The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-03-29
A Burning Well.

excite considerable wonder and admiration.
Drillers, penetrating the earth, usually strike
a vein of gas before the oil is reached the
gas is highly inaammable, and therefore ex-
tremely dangerous. 1t is received into
pipes, conducted to safe distance from the
well, and then discharged, ignited or not, as
the operators may choose. In former years
some wells which emitted gas in enormous
quantities were abandoned These, when
the gas was ignited, became burning wells
and number continued to burn for several
years.
The most celebrated burning well known
to the writer, was located on a branch OF
East Sandy, Venango county Pennsylvania.
Its light could be seen over an area of sixty
or seventy miles. 1t was situated in deep
valley, in the midst of an extensive forest,
and in very wild and lonely spot; yet it
attracted, night after night, during period
of many months, a great number of visitors.
In the winter of 1868, the writer, accom-
panied by some friends, visited the well on
East Sandy Our little journey was made
in a sleigh. As evening approached. the
world, in the direction of the WELL became
strangely luminous. Bright flashes, CORE
spending with the motions of the great flame
beneath. played over the face of the clouds,
and were seen and watched, 70 doubt, far
over the country. At point about two
miles from the well we entered a forest. We
then left the main road and descended into
deep, gloomy valley. We could now hear
a roar like the roar of a storm, or noun
tain torrent We listened with an emotion
somewhat akin to awe. Suddenly, through
an opening of the forest, we had glimpse
of the stupendous fame. We felt shud-
der, or some peculiar indescribable emotion.
We advanced, and saw more and more Of
the terrific blaze we saw it rushing up flu
riously, whirling tossing, and throwing its
fearful light far into the recesses OF the wood
peared to be full of horses, sleighs and peo-
pie. Indeed, we found ourselves in a jam,
equal, perhaps, to any that ever occurred on
Chestnut street, or Broadway. Leaving our
horses and pressing forward, we presently
came to open ground And what specta-
Gle confronted US
Nothing could be more picturesque and
novel, Nothing ever seen in fairy land, or
dream land. could be stranger. Near the
centre of the open ground was the well.
There stood the great column Of fire. But
1t was column in perpetual motion. We
watched the mighty fame. We saw it re-
volving, wavering, shrinking swelling, burst
ing, throwing off lateral masses, darting red
tongues into the upper air, rushing up fifty
feet, and instantly vanishing and then We
saw streams, and waves, and curves and gy.
ratlons IN new style of fearful magnifi-
Of u, h.
ed to issue from the earth. Viewed more
closely it appeared to start above the earth
expanding upwards, waving and tossing
like balloon ready for its fight. or a Wa
terspout suspended in the air, and extend
ing its tapering point to meet the waters OF
the sea. The pillar of fire was baseless yet
it had flutes, capital, and scrolls like col
umn in Grecian temple. The combinations
OF the burning gas resulted in considerable
quantity of water, which, converted into
spray, settled on the limbs of tall hemlocks,
beyond the circle of heat, and formed mil
lions Of gttering iclcles.
Three or four hundred spectators sur
rounded the WELL On knoll that project
ed from one of the hills, stood mass of
human beings. Here, as we thought. was
" scene for painter" But who could paint
it?-the dark forest of evergreens, the small
open area, the stupendous fame, with its
fearful evolutlons and contortions, illumina-
ting everything in despite of night and dark
ness, the countless pendants flashing on the
trees, ard the spectators, in winter costume
standing in great circle, or in more distant
groups, almost every face turned toward the
central attraction. and expressive of wonder
and delight.
We learned that some of the visitors had
come twenty miles to witness this new won
der of the world. Very many of the visi-
tors were young people, who probably left
home to enjoy sleigh-ride, and see and ad-
mire each other, as well as to see the great
spectacle in the forest But, in our walks
around, we met several elderly persons, who
must have ventured out in the frosty night
solely to crafty their curiosity. While we
looked and wondered, some of the young
men amused themselves and Others by throw
ing broad, fiat stones on the orifice of the
well. This operation spread the gas and the
flame, producing quite interesting change
of phenomena. The operation, besides.
changing the form and attitude of the fame
cOOhiCu w now cutCL, ulNlulDR
the light or changing its color. The light
owing, perhaps, to its transmission through
greater quantity of spray, cast greenish
color on every object. The ladies looked at
each other with surprise, if not with fear,
for every face had suddenly acquired new
and strange complexion.
At the time of our visit, snow Law over
the country, about twenty inches deep Yet
around the well, over an area of seventy or
eighty feet in extent, the ground was bare.
and even dusty. We noticed that the gas
did not all issue from the same aperture. A
part of it approaching the surface of the
earth, was forced into crevices of the rock.
and escaped from the surface at several diff
ferent points. Spectators had discovered
some of these little jets, and, having applied
burning matches, produced number of min
iature wells. The little flames, dispersed
around, and apparently issuing from the very
earth suggested the idea that we were
standing on the crust Of volcano. and
might, in a moment, sink into an abvss of
fire. We were, of course, not much fright
ened. Still, we could fancy that fire might
reach the great body of gas imprisoned in
the earth, and produce general CONFUSION
and destruction; or that gas might issue
from the earth in so vast quantity, that.
becoming ignited, it might cause the exter-
nal elements to melt and all things to per-
ish. Why may not people, during the early
operations in search of oil, have had serious
thoughts and real fears, when gas issued
from the earth in immense quantities, and
when its infammable nature and tremen-
dous power became fully known? Howev-
er, as gas has been flowing and burning for
many years, as torpedoes" have been ex-