The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-11-01

10 1uuDlc WHcii iilicu VIII rushing WhUCi
following heavy rain, the strear
!, seemingly being lost in the depths o
a the forest. The timber growth is heavi
est in the bed of the stream itself.
The underground stream winds an,
twists about like any surface stream
1t has its shallow places and its deel
places, its eddies, its ripples, it's water
falls and it's tributaries. About eigh'
miles from Orangeville a -cavernous
passage leads from the surface of tn.
ground to the brink of the dark
stream. The descent is gradual and
several years ago two white men and Il
negro took q boat in and explored the
river for several miles, finally being
stopped by q waterfall. The current
became very swift just before they
started to return, and for awhile it
looked as though the party would be
carried by the dark waters over the
falls to a fate fascinating in it's horror
The stream can also be reached through
q small cave in the side of hill near
this point. Indeed, natives say that it
can be reached almost anywhere. Sink
| holes, large and small, are to be found
in every valley. For native to stick
fence rail down one of these, climb
down and get drink and then out by
the same means, is feat of only or
binary occurrence. The whole country
hereabouts seems to be honeycombed
by underground streams, of which
Lost river and Stamper's creek are but
surface developments.
One of the most interesting phenom-
cna of this great underground water
system is what is known as Lost River
gulf. Less than a mile north of the
village there seems to be sort OF
break in the high tableland on which |
the surrounding farms and homes are
located. Here deep ravine, or. rather,
a series of four ravines uniting in the |
shape of great star, are formed. |
These ravines are covered with dense
and many large forest |
trees. On the southeast side the land
is somewhat lower than on other sides
and river bed seems to stretc,I away
for half mile or so, one of the features
81 the depression being huge pile of
limestone rocks which
appear in the ancient river. These
'avlnes run down about seventy-fiva
eet from the level of the surrounding
COUNTRY and there meet the surface
# this gulf. The gulf itself is about
our hundred feet in circumference.
is waters come from no one knows
where. No one knows how deep it is,
or its banks are the sides of the ravine,
nd are almost perpendicular. The
1ater is clear and very cold, showing
hat it has long been under ground.
III perfect silence on the part of the
lsitor is maintained for some time,
ilnd fishes will appear on the surface
t the gulf and will swim slowly
round with their upturned white
louths close to the surface in search
t food. The slightest noise will
lsturb them; their sense of hear.
lg is their only protection from an
1emy. Blind crayfshes also are to
found in the gulf in the shallow
alter where the great white pool emp.
es Itself.
10 the west and to the northeast
lie great ravine lengthens itself, and at
he extremes of the ravine in these
rections the waters of the gulf proper
wv under the bluffs at these points.
he opening into which the west
reams discharges itself is somewhat
rger than its counterpart and can be
tered for ten or twelve feet. In
mes or wet weather on the area
AIMED by this stream the water in
e gulf rises higher and higher, until
overfiows the southeast side, where
e land is lower and the rushing
'od sweeps across the fields over the
eat limestone rocks heretofore men :
med, losing itself in the dry bed Of a
ISL river. just what portion of the y
unity is drained by this stream is n
t known. The stage of water in the "
If is entirely independent of the wa B
at orangeville or in this vicinity, a
the GOODNESS of the water. the N
nd fish, and all other circumstances q
arly show that the water flows for =
great distance through a subter- Il
lean channel. The pressure neces- Y
y TO raise the water in the gulf high n
ough to overflow into the dry bed of Il
st river is enormous, almost enough =
move the everlasting hills them N
yes. =
mere are no wells at Orangeville.
the flrst place, no one would dare to
one for fear he would fall through
potion into one of these subter-
lean streams. The earth hereabouts
hollow. Sink holes in barnyards,
which one might toss stone and
T the splash of water, are too COM
\ TO be noticed by a native. Then,
is are not