The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-09

Guilty with which they had to contend was
the soggy condition of the soil, in which the
wheels of their carts sank to the hubs. The
farther they penetrated the swamp the
greater became this difficulty, and at last
they resorted to the expedient of digging a
narrow and ill-shapen ditch, just deep
enough to float q flat-bottom boat
Down this canal the timber was
floated TO Deep creek, a tributary
Of the Elizabeth river, and thence TO
the market at Norfolk. Year by year the
timber was cut away along the banks Of
the ditch, and each year, as The demand
for juniper and cypress shingles became
greater, it was extended farther into the
almost impenetrable wilds of the forest.
the work was done altogether by slaves,
with shoVels and pick-axes The use of
steam shovels was unknown and uuthought
Of. The towering cypress trees were also
felled and split into shingles by slaves, who
were given tasks each day by their over
seers, and for all shingles they made over
the required amount they were paid extra
One day the overseers, while visiting the
workers in the forest, were surprised to
hear several voices singing way off in the
swamp. An investigation was made, and
it was discovered that North Carolina land
owners, like those in Virginia, had expe-
rienced the same difficulties of hauling
lumber in the soggy and treacherous swamp,
and they had sent their slaves into the
wilds to dig ditch to aid them in the
transportation of shingles and lumber. For
years these two forces worked independ-
emily of each other, and each, strange to
say, was digging unawareS toward the
other. The two sections Of the canal were
joined and the point of connection is marked
by an angle.
The two states finally became interested
in the work, and the waters of Lake Drum
mond were brought into requisition for
feeding the canal. This lake is situated in
the center of the swamp, and the depres-
sion in which the placid water sparkles was
made by fire centuries, perhaps thousands
of years ago. The whole swamp, in fact,
represents in modern age, the coal-form-
ing epoch of millions of years back in the
geological history Of our globe, and during
an exceedingly dry season-so dry, indeed,
that the Doggy soil was parched and trans
formed into an infammable clay-a flash
of lightning became the origin OF big fire.
Towering trees were felled, the scrubby I'M
derbrush was laid low, and then the flames
ate their way, foot by foot, into the infam-
mable soil, and hollow circle was formed
in the ground. When the rains came this
depression became a basin for the innumer-
able streams which trickled through the
forest, and was soon transformed into
large lake.
The almost trackless swamp through
which the canal penetrates is still valuable
on account of its cypress and juniper, the
latter article becoming year by year
scarcer and exceedingly valuable. At one
time single share of the Dismal Swamp
Land Company was worth as much as
1872. 900. Inc tract originally taken up and
surveyed embraces $1,000 square acres.
About half as many additional square
acres are now embraced in the forest. The
cypress is also coming into great demand
for ship building purposes, and the annual
export of the timber to Germany is large.
ars wander unmolested in the trackless
depths of the forest, and the deadly rattle
snake basks in the sun without fear or
molestation. Birds of brilliant plumage
fly from limb to limb Of the huge and high
cypress and sing their carols from day to
day, unseen by man except along the course
of the canal