The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-24

ward passage. or penetrate to it's native coal
bed, before it will burst forth by the artif-
cial vent.
1.-The opinion just intimatcd, that the gas
originated IN deep coal-leds. il founded on
the fact that it is tho same sort of cas that
constitutes the dangerous fire damp of coal
pits, and the sumo that is manufactured out
OF hituminous coal for illuminating our
cities. 1t is a mixture Of carburcttcd and
sulphurettcd hydrogen. Philosophers tell
us that hItuminouS coal becomes anthracite
by the conversion Of It's bitumcn and sui.
phur into this gas, and that water acts q
necessary part In the process.
"Wlct,cr the presence OF salt water causes
n more rapid evolution of The gas, the pre-
sent writer will not undertake Ia say but.
somehow, the quantity generated in the salt
region Of kanawha is most extraordinary.
1t finds in this region innumerable small,
| natural vents. 1t is seen in many places
huhlliuw up through the sand ut the bottom
orthcriycr. and probably brings up salt water
with il, rs in the gas wells, hut in small
Quantity. The celebrated Burning spring is
| the only one of its natural vents apparent on
| drv land. This stream of gas, unaccom-
mnias hy water, has forced its way from the
rork> below through seventy or eighty feet
Of aI,uyial ground, and within eighty yards
of the ~river-hank. II is near This burning
srriug where the principu, gas wells have
been found. But, twenty-five years ago Tor
moryl, a gas fountain was struck
in a well two hundred feet deep,
near Charleston, seven miles below the
Burning spring. This blew up by tits a jet
Of weak salt water twenty or thirty feet
high. Or II torch being applied to it one
! niylli brilliant flames played and flashed
about the watcry column i'll the most Won
acrfui manner
These gaS wells and springs will become
still more tlmou> now that they are made
accessible 10 the tourist and the man Of
science.
THE FIRST SETTLEMENT
in Kanawha county was made by a man
named Kelly, tw, ntv-fiyc miles above Charles.
ton, on t!c creek that still bears his name.
One OF the earliest settlers WAS Lewis Taclct,
who WAS very conspicuous in the contests
with the Indians. He erected a fort ut the
mouth of Coal river, but it was destroyed by
indians from The Scioto region in ITS. when
his family were made prisoners. In 1I9S
| there was Il fort built on the present site OF
Charleston, and among the callic>t settlers
were tie MorriScS, Of Culpepcr county, of
whoa il was said in 1916 "their descendants,
m4stls OF he first rcSpCctahi'ity, now form
ucrhaps nearly n tenth Of tie population Of
the county" Joseph Carroll, the ClcDdenins,
john Young, William Droddy, Andrew DON
nally, Michael Lee, and John Jones 1--WE have
heard tliat name bcforc) were also among
the hardy pioneers who for many years SUBJ
sisted on buffalo, bear, elk, deer, and rae
coon meat, and Indian corn broken i'll stone
mortirs. that tncy might prepare the way
for the intelligent aud thrifty people who
have come after them. This whole region
is titled with interesting
TRADITIONS AND "REMINISCENCES OF I'll INDIANS.
The very name Kanawha signifies in In
dian dialect "Eiuc7' of the WoOds,' and
Pocatalico signifies Plenty Of fat doe and
rcC,l,s the days when Indian braves
rcyeried Oh their fayoritc hunlinG-ground.
\ short distance below the Big Lick there
existed years ago n rock called pictured o.
calico root, on which the Indians had
sculpturcd rude figures Of animals, birds,
&c. hut the vandal hand Of enterprise de-
struycd this rock to make furnace ci!imneys.
There still exists, however. Il similar rock on
the southwest side OF the river, on Il hillside
not far distant. and five miles above Goals
burg there ia another on which are rudcly-
carved liwurcS Of horses, deer, buffalo. sc.
And between ST. Adams and Charleston
there are Il number Of those Indian mounds
which have SO greatly interested the Cthnnl-
o"i>ts. and which were built Gccording 10
The hest authoritics) by a race which ante
dated the Indians found here on the first dis
coyery of America. I was told Of IailrOad
contractor who. with an eye To, business
rather than to antiquities, dug info one of
these mounds on Paint creek and found
O,c>idcs bones, tlintS, arrow-Icads, aud other
| lcilcSD i large quantity Of rock beaten the
proper size Tor " ballast" which lie at once
appropriated, thereby converting this work
of sulMc departed warrior iuto Il ilrm road
bed for the rafting i~trS>cngCrSo of commerce.
But | have fingered too long among these
antiquities, and have left myself hut little
space TO speak OF the beautiful aud thriving
town Oh
ST. LBASs,
| which stands on the site of the old fort at the
mouth Of Coal river. and which must be-
come Il place of considerable Importance, rs
il il The centre of q great coal and t!nibc re-
gion, has already large Saw-inills and lacto-
| ries. Hnl has 4 large tobacco warehouse and
| an important trad" in "tIe weed" which is
now being raised III such quantities in this
region.
Nor have l space now TO speak in detail Of
the beautiful ctty Of
CHARLESTON,
which has long been the emporium of this
region, and has derived additional import
aEcr from beng tie capital Of West Virginia.
Ii is rapidly increasing III population and
trade is the centre OF several projected
r!ilways; las line w~ater-powcr; aud is deS-
tined 10 Improve very rapidly. row that ii
f%s been pretty definitely decided that the
,rilll will not be moved. Being III Tie
n~.th side oi the river, it is in great need III
| Il bridge to coiincrt it with the Chesapeake
and OHIO railroad; bat Hdtand other needed
EmuroyculvntS Will come III due time.
cASNELToN
was luiit up ny 4 Rhode Island company lor
tie manufacture OF oil from the rich Goa!
beds OF the vicinity. They expended large
Sims, aud were rcaping handsome dlflachds
/ Until the discovery OF the oil wells III western
PENNSYLVANIA closed their operations ana rem
lrrcI their Investment seemingly worthless.
but the opening Of the railroad afforded
transportation for their splendid coai ana
ticy have gone to work more vigorously than
ever. their ..incliue coal dump" OF 1,lO0
feet, lv which they let down coal from the
mountain, being an Object OF constant III
tcrc>t to the traveller.
Hut | must Gail a halt, and have not even
tim, 10 s,teik of the great men whom ha-
| nawiia has rroduced--pcrlaps the most con-
| spicuous of whom was Hon. Lewis sun
| mcrs, who filed many places of honor, and
Tor twcuty-(onr Years graced the bench OF
the Supreme Court Of Virginia.
RICHMOND.
How RGsEIS BECAME RIcu.-Mr. John hus-
kin who i nothing, if not original, writes