Expedition Fails To Find 'Volcano' An expedition of seven Explorer Scouts and three men failed to find the fabled "Wakulla Volcano" Sat- urday after exploring the Pinhook area in north- west Jefferson County for about five hours. The expedition was led by one of two men who may be the only living persons who have seen the site of the so-called volcano. J. N. Kirkland of Tal- lahassee, advisor of Explorer Post 100 and an expert woods- man, led the Explorer Scouts into the wild forest-swamp lands. Also on the trip were Kirk- land's son, Billy, an FSU stu- dent, and David Swindell of Per- ry, State Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission forester. Explorer Scouts of Post 100, sponsored by the First Baptist Church, who went of the ex- pedition were Duke Vickery, William Smith, Bob Maxwell, Hughey Wilder, David Harde- quin, Dale Pichard and Brent Pichard. The journey failed to produce the lost "volcano" but it turned out to be a worthwhile nature experience for the scouts. They killed a rattlesnake, stumbled across a friendly five and one- half foot king snake and ob- served and alligator nest con- taining about 40 eggs. About 15 or 20 years ago Kirk- land and Wakulla County Judge A. L. Porter came across a rocky upheaval and a fissure opening in the ground in the vicinity of the Wakulla-Leon- Jefferson county lines. A mys- terious column of smoke rising from the woodlands of that area has fascinated Big Bend resi- dents for more than 135 years. The smoke was last seen in World War I days. The explorers went into the "jungle," as Kirkland calls it, at Newport and walked several miles to the Pinhook River area and began their search in the Double Sinks-Cane Creek region. Kirkland said they found the large chain of rocks where he and Porter found their strange fissure. But he said he saw nothing that looked like the "volcano" he and Porter once found. "We're going to try it again," Kirkland said. "I doubt if I would recognize the place again right off because of the change in the undergrowth." He said the rock chain they explored did not appear to be the same one he saw years ago. He said the area is covered wit numerous out- croppings of rock.