The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-09-07
SILVER SPRINGS

something genuinely wonderful,
where nature in forming this world
for our habitat" laid aside, tempo
rarily, her plan of things and with
an idea, imagine, of testing her
marvellous powers and varying the
monotony OF working to set
plan, and performed a piece of work /
that must undoubtedly have brought
to her a glow of triumph in its &C
complishment.
l am thankful that il was my
privilege TO come TO Silver Springs
| 'funknowing," without having any
idea gained from accounts of others, |
with a mind open for the reception !
of "frst impressions, without hav-
ing them come into contact with pre-
conceived notions.
Walking to the edge of body of
water as large as a city block, and
focusing my eyes on the surface of
it, the bottom seemed to rise right
up to get into focus. Unconsciously
this drew my eyes 10 the bottom, and
+ / was looking down into space clear
er than the atmosphere and at al
most million, II seemed to me, diff
ferent colors and lights. Fish swim
ming about at unbelievable depths
or resting on lodges of rock; foliage
moving restlessly with the currents
rising IN the water and the colors
changing as / looked at them, it all
so entirely different from anything
| had ever imagine, caused me to
stand in awe of the Power that Gre
ated it
Getting in canopied boat which
had q plate glass panel in the bot
tom, was guided over the entire
surface of the spring, and with eyes
| for only the sights under me, | for
| got my surroundings as We passed
| from one view that l thought must
be the climax of this wonder, to an
other more inspiring.
| Moving over a tremendous bowl,
formed of rock, eighty feet deep and
with every pebble on the bottom so
| distinct it seemed that I had it in
my hand, we would pass suddenly
over shallow part, grown up with
green weeds waving rapidly as the
| froce of the water quickened in pass
ing to another great bowl in the
rock, which reflected still differently
| colored lights as the sun moved over
it. | came then to another forma-
4 ton, where the bowl was cracked in
the bottom and great creVice ex-
1 tended raggedly downward, narrow
ing as it went and / had before me
a perfect picture of an inverted snow
storm, which was caused by fakes OF
a substance that looked like lime.
stone rising with the water out OF
unknown depths thru the crevice
AS | watched, the sun was moving
over US, throwing its light at differ
ent angles into the crevice, and re
vealing Lodges on all sides and en-
abling the eyes to follow the open
ing down, down down to where they
could see no further.
Passing over this, and lost in the
excitement of experiencing new sen
sations and emotions, l came to tht
Ladies' Parlor, where we can be
/ lieVe nature satisfied her most selfisl
80 whims, where she gave full sway tt
her personal tastes and ideas, anC
81 which was to represent the sum
J total of her powers.
Here the colors are the most Law
ISL, and the formation of the ''par
Is lor' shows the intimate touches yol
would expect.
S Realizing that this volume o
Ts water came from source | had no
yet seen, / asked about it and founC
M that | was being brought to the othe
side from where l got in the boat
1t was eighty feet deep there, ant
D4 about half way down the bank wa
% left hanging above tremendou
AZ opening larger than a railroad tun
mel, which extended back into tn
"a earth as far as / could see. So thi
was where the water broke thru
| Immediately thought of rivers
n Idd hCdIO VI lHdI uISdppSdI0u uOWl
into the earth, and could imagin
the great distance the water mus
have to travel thru subterranea
passages to become so thorough
clear. In rowing the boat the fore
Of this stream could be felt where
came to the surface about twenty O
Thirty feet from the bank
My mind wouldn't grasp the nun
Der Of gallons / was told made u
this volume.
I was very much interested i
knowing where all this water wen