Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-28
AN ANCIENT FLORIDA CANAL.
Something that Puzzles tho AntlquRr-
ians and the Hfstorians.

iaus and tho Historians.
A writer in the american Antiquarian
thus describes an ancient canal near Cor
don's Pass, Fla:
One Of our party followed the line Of
embankment or sand-dune while the other
two kept along the beach. At distance
OF 34 miles from the,inlet the former an
n0unced the canal, and we soon joined
him and we saw the object of our search
before us. Where we stood it was buried
in the sand embankment, but from that it
was p ainly visible, straight as an arrow,
crossing the low intervening morass and
penetrating the sandy pine ridge, half a
mile, or nearly so, away. The bottom was
moist, and full of tall grass; the sides and
summit Of the embankment covered with
dense chapparal of oak scrub and scrub
palmetto. Its direction from our stand
point was about one point south OF east.
| We cou.d see in the distance pines grow
ing upon the inner and outer sides OF its
banks. With infinite labor we worked
our way through the dense scrub FOR 100
yards or so aud took our measurements.
The width from the summit ridge upon
each bank was % feet, and the depth from
that summit level to centre OF the eXcava-
tion II feet. At the bottom the width was
II feet, the banks being almost perpendic-
ular for some feet, and then receding on
an easier angle at the summit This sum-
init was about 8 feet above the level OF the
meadow, through which for nearly half a
mile 1t was excaVated, till 1t reached the
higher level of the sandy pine land be-
yond. Owing to considerable indisposi-
ton on my part this was the end OF our
exploration for that day, but on the day
following we rode up the Interior lagoon
with view of examining its eastern ter
minus. Mr.. Weeks, the resident settler,
kindly accompanied us and gave us all
the information he possessed as to Its
! structure and peculiarities. He had often
hunted through the pines, and had crossed
II at various points not at present access
| sible to us. A long pull OF about four
miles from the inlet to the lagoon brought
us TO a little bay on the west shore where
we landed, and penetrating the thckets
reached a swamp OF saw grass and water,
| where we found the eastern terminus OF
| the canal, though much reduced in d.
mansions, as probably it was here eX-
! posed more to the wash Of the lagoon in
the rainy season. The banks were COW
cred with growth of cabbage palms, and
as it progressed toward the pine barren
| IL Increased in size and height. We found
that at this end the trench curved to the
south as 1t approached the lagoon, and
| about 200 yards from the shorN it was
| intersected by cross ditch or trench, as
| il to allow it tc receive the waters from
| the level on either side. II this cross
| opening has not been a modern adjunct,
designed to allow the swamps TO dis
| charge into the lagoon, as we found was
now the case, 1t would seem to indicate
that the whole OF these interior waters
were expected to find an outlet to the sea
by means OF this very considerable drain
or canal. Mr.. Weeks gave US the follow
/ int "a ~
massage through the pine land. The
whole canal is about ~ miles in
length. reaching from the lagoon to the
sea. With the exception of the curve at
the eastern terminus il is perfectly
straight. In passing through the pine
woods it intersects sand ridges, in which
it is eXcavated TO depth of 40 feet. The
bottom is everywhere of the same width
| have described, but at points where he
has crossed it in hunting he finds trench
about feet in breadth, ana at present 2
feet deep, running along the centre, leav-
ing breadth OF about feet on each side.
| Mr.. Weeks was Of the impression that
this supplementary trench was de-
signed TO accommodate the keel OF
| boat as 1t rau along the
conduit. Leaving the canal, we
crossed the lagoon and found and
assembled a creek, with rocky banks and
| bottom for some two miles, into the pine
woods of the mainland. MIR. Weeks was
of the opinion that it formerly connected
with the canal, and the latter was con.
structed to carry it to the sea, but see
no indication of that being even remotely
possible, though 1t is as good guess as
any other that can be made in the 9ppar-
ent absence of any more plausible theory.
| The trench in the middle Of the main
canal appears to me to indicate that the
canal has been made by civilized men,
and within a comparatively recent period.
| 1t is work of enormous labor indeed.