The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1891-11-28
LAKE IAMONIA RUNS OUT.
MILLIONS OF FISH AND TURTLES
M0UNDER IN THE MUD.

- SAs0 Va 01CA AMI 4OAAAAkS
FOUNDER IN THE MUD.
A LEON COUNTY PHENOMENON.
THE LAKE WENT DRY THIRTY-sEvEN YEARS
AGo-THE WATER SUPPOSED TO HAVE
DRoPPED INTO sUBTERRANEAN STREAM
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE SCENE.
The beautiful Iamonia lake is no more
Its tranquil beauty had given it fame
which had been spread to every part of
this broad land by many of the thousands
OF visitors who annually frequent Thorn
asville. But its serene waters, so long
crowned with luxurious magnolia forests,
and 30 long affording home for myriads
OF living creatures, have glided through
. hole in the lakes bottom, says Thorn
asviile correspondent of the Savannah
News, and are now in the close and dark
embrace Of mother earth. So the beauty
Of charming Iamonia has departed, but
only for time. For like the fair one
who disappears before her bridal day only
to reappear afterward more lovely than
ever, so this charming lake win fill again
some day as if by magic, and shine forth
beneath the sun with its crown of laurel
and beach with beauty more radiant
than before
For several weeks it has been reported
that Iamonia was running dry, but news
came yesterday that the rush of waters
had been very rapid and the lake had run
out This carried the News correspon
dent and scores Of others to the scene to-
day.
| WHERE THE LAKE LIES.
Iamonia lake Is about twenty miles from
Townsville across tho Florida line 1t ID
about thirteen miles long and from three
fourths TO two miles wide. There are
thousands Of acres OF land in the lake. bui
the greater part is covered with grass
where the water generally stood from two
l o3hree feet deep. There are about f0(
kAcres where the water was quite deep and
Tree from grass and bonness. This was the
basin in general. The basin proper prob
ably has forty acres In it and is nearly
circular in shape, dipping at short de-
cline and where the water stood from
thirty-hye to forty feet deep.
The lake has the peculiaritY common te
certain ether Flonda lakes OF running ou
at the bottem at certain times. There ID
left at present an oblong pool OF muddy
water over the main exit 100 feet the long
est way and 30 feet across, and 81 feet II
the deepest part, except over the fissure
through which the water escapes The 81
feet in this pool added TO 80 feet of genera
depth of basin gives the depth of pool nov
left when the lake is full at 66 feet. A
sounding line was let down 100 feet int,
the fissure when the lake went dry before
bat did not reach the bottom of it.
AN AMAZING SIGHT.
An amazing sight greets the visitor a
he looks over the mud-covered bottom o
the basin There are many thousands o.
yellow streaked neck terrapin to be seer
literally everywhere. Some are crawling
heavily through the soft mud and stop
i
dragged themselves to drier mud wher,
they continue to crawl, leaving perfectl,
distinct and long trails behind them
Others, still, have climbed to dry land
some into the grass, hundreds into th,
woods, scores Of the poor hunger-tor
tured and frightened creatures roll bacl
from the declivities of the basin and hay'
to start their weary journey anew. Thou
sands of them have reached the higl
lands and are scattered over the surround
ing country. Their plumber cannot b,
|, well exaggerated. They would max,
many carloads. There are also hundred
upon hundreds of soft shell turtles. The,
!. too are visible on every side. These hav
been hauled away by wagonloads and ar
still being carried off by the score. Larg
numbers of loggerhead or swapping tlIr
ties, sometimes called alligator turtles
are to be seen pulling along in the mud
These and the terrapins looked upon a
some little distance, with load Of drie,
mud upon their backs, slowly ploddinl
} along, resemble miniature caravan
travelling in desert Of mud.
The caTcasses OF alligators are to be see
on every hand. Many hundreds Of then
have been shot, while many haye escapes
TO other waters.
DEAD FISH WITHOUT NUMBER.
Another sight Is the barrels, and wagon
loads, and tons of dead fish lett by the sut
siding waters. Suckers with their glisten
ling scales, choice Dream, blue and common
pretty red gills, noble trout, catfish, polly
woge and blue headA the lOTdly jackfai
lsluegish mudfish, giant gars and delicai
lsiiyers, with many smaller Try, all lie !