder is the
column of black smoke towering above
the swamp to add convincing force To
his story. have talked with many of
the oldest and best informed citizens of
the county. and all Of them ayree that
the smoke column has been visible
with slight intermissions, for M least
forty-iye years. All the old tars on
the Gulf-coaSt line between Pensacola
and Cedar Keys are milliar with this
smoke pillar, as II Is very plainly visible
from great distance ON the water. N
Is certainly remarkable and mysteri.
Gus thing. Seen from the hills south
OF Tallahassee, mt q distance of some
twenty-seven miles, the smoke appears
of about the volume thrown from the
smoke pipe of an ocean steamer. When
there is no breeze. the column rises tc
q great height, flaring at the top. II
the wind Is strong II trails across the
wild swamp like low hanging thunder
cloud. Judge White says he can form
no definite opinion as to the nature OF
the Gre which causes the smoke. II II
Is volcano. it must be very small
one, and unlike any other in the world
The crater could not be over half .
mile In extent. and the smoke sent moi
more than n few feet I'm diameter, will
trees and swamp growth springing ct
close around its rim. To an energetic
enterprising man, not fully acquainted
with what constitutes Florida swami
Jungle the approach TO this volcano
would seem, viewed from n distance
quite practicable; but momenti
reflection upon facts as they ex
ist will dispel the delusiOn. The swami
In question is near the Gulf coast 4
about nfipou mfloa A, I......t.- =