WEBVTT 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:16.420 Welcome to Seneca Lake Mysteries. In this episode, 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:19.760 I'll be introducing this new podcast and covering 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.539 some intriguing and wild stories, including a 00:00:22.539 --> 00:00:25.839 search for hidden gold, giant whirlpools, bizarre 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:28.679 creatures by the railroad tracks, April Fool's 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:31.059 Day, terror on the water, a missing piece from 00:00:31.059 --> 00:00:33.740 a forgotten manuscript, and much more. So let's 00:00:33.740 --> 00:00:38.820 get into it. Hey everybody, welcome to Seneca 00:00:38.820 --> 00:00:42.039 Lake Mysteries, the podcast exploring the unusual, 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:46.299 strange, and unexplained New York's largest finger 00:00:46.299 --> 00:00:49.600 lake. My name is Jim Meaney, and I've spent the 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:52.420 past decade or so researching and collecting 00:00:52.420 --> 00:00:56.079 unusual, strange, and unexplained stories from 00:00:56.079 --> 00:01:00.479 the Seneca Lake region. Not just, you know, supernatural 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:04.319 paranormal topics like lake monsters and UFOs 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:08.150 and ghosts, but also... myths, legends, and curious 00:01:08.150 --> 00:01:11.390 or out -of -the -ordinary history, people, and 00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:15.069 places in the area. I'm lining up some great 00:01:15.069 --> 00:01:18.590 guests for the show in the coming weeks, and 00:01:18.590 --> 00:01:23.709 a new episode will be released on the 7th, 17th, 00:01:23.709 --> 00:01:28.150 and 27th of every month. If you have any feedback 00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:30.810 or questions or you have your own stories you'd 00:01:30.810 --> 00:01:33.030 like to share or maybe be a guest on the show, 00:01:35.739 --> 00:01:39.019 sending an email to podcast at SenecaLakeMysteries 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:43.120 .com or calling the Seneca Lake Mysteries hotline 00:01:43.120 --> 00:01:47.040 and leaving a voicemail. And that number is 607 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:55.319 -307 -1167. Now, I moved to the Geneva area. 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:58.439 Actually, I moved to the city of Geneva in 2013. 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:04.980 In 2014, I was in the midst of organizing a monthly... 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:08.819 art and culture event, a first Friday event in 00:02:08.819 --> 00:02:12.060 downtown Geneva. And I was looking for themes. 00:02:12.259 --> 00:02:14.139 Each month would have a specific theme, whether 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:18.180 it was a holiday that month or the season. And 00:02:18.180 --> 00:02:21.219 as I was researching themes, I came across a 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:24.580 story of the Seneca Lake monster. And I was really 00:02:24.580 --> 00:02:28.900 excited to find out about it because cryptozoology 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:32.520 and the unexplained have been interests of mine 00:02:32.520 --> 00:02:38.680 since I was a kid. I registered the website domain, 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:42.500 SenecaLakeMonster .com, and kind of put it on 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:45.759 the shelf and figured I'd revisit it later. And 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:49.180 then in 2015, it ended up being kind of the year 00:02:49.180 --> 00:02:53.039 of the lake monster. I proposed an amendment 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.259 to the city of Geneva's city council to prohibit 00:02:57.259 --> 00:02:59.460 hunting, trapping, and harming the Seneca Lake 00:02:59.460 --> 00:03:03.219 monster. That was approved by a 6 -1 vote by 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:07.810 city council. And that's now a law in Geneva. 00:03:08.650 --> 00:03:13.229 The same year, in July, I organized the Seneca 00:03:13.229 --> 00:03:16.750 Lake Monster edition of the First Friday art 00:03:16.750 --> 00:03:20.870 event. There was an art contest, a showing of 00:03:20.870 --> 00:03:24.189 the Exploring Seneca documentary about the Seneca 00:03:24.189 --> 00:03:27.729 Lake Monster. And it was a super successful event. 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:33.389 Shortly after that was the annual Geneva. fireman's 00:03:33.389 --> 00:03:35.810 parade and there was a lake monster float in 00:03:35.810 --> 00:03:39.270 the parade. Around the same time, I was contacted 00:03:39.270 --> 00:03:43.289 by New Yorker magazine and they were doing a 00:03:43.289 --> 00:03:47.009 short documentary about Seneca Lake. And I was, 00:03:47.009 --> 00:03:50.930 I had the opportunity to be part of that short 00:03:50.930 --> 00:03:53.569 documentary talking about the lake monster and 00:03:53.569 --> 00:03:58.219 the Seneca Lake drums. So I continued. Looking 00:03:58.219 --> 00:04:01.400 into Seneca Lake drums, UFO sightings, which 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:04.199 led me to different ghost stories and hauntings, 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:07.379 the history of the Willard Asylum, military presence 00:04:07.379 --> 00:04:11.879 on Seneca Lake. So I was researching these subjects 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:14.759 and collecting these stories just sort of as 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:18.379 a hobby, something I was interested in. At the 00:04:18.379 --> 00:04:22.639 same time, I started writing a political blog 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:28.519 about local government in... 2016 right around 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:31.819 the time the first friday event was was uh kind 00:04:31.819 --> 00:04:35.800 of kind of reached its um reached its end and 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:40.839 when i got close when the blog also ran its course 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:48.600 in 2021 i ended the blog and by march of 2022 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:54.100 i launched seneca lake mysteries um Launched 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:56.019 the website and put a call out to the public 00:04:56.019 --> 00:04:59.000 about the project and asked the public to send 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:04.360 me stories for inclusion in a possible book or 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:07.199 some other kind of effort in the future, which 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:10.459 turns out to be this podcast. Just to clarify, 00:05:10.819 --> 00:05:15.000 I picked the name Seneca Lake Mysteries after 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:18.040 a lot of thought. Had trouble thinking of an 00:05:18.040 --> 00:05:21.220 exact word that would... describe everything 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:24.139 that I kind of want to cover with the project. 