The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-06
FLORIDA TAoT3 AND 4REoR1Es.
Has the state a Great History Of Which

Has the state Great History Of Which
the World Knows Nothing?
Prof Fab an Austrian scion DIST pre-
dicted some time ago that on Aug. 1G, 1881,
New York would be destroyed by an
earthquake, ana Florida be cngulfed by
a tidal wave that would follow the quake
At the last meeting OF the A. a. a. s,
Prof. Shaler said he had been making in
vestisatlons in Florida, and was sure that
at me present time very great part Of
the state, or what should be the state is
under water. Springs Of fresh water
that are now bubblng up in the salt water
were once on the mainland.
Prof. Spencer said there was abundant
evidence to prove that Louisiana and the
adjacent territory was at one time 5000
feet higher above the sea-level than at
present: several of tho West Indies, he
said. and had two or three periods Of re-
elevation and had subsidized again.
Prof. Fab was. perhaps, quite certain
of his ground, when he made his predic-
ton; he saw something. but he was look
ing backwards. The site of New York
sunk to its present level ages ago, and
the old channel of the Hudson river
'uls many miles across the submerged
continental plateau TO whore the plateau
falls Off into the deep sea.
Florida, possibly, was engulfed by the
tidal wave. The Central American books
state chat originally part of the Amerl-
can continent extended far into the At
lantic ocean
How much of what is now under water
was probably high land adjoining our
Florida is an interesting question. Eight
hundred feet gave us very interesting in
formation, and what may be an old shore
line but what of this duly authenticated
5000 feet? To properly grasp this con-
dition as a whole, let us suppose that this
little speck of the crust of the earth--no
bigger, comparatively, than big pit in
the Tind of an orange-this Gulf of Mexico
and some Of its borders sunk bodily down
into cavity without much breaking up
OF surface details; then several details can
now be meaured and described The meas
urements are made; they show that il
all was again raised to 5000 feet above
the tide, the present Florida would be the
center Of mountain ridge, slopins east
and west; the gulf side having nearly
the same outline as the S00-foot line gives
and the Atlantic side extending eastward
about 200 miles from the present shore.
The Gulf of Mexico becomes an inland
sea- Yucatan and Cuba are Joined by an
isthmus about 100 miles wide; the Florida
reefs are high bluffs towering above Il
wide valley joining Cuba and Florida
Cuba IS the southern coast line, and the
Bahama Islands are all parts of Florida,
and North and South America are joined
on the east as well as the west Of the
Mexican Sea.
There is nothing In this either impossible
or improbable, however surprising it may
be, and we may go on, and from ancient
history, legends, and the numerous re-
mains OF mans handiwork. construct
a probable condition of the country and
It's inhabitants In the various conditions
that existed between the several up
heavals and subsistence of this land that
was so near to what the ancient Ameri-
cans called the heart of the world
Possibly Florda's highest civilization
either records or traditions. All the ira
point to an eastern origin. The Popul
the region of the rising sum-" how this
over populous, and how the people I'M
der Balam Quite migrated thar some
of the people Went to the east, and many
came to Guatemala.
The San Francisco Chronicle informs us
that in Guatemala an old city has recent
ly been discovered; that not the slightest
tradition remains TO connect il with the
present age. There were found there nu-
merOus articles of use and ornament:
some Of great value and beautifully
wrought. Many human skeletons were
found scattered about on the floors, as