The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-04-02
Tho Throo. Of Bald Mountain.

ever outlay is expended on it.
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| Tho Throns Of Bald Mountain.
A gentleman of scientific attainments
of Oxford, N. O., suggests the idea that
the noise aud vibrations OF Bald Noun
tain may ha 70 been produced by sub
terranean curranta of electricity Instead
of volcanic fires.
Professor DuPre, OF Spsrtanburg,
promises to give IL q results OF his study
Of the phenomena cn the spot in the
Orphans Friend. He ventures no OPT
nion as yet. but suggests that they may
possibly be owing to the fact that the
crust Of the enrth has become 30 thin,
that stream of water has found its way
to the burning mass, aud the escape Of
steam thus generated in the oaverns
may produce tho noises heard ou the
surface; or may be the result of aocumu-
lated gases acting in the same way.
General Olingman, who has tho
roughly explored that whole section,
during long residence in the neighbor-
hood at Asheville, and whose scientific
attainments, careful observation aud
enthusiastic love Of nature entitle his
conclusions to great respect. holds the
opinion that thess disturbances are vol
oanio in origin. They ure not now to
him. Hegives interesting "reminiscences
Of some which have occurred Within his
knowledge to Washington oorres-
pondent of tue New York Herald. aud
which appear iu that Journal OF Monday
last. TO the correspondents request
for lis opinions Of the perturbatlons.
General Chngman replied that
1.-The volcanic disturbances in those
mountuinx of Western North Carolina,
which are now making such great sen
sutton, are no new thlug-that they can
be- traced back to the remotest trndl-
tions of the Cherokee Indi,ns, and
theucs, by scientific reseaIch, to the
volcanic upheavals from which these
mountains were formed. In the North
eastern corner of Hay wood County, near
Flne's Greek, forty miles Northwest OF
Stone Mountain, there is o mountain
which has been subjected to periodical
shuklngs, after intervals OF two or three
years, ever since the war of 1872, aud
for how long period before [ cuuuot
tell. The Immediate locality Of these
distui banoss is about q mile in length
and u quarter of o mile in width. The
shocks under this mountain have not
been, within my recollection, df longer
duration than few minutes; and yet.
with each recurrence, after an intei val
OF rest Of two or three years, the shocks
have been sufficiently powerful to break
up the mountain, ns one may cay. into
new assures. hiliocks, upheaYals aud
cavities, 40 far US to change its general
appearance"
"And you have noticed these phe-
nomeDa, from time to time. through
period of many years?"
'Oh, yesl lhink if you will look
over the files of the old National InteM
genccr Of ABOUT twenty-five years Ago,
you will fud pretty full description
which gave Of these volcanic disturb
Ances at that time. remember that
about twenty-five years ago, in the
edge OF Macon County, South west from
Haywood, there was shock which
opened seam in the ground for nearly
nile in length; and that in Madisou
County. in line between Haywood and
Stone Mountain, smoke issued from
tissu.e opened in the rocks. This was
some two miles from tho French Broad
River, and in The neighborhood Of the
Warm Springs, Madison County. l
havo known the solid granite cliffs of
Haywo Mountain to be fractured by
volcanic action for nearly mile in
length, and in one instance, have seen
a detached granite rock Of perhaps
2. 900 tons i'll wnlght which, lying above
one Of these earthquake assures. was
broken into three Fragments Bnt one
OF the most remarkable freaks of these
little earthquakes was that whlth split
large tree, bringing one-haif Of it to
tho ground, and leaving the other hall
standing. have no doubt that the
newspaper men detailed to look into
these mysteries will gather many inter.
estinS "reminiscences from tho old set
tiers Of those Western mountain Ooun-
ties Of the old North State, touching
the periodical recurrence vi these re-.
markable little earthquakes. l have
often wondered that the attention Of
men OF science had never been drawn
to these interesting volcanic disturb
ances in our North Carolina mountains. -