The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-13
WATER AND COLD WEATHER.
LACK OF FORMER MAY ACCOUNT
FOR THE LATTER.

Up and Lakes Are subsiding-Evi-
dence shows when Water Was
More Abundant There Was No Sc
we're CoId-Water Has Subsided Be
fOrc-Cnttlemcn Are Puzzled as
to Where to Get Their supply.
Orlando Fla, July 12-Mr 5. a Robin
son, surveyor and civil engineer, has re-
Gently returned from trip to the lower
portion Of Osceola county, a region with
which he was quite familiar twenty or
more years ago He is an old resident
Of this part Of the state, close observer,
who has had unusual opportunities for
exploration and examination of the terri
tory lying between this part of the state
and the Okeechobee BASIN
In u recent conversation with the Morn
ing News representative, he spoke at CON
siderable length of his observations of the
changes which have come to the region
named since he first went over it, The
most marked change is in the limited sup
ply of water in sections where a few
years ago the creeks, ponds and low places
We're flowing. Recent heavy rains had fall
len when he made this last trip, and yet
he found water in the lakes
at a very low mark, creeks
were almost dry, water only stand
Ing in holes, where formerly fording with
a team or on horseback was impractical
bic or attended with difficulty and an ele-
ment of danger while the depreSsions
in the woods which a few years ago were
ponds, We're now entirely dry. This con-
diton was not confined to the river bot
toms and courses directly connected with
the system of drainage engaged in by the
Disston companies a dozen or more years
ago. In some cases basins were dry
which it would seem could hardly have
any connection with that drainage.
The water has disappeared to such an
extent that it has become a problem with
some of the cattle men how they will
supply their stock with drinking water.
Mr.. Barney SILVER one of the leading
cattle men of his section, has put down
an artesian well, and contemplates put
| ting down two more. Others may be COM
PEELED to resort to the same means to
supply their herds with water.
Ran or by Cow Paths.
There has been gradual subsistence of
water i'm all this region for several years
and that, TOO, in spite of the fact that
there has been a good annual rainfall each
year.On the large Kissmmee prairies and
| in the valleys of some of the smaller
| streams. Mi. 1NODlTSOn 0Otice0 one chdnRG,
| which, may, in a measure account for the
more rapid running off of the water after
| rainfalts Where a dozen years ago were
| shallow coWpaths leading across the coun-
| try and down to the watering places are
| now deep guilies CT washOuts, caused by
| the water following the paths first formed
| by the going back and forth of cattle.
Some of these, he states, are a dozen or
more feet in depth and as many broad
| forming gulies which can only be crossed
| with difficulty, save where cattle have
made roads down and up the banks. Thus
| lateral drains lead into the older gullies
the cattle themselves, unwittingly having
| wrought a supplementary drainage sys-
| tenn. leading 10 the large streams and
lakes, connected with the Disston canals.
Lake Levels Lower.
While this action of the COWS and the
| elements observed by Mr. Robinson would
so change the face of the country that
| the result must be a more rapid carrying
away of water from rainfall, il does not
| account for the subsistence of water in
| lakes having neither outlet or inlet, or
| connection with water courses. There are
many such lakes in this county, in which
| the water level is ten or more feet lower
| than it was in 1880 A notable instance of
| this kind is the Old Griffin mill site, eight
miles west of Orlando, on the Oakland
road. Fifteen years ago MIR. Griffin,
|
| stream connecting two lakes He had an
| abundance Of power for his purpose. A
| hundred yards above his mill the county
! built a substantial bridge over the stream,
which is stin in use, The mill is gone,
the stream has gone dry, and the surface
of the water in the lake which supplied
| power to the mill Is ten feet below the
| bottom of the creek. A few miles south
! Of this spot is an empty and dry basin,
| where, fifteen years ago, was lake COW
ering twenty to forty acres, and probably
at it's deepest point holding nearly TWEEN
| ty feet of water
| Orange county boasts of having more
! than a thousand lakes. In many of these
| the water stands at about the same stage
| that it did fifteen years ago. In probably
| one-half of them the water is five to
| twelve feet lower than it was then. This
| condition can hardly be due to drainage
operations in the Kissimmee system, sew
| eral miles away, as there seems to be no
! possible connection between them, and the
subsistence here in many instances is sew
eral feet more than in those lakes actual
iy tapped by the canals.
Has Happened Before.
Again there are evidences. abundant and
| unquestonable that a some earlier date
| probably before Mr. Dsston was born
! there was a period Of subsistence of the
| waters of this section during which for
a term OF many years the water has stood
at a much .ower mark than al present
| Water oak trees two feet In diameter grew
| during that period. They were subse-
quently killed by submergence, and their
stumps ana trunks are stlll standing. bear
! ing mute testimony to the existence of a
drought compared with which the prevail
! ing local option prohibition in this county
! is too insignificant to mention. We have
| had less than a year of the latter The
| prehistoric drought must have extended
over a period of twenty-five to fifty years
unfortunately until within the past few
| years, no record Of rainfall was kept We
are therefore without such data as would