, 1890-10-04

wa HtrNkG - i"Ft NNN's
n stone dam was httiit 1T til" 0lttfet OF th6
lake over six feet high, which raised til"
wafer ~ little more than six feet. When
the gates were shut and the water Tor the
first tinre began to- rise lT the AXE, there
was great Curiosity TO see whet her til"
island wOnld be Submerged Or rise with
the water. IT took II tMNt fortyci2ht h"ut*
for the water in til" bake I" riSt 10 the top
of. the dam. and it was then tiSc"vercd
tlat tte island presented fXactIy TN" sihne
appearaace rlrat if did VIXEN he water waN
six feet Tower. There is no part Of rho
island tkaB has ever neph more tllA1 two
or three feet above the surface or th6
water. Therefore, if it did not float when
the lake was raised six feet by this new
dam. it would have been eHtiTely submerg-
ed.
Since tie water was raised this great
mass of land has aOated more readily than
it previously did. Portions OF it contain
iug from one to three acres, have been bro
ken away from the main island, ami go
swimming around Independently. There
are four such pieces. Three or bfen are
close together, and already fifty or sixty
rods to the northeast of the marin Isiand.
Sometimes they are five or six rods apart
Then again they will BIZ all in a cluster,
the smaller ones floating around faster
than the larger ones, aS the whit carries
them more easily.
Tho g,cat main island, which cNntalnS'
over 100 acres, moves about slowly. mo
prevailing winds are from the south anu
west. and after it has blown hard for ~
dav o. two the main island is found tor
have changed its position several rodS..
Sometimes it will DO near the east StOre'
and then again it moves over toward tho
west. 1t has never come nearer imam q
,,.t.. ~ - ,oilo Nf flu nnrfh shore
There is a small forest Of tamarack trees.
growing upon this remarkable island.
Some OF tlIem are more ban twenty-hV"
feet high. They are in a thrifty condition.
and are of large size at the bntt. Ohlailtf
trees of the same kind are rapidly rowing
IN beside them. The wonder Is how IN"
roots OF these trees are nou!lShrd. Inc
lake is situated in marshY surroundings,
on tile southwest side, and 1t Is Supl'ostf
that there is vegetable matter enough III
the water to keep the trees in a healthy
condition. Cranberry bushes grow III
great Iuxuriancp. In some places they are
50 thick thai it il difficult to- pass through
them, and the berries, which are ~ me
wild sort, are gathered in large guarantees
by the natives that live about the ISLAND
Alder bushes aud Il great variety or native
weeds grow on all parts OF the Island Inc
surface is spougy, and III many places sott'
DitC Gn6Tt are OJucI pats OE az ""NAS
comparatively solid.
There is no difficulty in getting upon the
island, although III some places persons
WHO visit it have to be careful that they DO
not SINK through it..
A "Gl0be" represent ative who recently
visited it in company with Frank CTOsler.
of Reatsb OrO, had several interesting inter-
views with some of the oldest residents OF
Nottingham, who have lived near Sadaw-
pa Lake all their lives. One of The FIRST
meu interviewed was Judge Hosea b.
Ballou, a native of the town, and who was
formerly a judge Of the WhitIbgham
County Court. Judge Ballou lived at the
new village of Sad awga, and when ne was
asked about the floating island he SAID
'This floating island, AS you caIllt, ~
known to the people about here an the
swimming land, 1 have known it for con-
siderably more than half IL century, and
have watched it with deep interest. When
the dam was raised last year | was curious
TO see whether il would be submerged 0r
would rive with the wafer. Thought per-
haps it had been attached t" the shore, u Il
that the roots of the tamaPlck trerS might
have grown Town in the mud anu become
so firmly attached that it would not rise.
But as the lake was raised the island came
M with it, and has just the same appear
ance now that it had Atty year ago, only
il il larger. It il much larger now than