00:05:24.459 --> 00:05:28.579 So the term Seneca Lake Mysteries might be a 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:31.019 little deceptive to some people. It's not a true 00:05:31.019 --> 00:05:37.519 crime podcast. I'm not looking to debunk or prove 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:41.000 any of the stories that we talk about, even though 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:43.920 they're mysteries. I'm not looking to necessarily 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:47.980 solve these mysteries. It's just an opportunity 00:05:47.980 --> 00:05:51.129 to Just talk about these stories, kind of engage 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:54.670 our imagination and have some fun and see where 00:05:54.670 --> 00:05:58.610 it goes. One thing I am going to stay away from 00:05:58.610 --> 00:06:02.069 is if I find out a story is a hoax, something 00:06:02.069 --> 00:06:05.750 that's known to have been faked, I won't be covering 00:06:05.750 --> 00:06:09.550 those kind of stories on the podcast. So I will 00:06:09.550 --> 00:06:13.350 be covering a lot of the more well -known stories, 00:06:13.550 --> 00:06:15.769 like I mentioned earlier, the Seneca Lake Monster. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:19.899 Willard Asylum, the military history in the area, 00:06:20.120 --> 00:06:24.560 Seneca White Deer, UFO sightings, some of the 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:28.980 more famous haunted locations in the area. But 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:33.060 also I've got a lot of stories ready for you 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:36.819 that you probably haven't heard before. And some 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:39.660 of them are pretty out there, pretty bananas. 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:45.269 And the stories will range from being a... a 00:06:45.269 --> 00:06:49.730 fascinating kind of local trivia wow i didn't 00:06:49.730 --> 00:06:52.209 really know that to the other end of the spectrum 00:06:52.209 --> 00:06:57.069 which is like holy cow that's the most bonkers 00:06:57.069 --> 00:06:59.810 thing i've ever heard so i'm really excited to 00:06:59.810 --> 00:07:04.329 get the show going as far as where i'm where 00:07:04.329 --> 00:07:06.490 i've gathered these sources from a lot of publications 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:11.050 newspapers books online articles but also stories 00:07:11.050 --> 00:07:13.129 that people have told me themselves firsthand 00:07:13.129 --> 00:07:16.720 accounts Um, some of those stories, if I can 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:19.860 get, if I can get these people to agree to come 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:21.620 on the podcast, they'll be coming on the podcast. 00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:24.819 Otherwise I'll just recount the stories that 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:28.920 they've, that they've told to me. And each episode 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:32.480 I plan to cover multiple different stories per 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:35.620 episode. So if you tune in and you're hearing 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:39.000 a story about whatever UFOs and it doesn't interest 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.339 you that much, just hang around and I'll, I'll, 00:07:41.339 --> 00:07:43.620 I'm sure I'll be hitting some other stories that 00:07:44.029 --> 00:07:47.910 might interest you moving along. So yeah, I'm 00:07:47.910 --> 00:07:50.269 really excited to get this going. I want to thank 00:07:50.269 --> 00:07:52.769 you so much for listening. If you like the show, 00:07:52.949 --> 00:07:56.829 please subscribe, tell your friends, let everybody 00:07:56.829 --> 00:07:59.689 know. You can get the podcast anywhere you get 00:07:59.689 --> 00:08:03.149 your podcasts. Sign up for the email list at 00:08:03.149 --> 00:08:05.490 SenecaLakeMysteries .com. That's actually the 00:08:05.490 --> 00:08:08.509 best way not only to know when the podcast... 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:11.100 when a new podcast is coming out, but also any 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:13.779 other updates or events or, or things I have 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:17.060 going on. And of course you can always call the 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:20.160 phone number and, uh, and yeah, let me know what's 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:22.240 going on that this, this show is going to depend 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:26.759 on you, the listener. And, and I see it more 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:29.959 as a, as a community kind of effort, not just 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:33.240 folks who live in the area, but, uh, anyone who 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:35.639 just has interest in these kinds of subjects 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:39.809 and in the. Seneca Lake area. So thanks again 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:44.090 for listening. And I've got first segment that 00:08:44.090 --> 00:08:47.789 I want to do next is going to focus primarily 00:08:47.789 --> 00:08:50.789 on the lake itself, the physical features of 00:08:50.789 --> 00:08:55.090 the lake, and sort of describing the setting 00:08:55.090 --> 00:08:59.009 of Seneca Lake and what makes it so unique and 00:08:59.009 --> 00:09:01.029 different from other places in the world. The 00:09:01.029 --> 00:09:03.929 place that is the setting for all these stories 00:09:03.929 --> 00:09:06.039 we're going to be exploring. So yeah, thanks 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:11.080 for listening, and let's go. So before we get 00:09:11.080 --> 00:09:13.799 into the unexplained and unusual places, events, 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:17.139 people, and legends from the Seneca Lake area, 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.279 let's take a look at the lake itself and the 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:23.820 surrounding landscape that provides the backdrop 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:28.419 and atmosphere for these stories. So for starters, 00:09:28.580 --> 00:09:32.139 Seneca Lake is the deepest freshwater lake in 