The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-17
"sHAKY POND" MYSTERIOUSLY
RUNS IN EARTH
casper Banner)

The queer phenomenon of q great
body of water running off into the
bowels of the earth through big sink
holes is no common occurrence in
any part of the world, but such
thing occurred last week at "Shaky
Pond" large lake and pond COM
bined, situated on Mr.. ii. NJ. Tue
tens place, about two miles west of
Jasper.
At intervals of from two to five |
years this occurrence takes place at |
"Shaky Pond" and no one has yet |
fathomed the reason for this strange
occurrence. What becomes of the
water? No one knows. The water is
apt to start pouring up through the
same sinkholes in the same myster-
ious manner that it drained off
through, and fill the large pond with
water at any time
This is not the only body of water
in Hamilton county that occasional
ly acts in the same strange manner.
Only week before last Lake Octahat-
chee( in the northwestern part of
the county, drained off in a similar
way. 1t is a large lake, containing
about four square miles Bell Pond,
another lake situated on Mr.. Tom
Bells farm, two miles southwest of
Jasper. is said to be running on this
: week into the bowels of the earth
: through sink holes in it.
q Hamilton is noted for its strange
caves, great sink holes, springs and
Y lakes that mysteriously drain off.
;, There is White Sulphur Springs in
: the southeastern part of the county
d that continuously flows a great vol
a ume of water From this spring hun
IS dreds Of thousands of gallons of pure
a sulphur water rise to the surface
+ every minute and flow off into the
Suwannee river. There are innumer
IS able smaller springs all over the en-
10 tire county. There is a rivcr-tht
" Alapaha flows into the ground
" and no one knows where the grea
j. volume of water rises again. There
If are two large creeks that do tn
r. same thing. One creek that sink
Of into the ground and short distanc
10 away rises to the surface again
in There is a great cave in the western
ct part of the county called tn
re Devils Dem" that no man has eve
explored to the bottom. 1t contain
at large "rooms" connected with mar
ey row passage ways. 1t is gruesom
n sight down in it.
u There are numerous other quee
lir sights in the county, but "Shak
m Pond" is the subject of this article
m This pond covers, perhaps 500 acre
he of land. 1t is more properly lax
EN- instead of pond, although the QUITE
to rim of it has been heavily timbcre
v. with cypress trees. In the centt
in of it is a lake that never runs DIR.
,ts The entire pond is always filled wit
water, except at those interva
Ia when the water takes a notion
is mysteriously pass off into the bow
he els of the earth through four lars
ng sink holes This was what occu
he red last week.
it People for miles around on hea
Is ing that "Shaky" was draining G
las hocked to the ponG to see the sigh
GER Thousands of pounds Of fish we
CO. caught, and for few days the tow
in was filled with fresh water fish
nut every variety known in this sectio
lot This queer pond gets its nan
ar from the fact that before the limb
&C. was cut out OF 1t one could stand
cir the lake bottom after it had drain
OBJ off and shake the ground for TWEEN
ian feet aroun. The ground st
eir shakes, but not to such an exte
big il did before the timber was Gu
lists The bottom of the pond or lake
raj covered with the richest muck {
San posts Imaginable, which, If left &C
the cred all the time by water, wor
nd perhaps in time become a great pC
hey bed. This muck is composed of I
ity cayed vegetation and debris and
by as rich as the debris deposits of
}. Mississippi valley after a great flo
This muck is from six feet deep
mo- unknown depths.
,rce One of the sink holes resembles