The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-01-05
Loss and Suffering -PIessnnter Sub
Jects-a Magic Lskr--The Story
Of . Ma todon.
Especial correspondence

cutting broad sWathe OF oestfhtAiV"'
Not only has the standing harvest Va
golden fruit been ruined, but that al
ready boxed for shipment has felt the
npping hand Of the ice king; ana "orSI
Of all. the trees themselves have 10
large extent been blighted, so that the
future alone can develop the full extent
OF damage from this phenomenal VISTA
ton.
Only once before during the century
has the mercury sunk so low in the west
ern or temperate zone OF the state never
before has the tropical belt. from tampa
south, experienced such weather. Even
at Key West. where the experience Oh
generations had demonstrated the use
lessness Of iireplaces, except for coohlhS'
the temperature Appropriated the ireeZ-
ing point.
THE less TO PLANTERS.
The actual 'oes 10 the planters IS eSu-
mated at from three To five milliohS'
and while these figures may be excessive
as applied to the growers alone, the
outside amount Will hardly cover the
general loss TO all classes OF the co;Hniu-
nity-the commission merchants thus de-
privcd Of business the picker' ana pack
ers thus thrown out Of employment tue
TRANSPORTATION lines thus left with moth
the apprehension that this revelation Oh
arctic possibilities In the climate may de-
ter the incoming OF new population the
Investment of outside capital in orange
groves. and seriously affect the popularity
of Florida as 81 winter resort Tor those
in search OF health and outdoor plea
sures. The snap came too carry IN inc
season TO catch the grea, body OF TOUR
lists. Most of these wait 10 spend 'hrIs'-
mas at home but TO those already mere
the cold spell has brought a PosiuFc
discomfort which they you'd not nave
known at home. The houses, even the
hotels. are loosely and openly bulit' uhc
admission of air and light being the chiel
desiderata OF the architects, while the
heating arrangements are. almost without
exception. primitive or defective, wnere
ANYTHING more ambitious than an open
fireplace has been attempted. My own cN"
perience fairly interprets that OF the aver
age visitor and, after spending the past
four winters i'm Minnesota and ChicaEo'
| can say truthfully that In neither place
did | suffer so much from the cold as
within the past week. The Thermometer
went down 80 ten degrees above I'tu'
the appliances for keeping warm repre-
scented precaution against about sixty
degrees alone. HinC lilac lachrymae. But
IL not discomfort dlObf tifaN h'i' 49,
zard brought. From the country districts
case after case OF fatal freezing has been
reported. while in the hands OF physicians
here are two men whose lives are despair
ed of i'm consequence of exposure.
Let us hope that an uninterrupted
half-century OF genial suns and balmy
breczes may re-establish the reputation
of De Icons Paradise, and multiply by
many times the wealth Of her people
Spots or BEAUTY AyD INTEREST.
But there are more agreeable sub
iects of comment than the widespread
calamity which has befallen this I'M
usually favored region. For one thing,
II abounds i'm spots OF beauty and OF
interest, and one of these i visited on
one OF those perfect days winch pre-
coded the borean blasts OF Santa Claus.
About eighteen miles due south from
this place j. the peerless Nahulla
srring. which was an object of adora-
ton to the Se:ninloes. ard whose mar
vellous attractions, not unnaturally, per-
suaded the faded old Spanish pioneer
that in its sparkling waters he mad
found the tabled Fountain of Youth.
The place. once 50 inaccessible, IS APP
proached now by the Tallahassee ana
ST Marks railroad, but our party pre-
f.rred TO drive over tire smooth though
hilly highway, along which our ftlehus'
the Yarks. marched, i'm an abortiEe ell
fort TO seize upon the state capital our
ing the late unpleas Intness
Even then, only ten short days ago
the hedges were gay and fragrant WIN
Cherokee roses, while the beautiful Tor
eets of oak. hickory and magnolia which
frlnged the road were festooned WITH
odorous honeysuckle aud yellow Jessa-
mine. The honeysuckle, which grows
wild hereabouts in luXuriant proiusion,
is of the perfumed variety, when We
call Chinese in Virginia. Cuhousiy "of-
thy OF observation, also, We're the Hu-
mercus gopher settlements, VislDlc every
where I'm the open woods, regular VII
lagos and towns Of Symmetrical! mounds
beneath which lay the sdDterraheah
streets and dwellings Of these lhdustri-
Gus burrowers ana rather starting II
was to see frequent cavities Ohe uiIo-
mantle local name Is sinks }, caused D"
the actual falling out of the bottom OF
the. land These occur where the crust
of earth is thin above the underground
rivers or their abandoned channels the
surface of the earth simply disappears
leaving a hole sometimes OF large area
and often OF great denth.
Our destination was reached. AFTER Il
tourney of such diverse interest thdl ~
was none too long. snort VAIN
through a prmcval growth OF mashii-
cent trees. in which the magnolia ana
towering poplar predominated' brought
me within sight of a masterpiece OF ma
lures handwork. -.
Spring would be misnomer TOT the
s,1a,h sheet of water that spreads before
tho eve. a mile in length and three nun
dred Yards in width, hut for the TACT
apparcnt to the senses that II Is the
PRODUCT of that bubbling column when
sti,s the shining sands so far below e
II Is a lake I'm proportions and immedi-
atelv after its issuance from Inc Do"tls
of the earth becomes river oil loIuiy
dimensions. Standing on the green
hanks. one sees shoals of briSht-hued
fishes darting hither and thlther I'D lhe
crystal eiement--a rarely tempting VISION
20 an inveterate angler. but we are tolu
hy the guide that they are never caught
All the devices of the craft are 100 trans
narent 10 these deniZens or peliuclu
palace. -. t.u, vic.
orous strokes OF the oar propel us into
deem water. We lean over the gunwales
and gaze downward. What Is thisF we
havA the sensation of being suspended III
mldair; the water offers positively no
obstacle to the visual organs. what Is
the depth? Certainly TWO hundred and
eighty feet, though some of the caverns
have never yet been plumbed. This
seems incredible. yet ii is true; ana ye'
at that unfathomable distance every pen
bic and sunken leaf Is as plainly visible
as though held in the hand. We drop a
coin into the colorless fluid. II finds It's
way with cleaning gyrations to the dis.
tant bottom. and 10. the very stamp and
superscr.ption upon II may be read with