00:09:32.139 --> 00:09:34.740 the United States, east of the Mississippi River, 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:38.279 not including the Great Lakes. Another way to 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:40.639 say that would be that Seneca Lake is the deepest 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:42.620 freshwater lake in the U .S., east of the Mississippi 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:46.899 River, contained within the borders of the United 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:50.740 States. So, in other words, you can travel from 00:09:50.740 --> 00:09:54.580 Wisconsin to Louisiana to Florida to Maine and 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:56.980 everywhere in between, and you will not find 00:09:56.980 --> 00:10:02.139 a deeper lake than Seneca Lake. It's one of the 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:05.519 11 Finger Lakes in upstate New York. which were 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:09.120 once a series of north -flowing streams before 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:12.600 advancing and retreating glaciers, carved out 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:16.220 the landscape, and it became ice -free about 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:21.200 14 ,000 years ago. The lakes are laid out, arranged 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:24.740 side -by -side along a roughly 70 -mile stretch 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:27.879 of land about 30 miles south of Lake Ontario, 00:10:28.059 --> 00:10:30.679 with Seneca Lake approximately in the center, 00:10:30.779 --> 00:10:34.019 which has earned it the... The rascally nickname, 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:37.919 the middle finger. So with a maximum depth of 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:43.080 618 feet, an average depth of 281 feet, and a 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:47.360 maximum width of about three miles, Seneca Lake 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.340 accounts for about half of the total water held 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:55.919 in all 11 long, narrow finger lakes. So 618 feet. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:00.039 How deep is 618 feet? Well, you could place Seattle, 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:04.399 Washington's Space Needle. or Washington, D .C.'s 00:11:04.399 --> 00:11:07.799 Washington Monument at the deepest point of Seneca 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:13.220 Lake, and both of those monuments would be completely 00:11:13.220 --> 00:11:17.000 submerged. I don't know why you'd want to do 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:20.159 that, but researchers have also estimated that 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:23.080 the original depth of the lake was more than 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:27.519 double the current measurement. So there's supposedly 00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:31.149 an estimated 800 feet of sediment. at the bottom 00:11:31.149 --> 00:11:34.870 of the lake, and that's believed to hold a 12 00:11:34.870 --> 00:11:39.710 ,500 -year sedimentary record. So if you're opposed 00:11:39.710 --> 00:11:43.929 to placing the Washington Monument at the bottom 00:11:43.929 --> 00:11:46.509 of Seneca Lake, you can rest easy because it 00:11:46.509 --> 00:11:47.870 probably wouldn't work because it would just 00:11:47.870 --> 00:11:53.549 sink into the muddy sediment. The main tributaries 00:11:53.549 --> 00:11:56.690 on Seneca Lake are Catherine Creek at the southern 00:11:56.690 --> 00:12:00.909 end and the Cayuga Lake outlet. which flows into 00:12:00.909 --> 00:12:03.870 Seneca Lake near Dresden on the western shore, 00:12:04.090 --> 00:12:07.470 right about the midpoint of the lake, Seneca 00:12:07.470 --> 00:12:11.210 Lake. There are dozens of smaller streams that 00:12:11.210 --> 00:12:14.690 empty into the lake and plenty of waterfalls 00:12:14.690 --> 00:12:19.590 not far from Seneca Shores. Now, waterfalls are, 00:12:19.850 --> 00:12:22.990 the Finger Lakes are well known for the number 00:12:22.990 --> 00:12:27.590 of waterfalls that it has. And for me, there's 00:12:27.590 --> 00:12:31.389 something... really special about waterfalls 00:12:31.389 --> 00:12:34.970 and the benefits, the healing power that they 00:12:34.970 --> 00:12:38.470 have. They're known to have psychological and 00:12:38.470 --> 00:12:41.509 physiological benefits. They help alleviate mental 00:12:41.509 --> 00:12:48.750 fatigue, reducing stress and anxiety. And it's 00:12:48.750 --> 00:12:51.809 also said that the negative ions that are released 00:12:51.809 --> 00:12:55.129 by cascading water can increase serotonin levels 00:12:55.129 --> 00:12:58.789 in the brain. So not only are waterfalls beautiful 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:04.049 and relaxing, but they can really alter your 00:13:04.049 --> 00:13:08.789 state of awareness. And there are quite a few 00:13:08.789 --> 00:13:11.549 of these waterfalls around Seneca Lake. There's 00:13:11.549 --> 00:13:16.889 even a stream that's named 16 Falls Creek, to 00:13:16.889 --> 00:13:19.610 give you kind of an idea of just how many falls 00:13:19.610 --> 00:13:25.029 there are around here. Now, the tallest waterfall... 00:13:25.389 --> 00:13:28.710 in the Seneca Lake area is Aunt Sarah's Falls, 00:13:28.870 --> 00:13:31.129 or Aunt Sarah's Falls, depending on how you pronounce 00:13:31.129 --> 00:13:34.789 it, in the village of Montour Falls, which is 00:13:34.789 --> 00:13:37.470 a total of around 200 feet, maybe a little bit 00:13:37.470 --> 00:13:40.970 more, although only the bottom 90 to 100 feet 00:13:40.970 --> 00:13:45.309 is visible from the ground. So that's also one 00:13:45.309 --> 00:13:50.090 of the reasons why it's one of my favorite waterfalls 00:13:50.090 --> 00:13:51.950 in the area and probably my favorite waterfall 00:13:51.950 --> 00:13:54.649 around Seneca Lake because... You can look at 00:13:54.649 --> 00:13:59.309 it, and it's visible from the road, but you're 00:13:59.309 --> 00:14:07.149 only seeing about a third of it. So that kind 00:14:07.149 --> 00:14:09.529 of gives it an air of mystery. You're not seeing 00:14:09.529 --> 00:14:15.429 the whole lake. So that kind of gives it an air 00:14:15.429 --> 00:14:18.129 of mystery. You're not seeing the whole waterfall. 