Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-26
A BURIED FOREST.

A correspondent of the Wilmington
Morning Ne,cs writes to that journal as
follows
Cypress Swamp, in the lower end of this
State, is a place CT interest at any time.
In the fall, however, when the little at
tractiveness with which summer clothes it,
has become the withered leaves of fall
time, it's wide acres are positively dismal.
Last week wandered over a portion of it.
With the consoling thought that snakes
and other creeping things, with which the
soft turf abounds, were beginning to lose
interest in things human, gave freedom
to my inclinations and had a tolerably good
time. The rain of the two weeks previous
had extinguished the last smoking embers of
the fire that had been burning through the
summer and the atmosphere was free of
the sitting smoke that month or two
before had hung heavily above the tree
tops. These fires occur frequently, and
are caused by the carelessness of some one.
The peculiar nature OF Cypress Swamp at
these times is better understood. For ten or
fifteen feet below the surface the devour.
ing element burrows, finding everywhere
material upon which to feed. The soil is
but decayed vegetable matter accumulated
through centuries. Sometimes these fires
insiduously eat their way beneath the fields
of corn which grow here and there on the
edge of the swamp, and frequently the
rural inhabitant, upon waking in the morn
ing, sees these fields scalloped with holes
big enough in some places to comfortably
take in his granary.
The swamp is mystery. At time,
with regard to which even tradition is
silent, it was basin. A basin Of consid-
erable width and breadth, for the Indians
had sat on its bottom, fed upon oysters and
CLAIMS, and indolently smoked pipes in the
shade of the cypress. The she'll stratum
found in many places proves this. The
cypress which had shaded these aboriginal
epicures many centuries ago, now lie, or did
years ago, before the shingle hunter came
into the swamp, fallen forest, with
fifteen feet of swamp and acres of trees
of another age growing thrifty above it.
The swamp is an alluvial deposit.
In its depths creeks of Indian River
Bay find source, and the waters, dark
with the soakings of vegetable matter,
are carried by these on the one side
into the Atlantic ocean, and by the
Pocomoke river on the other side into
the Chesapeake bay. The theory is that
the streams of water which are now mere
creeks were the channels up which ele-
ments in the process of gradual formation
we've carried and deposited. The forest
of cypress timber gradually gave way un-
til the trees became completely buried.
This matter, which in time filled up the
basin, has served to preserve the cypress.
Very few of them, however, now lie buried;
r 81, l,,, h,v
thrived in the swamp. Among the many
things of interest l saw were the cabins
OF these men.
The shingle hunting industry is now al
most extinct. Those engaged in the bust.
ness would 60 into the swamps and work
there tor weeks. In dry weather, such as
that of last summer, the soil Of the
swamp would crack in many places, and
with the instinct which experience gave,
the hunters would hunt for these assures.
Every crack indicated the spot where was
buried cypress timber. The sign rarely
failed. After the tree had been resur
rected then the ''rivers" would come, and
in a very short time the once buried trunk
would be converted into a large pile of
shingles, which were then more profitable
than now. Almost all the old buildings in
Sussex county are rooted with these, and
many thousands were shipped to the other
States. This being before the time
of railroads the shingles were carted to
Milford and other towns on neighboring
steamers, and thence shipped TO dealers in
large cities. Nothing now remains of this
once lucrative business but the cabins in
the swamp and the gray haired rustics
living hereabout who made their dollars in
this way.
Old men around Lewes, Georgetown and
Frarkford have shot deer in the swamp,
and many stories are told of phenomenaliy
cold winters when bears were forced to the
edges of civilization for food, and how
babies had to be tied in their cradles to
keep them from crawling into the mouth
of famishing beast on the doorstep.
The swamp is about five miles square.
It formerly belonged to General Days.
worthy, an old revolutionary patriot, and
strong personal friend of General Washing
ton. During the years subsequent to Days.
worthy's death, the property was divided
and subdivided, until now the acres of
numbers of farmers extend into its depth.
By this division much of it has been re-
claimed. In few years, by the system Of
drainage which several farmers have intro
duced, more of it will be open to cultiva-
tion, and eventually all vestige of the
swamp will disappear.