Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-05-24
THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES
DARK LAByRINTHs THAT AM
UNKNOWN TO CIVILIZED MAN.
Islands That Melt Away During
Heavy Rnfns-Fierce Animals


Heavy Rnfns-Fierce Animals
.Subdueu by Limitations.
The Everglades of Florida are fully 100
miles long and seventy broad, over
which no surveyors chain has ever been
stretched, and of which oil knowledge
is rs conjectural as of the interior of the
Dark Continent beyond the path Of
Stanley. On reaching the level of the
glades vast meadow is expanded, ap-
parently as boundless as the ocean.
Passing ON through the winding lagoons
| you find yourself in n vast region, par.
TALLY inundated, and resembling an i'm.
mense lake studded with thousands of
Islands varying from fraction of IN
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 rs to hide the
grass, which is very thick and tail. The
border of the savannah and prairie land
which skirts the Everglades passes grad.
ually into rocky, pine land, which forms
the rim of the basin occupied by the
| gludes. This rim is ON an average some
twenty feet above the sea, but occasion
ally 1t rises to n much greater height, in
some places reaching nearly 100 feet
above the Atlantic.
This whole labyrinth OF marshes, wet
savannahs, lakes aud lagoons is drained
on every side by rivers of different
dimensions The st. Johns drains it on
the north; the st. J.ucie, Greenville.
Jupiter, New Eattoncy, 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 inlcts run to the sea with great
swiftness.
To penetrate the Everglades is dar.
ing undertaking, and none but the cow
boys OF South Florida ever offer to guide
strangers into the dismal waste They
have become more or less familiar with
the borders 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 themselves
Dangers from rattlesnakes and alligators,
which arc as numerous as hairs on your
head and OF gigantic size, they despisc;
but when it comes to facing starvation in
tracklcss wilderness they weaken.
The land in the glades is treacherous,
and in places sort of quicksnnd will
suddenly sink beneath ones feet and
OF many of the lagoons arc also so soft
that one must swim across them and moi
trust to wading. a heavy rain will
make the most marvellous changes in
the country. Small streams will assume
gigantic proportions in one night, and
by morning you will find yourself ship
wrecked, as 1T were, on small island, cut
oil from all surrounding land by long
stretches oil uncertain water. If the
rains continue for several days or weeks,
rs is often the case in the rainy season.
the great inland lake will continue tc
rise and the islands in the Ever.
g,adcs will grow proportionately small.
You find 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
overlooked swamp, making swimming
an easy work. Game of all description
arc Keeping you company, and whep
you finally reach larger and safer
island bears, deer, wild cats, panthers,
alliSators, rattlers, and moccasin snakes
are already there to give you a welcome.
But the general inundation has Gained
the savage brutes, aud there is no dan
ger from them if you give them plenty
of room. The RATHER raises its head and
every creature, and the larger brutes
grumblc savagely at the Kissing reptiles.
The alligators alone are in their element,
and they improve their opportunity by
devouring few of the more harmless.
animals. They will not, however, at.
tack man unless he first begins th,
battle, and then they show savag,
front. There is no escape from such
prisons until the waters subsidc. and
even then it requires many days for the
most experienced woodsman to find his
way back to civilization. Streams have
to be forded that are up to the neck and
trails followed that have been nearly
oblterated by the water. If one does
not starve TO death in such journey he
is likely to be Frustrated many DAYS
a(terward with fever and exhaustion.
At certain seasons of the year, how.
ever, portions of the Everglades can be
explored with comparative safety. Dur.
ing the summer the ground is often dry
and hard for ten miles from the timbered
land, and abundant game roams at large
over it. Many of the islands then are
SIMPLY high elevations in the surround.
ing country, and half-b beaten trails OF
indians lead to them. For on these fer.
tile islands the remnant of the Seminole
villages. There arc about two hundred
of them, most of which live in the Bio
Cypress Swamp, where there are plenty
of inland islands. The cowboys occa
s!onally trade with them; but no white
man has ever yet penetrated to their
main village, supposed to be somewhere
in the centre OF the glades. The trail
leading to it is SO obscure and so deftly
covered up that no one has yet been able
to follow it. To get to the village
canoes have to be used, and the Indians
carefully conceal their small dug outs
from the white mans eyes.
Although generally friendly, the Sem.
inoles do not encourage the pale faces to
come exploring too near their homes.
note boo! and pencil in the hands of
surveyor or explorer aggravates them,
and such person is likely tc receive
rude treatment The cowboys, who 90
among them simply to barter goods, get