36 TRANSACTIONS OF THE WAGNER FREE 



made up the bulk of the limestone exposed at Fort Thompson. The 

 bottom is very largely overgrown with a species of Myriophyllum (?), 

 which is especially abundant on the sands. We dragged in Lake Flirt, 

 but failed to detect anything of significance in the mass of black vegetable 

 muck with which our dredge came loaded to the surface. 



The elevation above sea level of the east end of the canal, or where the 

 canal issues from Lake Hikpochee, is 2022 feet, or about 1 1 feet above the 

 base of operations near Fort Thompson. This would give a fall of 10-12 

 feet in a course of some fifteen miles, an average of somewhat less than 

 a foot to the mile. There can be no question, it appears to me, that 

 Lake Hikpochee was the true source, beyond head-springs, of the 

 Caloosahatchie, although, as I am informed by Captain Menge, it was 

 found impossible, during the survey of the canal-route, to trace that 

 river into the lake, the farthest accessible point on the stream, where it 

 eventually loses itself in the maze of saw-grass, being still removed some 

 distance from its western border. Doubtless, however, the water of the 

 saw-grass country is in large part an oozing-out product derived from 

 the lake, just as the waters of the more southern Everglades represent 

 a similar outflow from Lake Okeechobee. Indeed, in view of the very 

 nearly uniform level occupied by the two lakes, and the swamp character 

 of the intervening territory, it is more than probable, despite the existence 

 of a low dividing ridge, that the last named lake is itself, whether directly 

 or indirectly, the most important contributor to the river's basin, largely 

 regulating the height of its waters, and of those of the smaller sister 

 lake lying to the west. 



We traversed the lake (Hikpochee) in a direction slightly north of 

 east, at a point where its width was estimated to be about seven miles. 

 The north shore was visible for much of the distance, but in the south 

 no bounding line could be detected. It is remarkable, in view of the 

 broad extent of this beautiful sheet of water, that even as late as 1875 

 its very existence should have been doubted. The following quotation 

 is taken from Dr. Kenworthy's narrative of a journey in Southern 

 Florida, published in Hallock's "Camp Life in Florida" (p. 298-9): "An 

 examination of Drew's and Colton's maps will show a large lake existing 

 at Fort Thompson, and another some miles east, named Hickpochce. 

 These bodies of water only exist in the imagination of map-makers . . . 

 We instituted many inquiries of Indians, settlers and cattle-drivers 

 regarding Lake Hickpochee, but all scouted the idea of its existence." 



We took numerous soundings, which gave an average depth of water 

 along the line of passage of upwards of ten feet, the lead at no place in- 

 dicating a drop of over fifteen feet. The bottom appeared to be largely 

 overgrown with the same plant which we had observed in the canal, 

 and which, in its profuse development, prevented the dredge from 



