, 1873-12-28
ANOTHER NEVADA PHENOMENON.
A Column OF PhospAorcsccne Flano
Sixty Feet IN E3otRlAts

A Column OF PhoApAorcsccne Elnmo
Sixty Feet IN R3otgl.t.
The Virglnia City (Nov:) .Enterp,.ise, Of Dec.
n, containa the following: nAbout / o'clock
Yesterday morning some 20 Of the residenss in tho
western part Of this city wore startled. by
fifty Or sixty foot in haight shooting up
out Of q shaft noar tho old 0phir works. Il
wes at first Thought TINT tho old timbora in tho
Inino woro on fire, ,'and thrco or four mon ron
to tho spot to seq what could .bo dono toward
snothoring tho flames. On reaohing tho shaft,
however, they found that thoro was no smell Of
smoke, md also that tho supposed fro was a
light unlike anything they had over before soon,
In its weird wliteneae and in tho strange eorrus.
! shed about, tho faoes Of tho mon wore q. corpso.
like pallor. Two or thrce Of those proaent wore
minors returning from work with their dfnnor-
Ratls ~ thor hands, and It was observed, that
the paila 0n) appeared Of brilliant hteol-bluo
oolor., -Thoir clothing aud hnir also pnrtool1 In
some degree OF tho same ghaatly and unnatural
color. Tho light came up tho full sizo Of the
large square shaft and, seen at distance as it
rose up through tho falling snow, closely roaom-
Same waving nnd' inconstant motion. Although
the men felt creeping over them sort Of supor-
Htfcious awe they still had sufficient courago to
a|pprtoaeh a|t the shaft md gaze into it. A strange
tho ehaft aoomed to bo at q whito heat,
aud glowed like d furnace. Tho timbors On tLe
sides were particularly brilliant, and ouch Bp]n-
tor, excrcsoaco. OF bit Of fungus seemed dartipg
dazzng raya that strcamed Hteadily out in oil
directions. a warm, stcamy current Of air
ascondod a from the Bwoltering regions below, and
thore was observed Biekening musty SMELL AL
those who looked into Tho shaft afterward folt a
severe pain in tho temples, and two or three were
pearance 1astod for nearly half m hour
after il was first observed, ana before It
was all over eight or ton nen, 1noat]y
miners returning from thcir work at various
mtnesCt being about tho time Of changing shifta).
had collected about tho shaft. Tho light diod
out from tho top downwartls, aud protubor-
ances from tho side Of tho shaft continued TO
longer visible aboyo tho top of tho shaft. Tho
light would aeem to hago been cauBod BY tho
boching forth of some kind Of highly phosphor-
atod gas from some Of tho deep underground
chambers in the old abandoned works.
The rush Of gas-for gaB Of some kind Il must
have boon--was probably cnuaod by an antonsivo
cavo-tn aomo place where tho old tirnbors had
rottod away. Ono Of tho mon who had tho good
tic opinion tint the mixing Or 1ningling OF tia
gus from tho lnino with the atmospheric air had
eomethtng to do with tntonaifytnE the Light rs
lo observed in tho ascending current Of nBuodo
lame nyriads Of small particles Of soiiio sub
Stance, .globulos Of vapor or something of tho
kfnd, which appeared to flash md scintato as
they darted upward, and which presented In the
general column Of light much tho same appear-
ance as motes moving about in a sunboam Tho I
but WAS supposed by them to be o stream Of
light thrown up into tho mir, and rotlected from
tho 1ailing anoW, by Houe large rejecting Ian
IeIu. s.,..,