The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-08-14

Special TO the 0cala Banner:
The three most wonderful attn.
tons OF all Florida: Silver sprinr
Silver River. and oklawaha Rive, s
Marion county. Silver Springs a a.
largest, the most beautiful and ma,
yelous spring in the world. Tie n.
outlet Of an underground stream
belching fourth millions OF gallons !,
water-clear as the air and blue 4,
the Florida sky-each day. 36ssls
gallons per minute, and is seven mile.
long.
or Silver Springs. Professor job.
lie Conte writes:
The most remarkable and interest
ing phenomena presented by III.
spring, is the truly extraordinau
transparency of the water; in this r.
spect surprising anything which cas
be imagined. All OF the intrinsi,
beauties which invest It, as well a,
the wonderful optical propertie
which popular reports have ascribel
TO its waters, are directly or indirect
lyly referable TO their almost perfect
lydiaphaniety. On a clear and cain
day, after the sun has obtained ali
tude, the view from the side OF rcv
boat 1--WE use glass bottom boats nos
one floating on the surface of the va
ter near the center of the head-sprinr
is beautiful beyond description, and
well calculated 10 produce a powerful
impression upon the imaginatica.
Every feature and conhguration ofths
bottom of this gigantic basin is a
distinctly visible as If the water was
removed, and atmosphere substitute
in its place"
And continuing ne wires:
"My observations were made aboul
noon, on the seventeenth and agsh
on the twentieth of December 1854
The sunlight Illuminated the sides F
and bottom OF this remarkable pool q <
brilliantly as IL nothing obstructe E
the light. The shadows Of our lltih
boat, of our oyer-hanging heads sns
hats. of projecting crags and logs q
the surrounding forest. and Of IL
vegetation at the bottom. were dis
tinctly and sharply defined; while tn
constant waving of the slender and
delicate moss-like algae, by means q
the currents created by the boIlins
up of the water, and the swimming d
numerous fish above this minatur
subaqueous forest, impaired a livIns
realty TO the scene which can never
be forgotten. And II we add to tbs
picture, already sufficiently striking
that objects beneath the surface q
the water, when viewed obliquel
were fringed with the prismatic huss
we shall cease to be surprised at tAi
mysterious phenomena with whid
vivid imaginations have. invested this
enchanting spring, as well as at ths
inaccuracies which have been perpel
uated in relation to the wondered
properties of its waters. On bTigh
day, the beholder seems to be LOOKING
down from some lofty airy point on
truly fairly scene in the immense bs
sin beneath him, scene whose bear
ty and magical effect is vastly en-
HANGED by the cromatic tints WITT
which it is invested"
The prismatic hues seen N this
spring is due TO the reflection of ligh
passing through the water of whcl
the currents. are crossed. White Oh
jects, as dishes and silver dollars, q
a dark background when immersa
into the deep blue are fringed wia
the indigo blue at the top and orang
and red at the bottom, while the cd
oring Of the fringed is reversed ta
dark objects on a white back ground
Silver Springs, Marion county, a.
alysis made by the u. s. Geologic
1907. shows the following p
gradients, estimated parts per millioa
70; magnesium, 8 2; sooia
and potassium 8 8; iron and alum
ina, trace; carbonate. 0 o.; bicarbn
ate, 219; sulphate, A; chlorine. %
nitrate. O.20; phosphate, tP0A
trace; silica. (sIo1s) 10. Totals Sd
Ids, pa.
This water is the very best Of taas
waters.
Silver Springs and Silver Rive
under a clear Florida moon is a vert
able milky-way.
A.AG.