00:14:18.750 --> 00:14:25.149 And also, it's my favorite waterfall. because 00:14:25.149 --> 00:14:27.710 the legends surrounding it one local legend said 00:14:27.710 --> 00:14:31.250 that it got its name aunt sarah's falls was named 00:14:31.250 --> 00:14:34.070 after a woman who was an indian a wife of an 00:14:34.070 --> 00:14:36.909 early settler in the area who jumped to her death 00:14:36.909 --> 00:14:42.470 from the falls however the legend that i really 00:14:42.470 --> 00:14:46.570 get a kick out of is that at one time there was 00:14:46.570 --> 00:14:49.970 supposedly a rock carving of an indian woman's 00:14:49.970 --> 00:14:54.960 face near the base of the falls that was destroyed 00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:58.759 by men who believed that there was gold hidden 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:03.980 behind it. Now that's a delightful story on a 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:07.200 couple of levels. One, because of this idea of 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:10.299 a rock carving of a face, you'd be hard -pressed 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:12.659 to find any history of indigenous Native people 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:16.720 in North America making rock carvings of faces. 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:20.620 And not only that, the idea that there was a 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:23.159 treasure of gold hidden behind this carving. 00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:28.340 Just makes it a real neat little story. The next 00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:33.960 tallest waterfall is Hector Falls at 165 feet 00:15:33.960 --> 00:15:37.860 in the town of Hector on the east side of the 00:15:37.860 --> 00:15:42.379 lake, followed by Chihuahua Falls, also in Montour 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:47.320 Falls, at 156 feet. Now, the cool thing is all 00:15:47.320 --> 00:15:50.559 three of these falls, Antares Falls, Hector Falls, 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:55.039 and Chihuahua Falls, are all... easily viewable 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:58.279 to the public with parking right next to the 00:15:58.279 --> 00:16:00.899 falls. You can visit any of these falls at any 00:16:00.899 --> 00:16:03.879 time, although the best time to visit is after 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:07.679 a good amount of rain. Now, there are other big 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:12.440 ones. Silver Thread Falls in Lodi, 150 feet. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:18.340 Glenora Falls in Glenora on the west side of 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:22.049 the lake, right around 100 feet. And of course, 00:16:22.090 --> 00:16:27.730 Watkins Glen State Park has a total of 19 waterfalls. 00:16:27.970 --> 00:16:31.389 The tallest one is about 60 feet. The smallest 00:16:31.389 --> 00:16:35.549 ones are just a few feet high. And these 19 waterfalls 00:16:35.549 --> 00:16:39.610 drop a combined 400 feet down the gorge. And 00:16:39.610 --> 00:16:43.830 this gorge has 200 -foot walls. Watkins Glen, 00:16:43.909 --> 00:16:46.049 I'm stating the obvious, but if you haven't been 00:16:46.049 --> 00:16:48.450 to Watkins Glen, you've got to go there. You've 00:16:48.450 --> 00:16:52.720 got to see it. It is... a truly otherworldly 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:57.100 place, and we're very lucky to have it here near 00:16:57.100 --> 00:17:00.720 Seneca Lake. Now, at the northern end of Seneca 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.220 Lake, near Geneva, the lake flows out into the 00:17:04.220 --> 00:17:06.900 Seneca River, which became part of the Erie Canal 00:17:06.900 --> 00:17:10.980 system in the early 1800s, which directly connected 00:17:10.980 --> 00:17:14.240 Seneca Lake with the Hudson River and the Atlantic 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:18.000 Ocean, which means you can get to anywhere in 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:21.640 the world by boat. from Seneca Lake. Now the 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:24.519 lake is also believed to be fed by underground 00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:29.400 springs at an astonishing rate of 328 gallons 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:33.500 per minute. And due to the lake's depth and its 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:36.700 constantly circulating waters, the temperature 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:40.480 at approximately 100 feet deep remains at around 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:44.200 39 -40 degrees Fahrenheit year -round, which 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:47.849 prevents it from ever fully freezing over. except 00:17:47.849 --> 00:17:51.829 for a handful of known recorded cases. Last time 00:17:51.829 --> 00:17:59.269 was 1912. Also happened in 1855, 1875, and 1885. 00:17:59.910 --> 00:18:03.910 Now, Seneca Lake's warm water temperature acts 00:18:03.910 --> 00:18:08.450 as a heat source and creates a unique microclimate 00:18:08.450 --> 00:18:11.230 over the hills and fields surrounding the lake, 00:18:11.390 --> 00:18:14.650 which extends the growing season, making it ideal 00:18:14.650 --> 00:18:18.480 for growing grapes and other fruit. as evidenced 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:21.019 by the large number of vineyards and wineries 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:24.619 that surround the shores today. And it's not 00:18:24.619 --> 00:18:26.980 just the microclimate. Combined with the soils 00:18:26.980 --> 00:18:31.140 and the terrain, Seneca Lake is actually one 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:33.799 of the most unique and ideal spots in the world 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:37.420 for grape production. And within that microclimate 00:18:37.420 --> 00:18:43.200 is an area on the southeastern shore of Seneca 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:47.960 Lake. That's known as the banana belt. It's next 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:51.079 to some of the deepest parts of the lake, and 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:54.759 the way the afternoon sun hits the area can sometimes 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:58.059 mean a 5 or 10 degree difference in temperature 00:18:58.059 --> 00:19:00.460 from the surrounding area. So when you're just 00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:02.359 talking about the natural features of the lake, 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:05.819 you have all these waterfalls that kind of put 00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:08.240 you in a different state of consciousness, and 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:12.220 you have areas where the weather is literally 00:19:12.220 --> 00:19:15.750 different. from the weather just a few miles 00:19:15.750 --> 00:19:19.089 away. So it really creates an atmosphere that 00:19:19.089 --> 00:19:22.849 feels like a different kind of place. Now there 00:19:22.849 --> 00:19:28.609 has been some research done into the action of 00:19:28.609 --> 00:19:32.569 the water under the