The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-03
THEDISMALS WAMP AS 1T is.
a TI6IT TO REGION OF MANY
STRANGE JRADITIONs

WASHINGTON. Dec. 2.-For close upon two
hundred years the vast water-soaked forest known
az the Dismal Swamp has been visited by The
woodman In quest Of It's treasures Of cypress and
juniper. Tofacih,atc his enterprise small canals
locally known ns bitches have been cut through
10 Lake Drummond at its centre OF these ono
we, was NAMED ,Sl cen masos0n , wn
auo swamp "nch youne man =, '"e,
HnoSo ss. ,SS @ T' Of
Jericho Ditch. Az the end Of the las, century
w.s ..n.,.,sd ma, A.. s..,.rn horde,, A a
result, much Of the land lying to the eastward
was drained and Is now in cultivation.
A wilderness the Dismal Swamp remains
Even to-day It's deeper reccascs are hardly known
savo to such Unframed deni,ens as deer and bear
ana peculiar race oil ca'uo 'na' nave run "nu
and live upon tho reeds Not few people
- -. .,.S- San . a 49, :. IT,. ,"n.,,,,a An,
30 weirdiy named may DO hke peneua@ "o
n, on ,b, eastern sid. ;b,oueb IN, Dismsl Swamp
y. on "o -, WI u'as Wv .,,.sd .,,.,,.,
~ | .,,,,eh ,honson e nsan thousands
Of acres OF dense. tangled forest usually covered
u ",, 49, " Jeu'e ss :, @ ~, sa., un,,.y.
Jn s,,os ,.s,nss..s ,so Ma, h.., ,s a, home and
he does not lie, himself be seen II he can help It,
But in hard winters he Is sometimes driven from
his haun's and has been seen by startled way
farers even in tho outskirts Of Portsmouth.
II was on a beautiful May day that frst saw
-. - -. a, =. a., ~
ue swamp our roue tna' Gay was ue yen
cho Canal, which one reaches. riding or driving,
folk. Our craft was skill built Of Juniper wood.
and propelled by, pole and paddle, Al FIRST tho
way lay through a comparatively open tract
which ha besn burnt from time To time. and
which, despite the burgconng green OF such vcge-
atcn ss had survived thc ores he's has look NJ nn,
holly. Cotton gums, shSrtieS, Pine, and soTc
its graceful sprays over the water, or with stems
bamboo NOR. than 10 any other plant, the veg.ta-
owes liz popularity Of aspcct The cane was In
on. think Of Tho maryels rnvcllrrs tell concern
| Ing the rare iowrrng Of bamboo in India The
| young stalks which ore. used for making pipe
| stems are cut and tied in hheaves by negroes
| VINO can mus earn . douat Gay Many nowct.
WITH wtfe sIrs shine coye hsydy 10 Se
recognized by their humble cousins Of the Norm.
ein moors and pat oogs Most dellgnuni o.
al W eye ana noo was pale PINK anhI.a muC.,
Sought by country people i1r ihe curious gtern
swelling ,grodunsd on us rhNcs by s"Iu a,
suckie apples.
AZ We puisued our NY way aIong We 70, unn ,,s
uc uees r-Sane ave. ~ 'hn'lel anI VIC iis *
sanes oir td Nc, ~ Inv Sli o,n sanM
% whisper The ehorusel chanting Of the the
The sweet note Of warbler reached the ear Once
gras i!ai n ,uSp % ',,e on , NY lat IN
SI,,s heron to SEE him disspp~sr in fright down
We ,onR a,vauo oe iH R us E. nneS ~,
& . Show rn as Nc II a aSs ,ts
was soft as in cathedral Two rules k, or SO we
and men emerged ur2n ,he margin Of I.aEe pran.-
I ,hin' & M tanr he ou a,nrs,,v .Sarv
Sn" Who has read ioorSs poem. .T6s Lake 2; :,
We pisnh, InHanp, rvi" as, N. o,a; ,,s "a
n sIo i shs mi IL" I'D. 81 noonany trr,
is sSmsthtng q yeitdncs. in me lSok Of This for
s o for ,h.t rs,epious maid who
mas aor. N N. ,,l. q, IN. p,,n,l Swami
Thsre All pisht long by a grs.ay LAMP,
she p,ddi'' her White canoe
,h al VIZ i''s sPo,,,w ", srtal nsne,i.nep
witne q" the 4 lines SsN'''S u a''''' A''''
T Tsroass tangled anpssr s ,S Of rSsd'
| ,,lhfonsn many = Ieh NheIe the SoFpeh' teeas'
man 1907 never 'rod ostofe'
But to descend IRON, the poet hight o. I'm o.
ha Is a small body q water only thfeo
miles long and two and hall VIDE The banks
are eSeiyMheIe ns' SO ,has inc iase ih,presSfeii
this were II not for the picturesque belt O. old
cypress stumps that margin tho lake, almost
disappearing at very high water. but usually
in plain view. Gnared and gray are these relics
OF ancient forests, worn by years Of weather and
storm dashed water into a thousand strange
uncarihly forms One likes TO picture " oneself
the noble trees that must have once stood in ser
ricd array about Lake DIummond few are
still living small OF girth above, but near the water
uhCkcning into huge butuesSed base, one
OF the most NOTABLE Is known IN the countryside
as Shmsons Maui To the branches OF thesE
old Expresses cling small wlsps OF Spanish mos
and the gray boards OF lichens that resemble IT,
Thus we found the swamp In May, In July
very different. was It's seeming. Then 1t wa:
less 10 appreciate the significance OF Its time
honored name Dismal, which can hardly be very
inappropriate since in eastern North Cerolin,
y has come 10 be the generic appcllstion Tor a.
timbcIed swamps Every dsy heavy rains iel
and drenched us sorely. surely tic Dsma
Swamp Is at such times the w.tt"st o. Places
for not only DO torrents descend noH tie skies
but the long hcSibie stems 81 lho cane are cN
9uisitcly adjusted so that the water triopins
from them can nicely ',in down slc backs o. su'
fering humanity And Ne yellow ii'ss, rSrta'
OF yellow Tics 70 him who hns 'Siirii Nc Dsmn
swamp IN nidsummcr ana you shSll listen q
real eloquencr something mght also be shit
upon the subject OF no.9 L;tots
Tho uninitHtrd nte likely 70 hcrr wonderful
AL. ~ man a. at AaN a. AV.F