Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-03-03
IgENPLIS APPEAL.
- nrrrna d wELL.


This well, which is now n Of the
greatest curiosities ia the world, IS siIua-
ted on the eastern bank Of he Allegheny,
ar the mouth Of Mog's Run, or rs lL Is
sometimes called, Pine Hill Run Ihe
distance below Franklin is about twenty
miles by the course of the river OF across
the hills about twenty miles news
paper corresp0ndent gives the
detailed account OF IL:
A you approach the region OF Ihe
well the country becomes rough anu ro-
mantle In the extreme. High mus and
zbrupt Drecipices are covered ? over
hang hY Immense masses OF uetacneo
rock thai seem scattered az random on
r.- hill tups and on the sides Of the ac-
r#rra 1.-THE glacial theory OF ACassiz
be- U.rrrCt then the lcebergs that were
anchored here were JhiCkly laden with
r -.1lIers from the North. Be
r- ..uay, the rocky masses arelying
ben. l aaI4er.ul confusion.
Before YOU approach near enough TO
-ba well l1 see the flames, your ears are
sltsi with the roaring sound similar
% that which Ross Browne describes as
peculiar 20 the Geysers in Iceland. It
seems % be- due chiefly 70 the rush Of gas
f--n -lc depths below, but may be in
u rH tie fame itself as il rises high
ID .He air.
Like most great curiosities, this well
suffers from surrounding circumstances.
There Is no good object near with which
it msv be compared a. % height. Added
% this, the hills all around Il are from
six hundred 20 a thousandfeet IN hight,
afdrdiuE as & back ground rocks and
shrubs and stguted trees, that tend 70 di-
uiuizh iIs eject on the eye and imagin-
alton.
.-L---r -.z,F n,44-a. I,-.a r-.fF
Il had reached q depth Of some five
hundred feel, when the column Of gas.
thar must be immense, rushed up and be-
came iguite5 from the furnace Of the en-
gl1e. soon, OF course, The derrick, en-
CINE house, and fixtures were consumed,
and the engine itself a wreck. The top.
u the conductor which emerges from
-he oil. being Of wood, was burned of.
when Az attempt Wss made to I'LL up the
pit with earth and exunguish the flames.
This proved q failure, a. the pressure Of
The SIS was too great 70 be easily filed
up
As il i seen at present, the gas rushes
through the loose earth in a thousand
Jets, and The result l. that a column of
flame constantly emerges from the pit
equal % its size, which is. perhaps, eight
feet square. This column rises 20 q
height Of from fifty 20 one hundred feet
varying every few seconds from the
minimum 70 the maximum height The
pillar is not very regular In form, but
rough and jagged. Sometimes IL Is Ci-
videC, and sends its tongues Of flame out
in every direction. As il reaches its
greatest height. the top of the fame
leaps OFF and Is eX~tingUished. This is
the appearance in daylight At night,
and surrounded by the darkness, its ap-
pearauce must be awfully grand and
imposing.
II am inclined 10 think that there Is
some oil mingled with the pr0ddct OF the
well, inasmuch as every three or four
seconds a cloud of dark smoke rolls up
with the flames, and Is swept 10 its very
summit, when il disappears.
"Some visitors compute the height at
one hundred and fifty feet. This If
probably correct at s0me periods, as the
dav I visited II the air was damp and
u~nlsvorabie TO It's reaching its greatest
height
The roaring sound is constant, and
almost resembles the sound Of distant
thunder. The climate in the neighbor-
hood Is very midland summerhke The
buds on b shrubs are expanding and
the grass green and fresh as In April,
while the very ice on the river has melted
and disappeared.
The vel has been burning about
three weeks, with no apparent diminu-
ton IN It's power, or ia the quantity Of
Ess, 50 inst al pre=eurit bids fair 70 afford
light 70 the people for some time to come.
Although the fire Is surrounded on AL
sides 10y hills Of such lofty proportions,
Vet So ll-lr the light il seen at a great
distance At Franklin il lights up the
southern horizon with d bright, Crem-
u-gu~ glow.
This light assumed a very strange
appearance one evening last week. Tr
Ua- --mevBst cloudy and in addition
@ The usual rl5dy glow, the light an
% -lreEt-a1e itself into a bright
squire shout four OF five de-
Lsr remained stationary I
between the horizon and
~ where IL continued all the