The Savannah morning news., 1902-05-07
LAND OF LAKES AND SPRINGS.
ORANGE COUNTY'S ATTRACTIVE
WATERWAYS.

Has Eleven Hundred Lakes of Vari-
GUS Sizes and n Chain of Springs.
Winter in Lakes Is soft While That
Prom Springs Is Hard-BOiIinG
Springs Furnish Power Which
Some New Edison May Utilize.
While . Fortune Awaits the Man
Who Discovers the Caves From
which the Broken Mushrooms
Come.
Orlando. Fla May 6.-The immense
springs in Orange county, Florida,
have attracted little attention thus far
in the history of the state. beyond at
Iording delightful resorts for picnic
and outing parties. The county
Sbounds in lakes and springs. OF the
former there are about eleven hundred
within the limits of the county. They
range in size from one acre to three or
four civil townships in extent. In all
the water is pure and as soft as melt
ed snow from the tops of the peaks in
the Rocky Mountains.
The water of the springs is hard and
charged with sulphuretted hydrogen.
This applies to the larger and more
important ones of which there are
eight or ten. There are numerous
smaller ones. the waters of which are
not sulphurous Many of the lakes
are fed by springs and streams that
find their sources in these lakes.
There are one or two sulphur
springs in the eastern part of the
county. near Lake Jesup, but the
more important ones are in the North
western part. Here there seems to
be a chain of springs commencing
with Palm Spring near Altamonte and
Including HoOsier Spring; the two
Harrington Springs Clay Springs,
which is a group of three or four in
one pool: Rock Spring, and lastly In
dian Spring, just across the line in
Lake county. The distance from
Palms to Indian Springs in a straight
line is about twelve miles. There are
several smaller and less important
ones within this distance that would
be counted of much value, but FOR
their larger neighbors.
If the flow of water from any of these
has ever been measured the fact seems
not to have been made public, but
each forms the source of q considerabl BILE
stream flowing into and finally form
of the st Johns river. The Clay
Springs Run has been used for barges
and launches for many years. In the
early days the settlers Of that vicinity
and of Apopka used baTges to trans
port their supplies from the ST Johns
river to the spring from which point
they We're distributed by wagons and
carts to their destination.
The waters of Rock Spring pour out
q in h.. f,a.1 tit
bluff of twenty or thirty feet in
hight. The opening is near the base of
the bluff the water falling a distance
OF three feet to a rocky bed below.
whence it flows away in a broad and
Shallow stream. In the Others the
water comes up from below through
orihces in the rock. 1t is estimated
that the opening in the bottom of Clay
Spring is sufficiently large to admit the
passage of a horse. The water boils
up with great force and flows away.
forming a pool sixty to seventy-five
yards in extent. There are several
smaller boils in this pool. any one of
which would be considered large, if by
itself.
A question which has suggested itself
TO quite a number of minds is whether
or not this power can be utilized in any
way to make it serve economical pur-
poses and furnish power for manufac-
turing purposes. There is volume and
force enough daily going to waste here,
II harnessed and controlled to
furnish all the power that
viii be needed in the county for the
next nifty years. The water comes up
through rock Could turbines be set
in masonry within the mouths of these
powerful springs and the power APP
Piled to the uses of man? If so here
iC 70, IN.
ing establishments, trolley lines, cleo
trio light plants etc. for the country
for fifty miles around. A power that
would be uniform in force, unfailing
in strength, and easily applicable, once
the harness shall be put upon the flow
of water
These springs are fed from subterra-
mean sources and from a depth which
gives the water uniform tempera-
ture of about 20 degrees throughout
the year. In their natural condition
they furnish delightful bathing for
those who frequent them, and Clay
Springs have been fitted with dressing
rooms, pavilion, etc, for those who go
there.
Back of these springs is region of
high pine land. the springs being near
the base of the hills. Near some of
them and above them are pits or
sinks indicating a washing away of
the earth far beneath the surface and
sinking of the everything earth. II
is possible that if an examination
could be made caves would be found
beneath the high ridge back of them
An indication of the existence of such
cave is seen in the fragments OF
toadstool or muchroom which come UP
with the water of Palm Spring Fun
gus growths of this sort must have air
They could hardly form in water OF
along the course of a subterranean
stream. At times the discharge OF
these broken fragments in the water
of this spring is quite marked. and
one naturally inquiries whether among
the other hidden mysteries of Florida
there exists a mushroom mine, await
ing to be discovered.
The utilization of this power will
some time attract the attention of en-
gineers, and it is possible that the
force now going to waste hourly, daily
and yearly may prove of great eco
onmic value to the state, and
source of wealth to the bold spirit thai
will undertake to control it.
THE A, v. 4 WIS TAN RETURNS.