The Arkansas advocate., 1835-07-17


 which rises in he hills 10 the northeast
 Fms ridge has, towards the top, dense
 growth of pine and oak trees, amongst
 which are strewed. fragments of the rock, often very tessaggissetis, siii,ii pieces of q strong band of ironstone which traverses issie ridge iii tic direction cf N N. |. and $. 5. ". and dipping s. D. with the sand
 stone at an angle of about 45 deg There Is also some conglomerate on this hili, held together by ferrugiuous cement. The stream, for considerable distance, runs upon the grauwaeiSe slate upon which tie sandstone rests. had entered the valley but short distsiice before saw on the flank of the east ridge, rock of totally different character from that constituting the ridge, impending like d curtain, down to the stream, and l at once recognised ii for a tfavertln deposited by tie mineral wa ,ters. The curtain, with some intervals, ex- tends along the stream for about four hun- dred yards from the slope of the ridge, pre- senting sometimes abrupt escarpme,lts of from fifteen to twenty-five feet; and at other
 times showing itself in points and eoyes advancing into and receding from the stream. This trayertin extends back east from the stream about one hundred and fifty yards, leaning upon the acclvity of the old red sandstone, 10 where several powerful springs are now situated. Some of the spings rise in the bed of the stream; orc very fine spring rises in it's west bank. and numerous others, Of which perhaps thirty are rather copious ones, are found at various heights on the ridge, rising through the old red sandstone rock. or springs of feetlerl force there afe a great many. Someti;ses one or more of these are said 10 disappear, and Il Is certain that new ones are frequent ly breaking out Some of them issue from the rock at an elevation of at least ono hun dred feet from the valley where the present fog cabins are built, and where q soarishiHg vilage will no doubt exist ere long. A more beautiful and singularly convenient situation for town cannot be imagined; for by the aid of the simplest frames to support spouts, the hot water may be conveyed to the houses in great proiilsion, for baths ass.di medical purposes, as well IS for domestic uses. Upon repeated trials with my regis ter thermometers. found the water of some of the principal springs to be I46 deg. of
 ifahrenheit, and l never found 1t higher. al- though l should not doubt that, during very dry weatheri when the mineral springs were not attenuated by the atmospheric wa tera; they would mark few degrees more.
 But, during my stay, always found the wa ter het enough 10 make my tea without any further boiling. as well as wesh my clothes.
 indeed, in this locality, the hot water is SC abundant, that fonnd il often troublesome 10 procure that which was cold, for the lot Springs occupying a breadth equal to four
 hundred yards of the base of the ridge, all the hot water was discharged into the creek,
 which ln many parts was of temperature just fitted for a warm bath; aud what fur ther assists 10 keep up its temperature, is the great number of hot springs rising
 through the slase at the bottom of the brook. This can be seen at almost hundred pla. ccs; and although the water docs not scald the hand there, still, upon insinuating my fingers below the ground at the cdgts of lae streamsi was obliged 10 withdraw them in- stantly, having moro than once burnt them : .!: :sii s;tsosss, ssefe turned, is incredible the quantity of water of tenn perature perhaps always equal to l45 deg.
 Fahrenheit, which might be obtained. Du- ring the summer droughtss when inc stream is lows 10 fish are ever seen in ii, the water
 being too hot; but when tlle season arrives for the cold water 10 enter the stream in considerable quantities, then trout, perch, and other fish are taken in all parts Of it.
 was told, however, that at other portions of the summer; when the whole volume of the stream was not 50 much heated, the fish
 would Sometimes come up the brook in those parts wifere no springs came through the slate, but always swan at particular depths When crumbs of bread were drops ped into them, they rose to them, but stop ped when they reached the stratum of hot
 water, which, being rariiied, was at the top. Frogs and snakes when forced into the hot
 water: or falling in inadvertently, 7, iamed:-
 ately stretch themselves out and die. These mineral waters. except one CT two of the springs, which arc slightly chalybe- ate, arc ta5teless, having nct the slightest saline trace. A person total unacqnaint- ed with mineraIoey, and not aware of any difference between travertIno and old red sandstone, might suppose the mineral struc- turc of all the rocks 10 be homogeneous, and that the waters, not differing in their taste from ordinary warm water, wGse without any mineral constituent, as the hot waters of the Washita have been reported 10 be; but these immense deposites of carbonate of lime attest the contrary. On digging about tWeutv-f;ve feet aboye inc level of tha