surface on Seneca Lake. It 00:19:32.569 --> 00:19:37.849 has unique underwater wave phenomena. In 1977, 00:19:39.069 --> 00:19:42.230 Dr. William F. Arnsbrock, a professor at Hobart 00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:44.910 and William Smith Colleges, headed up a research 00:19:44.910 --> 00:19:48.190 effort into these underwater waves, which he 00:19:48.190 --> 00:19:51.670 referred to as internal undular surges. Interestingly, 00:19:52.190 --> 00:19:55.509 Dr. Arnsbrock concluded that these surges also 00:19:55.509 --> 00:20:00.369 existed in the world's oceans and in Scotland's 00:20:00.369 --> 00:20:03.369 Loch Ness, the purported home of the world's 00:20:03.369 --> 00:20:06.630 most famous lake monster. Nessie. Dr. Arnsbrock 00:20:06.630 --> 00:20:08.910 even traveled to Loch Ness to learn all he could 00:20:08.910 --> 00:20:13.009 about the lake and about long, narrow, deep bodies 00:20:13.009 --> 00:20:16.289 of water in general, and he observed that Loch 00:20:16.289 --> 00:20:19.529 Ness does look like Seneca Lake a bit, but it's 00:20:19.529 --> 00:20:23.009 slightly narrower at 1 .7 miles, shorter at 22 00:20:23.009 --> 00:20:28.089 .5 miles, and deeper, 755 feet. But they do share 00:20:28.089 --> 00:20:31.410 many of the same characteristics. Arnsbrock also 00:20:31.410 --> 00:20:33.730 noted that the underwater waves in Loch Ness 00:20:34.119 --> 00:20:37.220 bounced back and forth, unlike Seneca Lake, due 00:20:37.220 --> 00:20:40.380 to Loch Ness's narrower width. Dr. Arnsbrock 00:20:40.380 --> 00:20:42.920 also stated that he did not see any lake monsters 00:20:42.920 --> 00:20:46.500 on his trip to Scotland, nor apparently in Seneca 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:50.359 Lake. Now, more recently in 2021, a team of researchers 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:53.500 funded by Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, 00:20:53.619 --> 00:20:56.799 conducted an experiment to track deep currents 00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.740 in Seneca Lake. They used three buoys attached 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:05.750 to drogues at depths of 4 feet, 30 feet, and 00:21:05.750 --> 00:21:09.970 100 feet. And their study showed active currents 00:21:09.970 --> 00:21:13.609 under the surface of Seneca Lake, which reversed 00:21:13.609 --> 00:21:18.029 approximately every 26 hours. And underwater 00:21:18.029 --> 00:21:21.670 whirlpools with a diameter of up to one mile 00:21:21.670 --> 00:21:26.869 rotating downstream of several headlands. Headlands 00:21:26.869 --> 00:21:29.210 are also referred to as points, like Lodi Point. 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:32.190 just landmasses that kind of jut outward in the 00:21:32.190 --> 00:21:34.630 lake. So even just looking at the work of Dr. 00:21:34.670 --> 00:21:37.569 Arnsbrock back in the 70s and the Lemoyne -funded 00:21:37.569 --> 00:21:41.630 team in recent years and others, we see that 00:21:41.630 --> 00:21:44.190 it's pretty clearly established that the waters 00:21:44.190 --> 00:21:46.390 below the surface of Seneca Lake are dynamic 00:21:46.390 --> 00:21:50.450 and active, and they add yet another distinct 00:21:50.450 --> 00:21:54.970 layer of uniqueness to Seneca Lake. Now, although 00:21:54.970 --> 00:21:57.490 the waters of Seneca Lake are usually fairly 00:21:57.490 --> 00:22:02.599 calm, Local residents and visitors acknowledge 00:22:02.599 --> 00:22:06.460 and respect the occasional danger and power the 00:22:06.460 --> 00:22:10.539 lake exhibits. The wave patterns are more similar 00:22:10.539 --> 00:22:14.460 to the Great Lakes or the ocean than some of 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:18.200 the smaller lakes that people encounter in the 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:21.299 Northeast. And conditions can turn pretty quickly. 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.940 There are newspaper accounts from the 19th century 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:27.349 until the present day that... detailed dozens, 00:22:27.470 --> 00:22:31.410 if not hundreds, of accidental drownings on Seneca 00:22:31.410 --> 00:22:33.509 Lake, which I'm not going to get into. That's 00:22:33.509 --> 00:22:35.950 a pretty dark subject. But especially in the 00:22:35.950 --> 00:22:41.529 late 19th century, early 20th century, it was 00:22:41.529 --> 00:22:46.230 not uncommon for 10 people to drown in Seneca 00:22:46.230 --> 00:22:49.230 Lake every year or more. Now, a great number 00:22:49.230 --> 00:22:53.589 of those occurrences are due to the lake's tendency 00:22:53.589 --> 00:23:00.029 to... rapidly change from gently rolling tides 00:23:00.029 --> 00:23:03.390 to rumbling treacherous waves. And there's one 00:23:03.390 --> 00:23:08.789 story from 1950 that kind of illustrates how 00:23:08.789 --> 00:23:12.069 Seneca Lake's conditions can change very quickly. 00:23:12.269 --> 00:23:15.630 I call this one the April Fool's Greyhound Lake 00:23:15.630 --> 00:23:19.349 Assault. So back on April Fool's Day of 1950, 00:23:19.690 --> 00:23:23.769 38 passengers inside a stalled Greyhound bus. 00:23:24.349 --> 00:23:26.630 got an up -close look at exactly how violent 00:23:26.630 --> 00:23:29.710 the lake could be. So it was about two miles 00:23:29.710 --> 00:23:32.410 east of Geneva along a stretch of routes 5 and 00:23:32.410 --> 00:23:35.970 20 where Seneca Lake State Park now sits. Multiple 00:23:35.970 --> 00:23:38.990 automobiles had stalled along that highway throughout 00:23:38.990 --> 00:23:42.130 the day because of heavy rains and storms and 00:23:42.130 --> 00:23:46.569 standing water on the roadway, which ran right 00:23:46.569 --> 00:23:50.450 along the northern shore. So this bus, which 00:23:50.450 --> 00:23:52.589 was en route from Rochester to Syracuse, was 00:23:52.589 --> 00:23:55.960 filled with passengers. and had conked out right 00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:58.519 along that same stretch where the roadway was 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:01.319 submerged under eight inches of water. According 00:24:01.319 --> 00:24:05.099 to witnesses, a powerful south wind was generating 00:24:05.099 --> 00:24:10.400 waves that were around 14 feet high, which repeatedly 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:13.880 slammed into the side of the bus. The waves struck 00:24:13.880 --> 00:24:16.160 the side of the bus with such force that water 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:18.859 was seeping through the windows, passengers were 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:22.460 screaming in terror, and the bus sat there for 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:25.349 about an hour. before a tow truck finally arrived 00:24:25.349 --> 00:24:28.789 on the scene to move the Greyhound and all its 00:24:28.789 --> 00:24:31.769 traumatized riders to safety. Now, if it seems 00:24:31.769 --> 00:24:36.150 like 14 feet high is unrealistic for Seneca Lake, 00:24:36.289 --> 00:24:41.329 they probably weren't 14 -foot waves. The waves 00:24:41.329 --> 00:24:43.710 on Seneca Lake can probably get up to, I don't 00:24:43.710 --> 00:24:46.109 know, six, eight feet high. But when they hit 00:24:46.109 --> 00:24:50.529 that seawall, that concrete rock seawall that's 00:24:50.529 --> 00:24:53.279 at the northern end of the lake, When they strike 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:56.460 that seawall, it kind of throws the water up 00:24:56.460 --> 00:25:00.680 high. And you can see it when there are storms 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:03.519 in the area, especially on super windy days. 