64 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT.
visited by Bart 'ram in 1776 this basin was known as "Alachna-savannah" and served as grazing ground for stock belonging to thc Indians.* 'The basin was visited by James Pierce in 1824 and was dry at that time. The water in the basin is said by W. W. Cameron who' lives near its margin to have been very low in 1861. When visited by Dr. E. A. Smith in i 88o the basin was comparatively full, forming a lake. The basin in fact is reported to have continued as a lake f rom 187 1 or 1873 to 189 1. In the f all of 189 t the basin became dry, and, with the exception of temporary overflows has been dry much of time since that date. It is possible that the higher water stage in the basin during the years from 1871 to 1891 was due to partial clogging of the -sink.. The records of rainfall during these years for this section is unfortunately lacking.
The following account of the disappearance of Alachua Lake appeared in the Providence journal for September 14, 189i. The account is given with some omissions as quoted by Dr. W. H. Dali in Bull, 84, U. S. Geol. S--urvey p. 94,192
"A curious spectacle was to be seen on the outskirts of Gainesville, Florida, recently. Alachua Lake** is no more. On its banks were lying thousands of dead 'fish* and the atmosphere wasI heavy with noxious gases. Men and boys were there in throngs with hoes and rakes, dragging to shore hundreds of fish which had sought the pools for refuge. The waters were fairly alive with their struggles for existence. Except for a small stream known as Payne's Creek flowing from Newnan's Lake into the Sink, the two main basins of the Sink, and a few stagnant pools, no water is now to be seen where a few years ago steamers were ploughing their way. This is tfle second time, since 1823 that a similar occurrence has taken, place. At that time the bed of the lake was a large prairie-Payne's Prairie-having in it a body of water called the Sink and a small creek. In 1868 heavy rains filled up the prairie, but the water disappeared after a short time and the prairie was again dry land. in 1873, after a series of heavy rains, the Sink overflowed and the creek swelled to the dimensions of a lake. During several years the waters increased till a larger lake was formed, and for fully fifteen years sufficient depth' of water gtood over the prairie to allow of small steamers. During tbe last two years, however, the waters have been gradually lowering, and about four weeks ago they commenced going down with surprising rapidity, tbe lake falling about eight feet in ten days, until now nothing is left of Alachua Lake but the memory of it. The Sink is considered the cause of this chang Ie. There is evidently an underground passage connected, and, for some reason not understood, this underground passage has been acting as, a drain until all the water in the lake has been drawn off.