New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-16
THE FLORIDA VOLCANO.
from The Orlando (Fln.) Recorder

frOm The Orlando tfIh.) iVcOIuT.
J. Ls!k artin one OF the many who have tried 10
,olve the mystery OF the Florida "yoicano' De-,
Heves that he has been successful. lie says "
Jefferson counties capitalists In Atlanta and Rome.
Ca. and last summer / irlcd my lack In ne country
Is called the 'Ifnhook by the natives ana /. many
square miles in extent 1t Hes on the Gnli Of Mexi,o'
partly In Taylor and partly in Jefferson County.
The reasons cane TO penetrate the swamp were two
to see If It contained red cedar and II the land was
high enough and dry enough 10 attempt 10 hraih.
Two Of my helpers were sick and the ether had 10
60 and his sick family. 80 could do no PROSPECTING
for phosphate for some time. and concluded TO enter
"As The land outside npped toward the south |
IL from the nortl side. to b. bothered with water as
little possible. Had my predecessors done tie
same they would have 'Scapd many Of me p pol'
ana cancbrlAes cut wcll-iazci piih due south
and took NY m" had pint Of rrGv r End d'c c
ahead some distance. The growth was very d'n>" ~
places. hut was raised on the coast OF sonin Caro-
lima. and one OF the surveying panty OF ohrhh-
clScc swamp three year, ago. so was used to the
work. ! did not find much Of the red cedar, but a
kind OF cedar, juniper. Supposed 10 grow ho%hcre
else in the world than along the ChHtah",chcc River
in Florida found in al"ndanGe ! saw plenty r OF
hut saw very few. ! killed probably 100 turkeys
and one deer
"Afcr having gone about onc-tiirl the length Of
the swamp the ground began TO BE- hon"ycombcd with
tocS, son, times five feet deep made by FIR. The
fallen logs , everywhere MAJ rrogress dIncni The
water in the deepest holes was salt. from which
high tide Of the gulf. night / campcd in an open
place and had mad" mp my mind TO 60 back next
day. The mosquitoes ana owls Kept mo awake and
slept but ltl". ] sometimes heard booming
noise in the distance and saw flames reflected on the
sky. had almost forgotten the volcano bat took
my hearings and resolved to 20 there the next day.
well truvers"d worse ground than had thought
could exist. Holes every where. with very mlIv bot;
toms sometimes ponds acres IN extent. followed ont
by FIRE. Thr air was smoky and N" stencil from
dead FISH and rotten water terrible in IN" no;
At noon I came where the ground still burning
and here WIS the solution Of the mystery.
The earth solely composed OF coarse vegetable
mattcr which burns like tlnd"F when not too wet
In the heaviest rains some fire that has got into
n rotten log will smOder for weeks, only 10 ignite
the ground again when dry enough st some places
n hind Of grew which shed water like n rub
bcr coat. 4 subcrranean outlet for rfnwnter drains
the land. Sometimes there would De heavy growth
Of pine needles fall point foremost, and often sradde
the tWigs. When the fire comes 10 such a pacr
the dry pine needles burn the bushes TO their
very tops and Tie flames next dcvOur the tops Of
TIE pines Themselves. The smoke X black as night
and will ascend for days and BE- seen ut long dis
lance, and nj night the Sky looks red. And this IL
all there is about the 'FlCrida Volcano ] could
guide any to the spot. 1t must have burned
for one hundred years. and there Is mnc enough IN
ourn for ono thousand years to comc.-