Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-03-24

on some airs; has an imposing looking
Tri-County Exposition building. Some
of its streets are macadamiZed, and make
splended drives. \ carriage for an hour
behind spanking team, gave us very
good idea of the get-up of the city and
its surroundings. There are some fine
orange groves here too-one in particu-
lar was noticed in the suburbs, consist
ing of 1000 trees. One day was spent i'm
this city at the Montezuma, and at 8:23
A. NJ of the llth, took the train for the
renowned
SILVER SPRINGS,
six miles distant, and on arriving there
boarded at once the steamer Astalula, ly-
ing on the waters of the spring, from
which the best view of the spring is OBJ
tanned. This is a matchless spring, not
excelled by anything of the kind in Amer
lea in transcendant beauty, brilliant
transparency, and the wonderful volume
of its waters. 1t rises from the ground
as if by magic, and flows off in an easter
Iy direction. The surrounding land is
comparatively level, and in altitude very
little above the surface of the water
in the spring. At its head where il Is
sues from the earth it has depth of "a
feet. and so transparent is it that piece
of silver the size of quarter can be seen
distinctly at the bottom. Visitors oftep
drop in a piece of coin as an experiment.
The volume of water is sufficient to form
a stream, as it flows away. about 80 to 20
feet wide, and from 10 to 80 feet in depth.
Down in the depths wave trailing green
moss and long waving grasses, and at
the deeper places where they 1opot grow,
is seen the shining white pearly bottom,
rejecting the bright shining light of the
sun, the clear cerulean sky, and the beau
tifully variegated colors of the surround
ing foliage, exhibiting picture of match
less beauty, weird and enhancing. The
stream upon which our boat gently
glides, abounding with fish and turtle,
which are plainly seen disporting in the
crystal waters, flows smoothly on its
sinuous way, distance of eight miles,
presenting pictures ever changing, ever
new, both on stream and on shore, where
it enters the much talked-of, and in some
respects. remarkable
OCKLAwAHA RIVER.
Presto. change!-nO sooner does our boat
touch the waters of this river, than does
the clearness and beauty of the spring
rslp %pop which we were borne, disap-
pear. Cow we have the dark Opaque
wafer, resembling that of the st. Johns.
The river is very narrow but deep. Its
attract! ons. consist, mainly in its novelty,
its windings, abrupt turnings, and the
weird rom ,ntic nature of its shores.
Bordered with tall cypress trees, straight
as arrows, Oyerhapging branches fes-
tooned with hanging moss, fringed with
shrubs and clinging vines through WHICH
our little steamer ''glode' smoothly on.
with skiilful pilot, rounding the quick
turns with scarcely miss; occasionally,
in very narrow places, scraping the sldes
Of the projecting branches of trees pass
nC from LlLl6 u LlLuc d llbiC oCbLlCfA3VHe
AN orange grove, or some fishermen en-
camped on its banks; landing once in
while to take on wood, chickens, a bas-
ket of eggs, passenger or two, or some
thing else purchased from some eoiored
'pusson'' on shore. And SO we sped
along down this novel stream The day
was beautiful, with clear blue sky, the
hight more so, with silvery full moon.
,he air balmy the company pleasant and
sgreeable-our Captain, III. A. Gray, kind,
lospitable and jolly, and the table luxu-
1rious. A basket was kept full of oranges
% be eaten at will, and the colored cabin
boys singing, by moonlight on deck, their
songs. All this, and more too.
And if there were anything else that
,ould have conspired to the enjoyment of
his never to- -fofgotten trip from Sill
rer Springs down the Oeklawaha, it
you'd have been to have had our st.
ylairsville friends along to enjoy it with
IS. ii. G. w.
Concluded next week.