The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-03-08
FLORIDA SINKHOLES.
Mysterious Actions Of the Ground
Of That State.


ihc AOVoAS sStiucut uA tAE Vtutlut
Southern railway near Gainesville re
calls the old question concerning tht
Florida sinks, What are they2
Except the railroad feature, there Is
nothing so very unusual in the forma
lion of q new sink; one was formed q
year or so ago about mile from the
site of the accident, and close by tho
same railroad, but there was no partic'
ular publicity given to the fact. I'm
less the formation of new sink causes
some particular accident or incon.
venience, it is only mentioned as q new
curiosity might e--something to look
at il you are going that way
hlachua county probably has larger
number Of these sink holes than any
other county in the state.
some of these sinks have water in
tAam, some are dry, and some are forty
fest in depth, and bearing orange trees
crow on the sloping sides.
All efforts TO find natural causes for
these sinks have failed to account for
their existence, says o correspondent
of the Savannah News.
The numerous recent discoveries in
some western states, in Central Amer.
iea and in Mexico of the remains Of the
dwellings Of a people who lived be-
meath the surface of the earth suggest
the possibility that these Florida sinks
are the breaking-in of the roofs OF
chambers formed by race of people
who, in the long ago, occupied Florida.
That subterranean chambers and
passage-ways exist in Florida is well
known, but how they were formed and
for what purpose l have never seen
even suggested in any work on the sub
iect.
The natural wells all have an artiii-
cial appearance. They are ell entrances
10 tunnels in which water runs. Per.
sons have often entered one and come
out by another. / have heard it claimed
that these natural wells are the OPEN
air shafts to subterranean roadwnys,
and that they lead to large rooms in
some places. have been told Of a
large subterranean chamber near Arch
cr on the walls Of which are picture
writings,
The investigation Of this subject
night yield some very interesting IN
1rnation, A small party of friends
have made some very strange discov-
cries regarding these Floridn sinks.
They have found that, like the numer-
yds other ancient works Of Florida Of
which | have written, such Of these
sinks as they have examined all bear
Che same engineers marks (attracsivS
bodies placed in the ground), by which
the outlines of the original work can
be traced, and also the connecting pas
s4ges; and this has led TO the further
discovery that the same lines art quite
: amerous in places where there ,sse no
signs of sinks or natural wells to be
seen. s
A decided similarity exists between
many ancient works found in American
and Egyptian work. There is no good
reason Why we should not taEe vi;at is
known or Egypt to at least suf,i;rs: the
form or purpose Of the unknown in
Aincrica. In Egypt and aioroccc, am
informed, the excess Of grain crops is
placed in chambers in tine ground. the
-iiainber is closed, and all visible ,saecs
9f IFS existence are destroyed. In time
# need the caid or sheilI finds tho
.aamber by use Of the shah el leo, and
shus famine is provided against.
May not some of our numerous large
sinks represent similar large granaries
o. store chambers?
The scene Of the accident on the
ilorida Southern railway is on the
cige of Payne's prairie, where twenty
thousand acres of rich land might
yield grain enough to require IN i'm
iacEse storage capacity. The spot ID
centrally situated for water transporta-
ton Of the crop across the prairie by
its central drainage canal, and is easily
accessible from region where there
are no large prairies to cultivate.
Near Gainesville and in the city
there are Elany places where it is often
noticed that where horses trot over
them a hollow sound comes from the
round. | have traced on some OF |
bhesespots the very same lines that are |
found at the sinks. at Ocala, nade
City, Tampa and Port Tampa City ! |
have found the same lines, and have |
been told Of many other places where
these lines have been traced by gentle.
men interested in the same line OF in
geati8ation.
Reasoning from the lines found ct
Lhe sinks, wells and tunnels that nre
:lown, the same lines being found |
ghere no sink or well now exists, the /
anne conditions should be in these
pots as must have been in the others
iefore the supports OF the roof gave
Vay to form the sinks or wells. Sew
,rel attempts have been made to dig |
ioYn and see the actual condition--if |
here be chamber and what It con-
aims; If there be tunnel and what 1t
cads to; but water and quiclrsand
we're in every instance too much for the
means OF the explorer, 80 that It still |
ernains mystery, and no one has yet
satisfactorily answered the question:
What Is @ Florida sink2-. Savannah
Sews.
New Use for Indian Grsss.
Sweet grass has been put to new
lse. It Is woven and made into cush-
ons in which pins can readily be