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:06.480 So it's possible. I mean, a Greyhound bus is 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:09.980 about 12 feet high. At least Greyhound buses 00:25:09.980 --> 00:25:14.599 back at that time. So 14 feet waves or water 00:25:14.599 --> 00:25:18.200 splashing into the side of the bus isn't impossible. 00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:21.980 So yeah, Seneca Lake and the area around it is... 00:25:22.269 --> 00:25:25.269 not like any other place in the world. It sort 00:25:25.269 --> 00:25:28.650 of has its own weather, has places like Watkins 00:25:28.650 --> 00:25:31.849 Glen and Excelsior Glen that you can walk into 00:25:31.849 --> 00:25:33.730 and feel like you're in a different place and 00:25:33.730 --> 00:25:37.369 time. The lake is extraordinarily deep and unpredictable 00:25:37.369 --> 00:25:41.369 and beautiful. There's probably a lot more details 00:25:41.369 --> 00:25:44.069 and unique aspects and features I could talk 00:25:44.069 --> 00:25:46.410 about, but that's kind of the basics, kind of 00:25:46.410 --> 00:25:49.890 covers the most notable things about the Seneca 00:25:49.890 --> 00:25:59.039 Lake area. So I decided to tell this story on 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:02.400 the first episode of the podcast for several 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:08.660 reasons. I received this back in October of 2022, 00:26:08.900 --> 00:26:12.579 just a few months after I had launched the project 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:15.480 and asked people to send their stories and their 00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:21.740 feedback. Most of the feedback I got, folks told 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:25.269 me their name and I was able to... to reply and 00:26:25.269 --> 00:26:28.509 discuss whatever they wanted to discuss, whatever 00:26:28.509 --> 00:26:31.309 experience they wanted to share. But I received 00:26:31.309 --> 00:26:36.049 one that was anonymous, and it's really a very 00:26:36.049 --> 00:26:41.230 bizarre story. And because it was sent in through 00:26:41.230 --> 00:26:43.430 the contact form on my website, there's no way 00:26:43.430 --> 00:26:46.589 for me to reply and ask any follow -up questions. 00:26:47.170 --> 00:26:49.670 But it's such a weird story, and it's stuck with 00:26:49.670 --> 00:26:53.319 me for the past couple of years. So why not put 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:56.680 it here in the first episode of the Seneca Lake 00:26:56.680 --> 00:27:00.980 Mysteries podcast? So it says here the date of 00:27:00.980 --> 00:27:06.700 the sighting, 2009 through 2020, maybe? Question 00:27:06.700 --> 00:27:11.220 mark. Location of the sighting, Geneva, New York, 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:15.480 mainly near train tracks. So that covers a pretty 00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:20.240 broad area from the city of Geneva into the town 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:23.730 of Geneva. says number of witnesses are two so 00:27:23.730 --> 00:27:28.609 the person describes the experience in the following 00:27:28.609 --> 00:27:32.750 way quote i spotted the first one when i was 00:27:32.750 --> 00:27:36.390 maybe five or six i was eating breakfast with 00:27:36.390 --> 00:27:38.650 my family when i heard a weird sound from the 00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:41.589 hall i looked over and there was a black cat 00:27:41.589 --> 00:27:44.549 with no face it wasn't like the face was ripped 00:27:44.549 --> 00:27:47.789 off or something it was just flat where it should 00:27:47.789 --> 00:27:50.650 be Also, this was at a time when we didn't have 00:27:50.650 --> 00:27:53.630 any cats. I pointed it out to my parents who 00:27:53.630 --> 00:27:56.690 went to check, but it was gone. Over the years, 00:27:56.750 --> 00:28:00.190 I saw a few more of these cats. Some in my house 00:28:00.190 --> 00:28:03.329 or in a woods where a rail used to run. They 00:28:03.329 --> 00:28:06.589 can be any color or breed and often seem completely 00:28:06.589 --> 00:28:09.549 normal aside from the fact that they don't have 00:28:09.549 --> 00:28:13.410 a face. Occasionally, however, they have slightly 00:28:13.410 --> 00:28:16.599 distorted features. Like a tail that seems a 00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:19.799 bit too long for a cat or ears that are too long 00:28:19.799 --> 00:28:23.140 and skinny. Or even looking like a photo someone 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:26.559 tried to stretch. For years I thought I was just 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:29.579 seeing things. They tend to vanish very quickly. 00:28:29.819 --> 00:28:33.880 Or they were just cats who were sick or had weirdly 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:37.740 fluffy faces. But a few years ago, in 2020 I 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:40.680 think, I was walking with a friend. We passed... 00:28:40.910 --> 00:28:43.210 over a train track and they mentioned that sometimes 00:28:43.210 --> 00:28:47.309 they saw weird faceless cats along it. I asked 00:28:47.309 --> 00:28:49.630 them for more info and they sounded exactly like 00:28:49.630 --> 00:28:52.609 what I saw. There's been a few more people who 00:28:52.609 --> 00:28:55.130 claim to see them, but those people only said 00:28:55.130 --> 00:28:57.930 so after I had already mentioned them, so they 00:28:57.930 --> 00:29:00.289 could have been lying. I've tried researching, 00:29:00.470 --> 00:29:03.230 but I haven't found anything else about it. So 00:29:03.230 --> 00:29:06.289 all I really know is they like trains and they 00:29:06.289 --> 00:29:09.670 act like completely normal cats. They won't act 00:29:09.670 --> 00:29:12.480 sick. They seem to be able to see despite having 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:15.500 no eyes. And I think I've even heard them meow 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:18.640 despite no mouth. But as soon as you take your 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:23.319 eyes off of them, they're gone. End quote. Okay, 00:29:23.380 --> 00:29:26.000 so I think that the average person, or just speaking 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:30.319 for myself, when you're walking near a railroad 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:34.160 track or outdoor somewhere and you see a cat, 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:40.940 my first instinct is, oh, it's a cat. I wonder 00:29:40.940 --> 00:29:44.339 if it will come near me. I wonder if it wants 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:47.740 to be pet. I wonder if it will meow at me. But 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:50.380 it's a good feeling. It's a joyful feeling almost. 