The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-09
AN ISLAND UNDER SAIL.
It Contains 100 Acres and the Sail
Spread is Tamarack Grove.
From the Boston Globe.


From the Boston Globe.
The floating island in Sadawga lake, in
the town of Nottingham, Vt, is one Of the
most remarkable freaks of nature and one
of the greatest curiosities in the world.
The island contains over 100 acres, and it
actually floats upon the top of the water.
There is no doubt about it. II is not at
tached to the mainland on any part Of the
lake.
The fact that it really floats on water
was made evident last year. At that time
a stone dam was built at the outlet of the
lake over six feet high, which raised the
water little more than six feet. When
the gates were shut and the water for the
first time began to rise in the lake, there
was great curiosity TO see whether the
island would be submerged or rise with the
water. 1t took about forty-eight hours for
the water in the lake TO rise to the top Of
the dam, and it was then discovered that
the island presented exactly the same ap-
pearance that it did when the water was
of the island that has ever been
more than two or three feet above
the surface of the water. Therefore If it
did not float when the lake was raised six
feet by this new dam, it would have been
entirely submerged.
Since the water was raised this great
mass of land has hoated about more readily
than it previously did. Portions of it, con-
tanning from nine to three acres, have been
broken away from the main island, and 90
swimming around independently. There
are four such pieces. Three of them are
close together, and already fifty or sixty
rods to the northeast of the main island
Sometimes they are five or six rods apart
Then again they will be all in cluster, the
smaller ones floating around faster than the
larger ones.
Tho great main island. which contains
over 100 acres. moves about slowly. The
prevailing winds are from the south aud
west, and after it has blown hard for day
or two the main island is found to have
changed its position several rods. Some
times it will be near the east shore, and
then again it moves over toward the west
1t never has come nearer than quarter of
mile of the north shore.
There is a small forest Of tamarack trees
growing upon this remarkable island. Some
of them are more than TWENTY-FIVE feet
high. They are in thrifty condition, and
are OF large size at the butt. Smaller trees
OF the same kind are rapidly growing up
beside them. The wonder is how the roots
of these trees are nourished. The lake is
situated In marshy surroundings on the
southwest side, and it is supposed that there
is vegetable matter enough in the water to
keep the trees in a healthy condition. Gran
berry bushes grow in great luxuriance. In
some places they are SO very thick that it is
difficult to pass through them, and the ber-
ries, which are of the wild sort, are gath
cred in large quantities by the natives that
live about the island. The surface is
spongy, and in many places soft, but there
are other parts of it where it is compare
lively solid.
There is no difficulty in getting upon the
island, although in some places persons who
visit it have to be careful that they do not
sink drought it.
A Globe representative who recently
visited it in company with Frank Crosier of
Readsboro had several interesting inter
views with some of the older residents of
Nottingham, who have lived near Sadawea
lake all their lives. One of the first men IN
terviewed was Judge Hosea B. Ballou, a
native of the town, and who was formerly a
judge of the Windham county court Judge
Ballou lives at the new village Of Sadawga.
and when he was asked about the floating
island he said:
This floating island, as you call it, is
known to the people about here as the
swimming land. | have known it for con-
siderably more than half a century, and |
have watched it WITH deep interest. When
the dam was raised last year I was curious
to see whether it would be submerged or
would rise with the water. / thought per-
haps it had become attached to the shore.
and that the roots of the tamarack trees
might have grown down into the mud and
become SO firmly attached that it would not
rise. But as the lake was raised the island
came up with it, and has just the same ap-
pearance now that it had fifty years ago.
only 1t is larger. 1t is much larger now
than it was when | was a boy. I should
say it then covered something like fifty
acres, and the trees on it were small. The
boys used to 20 out on it and gather cram
berries and fish through it for bullheads."
How many acres do you think it con-
tains now, judge!'
II don't know that anybody has measured
it lately, but should say that it contained
over 100 acres and had about doubled in
size during the last fifty years. When |
was boy L used to 60 on the island in
daytime and catch what are called up here
bull pouts, known usually as bullheads,
through the island. You know it is difficult
to catch this kind of fish in the daytime.
Fishermen say you can only catch them in
the night"
"But you caught them in the daytimep
swell, we would 60 out on the island.
taking along with us a long, sharp scythe.
When we came somewhere near the center
OF the island we took the scythe and pierced
it through the surface, which is composed
of a sort of vegetable Deld, and cut hole
about two feet in diameter. Then we would
drop line through and catch bull pouts at
a pretty rapid rate"
"What is your theory about these fish
biting down under the island, when they
could not be caught in the clear water Of
the lake!n
81 suppose the reason was that forty or
fifty rods from the edge of the island it was
dark beneath, SO that they would bite the
same as they would in the night. We found
they would bite better on cloudy day than
they would on clear day.
How deep was the water under the
island where you caught these fish?n
Before the dam was raised it was five or