The Charlotte Democrat., 1890-06-13
The Dismal swamp.

The region of the Dismal Swamp, SAYS
j. Boile O'Reilley in the Boston Herald
| was intended by nature to be pleasars
ground, health resort and . game pre-
serve for the eastern side of the continent.
In spite of ali that has been done aud left
uodone to destroy it, the swamp itself ia
probably the healthiest spot in America.
It's delicious juniper water prevents
malaria more effectively than the euca-
lyptus of Australia. The flying game
of the continent centres in this region and
the lake in the winter is the best shooting
ground in the country. Now that wealth =
clubs ard individuals are buying up the
coast shooting, this incompatible natural
preserve ought to be secured to the nation
or the State.
its original undoing was probably some
accident or cataclysm OF nature, changing
watercourse or opening q crater.Iike
spring or number oil springs. But the
remedy from the first was as easy and
open to Intelligence as the tapping of q
vein to prevent plethora. The lake, it is
probable was the centre and the cause of
the swamp; as is proved by the streams
flowing out of, instead of into it. It's
overf1owing waters when filed by rains
cup, covers the beach and threatens the
densely wooded shore.
In this way has been brought about
the singular conditions OF the lake, which
instead OF being the lowest is the highest
portion of the Dismal swamp. 1t could
be pierced and drained at any point and
reduced to natural and brilliant proper.
tons. Its overflow, instead OF constantly
00luplUO the auFrOun0IDU IaQns.OuI1 no
guided in ten thousand sparkling channels
to enrich and adorn it's wonderful snvi
ronment. The lake of the Dismal Swamp
is, by survey, some twenty.three feet
higher than the sea, aud it is not fifteen
miles from the tide, water the intervening
land being level slope, and except for
the trees exceedingly easy to channel.
And, stranger still, the channels have been
dug for over 100 yards, but they are
locked up at the outer ends with wooden
gates.
Ponder on this marvellous fact: The
lake Of the Dismal Swamp, three miles BY
two and a half 10 extent, and from seven
to fifteen feet in depth, ia situated on the
side and almost on the top OF hill, and
yet it creates by overflow all around it for
about one hundred square miles, one of
the denssst and darkest morasses on The
face of the earth. In 1868 George Wash
ington surveyed the Dismal Swamp, and
discovered that the western side was
much higher than the eastern, and that
rivers ran out of the swamp aud not into
it. He then wrote that the swamp was
"neither plane uor a hollow, but hill
side" A member of the National Geo.
logical Survey entered the Dismal Swamp,
nd IL Il
Swamp, came toward the lake and found
that the rise in the lake was 81 feet in
miles. We met this gentleman, Mr.
Atkinson, within the bounds of the
swamp, aud on hearing his statement
asked him: "Could the lake be lowered
and the swamp drained with such an TO-
cline ?" "Certainly" he said at is
very decided water shed. An opening
from the lake to the tide, on the Elizabeth
river on the one side and the Pasquotank
on the other, would have fall OF 90 6lOl
feet in distance of less than fifteen
miles"