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:53.579 For me, I'm seeing a cat when I didn't expect 00:29:53.579 --> 00:29:57.059 to see one. So to go from that to getting a closer 00:29:57.059 --> 00:30:00.140 look at a cat and realizing that it has no face 00:30:00.140 --> 00:30:04.019 on it, that's just really unsettling to me. Now 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:07.079 I've looked into and researched to see if there 00:30:07.079 --> 00:30:10.210 are... legends or myths or stories of cryptids 00:30:10.210 --> 00:30:14.210 that involve faceless animals, cats or otherwise, 00:30:14.529 --> 00:30:18.250 and I haven't really found anything. There are 00:30:18.250 --> 00:30:21.410 various legends about faceless humanoids and 00:30:21.410 --> 00:30:25.289 people and ghosts, but not animals. If you know 00:30:25.289 --> 00:30:27.809 of any stories, send them in, let me know, because 00:30:27.809 --> 00:30:31.769 I am very curious about this. But also, cats, 00:30:31.950 --> 00:30:35.890 seeing a cat without a face is extraordinarily 00:30:35.890 --> 00:30:40.900 weird. But seeing that same cat and realizing 00:30:40.900 --> 00:30:44.759 that it has distorted features, a tail that's 00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:48.759 too long for a cat, ears that are too long and 00:30:48.759 --> 00:30:51.740 skinny, or looking like a photo that someone 00:30:51.740 --> 00:30:54.779 tried to stretch, you go from being creepy and 00:30:54.779 --> 00:30:59.019 scary to a whole other level of insane bending 00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:03.700 of reality. And if that's not enough... These 00:31:03.700 --> 00:31:06.380 cats appear to be able to see without having 00:31:06.380 --> 00:31:11.940 eyes or meow without a mouth. And they seem to 00:31:11.940 --> 00:31:15.500 literally vanish. As soon as you glance away, 00:31:15.700 --> 00:31:18.380 they're gone. So for the past couple of years, 00:31:18.460 --> 00:31:21.480 I've been keeping my eyes open when I'm around 00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:25.380 the railroad tracks near Geneva. And now I'm 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:29.019 asking you, has anyone out there seen anything 00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:32.920 like this? Ever seen a faceless cat? in Geneva 00:31:32.920 --> 00:31:36.539 or anywhere else or any kind of faceless animal, 00:31:36.700 --> 00:31:40.839 let me know. Send an email podcast at senecalakemysteries 00:31:40.839 --> 00:31:48.079 .com or leave a voicemail at 607 -307 -1167. 00:31:49.180 --> 00:31:51.220 I'd like to learn more. Oh, and if you're the 00:31:51.220 --> 00:31:53.900 person who wrote this email, reach out to me. 00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:56.799 I'd like to know if you've seen any more of them 00:31:56.799 --> 00:31:59.759 or if anyone else has seen them. And you know 00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:04.630 what I realized? is that the words face and cat 00:32:04.630 --> 00:32:09.730 share a synonym. That synonym would be puss. 00:32:11.410 --> 00:32:14.569 So maybe I call this the story of the pussless 00:32:14.569 --> 00:32:21.369 puss or the puss without a puss. I don't know. 00:32:21.450 --> 00:32:25.920 Let me know what you think. I'd like to start 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:28.180 by giving you a little background about how this, 00:32:28.279 --> 00:32:31.900 the final story of the first episode of the podcast 00:32:31.900 --> 00:32:35.119 ended up being the final story of the first episode 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:37.779 of the podcast. So in recent weeks, I was putting 00:32:37.779 --> 00:32:41.079 together and planning this podcast and I had 00:32:41.079 --> 00:32:44.400 the stories that I wanted to feature, but I felt 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:46.660 like I'd need a little bit more and I wasn't 00:32:46.660 --> 00:32:49.539 sure what would be the best story that would 00:32:49.539 --> 00:32:52.819 fit kind of the theme of the first episode. And 00:32:52.819 --> 00:32:55.490 I was... Kind of not really struggling with it. 00:32:55.509 --> 00:32:57.710 I just felt like I had kind of hit a wall. And 00:32:57.710 --> 00:33:00.170 right around that time, I happened to be online 00:33:00.170 --> 00:33:04.309 and I collect memorabilia and other items related 00:33:04.309 --> 00:33:06.869 to Seneca Lake, especially its weird history. 00:33:07.009 --> 00:33:10.150 And I came across an old manuscript for sale. 00:33:10.269 --> 00:33:12.750 I call it a manuscript because that's what it 00:33:12.750 --> 00:33:16.549 was described as online. And it's three sheets 00:33:16.549 --> 00:33:21.910 of lined five inch by eight inch. writing paper. 00:33:22.170 --> 00:33:25.369 And it's an essay that was written over a hundred 00:33:25.369 --> 00:33:29.329 years ago, likely in the late 1800s, early 1900s. 00:33:29.329 --> 00:33:32.609 And the name of the essay is Seneca Lake and 00:33:32.609 --> 00:33:35.890 Its Surroundings. Now there is no information 00:33:35.890 --> 00:33:39.369 about who wrote this, exactly when it was written, 00:33:39.450 --> 00:33:42.710 the person's age, anything. It's just three pages 00:33:42.710 --> 00:33:45.450 of writing in cursive. Looks like the author 00:33:45.450 --> 00:33:48.089 used a fountain pen. So in and of itself, this 00:33:48.089 --> 00:33:51.289 manuscript. is a mystery, and its title is Seneca 00:33:51.289 --> 00:33:53.930 Lake and Its Surroundings. So a guy like me and 00:33:53.930 --> 00:33:57.529 the way I think, I look at this manuscript and 00:33:57.529 --> 00:34:01.230 say, here's my final story for the podcast. I'm 00:34:01.230 --> 00:34:03.269 now the owner of the manuscript, and I am going 00:34:03.269 --> 00:34:06.049 to post a link to the manuscript on SenecaLakeMysteries 00:34:06.049 --> 00:34:08.769 .com, and I'll put it in the description of this 00:34:08.769 --> 00:34:11.949 podcast. But what adds another layer of mystery 00:34:11.949 --> 00:34:16.969 to this manuscript is the final eight lines that 00:34:16.969 --> 00:34:19.940 are written on the third page. at the end of 00:34:19.940 --> 00:34:24.579 the essay, are actually a poem. And in that eight 00:34:24.579 --> 00:34:28.300 -line poem, in the seventh line of the poem, 00:34:28.460 --> 00:34:33.099 the edge of