The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-04
UNDERNEATH FLORIDA.
THE EXPERIENCE OF A NEW ENG
LANDER UNDERGROUND.
Two College Boys in Search Of Plumes
and Skins-Into the Mysterious Abyss
by MoouIight-wonders Galore Below
FIorida's Surface.


and skins-Into the Mysterious Abyss
by MoouIight-wonders Galore Below
FIorida's Surface.
The train from South Florida brought 70
Jacksonville two young men en- route from
the Kissimmee river 70 Portland, Me- Their
names are James Dickinson and Roland
Brown They affably explained their mis-
sion and unfolded the narrative of their
! Florida experience l+r Brown said:
"Well, to start at the beginning, we are
from little Maine village on the coast,
not far from Portland Dickinson and I
were both preparing for college in the same
| Portland academy, hut we saw that our
| funds were az low ebb, and that although
1 we had worked our way through up to that
/ time. we would have TO stop awhile and
! pitch into something to be able to get back
next year and finish up We had read
! great deal of Florida, and Florida hunting
in particular, as cunning was our common
hobby, and an article on gathering heron
and egret plumes in some magazine put a
new idea into our heads
"We went by rail to Kissimmee. Here we
fitted out the canoe, and with all sail up one
breezy afternoon started down the lake
which commences near Kissimmee. We
pushed on through the canals into Lake
Kissimmee and on down the river. We
stretched tent over the canoe nights and
got along very comfortably. Down this
marshy, slow flowing river we began to
find the herons and egrets and commenced
our plume harvest. You see the plumes
are worth from 81 TO $1.50 each, and this
was what we were counting on to help US
out.
FLoRIDA's WONDERS
"After twisting about the creek we final
ly ran right by bluff. and about o'clock
We hauled our canoe cut on a sandy beach
and climbed to the top, where we found an
ideal camping ground, carpeted with fine
needles and abundant in firewood.
"We soon had our tent pitched, fire
blazing and things fixed in comfortable
style. Our supply Of water, however, was
short, the creek being muddy and brack-
ish, and our metal tanks, which were filed
the week before, were nearly empty. These
zinc tanks were made to fit in the bow and
stern, and | took one of them and started
off through the high pine woods to find a
spring. The short twilight was over, but
full moon gave plenty of light. After
ing, rushing sound at my right, and head
ed for the water evidently in that direc-
ton.
Presently saw good sized stream glim-
mering through the trees, the silver river
seemed to end abruptly, and it looked very
puzzling until reached the bank, when l
saw that had run across one of Florida's
natural wonders, of which had often read.
Here was large stream of water flowing
between low banks for a long distance, and
suddenly pouring into the earth and disap-
pearing from sight, was a subterranean
river
But was after the water, which was
clear and cold. So | stepped down the
bank quite distance above the cataract
and tried to unscrew the cover of my tank.
The obstreperous piece of metal was stuck
tight, and while | was wrestling with it
the crumbly clay bank gave way and
slipped into the water. still clinging to my
water tank, which buoyed me up as life
preserver. clung to it and kicked out for
the shore.
INTO THE EARTH.
'I had about a hundred feet to drift, and
although could touch the bank at times
j could find nothing 10 grasp but the treach-
erous crumbling clay. Buoyed up by my
life preserver, ] swung round in a swirling
eddy, and with one last cry for help and a
kind of dreamy wonder rs TO how far down
j would drop, my breath left me. After
the first agoniziIg plunge down-it seemed
TO me hundreds Of feet-my head shot out
into the air for a moment and saw that
the stream was running horizontally
through the black, rayless cavern on whose
walls the spray was splashing. caught
my breath when my head struck the roof,
and was borne violently under again, and
in the mighty pressure of water became
unconscious
when my senses returned l was floating
quietly on the surface of body Of water,
my arms still held by the strap Of my life
preserver, which had indeed saved me,
holding me up while foated unconscious
padded slowly 20 the nearest shore, and
fell down in the grass, bruised and wearied.
In the moonlight saw that the pool had
just left was circular, and about hundred
yards in diameter. black and deep, but
without a ripple.
Il lay down under big pine tree 70 get
rested and wait ftr daylight, "a | had en-
tirely lost my bearings The pool was evil
IDENTIFY a sink hole, fed by the subterranean
stream, and with probably an underground
outlet | had been drawn into the river,
carried underground and borne through
the opening into the pool, and could have
been in the water but a very few minutes,
as the rosy flush In the western sky had
not faded.
MADE MONEY, EEvERTHELEsS.
''The quantities Of water which | hsd
swallowed made me weak and sick, and
fell asleep, and woke up TO find the sun
just rising picked up my water tank,
determined 70 take 1t back filed. and start
ed in the direction | thought / had come
After two hours tramping | heard a gun
fred right ahead of me, and in few min
utes was near enough 70 Dickinson 10 call
and attract his attention. He was nearly
frantic at my mysterious disappearance
and thought that panther hsd taken me
in. told him my wonderful adventure
and we made for camp, aS | was nearly I
starved
I'VE remained In camp on this bluff till (.
the plume season was about over Then /
we cruised back into kissimmee river /
without any more adventures aud re- I
joined our shsrpie in Lake JeSsup We 4
secured enough heron and eCret plumes, I
bird skins and alligator hides 10 enable Us 1
10 clear good sized sum after paying all I
our expenses. We shipped our booty TO
New York. and sold our entire cruising I
outfit and both boats 70 two Englishmen 4
on the upper st. Johns for q good price |
We had glorious time, are healthy and 4
hard as bricks. and have made enough /
money 70 carry Us through coilese. Flor 4
ida Ilmes-U Mon