The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-09
SINK HOLES OF FLORIDA.
Some Interesting Facts in Regard t
Them.

Some Interesting Facts in Rega I'd to
Them.
Gainesville, Fla, Sept. S.-The recent
accident on the Florida Southern railway,
near Gainesville, recalls the old question
concerning the Florida sinks What are
they3
Except the railroad feature, there is
nothing so very unusual in the forma4
of a new sink; one was formed rear or
so ago, about mile from the site Of the
accident, aud close by the same railroad
but there was no particular publicity
given to the fact Unless the formation
of a new sink causes some particular ac-
cident or inconvenience, it is only men
toned as Il new curiosity might be: some
thing to look at if you are going that
way.
Alachua county probably has a larger
mum Der Of these sink holes than any other
county in the state.
The immediate vicinity of the recent
accident where a train ran up to Gains
vile over an apparently solid roadbed,
and on its return found that a part of the
rOadbed had dropped forty feet below the
track, has probably more sinks within
the adjoining fifty acres of land than any
other similar area in the state. The place
is considered one of the curiosities of
Florida, and was for many years very
popular picnic ground.
About fifteen years ago l was employed
to survey line for a roadway across this
tract OF land and found it very difficult
TO lay out road between the numerous
deep sinks that would be safe for carri-
ages. So close are some of them to one
another that in some cases only a narrow
ridge of soil, sloping both ways from the
center Of the ridge, remains solid enough
Tor travel.
DEPTH OF THE SINKS.
Some of these sinks have water in them.
some are dry and some are forty feet in
depth and bearing orange trees grow on
the slOping sides.
All efforts to find natural causes for
these sinks have failed to account for
their existence.
The numerous recent discoveries in
some western states. in Central America
and in Mexico, of the remains of the
dwellings of Il people who lived beneath
the surface of the earth, suggests the
possibility that these Florida sinks are
the breaking in of the roofs of cham bers
formed by race of people who, in the
long ago occupied Florida.
That subterraneau chambers and pas
sageways exist in Florida is well known
but how they were formed, and for what
purpose have never seen even suggested
IN any work on the subject.
TIE NATURAL WELLS.
The natural wells all have an artificial
appearance. They are all entrances to
tunnels in which water runs Persons
have often entered one and come ont by
another. ] have heard it claimed that
these natural wells are the open air shafts
to subterranean roadways, aud that they
lead 70 large rooms in some places /
have been told of a large subterranean
chamber, near Archer, on the walls of
which are picture writings.
The Investigation of this subject might
yield some very interesting information.
small party Of friends have made
some very strange discoveries REGARDING
these Florida sinks. They have found
that, like the numerous other ancient
works In Florida, of which have writ
ten, such of these sinks as they have ex-
amined all pear the same engineers marks
! attractive bodies placed in the ground.
| by which the outlines of the original
| work can be traced, and also the connect
! ing passages; and this has led 10 the
I further discovery that the same lines are
| quite numerous in places where there are
| no signs of sinks or natural wells to be
seen.
A decided similarity exists between
| many ancient works found in America
! and Egyptian work. There is no good
reason why we should not take what is