The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-09-11
From the SouthHesfl

| r TULn the
Month after moth papers and mag.
azines publish glowing accounts Of tie
beauty and grandeur Of the lakes o
Switzerland, the rivers of Germany OF
the glaciers OF Greenland. Tourists
| and globe trotters have stood on the
Alps, "gondolar Al" n Venice or climb
ed the M~arterno-n, but how many
American tourists know anything 0.
the wonders Of their native land out
side the Old sch0oIoook wonders ..
Niagara, Yellowstone and Yosemite.
In Oregon county, Missouri, and FuL
ton county, Arkansas, are grouped
Grand gulf, Mammoth spring and
Spring river, natural curiosiues % won
derful, so beautiful and furnishing so
many openings for investors that were
they hid in the forests ot africa o.
within The shadow OF me mountain
Peaks Of Southern Eu~c.G artists
would haunt them with their sketch
books and poets would ave Of the
soul inspiring beauty.
The Grand Gulf is the crcwning
wonder of the group. .n"~G shallow
streams about che fourth q a mill
distant from each other flowing in The
same direction over an elevated
plateau suddenly drop into canyons
900 feet deep.
These two canyons form q junction
half Il mile below, where thev strike
a mountain lying directly across their
path. This mountain has been tun-
nuled by the action Of the water and
the natural bridge thus formed is no
less a curiosity and almost equal i n
size 70 the famous natural bridge of
Virginia. After passing through This
mountain the united stream strikes an
other mountain and tunnels it for sew
eraI hundred feet and then spreads
out into an immense underground lake
the area of which has never baen as
certained. Many paroles have entered
the tunnel and picnics have been held
by tOrchlight on the margin of the
lake, but still it remains a mystery.
No light car exist long over the bosom
Of the lake and nothing can be heard
save far away rumble Of the wa
terS as they rush on.
This underground lake is the reser-
vOir which supplies Mammoth spring,
the largest spring in ne world, with
it's &C $1,000 cubic feet of water a min
ute. The most surprising feature II
connection with the extraordinary
natural bridge hundreds # feet deep
when these great canyons are filed
with water even to he arch of he
natural bridge hundreds Of feet the
volume of water in Mammoth spring
is not increased.
Mammoth spring covers eighteen
acres of ground 200 feet deep with
crystal water. Spawned by an immense
stell bridge, navigated by naptna
launches and flowing its $4,000 cubic
feet of water a minute over a dam OF
solid masonry 170 feet long and % feet
high, it presents an admirable pic
ure.
1t is too beautiful for an attempt at
description and the spring alone sup
plies water power equal to thousands
of horse power . It seems to mold 1ts
| own more serene than the pyramids
ard as Interchangeable as the DEGREES
of fate. Nothing affects it. It's purl-
ty remains undimmed when showers d
| spring transform mountain streams
into veritable sewers; clOudburts thaj
| drown wide valleys and drOughts thai
drive cattle to the distant lOWlands
| neither add to nor take from its con
| slant, n~ever-varying flow, and the
keenest blast of old winter b eVel
scaled the Ozarks and rushed as a con
QuerOr down these sunny slopes has
| never yet been able to capture and
imprison in its icy letters a singh
| wavelet on the placid bosom OF this
mighty spring.