Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-12-08
BY TELEGRAPH.
LAKE FORMED IN A NIGHT.
The Suhterranean River Which Sends
Its Water to Lake Erie.

CIEyEtAxp, Ohio, Dec. Flowing inc
Sandusxy Bay, enc Of the most beautiful
land locked bodies Of water in the unissd
States, ia stream called CassAia Creek.
II 10 fed from spfings OF ies cold waller.
This creek has been utihIsd by hsh'as
CLUB aud stocked With hroak trout. IL Is
without INV doubt the mast complete private
fishing preserve in the Unitsd States. and
tne great catches made BY successful an
xiers have often been given 10 publications
devoted TO outdoor sports.
Whence come tie water which Supplies
these ,prir e 10 my stsry. In fact. through
out all that section there are many mysteries
conn. cssd With suoterranesn streams and
ueer oveifovs Of water IN u expected
localities. A story 10 told Of one farmer
near Bellevue who discovered cave, into
| which be wandered with considerable
trspidation, and At last saw an underground
river Of great volume and ssift current
| rushing ia the direction Of the lake ss nearly
a. he could locate the points OF The campass.
| He retrsced bis steps, and while makinG
his way out Of the cavern precipiis;ed fall
| Of lime stone that barred the way 20 further
entrance.
That such an underground stream does
| exist there 10 no question. Ia going over
some papers the other day An Interesting
doeur,eut. signed by L. C, MCGEE. an old
resident OF Erie county. was discovered.
| my father, Thomas MeGee,' the old
resieent wrote. ''csue to the state of OHIO
in 1918 While waiting for tie Iudisn
| lands to be surveyed and come into the
market he made ienp1rary stop in a
vacant house 10 the sonthSes, corner of
| G,oton township. Erie county. Near the
house was quite large prairie. My father
planned about two scres with corn. About
| the l0lh Of June that year, when the corn
Was some three inches high. on getiipg up
one morning to go and put some more
fer chg about his aeld, he looked where the
| e. Ia had been and found lake coveiiog
it and nearly all the depression in the land
near it, He had heard nothing, but q
| neighbor who lived nesrer the spot had
heard in the night loud but duh sound.
| my Oldest bro her, William, who always
| wishsd to know The reason CT things. with
my help. built q raft out Of the Eating
rails aud went cut and over where the water
was boiling up with great force from q
space as large as a iair siztd bsystack
No depth could be found with xuy appii
snce we had. The explosion had brown
up great quantities Of limestone, much Of
II 10 q distaucs of ten or t~enty rods away.
| Another smaller crater was discovered 10
the came depression.
| The season had been very dry, sad
great numbers Of animals and snakes came
around this phenomenal lake 10 drink
The water thus thrown up did not subside
| for months, bu, Continued III II W until the
| water had flied all the loses. land for
miles around.
I'VE had oecssien to 60 further west and
and were gone four days, AID on retu ming
took the uaii that we had gone out on, but
found our lately tired ZEN path now waist
deep with wster, We had o 40 ba k and
sround On the higher ground to get back to
our home.
My theory OF this ou.burst Of water Is
that from tune peculiar s,oppsge of the
srest underground flow Of water from q
msrsh some 40 miles south to its ou'ls' 10
Cs.tslia creek it had 20 have vent. and
came through The surface where the crust
WAS thinness.
In subsequent days an underground
water course hiss been discovered 10 and
near Bellevue, OHIO. which is now within
one and one half miles of the place have
attempted TO describe. Written from mem
DRY, al the 7. queet Of ffie0df. this % h day
of May, 1883 the writer being IL dsy past
his so birthday"
The water of this underground stream is
remarkably sweet, though it so thoroughly
impregnsied With limestone that q caicsr.
eous crust rapidly forms in q tea kettle 10
which he water is boiled. The bubbling
springs and the underground river hsvt
been sources of much curiosity for years
The story Of The formation Of lake in a
single night is not kaown to any extent
among he younger farmers AVID their fam
ilies. 1t lie q fscE, however, 'h,t the same
,hing is likely 10 happen sssin should the
subterrsnean became damned, and the peo'
pie Of that part Of Ohio may wake up some
mornin to find Their fs'ms fl rat.