The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-17
AN ISLAND RISES AND SINKS.
4 Curious Phenomenon In Michi-
gan Lake,

gan Lake.
! Detroit Correspondence of the Philadelphia
Times.
/ Dame nature must have been in a Gu
rlous mood when she added TO the remark
able and incomprehensib'e mysteries of the
universe an island In Lake Orion. Michi-
1 gan, to which the attention of the scien-
/ tifc world is now for the first time called.
/ 1t is literally a sinking island, periodically
| vanishing from sight beneath the waters
of the lake, and again rising high and dry.
10 the establishment of the residents along
| the lake shore and the complete bewilder-
ment of those who profess to have solved
the riddles of most natural phenomena.
The island is situated far from the
/ beaten track of town life, and 50 hereto
fore has escaped the publicity that so re-
markable a freak would have attracted.
But recently scientific man has pitched
his tent,or rather his cottage,on the Dor
ders of Lake Orion, in the vicinity of
the mysterious island, and through this
circumstance the valuable scientific puzzle
is at last made public.
The scientist to whom the world is in
debted for making public the existence of
the sinking island is c. Henri Leonard, A.
NJ W. H., u Wtll-hilOWAl dultOT Oh Detroit
DIR. Leonard has watched the strange an
ties of the island with growing interest,a and
has, besides making systematic notes of It's
habits, formed a theory regarding the
causes of the appearance and disappear
ance of so interesting landmark. The re-
suit of his studies he gives as follows:
The cottagers have named a strange
| spot in this vicinity the 'floa ting island;
but this is something of a misnomer as 1t
is really a sinking and rising island. Dur
ing several months of the year it lies sub
merged in about twenty feet or more of
water; then for the balance of the year 1t
is out of water, and picnics can be held
| upon it, II so desired. 1t IS used as a hunt
ing place, when out of water, by some of
| the boys of the summer resident families
water fowl being shot from its surface
| Members of my family have rowed over
| the spot when the island has chosen TO
| sink out of sight, and have endeavored to
| reach its submerged surface with a seven
foot oar, but could not do so. Two months
later it has been up out of the water again.
The island approXimates an acre in eX-
tent; it rs, of course, very wet for the first
week or so after arising from the lakes
DEPTH but as the season wears along 1t
becomes dryer, and, as before stated, can
be used for picnic purposes. I would be
afraid of its stability under a large load
though l have been told by one of the old
to hold 1t down by pouring on it's sunken
surface fourteen wagonloads of large
stones, rowing them over the lakes sur
face to the place where the island was
known to lie submerged; but, like Ban
quo's ghost, the island would not down;
1t makes its entry into air every year, just
the same.
In the center of the island a half dozen
or more large stumps are growing, a clump
of three being in the center of the mass.
think these stumps are in great meas
ure responsible for the phenomena attend
ing it's annual sinking and rising. That is
| am of the opinion that a collection of
these originally formed the nucleus for
the growth of this strange freak among
the islands of our fresh water lakes.
THE flora of the lake is something mar
Vicious in Its richness and variety. These
stumps have drifted out to the center of
this portion of the lake, and taken with
them some of the strands of the long,
snakelike plants that grow there to a
length of nearly ten feet, With the fronds,
mosses and various others of the aquatic
plants. These floating growths have form
ed there, with the earth attached to the
stump roots, an island garden all to them
selves. They grew luxuriantly, and the
underbrush cleared away from the shores
and other islands thereabouts gradually
drifted into them, and so increased the
size of the mass; then, as the wood of the
brush ana OF the StumpS decayed, the
mass became waterlogged. and the whole
gradually sunk beneath the surface.
But how comes it TO rise again. as 1t
does each succeeding year? This Is the
point that has puzzled wiser heads than
mine, but / have a theory for 1t, which
seems to answer all the requirements. AS
the flora ripen during the hot months of
summer, for the island is thick mass
of vegetation, the stems enlarge, become
buoyant, and, as the season advances to-
ward September, undergo the first stages
of decay; that is the stems become filed
with the gases attendant upon fuller ripe
ness and commencing decay; this
large mass of gas-inclosing veg
citation overcomes the natural
weight of the mass, the specific
gravity being only little heavier than
the water and so the whole mass grad
ually rises above the waters surface; it
STAYS in this condition above the water
till the heavy frosts of the fall occur.
when, the plants having been destroyed
and decay measurably completed, the
whole mass being heavier than the water
again. it gradually sinks to the bottom
of the lake. which Is about thirty feet
deep at this point, to arise again the fol-
lowing year, when spring and summer
have brought the lakes flora into life and
full vigor once more"
Curling longs Forbidden.