the page was worn away or torn away, 00:34:33.260 --> 00:34:36.400 and there's a word missing. And as I read the 00:34:36.400 --> 00:34:39.519 poem, I'm not sure what that missing word is. 00:34:39.719 --> 00:34:41.699 So I'm going to throw it out to everyone here 00:34:41.699 --> 00:34:45.059 and see if anyone has any idea what this mysterious 00:34:45.059 --> 00:34:48.340 missing word in the poem may be. So I'm going 00:34:48.340 --> 00:34:51.900 to read the entire manuscript here. I also want 00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:55.139 to mention that it looks like it may have been 00:34:55.139 --> 00:34:59.320 a school assignment, whether high school or college, 00:34:59.579 --> 00:35:04.219 no idea. But there are some lines that seem to 00:35:04.219 --> 00:35:07.159 have been edited, crossed out with pencil, and 00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:10.820 then corrected in the margins. And also on the 00:35:10.820 --> 00:35:13.519 first page, written in pencil, are the numbers 00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:18.099 350. Kind of looks like a 3 .50, but I can't 00:35:18.099 --> 00:35:22.300 tell. So after this was written, some kind of 00:35:22.300 --> 00:35:24.300 changes were made to it. It looks like that might 00:35:24.300 --> 00:35:27.340 be a grade. But the way I'm going to do it, I'm 00:35:27.340 --> 00:35:31.760 going to read the original essay that was written 00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:34.619 in pen by the original author. Author unknown. 00:35:35.659 --> 00:35:39.400 Seneca Lake and its surroundings. Seneca Lake, 00:35:39.559 --> 00:35:42.519 lying in its serene beauty, pillowed among the 00:35:42.519 --> 00:35:46.619 gentle undulating hills. is about 40 miles long 00:35:46.619 --> 00:35:50.579 and from one to nearly five miles wide. It is 00:35:50.579 --> 00:35:54.219 a current opinion among the people that the bottom 00:35:54.219 --> 00:35:57.280 of the lake has never been found, but this is 00:35:57.280 --> 00:36:00.559 contradicted by others who state the depth of 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:05.480 the deepest place, which is about 600 feet. The 00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:08.340 lake is fed by numerous springs and streams of 00:36:08.340 --> 00:36:12.400 water, which wind their way down through many 00:36:12.400 --> 00:36:16.579 a meadow scene. and at last leap the rock -clefted 00:36:16.579 --> 00:36:21.300 shore to rest in the arms of the deep. Its waters 00:36:21.300 --> 00:36:24.860 are of a moderate temperature and very clear, 00:36:24.980 --> 00:36:30.400 ever -changing in hue to correspond with the 00:36:30.400 --> 00:36:35.940 overbending skies, but always beautiful, affording 00:36:35.940 --> 00:36:40.300 an unwearying view to the eye. These pure deep 00:36:40.300 --> 00:36:43.760 waters abound in trout and bass, which afford 00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:46.760 both pleasure and labor to the fishermen living 00:36:46.760 --> 00:36:50.159 near the shore. Many beautiful little towns and 00:36:50.159 --> 00:36:52.739 villages are pleasantly situated on the banks 00:36:52.739 --> 00:36:56.559 of the lovely Seneca, among which are Watkins, 00:36:56.800 --> 00:37:00.420 a place known through its glen, which is famed 00:37:00.420 --> 00:37:03.980 for its marvelous scenery, North Hector, a favorite 00:37:03.980 --> 00:37:07.800 resort for picnickers, Willard, where is located 00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:13.219 the Willard Insane Asylum, Glenora, Lodi, Peach 00:37:13.219 --> 00:37:17.239 Orchard, Long Point, and Geneva, the largest 00:37:17.239 --> 00:37:21.219 place, a city. Many of the people living near 00:37:21.219 --> 00:37:24.400 the lake are engaged in tilling the soil and 00:37:24.400 --> 00:37:28.420 cultivating the garden and orchard and the vine 00:37:28.420 --> 00:37:31.820 which yield their fruits in abundance. In the 00:37:31.820 --> 00:37:35.159 summer, gay parties of pleasure seekers may be 00:37:35.159 --> 00:37:38.460 seen camping along the shore of the lake, waking 00:37:38.460 --> 00:37:42.219 the echoes with song and laughter. affording 00:37:42.219 --> 00:37:45.179 an interesting diversion to the calm of the lake, 00:37:45.280 --> 00:37:48.480 are the steamers, together with many smaller 00:37:48.480 --> 00:37:52.440 boats, which ply the lake. A moonlight ride on 00:37:52.440 --> 00:37:55.239 the Seneca, with the gold sheen on the water, 00:37:55.340 --> 00:37:58.179 is not to be forgotten. Now this is the end of 00:37:58.179 --> 00:38:01.739 the essay with the poem. Oh, would I might rest 00:38:01.739 --> 00:38:05.380 when my soul departs, where those clustering 00:38:05.380 --> 00:38:09.880 lilies blow, and Seneca's rose on the towering 00:38:09.880 --> 00:38:14.360 cliffs. hangs over the wave below, or hear the 00:38:14.360 --> 00:38:18.840 crystal gleams in the lake so pure, like virtue 00:38:18.840 --> 00:38:24.380 in a humble soul. And Victor waves with thunders 00:38:24.380 --> 00:38:31.300 against the rock wall's roll. Now, the end of 00:38:31.300 --> 00:38:34.380 the poem there, after the word thunders, that's 00:38:34.380 --> 00:38:37.420 where the paper is torn. I'm not sure what the 00:38:37.420 --> 00:38:43.230 extra word would be there. Um, if everything 00:38:43.230 --> 00:38:47.389 is rhyming, which it doesn't necessarily do, 00:38:47.590 --> 00:38:51.510 then it would say, and Victor waves with thunders, 00:38:51.510 --> 00:38:55.269 sure, it would rhyme with pure. But the previous, 00:38:55.469 --> 00:38:58.170 the lines in the previous verse don't, the first 00:38:58.170 --> 00:39:01.550 and third rhymes in the previous verse don't 00:39:01.550 --> 00:39:03.929 rhyme. So it doesn't necessarily have to rhyme 00:39:03.929 --> 00:39:06.929 there. Where the crystal gleams in the lake so 00:39:06.929 --> 00:39:10.260 pure, like virtue in a humble soul. And Victor 00:39:10.260 --> 00:39:13.960 waves with thunders against the rock walls roll. 00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:16.800 What is that extra word, folks? I'm not sure 00:39:16.800 --> 00:39:19.320 what it is. Let me know what you think. Now, 00:39:19.320 --> 00:39:22.480 I realize that I said earlier that this podcast 00:39:22.480 --> 00:39:24.880 isn't about solving a mystery. And this kind 00:39:24.880 --> 00:39:28.059 of is about solving a mystery. The mystery of 00:39:28.059 --> 00:39:32.239 the missing word in the mystery manuscript. So, 00:39:32.239 --> 00:39:36.900 yeah. Sorry if anyone feels misled. I just love 00:39:36.900 --> 00:39:40.599 this essay. wanted to share it. And that's it. 00:39:40.639 --> 00:39:44.920 Thanks so much for joining me. Remember, new 00:39:44.920 --> 00:39:49.480 episodes on the 7th, 17th, and 27th of every 00:39:49.480 --> 00:39:52.300 month. Again, I really appreciate you listening, 00:39:52.400 --> 00:39:55.400 and I really appreciate if you share this podcast 00:39:55.400 --> 00:39:58.099 with others. Thanks again. Until next time.