The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-03

!
ana, doubtless, the subterranean current
carried away the sand as fast as il fell
HOW many hundreds of thousands of wears
ago this happened am not prepared to say
no white man living remembers when that
mole was made there. DIR. Bouton expressed
determination to return some day with
an the strong cord in Maitland and ascer-
Tain the depth of water. The proposal he
! made, which seems 90 me feasible, was to
run rope across the top of the opening,
fastening one end to tree on
each side. To the center of this
and by this pulley the sounding line, with a
heaVy weight fastened to it, was to belowered
into the center Of the pond. DR., Bouton is
an lndetatlgable worker in things scientific.
and have no doubt that he will find the
bottom Of that pond. He will be assisted in
the investigation by ID. H. Chattheld. who
has just returned from Cuba, and if there ia
suhterranean river beneath it will have to
make itself known. IbwilI not be at all
surprising if they find the water in the
pond TO be 100 feet deep, or even more.
Some or the lakes in the neighborhood are
extremely deep, and they may be only
slnkholes OF the same kind with more water
in them.
The legend connected with this sink hole
Is as astonishing as the hole itself. Four
msn, the story goes. were returning from
church one Sunday morning in a wagon
and they drove down to the sink hole spring
to water their horses. The spring, it is to
be remembered, is fifty feet below the sur
lace, down an almost perpendicular path.
Inc horses lost their footing, naturally
enough aud horses, wagon and men rolled
down the steep incline into the pond and
the men and horses were dro wned Any-
pody's attempting to drive a team of horses
down the dangerous path is altogether out
OF the question, but bad accident might
easily happen on a dark night, particularly
If the driver we're returning from more
convival place than church. The unfenced
road runs within twenty feet of the edge Of
the hole, and it would not be difficult for a
| horse to turn out of the track in that level
sand and carry his wagon and passengers
down the precipice.
This rather desolate region which con-
tains the sink hole is the only one of its
kind in the neighborhood of Maitland, aud
l suspect that Eatonvllle has good deal to
| do with it. There would be nothing out of
the way In going through the negro town
| on the road from ones orange grove to the
| stores or the post Office, but as long as there
are plenty Of other directions to choose
from perhaps the Eatonville direction will
remain little backward. Going the other
way, what beautiful sights there are. The
| wnole country ia great orange grove. with
lakes between the fields and pretty houses
fronting gu the lakes, we'll titled land,
| we'll kept fences, and every in
dl cation OF agricultural prosperity.
w. b. jackson, one Of the leading men of
Maitland, merchant, scholar, real estate
operator and capitalist, drove down one
sunny afternoon to take US out to his house
to dinner, and by the aid of his lively horses
we had good view Of the country on that
side Of Maitland. We were hardly out of
the town before we came upon the remains
of a "hummock,h a hummock being patch
OF rich land, usually low aud moist, on
which the vegetation is thick and strong.
But this hummock had been nearly cleaned.
only some bushes and the stumps CT num-
Der of palmetto trees, with here and there
palmetto still blooming, remained.
The story that goes with this newly
cleared hummock is a good illustration OF
how an innate love for the beaut full and
artistic lies deeply rooted in the cracker
breast Some years ago the Duke Of Suth-
erland was in Maitland, and, as he drove
past this then beautiful spot. grand with
stately palmettoes, brilliant with flowers,
green with its never whitening foliage, be
was 80 attracted by it that he got out of the
carriage. hunted up the owner, who lived
in an adjoining house, and tried to buy it.
Three hundred dollars, $500. 81, 900 he Of
fered, but the cracker would not sell. Not
he. He intended to clear that spot, and set
out orange trees in the rien s3il. His friends
laughed at him attarward for refusing
80 good an offer, but he set to work,
cut down the paimettoes. burned the bushes,
and made the place a general wreck.
While this gentle destroyer of beauty
was still at work; while his back ached
with the chopping, hope; while his pocket
cried out with the expense of hired labor,
the duke drove past again. Here was a
chance to right the wrong he had done him
self in refusing to take 81 900 for a bit of
wild land, and he ran out to the road and
shouted to his grace that he had changed
his mind, and concluded to accept his
offer.
II have changed my mind, too" said
his lOrdship; II do not want the land
"But have spent several hundred dol
lars on it since you we're here before, said
the cracker.
81 see you have" said the duke, land
you have ruined 1T. l would not give you
s. an acre for it now. Drive on, Fitz.
william
GfIhave given his grace pleasing variety
OF titles in telling this little story, 1t is only
on account OF my desire to make the most
of the duke while have him in hand. The
moment began TO write what the duke
said, l saw what charming factor duke
might be made in describing Florida scenes.
l have been criminally negligent in not
unearthing his lordship before, for his
d l.
should have introduced him long ago His
grace gracefully reclned on classic bench
beneath a tangerlne orange tree, while
mllady the duchess gathered q chaste
bouquet of wild flowers under the lime
trees" 1t would make q charming orange
grove scene, and l shall certainly run over
| TO Sutherland's place some winter and do it,
The drive to Mr.. Jackson's house was en-
tirely between orange groves, and from the
house, which stands on high ground, we
had a fine view of several lakes and more
orange groves beyond. No wonder this is
called Orange county, with the whole laud.
scape yellow with the golden fruit, and no
wonder that Mr.. jackson, a northern man
aud Heidelberg graduate, is more than
content to settle down here in q charming
Florida home, with lake in front and an
orange grove behind, and let care watt it.
self away on the blossom-scented winds.
This lake is another illustration of the Flor
ida bottom dropping out. 1t is, forget
how many feet deep Mr.. jackson told me,
but something phenomenal.
Here is a typical Florida home; typical
because it is the kind we often imagine and
read about, but seldom see. The whole
place one great orange grove, extending
! there is no telling how far, but far beyond
the line of vision. Enough of the land be-
side the lake left clear for house and barn
Tor Until 70 vuip dy,1iIl and tho