Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-12-16
1he ereat sInk.

e now known as Alachua Lake, has
been known to travellers and explor-
ers and has from the earliest times
excited the curiosity and admiration
Of those who have visited It. II was
fIrst visited and graphically described
BY a Spaniard over three hundred
wears ago. The description following
e an extract from William Bartram's
Travels Through North and South
Carolina, Georgia, East and West Flor
ida. and the Cherokee Country" pub
iished in philadelphia and London IN
79i;
I'VE allghted in a pleasant vista
turning our horses to Craze while we
amtsed ourselves with exploring the
borders Of the Great Sink. In this
place group Of rocky hills almost
surrounds a large basin. which is the
general receptacle Of the water, drain
ng fromyevery part OF the vast sayan'
M. BY lateral condults winding about,
and one after another Joining the main
creek or general conductor. which at
length delivers them into this sink,
where they descend by slow de-
grees, through rocky cayerns, into the
bowels Of the earth, whence they
are carried by secret subterraneous
channels into other receptacles and
basins. We assembled q collection OF
emInences, covered with dark groves.
which is one point Of the crescent
that partly encIrcles the sink or ba,
sin open only on the side next the
savanna, where It Is Joined to the
great channel or general conductor Of
the waters. From this point over to
the opposite point Of the crescent
(Which is similar high rocky pro
nontory) Is about one hundred yards,
forming vast semi-circle cove or
basin, the hills encircling II rising
yery steep Atty or sixty feet high,
rocky, perpendicular and bare OF earth
next the wa'ers OF the basin. The
hills, from the top Of the perpendicu-
lar, fiuted. excayated walls Of rock,
slant on moderately up to their sum
mlts, aud are covered with very
fertile, loose, black earth, which
nourlshes and supports dark grove
Of very large trees, varieties Of shrubs
and herbaceous plants. These high
forest trees surrounding the basin, by
their great height and spread, so CT
fectually shade the waters that, com
ing suddenly from the open plains
we seem at once shut up In darkness
and the waters appear black, yet are
clear. When We ascend the top Of
the hills, we perceive the ground e
b. uneven, by round swelling points
and corresponding hollows, over
spread with gloomy shade, oeoasione'
by the tall and spreading trees, sucl
az live oak. morus rubra, zanthoxylon
saplndus. llquidamhar, AHA, laurp
borbonla. Quescusdentata iuglans cine
rea. and others, together with orang
trees OF remarkable magnitude an
very fruitful But that which is mos
singular and to me unaccountable q
the lnsundlbulliorm cavities, even o
the top OF these high hills, some twel
~. thirty. and forty yards across,
their superficial rims exactly eircula
rs Il struck with q compass, elopin
gradually lnwards TO point at DO
tom, forming an inverted cone, or I'D
one upper wide part Of funnel; q
perpendicular depth OF them from q
common surface Is various, some d
scendlng twenty feet deep, others
most 60 the bod OF rocks which torr
the foundation or nneleus OF the hit
and indeed Of the whole country
East Florida; some Of thom seem
be nearly nned rp with earth, swe
IN from the common surface, but
tain the same uniformity; thou
sometimes so close together as TO
broken one into another In and abe
the Great Sink are % be seen iner
ible numbers OF crocodiles some
which are OF an enormous size, a
view the passenger with tnoredi
lmpudence and avldlty: aud AZ this Il
they are so abundant that, n perm
tea by them. I could walk over :
part Of the basin and the river al
their heads. which slowly float