The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-10-26

stream. Inc descent IL grauual an
several years ago two white men and
negro took boat In and explored tn
river for several miles, finally beinl
stopped by waterfall. The currcn
became very swift just before the,
started to return, and for awhile !
looked as though the party would b.
carried by the dark waters over tn,
falls to n fate fascinating in it's horror
The stream can also be reached through
II small cave in the side of hill neai
this point. Indeed, natives say that il
can be reached almost anywhere. Sinh
holes, large and small, are TO be found
in every valley. For u native TO stick q
fence rail down one of these, climl
down and get drink and then out by
the same means, Ia a feat of only or
binary occurrence. The whole country
hercabouts seems TO be honeycombcd
by underground streams, of which
Lost river and Stamper's creek arc but
surface Developments.
One of the most interesting pLenom-
cna of this great underground water
system is what is known as Lost River
gulf. Less than mile north of the
village there seems to be n sort OF
Lreak in the high tableland on which
the surrounding farms and homes are
located. Here n deep ravine, or. rather,
series Of four ravines uniting in the
shape of great star, are formed.
These ravines are covered with dense
underbrush and many large forest
trees. On the southeast side the land
is somewhat lower than on other sides
and river he'd seems to stretch away
for half mile or so, one of the features
Of the depression being n huge pile of
weather-worn limestone rocks which
appear in the ancient river. These
ravincs run down about seventy-fvr
feet from the level of the surrounding
country and there meet the surface
of this gulf. The gulf itself is about
four hundred feet in circumference.
its waters come from no one knows
where. No one knows how deep il is.
for its banks are the sides of the ravine,
and are almost perpendicular. The
water is clear and very cold, showing
that it has long been under ground.
Ii perfect silence on the part of the
visitor is maintained for some time,
blind fishes will appear on the surface
of the gulf and will swim slowly
around with their upturned white
mouths close to the surface in search
of food. The slightest noise will
disturb them; their sense of hear
ing is their only protection from an
enemy. Blind crayfishcs also are TO
be found in the gulf in the shallow
water where the great white pool emp
ties itself.
To the west and 10 the northeast
the great ravine lengthens itself. and nj
the extremes of the ravine in these
the waters of the gulf proper
flow under the bluffs at these points.
The opening into which the west
streams discharges itself is somewhat
larger than its counterpart and can be
for ten or twelve feet In
times of wet weather on the area
drained by this stream the water in
the gulf rises higher and higher, until
it oyerilows the southeast side, where
the land is lower, and the rushing
HOod sweeps across the fields over the
great limestone rocks heretofore men,
toned, losing itself in the dry bed of
! ost river. just what portion of the
county is drained by this stream is
not known, The stage of water in the
gulf is entirely Independent of the wa
ter at Orangevlle or in this vicinity,
and the GOODNESS of the water, the
blind fish. and all other circumstances,
dearly show that the water flows for
L great distance through subter-
'ancan channel. The pressure neccs-
sary TO raise the water in the gulf high
'nough to overflow into the dry bed of
Lost river is enormous, almost enougl,
10 move the everlasting hills them
selves.
There are no wells at OranCeville.
IN the first place, no one would dare 10
Zig one for fear he would fall through
he bottom into one of these subter-
streams. The earth hereabouts
b hollow. Sink holes in barnyards,
INTO which one might toss u stone and
tcar the splash of water, are too com
mon to be noticed by native. Then,
wells are not necessary. These CULTS
md springs are too numerous. At the
-op Of the bluff from under which Lost
river appears there is n windlass ar
called telegraph" by
The natives, by means of which bucket
Is drawn up full of water. a similar
arrangement is in use at the gulf OF
Lost river.
Orangevillc is some distance from
my railroad, has no hotel, and, gener-
llly speaking, is not much of town,
but i'm matters of interest to tourist
il has more to the square foot than any
other village in the Ohio valley.
The Migration OF Drains.
A medical authority asserts that
cf.t,, M f,f ha f,v-