The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-15
SUNK IN THE EARTH.
a Florida Lake That Vanished
from Sight.
Where Small Steamboats, Used to Do a
Thriving Traffic There Is Now Moth
Ing But a Few Small Pools
Of Water.

! y
| Of Water.
| There was recently printed an &C.
count of the disappearance of Alachua
lake, in Florida, lake that was sc
well established that steamboat line
| was maintained on it. A United States
geological survey party has been en-
gagged at work in that region. A mem
Der of this party, Mr.. Hersey Munroe,
recently gave an interesting account OF
| the lake, or rather the ex-laae, to a
Washington Star reporter.
''Alachua lake" said Mr.. Munroe, is
situated in north latitude 90 degrees So
minutes and west longitude So degrees
20 minutes in Alachua county, Fla, and
two miles south of Gainesville, the
county seat. The lake was formerly a
prairie, known as Alachua prairie before
the Seminole war during 1851. II has
since been named Payne's prairie, after
King Payne, an old Seminole chief of
an early day. The prairie was 4 great
grazing spot for the Indians cattle and
later was used for like purpose and
for tillage by the whites, some fine
crops of corn and cotton being grown.
The prairie lands are immense meadows,
covered by the finest grass, interspersed
with clumps of beautiful oak trees and
palmettoes. These lands are subject to
inundation during the summer season
Ratchet creek rises three miles north Of
Gainesville and flows in every direction
of the compass for a di stance of ten
miles, emptying into Newnans lake, a
beautiful sheet of water covering ten
square miles.
1.-THE overflow from Newman's lake
forms q large creek named Prairie
creek. which wended its way through
Payne's prairie to Alachua sink, one of
the curiosities of the state. There the
waters found their way into subter-
ranean passage. Visitors, to have their
curiosity gratihed by seeing what the
effect would be to have logs thrown in
the sink, we're the probable cause of
the overflow Of Payne's prairie. The
logs would float out to the center of
the sink, whirl around in circle and
suddenly disappear. This choking Of
the outlet to the waters of Prairie
creek caused the overflow and made
a sheet of water sufficient to feat small
steamers and other craft.
''Onc steamer in particular had a
splendid freight traffic during the veg
etable season, carrying shipments OF
vegetables from it's wharf on Chacala
pond across Alachua lake to the mouth
of Swectwater branch, the nearest
point to Gainesville the principal place
for shipment north. After the over
flow and the forming of a lake it was
christencd Alachua lake. This name
has been decided upon by the United
States board on geographical names.
Alachua lake is eight miles long. cast
and west, and in one place four miles IN
width north and south, covers sixteen
thousand acres, and the average depth
is from two to fourteen feet.
For several years the lake has been
gradually lowering. The elevation of
the water above sea level as given by
the Savannah. Florida 6 Western rail-
road some years ago. is siXtyfoUr feet.
By accurate levels run by one Of the
typographical parties OF the geological
survey working in this section during
the winter of IS90-'S1 the elevation Of
the water was found to be fifty-eight
feet, thus showing that the lake has
been changing elevation; and few
weeks ago | was informed by Prof.
Lawrence Johnson, now studying the
geology Of this section of Florida. that
klachua lake had disappeared entirely,
that only small pools remained and the
usual amount Immediately around the
sink. The land bordering on the west
and south of Alachua lake is very fer
tile, most of our early vegetables com
ing from this locality. | have seen up
ward of twenty acres in tomatoes alone,
and hundreds of acres Of cabbage,
beans, cucumbers, and squashes being
other early vegetables extensively
grown. The orange groves of Black
Point and the Tacoma settlement are
among the finest in the state"