CLEAR TO THE BOTTOM Part 2
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “No Klondike gold rush marked the discovery of Silver Springs, although Silver Springs releases 368,913 gallons of silvery water each minute and makes a Silver River.” View looking down into clear water of Silver Springs - view of springs surrounded by foliage. “But perhaps Silver Springs was too difficult to find.” Map of Florida showing Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Silver Springs. “‘Gee Sis, just see how plainly you can see everything clear to the bottom.’” Boy and girl in glass bottom boat. “Having read Jules Verne’s ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,’ the trip had an added interest.” Views of Silver Springs through glass bottom boat, fish, plant life, rocks. “Ponce De Leon’s quest of the Fountain of Youth carried him here, where his ship was sunk and he himself was wounded in a battle with the Indians.” View of boat under water. “The population in Silver Springs itself is about normal but their appetites are far in excess of their numbers.” Fish feeding on crumbs thrown on surface of water. “Catfish, weighing 15 pounds, are a feast to the fisherman’s eyes, but that’s all, for the clearness of the water makes them almost impossible to catch.” Views of catfish and other fish in water - men in rowboat fishing. “An underwater performance.” Boy swimming under glass bottom boat. “But let’s come up for air and board the Wekiwa for a little trip along Silver River.” Excursion boat on river - views of shoreline, trees, underbrush. “Hunters there are too, who scour the woods in search of game.” Men with rifles on flatcar pulled by small switch engine moving through high grass - view of wild turkeys in forest - men with rifles and dog walking along railroad tracks in forest, one man carrying turkey under arm. “Some return empty handed, while others --” Men walking through woods. “So the life blood of Mother Earth gushes forth, trickling down her breast in an endless stream that is never staunched.” Views of river. “The End.” “Ford Educational Library.” [1921]
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