The Washington times., 1894-06-24
THE EVERGLADES OF FLORIDA.
Ninety Miles Wide and Filled with Snakes
and Other Animals,
We're Expert at 1t.

The southern extremity OF the peninsula OF
Florida is one huge marsh known as the
Everglades This impenetrabie wilderness,
or rather jungle, is made up of about all OF
the large county Of Dade, almost all Of Mon
roe. the greater part of Dee, much OF De
Soto, and most of Brevard. At the north end
OF this singular formation is Lake Okeecho-
bee into which the Kissimee and otner rivers
discharge their waters, and which are largely
responsible for the vast swamp. This great
stretch of tangle growth is in some places
ninety miles wide, extending from the Atlantic
across to the Gulf. and from its southern ex-
tremity northward is considerably over 100
miles.
There are great stretches of cypress swamps,
wildernesses of vines lakelets OF open water
immense regions OF morass. with compara
lively dry spots in this desert of untraversible
and bewildering interminging Of a semi
tropical flora with n fauna of aligators,
snakes. bears. wildcats. and other carnivora,
while geese, ducks, sea birds. and other
aquatic fowl dot the water and myriads of the
other feathered tribes make the somber cy-
press forests vocal The entire state OF Flor
ida is not much above the level of the sea, and
this dismal waste is scarcely more than few
dozen feet higher than tdewater, says the
Pittsburg Dispatch.
Throughout this everglade region no hu-
man being has ever penetrated. and there are
lagoons that no human eve has ever seen that
are much the same as those OF preglacial
time. While there are large stretches On
which sail or rowboats might be operated,
there are hundreds of intervening miry bogs
OF ooZe and slime of unknown depth that bar
the way. There Is no frost season here-no
season when IA frozen surface may be trav-
erted-and so this dismal area for thousands
OF years has been given over to such produc-
tion rs was in keeping with such an environ
ment
But it is now contemplated to penetrate
this great march with canal-like bitches, with
veN of so lowering the general water-line
us TO bring this swampy mass into cultivation
for the products peculiar TO this zone. and for
which the decaying vegetable matter OF the
ages is supposed to be admirably fitted. Little
or nothing il known of the geographical sub
structure OF this peninsular termination, but
that al immense coral formation is its base is
altogether probable. 1t is safe to predict
that excavations through this material will
reveal many skeletons of creatures that found
death in the treacherously yielding surface
In dry tim this compost bears up fairly
well. but when continued rains are precipi-
tated on it the entire area is inundated. when
the softenei material is incapable of sustain
ing any OF the larger duadrupeds-
These everglades are interesting IN this.
that they typify in Il manner the early pale
oZoic conditions when about all the earth was
water and marsh. OF course there are no
such creatures now rs walowed IN the Ia
goons and crunehed the roots of the aquatic
vegetation in the earth's earlier time, and vet
in small WAY the present fauna OF the great
Florida swamp is typical OF their long ago
ancestors. While the alligator is nearly ex-
tinct in the regions OF easy access. the sau-
rians of the everglades have never been much
moiested. and have there attained q size and
ferceness unknown to other parts OF the
state.
from within the borders OF this inaccessible
domain. n churning OF the waters attests en-
counters between large and savage contest
ants. while the flight and terrified screaming
OF birds give evidence that the instincts OF the
everglade brutes arn still rs sGnGUinary as
they were before man had SO evolved as to
dominate over them and exterminate them
from the earth