The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-14
FLORIDA'S EVERGLADES.
DARK LABYRINTHS UNKNOWN
TO MAN.

EXPLORATIONS of a Venturesome Few
on Lake Okeechobee-The Remnant
ofthe Seminoles.
From the NeU York Times.
Fort MYERS, FLA, March o. Five years
AGO a single white man dropped a tiny
canoe into the waters of the Suwannee river
and made his way down to the Gulf OF
Maxico. entered the Caloosahatchie river,
ascepded it, and padded his way into the
great dismal, watery waste CT Oeechobee
IN this shoreless inland sea of solitude
he wandered for eight days and
nights searching for the mouth
If the Kissimmee river This lonely
adventurer was Mr.. Kirk Munroe of New
York. and there is every reason to believe
that he was the first white man or the first
man of any color who ever took a boat
into the lake from the gulf. Since then
Mai Williams Of the New Orleans Times
Democrat, with an exploring party, en-
tered the great inland sea from the Kissim-
nee and several surveyors and civil en-
qineers have also crossed a portion of the
dismal lake.
Beyond this little is known of Florida's
GREAT inland ocean and the vast savannah
or Everglades, surrounding it, which is
really only an expansion Of the lake itself
There is no shore to the lake, but dense
swamps of saw-grass and wild, half-sub-
merged hummocks encircle the clear water
sheet or every side, on which neither rep
tile, animal, nor man has ever yet found a
footing. Immense bodies Of water lettuce
a species of air and water plant, float about
on the surface of the sea, and, like the
treacherous will-o'the-wisp, deceive the
solitary travellers who venture into that
lonely region. The mouth of the Caloosa-
hatchie is thus often closed up by the float
ing plants and the daring explorer wanders
around for days before he can get his bear
ings. The only sign that marks the mouth
of the river is a small barrel which the
last party of surveyors placed on the top
of a tall cypress tree that stands far out
into the lake like some solitary sentinel on
duty 1t is the only mark of man visible
within radius of nearly 100 miles, and if
it had not been for the water accommOda-
lions of the two rivers flowing into the
lake the region would still be unknown and
unexplored.
The Everglades proper begin just south
of the lake, and are fully 100 miles long
and 20 broad, over which no surveyors
chain has ever been stretched, and of
which all knowledge is as conjectural as of
the interior of the dark continent beyond
the path of Stanley. On reaching the
level Of the glades a vast meadow is ex-
banded, apparently as boundleSs az the
ocean. Passing on through the winding
lagoons you find yourself in vast region,
partially inundated, and resembling an
immense lake studded with thousands of
islands varying from a fraction of
an acre to hundreds of acres in extent.
During the winter season the whole grassy
border of the lake is covered with water,
but not so deep as to hide the grass, which
is very thick and tall. The border of the
savannah and prairie land which skirts the
pine land, which forms the rim of the basin
occupied by the glades. This rim is on an
average some 20 feet above the sea, but oc-
casionally it rises to a much greater hight,
in some places reaching nearly 100 feet
above the Atlantic.
This whole labyrinth of marshes, wet sa-
vannahs, lakes, and lagoons is drained on
every side by rivers OF deep dimensions.
The st. Johns drains it on the north; the
st. Lucie, Greenville, Jupiter, New Rat
toney and Miami on the east, and the Snake
Swallow, Caloosahatchie and Macao on
the west. Behind Cape Florida the glades
approach within twelve miles Of the coast,
and the inlets run to the sea with great
swiftness
To penetrate the Everglades is a daring
undertaking. and none but the cowboys of
South Florida ever offer to guide strangers
into the dismal waste. They have become
more or less familiar with the border of the
world-famous glades in hunting their cattle
through the dense hummocks, and they will
guide you through certain well-beaten
tracks along the banks of the rivers; but
beyond that they will not even go them
selves. Dangers from rattlesnakes aud
alligators, which are as numerous as hairs
on your head and of gigantic size, they
despise; but when it comes to facing
starvation in trackless wilderness they
weaken.
They are not men to get frightened at
nothing, either. Brought up in the woods
along the borders of the Everglades they
have spent most of their time in wander
ing around in the low, wet Swamps
The land in the glades is treacherous, and
IN places sort of quicksand will suddenly
sink beneath ones feet and land you in a
living grave The bottoms of manv of the
lagoons are also so soft that one must swim
across them and not trust to wading. A
heavy rain will make the most marvellous
changes IN the country. Small streams
VIII assume gigantic proportions in
one night, and by morning you
will find yourself shipwrecked, as it
were, on a small island, cut off from
all surrounding land by long stretches of
uncertain water. If the rains continue for
several days or weeks, as is often the case
IN the rainy season, the great inland lake
Will continue to rise and the islands in the
Everglades will grow proportionately small.
You hnd your island gradually melting
away from under your feet, and you strike
out for another and larger one. The waters
carry you along through the overfiowed
SSWamps. making swimming an easy work.
tame Of all description are keeping you
company, and when you finally reach
larger and safer island bears, deer, wild
cats nanthers, alligators, rattlers and mecca
SIN snakes are already there to give you
welcome.
=, But the general inundation has Gained
she savage brutes, and there is no danger
rom them If you give them plenty of
Ioofh' The rattler raises its head and sends
out us alarm at the approach of every
creature, and the larger brutes grumble
sAVagely at the Kissing reptiles. The alli-
gators are in their element, and they i'm
prove their opportunity by devouring few
u ue more harmless animals. They will
nov however, attack a man unless he first
oegns the battle, and then they show a
ayage front. There is no escape from such
llSons until the waters -subside, and even
.len IL requires many days for the most ex-
eIlehced woodsman to find his way back
WCiVlNzation. Streams have TO be forded
t .Hat are up to the neck, and trails followed
yuaV nave been nearly obliterated by the
"ater' II one does not starve TO death in
s1on a Journey he Is likely to be Frustrated