The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1929-11-08

IS explained by w. X. Therkildson'
ist.
Lake Phelps is one OF the most
unique bodies of water Oh the At
lantic Seaboard. Surrounded by
peaty bogs in Washington and Tyr
rell County, less than 40 miles by
airway from Elizabeth City. it is a
lake of crystal clear water 35 or 10
square miles in extent. fed from
subteranean springs. Shallow IN
places, the lake attains to depth of
30 feet and its bed is visible to HUI
man eyes, SO clear are its waters
Josiah Collins, an English settler
early in the 18th century discover
ed Lake Phelps, appreciated its value
and grandeur and built himself a
magnificent estate on its shores.
He called it Somerset; many Of the
original buildings are still standing
and the drainage system which he
created with slave labor more than
a century ago is still marvel TO
all who study it, He constructed a
canal 30 #. wide by Is TT. deep from
Lake Phelps to the Pungo River,
a distance of seven miles. From the
fall of Lake Phelps Josiah Collins
operated a grist mill with an cid
water wheel
Josiah Collins lived like Lord
on the shores of Lake Phelps; his
hundreds of Salves operated many
industries; he had his cabinet max
ing shop, iron working shop, sad
dlery and shoe shop, bakery, flour
mill. From his flax and his wool
the clothing of his family was made;
from his cotton his sleyeS were
clothed. He had his own distillery,
his own race track. His ships car
ried hand hewn shingles, tar and
turpentine to the West Indies and
brought back cargoeS OF sugar and
rum and molaSses.
The Collins family rotted with
luxury and went the way OF all
flesh. Time after time the old
Collins estate has changed hands.
With the passing Of slave labor no
one could seem to make it pay.
But seven or eight years ago w
K. TherkildSon came to the Lake
Mattamuskeet drainage development
in Hyde County. TherkildSon is
curious bug; Lake Phelps interest.
ed him. He brought geologiStS ano
archaeologiSts to Lake Phelps tC
study the phenomenon. They found
volcano pipes in the bottom Of the
Lake; some of them eight or 10 feet
in diameter. They observed springs
bubbling from these volcanic pipes.
SoundingS were made; 1000 feet of
piano wire was unreeled in one Of
these volcanic pipes and the lead
at the end was still swinging clear.
A greater depth was not sought be-
cause they had no more wire.
Therkildson left Lake Malta
muskeet five or six years ago, but
he has continued to visit Lake
Phelps and bring important looking
people with him. TherkildSon has
recently spent several weeks at Lake
Phelph. He passed thru Elizabeth
City last Saturday on his way back
to his home and business in De-
troit. He would not disclose the ma
ture of his business at Lake Phelps
for publication; but he was very
communicative on the subject of thr
volcanic origin of the mysteriou
lake
In five million years the oCea'
that once surrounded the volcan
that is Lake Phelps has given plac
to land; forty feet Of peat under
lies the tOpsoil around Lake Phe!p
And beneath 100 feet of shell roc
rich in phoSphorOus that Nd
brought up from the seas dep hE
when the volcano was formed. One
may suspect that the Shrcwd Mr..
TherkildSon has designs on tat
peat and on that golden mine Of
phosphate underneath H., but si-ce
he has nothing to say about tl!at
we can get a kick out OF MS POI
tive conviction, based upon much
research, that Lake Phelps is the
bowl or crater of a now long ,X-
tinct volcano; and from the pipes
thru which it once belched millions
of tons of molten lava, the bowl is
now kept filled to running over
with crystal clear waters drawn flcn-
deep subteranean springs.