The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-11-17
INDlANA's LOST RIVER.
Stream Has Strange Freaks Of DisapreA
ing and Rising.

Ing ana R1s1nE.
. Orleans, Ind, is situated in vallej
which on all sides, except on the east.
is surrounded by hills. Just a little
distance northwest of Orleans is q
large sand hill. which is thought to be
the highest. point in Orleans Township.
Orleans Township is drained by Lost
River and by the large sink hole near
the town Of Orleans, says the Pitts
burg Gazette.
Many small streams and rivers
abound in this vicinity. all of which
have the habit Of disappearing into the
bowels, of; the earth without any sys-
tenn, only to burst forth miles away
and continue on their course. downward
to the sea. Chief of the rivers is Lost
River, or River Styx. It's source is:in,
tile corner of Washington County.
from whence it flows westward into
Orang &c County. At first 1t is an in
significant, crookedly twisting creek.
but tributaries add to it's flow until.
when about fifteen miles in length. 1t
lays claim to the word "riyer." Dur
ing its journey it disappears several
times in the jungles and swamps, but
the real stream sinks. which gains for
it the name it bears; beginning some
miles southeast Of Orleans, there are
four of them at an average of about
two miles apart. In dry weather the
first sink takes in all the water. which
does not appear until at Orangeville.
ten miles west. The river bed between
these points becomes tangled mass
Of grass and bushes. The sink is but
huge cavernous looking hole in the
ground. and suggests to the curious the.
entrance to hades. so dark and unfath-
onable is it. Light rains will overflow
the first sink and the surplus water
will continue down the weed-tangied
channel to the second. Heavy rains
will fill the channel to. the third. and
long-continued rains will carry some
surplus as far IS the fourth sink. In
the last case the water has two exits
near Orangeville. Where the water Is
of sufficient quantity to enter the
fourth sink it rises through three open
ingS and flows on through the river
bed.
This dry bed is not an open channel
and is unlike the valley Of the usual
streams. Large :pland forest trees
grow along the banks. showing that for
long time the river has been lost
in the concretionary limestone below
the earth's surface. The underground
stream may be reached at the fourth
sink. where the cavernous opening Is
about eight feet wide and four feet
deep. the descent being gradual and
500 feet.
Before appearing at Orangeville the
river comes to the surface about two
miles northeast Of Orangeville. Here
the stream may also be reached. In
Orangeville is the rise Of the river. but
some people think that the true rise is
one mile further down. on the Higgins
farm. o. c. Saiyards and some men
went into ore Of these sinks or caves.
When they started in they had to pul!
the brush and trash out Of its mouth
so they could get through. They say
that the floor Of the sink IS just like
the bed Of river. and found in these
caves are grasshoppers and blind fish.
When the water rises at OrangeFilfe
it just shoots up from the ground; it
is very deep at this place; around the
opening the banks are very high and
Geep.