The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-09-04
THREE WEEKS Down SOUTH.

at nine O'Clock wednesday, we all
found ourselves OF deck. The morning was
surprisingly beautiful and exhilarating.
We had been some half hour at our posts
Of observation, when before US appeared
stream apparently Of equal volume with the
Cclawaha. which united with it from the
Western or left hand side The next mo-
ment Capt Gray shouted "Here is Clear
Spring.
We seemed ct once to approach enchanted
ground; or rather ench anted water The
sky was c;oudless, the sun high in the
heavens, while the stream we were now en-
tering, showed with diamond like sheen,
most eurayishing to the senses!
None of our Biographies or cyclopedias,
so far as know. gives description Of this
spring. Since 1 have seen It have read
description by a newspaper correspondent,
but it fails 10 convey any accurate idea Of
this remarkable spring. My friend, Mr.. c.,
of Eoensburg with all the force of an in
teliigeDt traveller, attempted to picture it to
me; and vet / could not realize the scere
presented; until it came under my own vi
sion. Nor do l expect now to convey any
adequate idea of what we witnessed.
We entered the spring stream some nine
miles from the fountain, were more than an
hour travelling that distance. Imagine a
stream with suff8c lent body Of water to
float steamboat, at,-varyiDg in depth from
ten to 80 or 90 feet where the water afforded,
at the greatest depth. medium of vision
Of all the contents az cur own pure mountain
alg. We could hardly resist the delusou
that we were sailing in the air.
This continued for nine miles of distance
and an hour OF time. It may well be i'm
agined that during this time the foliage and
nowers and every surrounding object lost
their interest, and everything was absorbed
in the sights beneath US. We sat leaning
on the railing, viewing through the crystal
water every species of the fnny tribe, from
nearly a yard IN length to the smallest size.
moving to and fro, and apparently entirely
undisturbed by our craft. The stream
seemed literally alive with every species,
while crabs. turtles and Others of the va
rious tribes of quatic life plodded their way
quietly along the bottom OF the stream. In
water over 80 feet In depth / verify believe
a pin could have been seen at the bottom:
which was mostly sandy and pebbly, with
an occasional short growth of fine moss.
Our boat was mOored at the head of the
spring, where we all debarked; and to sat
isfy myself that this was in reality the
beginning made TeconnCisance of the ad-
Joining territory. l found 1t as high and
dry all around as the streets of Ebensburg
Besides the station house there was a large
store room filed with groceries. fruits and
confectionaries, and two public houses
which were as dry as the rest.
The spring proper covers some half acre of
ground, and rises near its centre. 1t is here
in places 80 feet deep, but Just as transpar.
ent as before.
This seems TO be the hunters and fishers
paradise. All around appeared men,
(mOstlY Northerners,) in the most o1utre'
garb with their fowiDg pieces and game
bags; while all around the huge spring were
anglers busily engaged in plying their trade.
Their greatest delight was in seeing the
fishes approach and swallow the aluring
bait Add to this numbers of boys and girls
OF brownY color selling their air plants,
magnolias. and otner flowers and the pict-
ure of Silver Spring is completed
In short time we re-embarked for our
return trip aud had the same period of
watching the inhabitants beneath US until
our stream formed its junction with the
Oclawaha; when the vision vanished.
had vIewed the Falls of Niagara from
every point Of observation bad explored
the Mammoth Cave--but in all my existence
had never experienced anything that
filled me with such awe and wonder and
pleasurable excitement as did the SILVER
SPRING.
TRAVELLER