The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-31
SINKING LAKES
4 Curious Legend of one m
Tennessee


Tennessee known - the earthquake
belt" are considerably exsrcised over
the gradual sinking q the lakes formed
by the earthquake at 1871. The water
level Is descending without any appar-
emit cause, although the streams that
empty into some OF the lakes arc not
Affected This il taken BY the Pitts
burgh Dispatch to b evidence thss tho
sol at the bottom Of these sheets Of
water = becoming seamy from seismic
action beneath, thus allowing the
water TO escape into unknown basins
below. The effects Of the unexplained
phenomenon are most apparent in
Stone lake, = beautiful body Of water
situated In Lauderdale county. The lake
Is about . mile long and half . mile
wide and has an.svernGe depth Of twcn-
" feet, but 20 clear u it that the small
est objects can b seen on the bottom.
A moro inviting place for tho angler
could not DO found anywhere, but
strange to say, while the Other waters
In that regions are alive with fab. no
living thing has ever been. seen In
Stone lake, and the people Of the vicin-
ity contend that the water Is certain
death to any creature that drinks it
The wild fowls avoid it, though they
swarm in the adjoining ponds and bay
Gus. Another popularity OF the un-
canny water is that anything cast into
it quickly petrifes; hence tie name il
bears. And thereby hangs . tale, which,
Incredible IA it may sound. Il neverthe-
less devoutly believed by tho simple In
habitsnts OF the locality. II goes back
to seventy years ago. when the country
was first csettlsd by emigrants from
North Carolina.
day, after his task was finished, an old
and trusted slave Of ono Of the pioneers
got leave to 60 fishing. and taking his
tackle and bait set out for the lake,
which he had remarked as . likely
place for bass Arriving there he
walked out on q log that projected from
the bank and cast his bait When night
came on he had not returned home,
and his absence ct roll call was noted
The master, however. paid but little
attention IN the circumstance, thinking
that old Isom had probably gone on .
lark TO some neighboring farm But
when Isom failed to show up next
morning old Capt Bullsrd became un-
easy and went out In search of him.
He could learn nothing OF tho missing
slave from the neighbors. Then no
party and beat the woods
to find him. Strange 70 say. h bad not
giving Isom leave 10 60
fishing. Toward shutdown q fox hound
with the party struck traA and fol-
lowed il to the bank Of the lake The
hunters went after. and srEAvinT a. the
Lake saw Isom sitting on thelog with
pole extended and apparently fiatinS.
in deep meditation. He proved deaf 10
the vociferous Gale Of his master The
hound sprsn9 On the log and ran up to
the motionless form, snineA at IL and |
Jew back to the bank, bowling with |
fright. Then the old captain dtmount-
ID and charged ON the log, whip in
hand. 10 chastise the truant. He
brought his whip down On the motion
less figure with . rssounding whack.
Still Isom sat stilL Tho old captain
taught him BY Ne shoulder. He
yrasped not flesh and blood. bat stone.
The fisherman. hts line and poas were
,etrifed! The log on which he sat was
Ilso solid. When tho captain and his
ollowers had recovered from their
right they made their way home and
old their story. Next day large party
# the neighbors went out and found it
o be true. They discovered By dropping
Kings into tho lake the marvellous ef-
ect Of the water. The s1pus log was
nee q giant hickory. Nuts Mat had
allen from IL were peri8ed On the bot
ON II was thought thas Isom must
AVE slipped and fallen into the lake
With bis pole. and the water on his
lothes and tackles took eHsst when he
egaAn edhfs pareh and beesn fishing.
Tho extraordinary figure Il still intact
nd there is . movement on foot to
transport it, with section of the log.
o tho worlds fair.