The Washington herald., 1909-01-10
MYSTERIOUS EVERGLADES
By FREDERIC HASKIN
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

wound inflicted by the saw grass IS a
very ugly one and requires an aIaTmingly
long time 10 heal. This grass is the ter
ror or the Everglades and is more 10 be
dreaded than the actual snakes OF the
imaginary poisonous insects with which
the region is infested
Tie ui.soived mystery Il the Ever
glades IS its water. No one knows where
il all comes from no one knows where II
all goes. and no one can give a reason
for the peculiar way II behaves while It
is here The rainfall is heavy. an aver
age Of ten inches month IN the rainy
season Rain rapidly affects the level Of
the Everglades water There has been
two years drought in Florida and in that
time the States rainfall dropped a total
Of six feet below normal The Ever
glaces water fell 10 low level and stayed
there. When the rains came again. a
few months ago. IL was only little tine
until there was g food level in the Ever
gIades-
Everglades water is hard. being strong
ly impregnated with lime. and therefore
cannot be rain water Rain water does
not even predominant. In Northern Flor
ida there are many su5teTanean streams,
which are often tapped for artesiaH
wells Il is The accepted theory that
these underground rivers have their out
lets in the Everglades. creating the enor-
nous springs which are known 70 exist
IN that region Yet for ali these theories
fl Is difficult 70 account for the currents.
Every explorer Of the Everglades. from
EsCalente 70 the present day. has agreed
that the water seems 10 have a general
motion in one direction a great mass
movement comparable only 20 the tides
az sea. This great movement is broken
al frequent intervals By swift cross-cUr-
rents. which apparently begin nowhere
and end nowhere They are comparable
only 10 the great sea rivers which are
called ocean currents. Some Of the Ev-
erglades currents are undoubtedly caused
by an outflow from the bed Of the basin
through a hole in the limestone floor.
These probably connect with a sUbter-
ranean passage which later discharges
its water far out 20 sea
The water itself Is 2 mystery L Is
wonderfully clear. g = pure as crystal
II Is palatable. and acre Is no place
where iJ stands long enough 10 become
staEnant- Perhaps the greatest wonder
Of the wonderful Everglades Is the alb
senCe Of mosquitoes. Close 20 the rim OF
the great basin. where there are holes in
the limestone that catch water and where
the mangrove swamQs begin. there are
plenty Of able and luSty mosquitoes. but
back in the interior Of the Everglades
this pest Is all but unknown The water
IS constantly moving and there are TO
good breeding places
TIE Everglades. rock-b0ttomed- grass
covered. fresl-watered. heaIthfuI- is
very different place from the great
swamp Of the ina ginstion OF SO many
people. Il Is bounded on the west by TIE
Big Cypress swamp. on the south by The
impossible and dangerous Big Nansrova
swamp. on the north by lake Okecho-
bee. and on the east by the narrow strip
q pine land that separates its rim from
the Atlantic Ocean.
Il IS all above the level Of the sea The
engineers say il can be drained II this
Is done. some millions Of acres Of Won
derfUIly rich agricultural lands viii be
opened up Just how 70 drain IL IS
question which Is an issue in Florida
state politics ar this moment Three
hundred years ago a Spanish governor
began 10 cut drainage canals through IL.
work During the seminole war Of 1873
the United States army officers were as
founded 10 come upon a drainage canal
which was being cut by the Seminoles-
The United States considered the Gues-
ton Of draining the Everglades as early
as 1870 The work Is now in charge Of
the state OF Florida and has been actu-
ally commenced. despite the opposition
Of those who believe an adequate survey
should precede the work or CahaIizsti0n
EscaIaate named this region .LaEuno
del EspiritU Santo" the Lake Of the Holy
Spirit. The ancient tribe OF Calos IN
dams called It Lake Mzyaimi.- a name
which stiII persists in the Miami River.
The Semlnoles named the region "Pah-
hay-o-kee" which. literally. means
grass water Then the English came
and called the place River GIadez"
The Indians. the negroes. and the span
ish-speaking whites caught Up the Eng
lish name and corrupted Il 20 Ever
glades."
Everglades may have no definite
meaning IN English. but II is the one
name for this place OF mystery and
beauty L stiu has mystery. for some
where within its depths. the Indians de-
clare. still exists the wonderful orange
grove which the C3los chiefs used 70
own The customs records show that in
the month Of March. IN the year 1928.
more than 20 years ago. The trade Of the
Everglades Indians with Havana amount
ed 20 S1I.G00- That orange grove was the
great asset OF the CaI0s Indians. and
people in Florida stil half believe in its
existence
But the Everglades yields ErudziaEly
its secrets II gives no cIew 20 its mys-
teries except To coafde something 10 the
vasabond Seminole-the Indian can cross
the Everglades from West TO East in
four days. while white man must take
fourteen. And the Indian is one with the
wild in defending stUbbornly its seClu-
sion. However. the surveyor and the
steam dredge are laying siege 10 this
strange estate The railroad has already
broken down a part OF its barrier Per
haps before another generation has pass
ed The mystery VIII be gone and the saw
grass wastes viii have given away 20
the truck garden and the fruit farm.
That is for the drainage engineers.
iCOryrZht I0e. b. Frederic J. Haskiu.}
To-mOrrOw-A Sea-EOinE Railroad.