The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-01-17
Il COJNnln of FI0n.e---A Singular
Phenomenon ID Nevada.

The Enterprise, of Virginia City, Nevada, of a
recent date, prints the following
At about o'clock yesterday morning, some OF
the residents of the western part OF the city were
startled by observing what seemed a column OF
.me fifty or sixty feet in height shooting up out
Of a shaft near the old Ophir works. 1t was at
fcst thought that the old timbers of the mine
were on fire, and three or four men ran TO the
spot to see what could be done toward smother
ing the flames. On reaching the shaft however,
they found that there was no smell of smoke, and
also that the supposed fire was light unlike
anything they have ever before seen, in lis weird
shiteness and the strange corruscalious Of its
component particles. In the light the faces of
uen wore look Of corpse-like pallor.
Two or three OF those present were miners re-
turning from work with dinner pals in their
hands, and it was observed that the pals (un)
appeared of brilliant steel-blue color. Their
clothing and hair also partook III some degree OF
ti.a same ghastly and unnatural color. The light
came up the full size of the large square shalt
and seen at distance as 1t rose up through the
falling snow, closely resembled one OF the shoot
ing spires seen in the aurora boreais, and 1t seem
ed TO have some Of the same waving and lncontant
.otion. Although the men felt creeping over
them sort of supers,itious awe, they still had
sufficient courage to approach the shaft aud gaze
isto it. A strange sight was there seen. Tue
whole interior of the shaft seemed to be at white
heat and glowed like furnace. The tlmberS on
the side were particularly Brilliant and each
splinter, excreSence, or bit OF fungus seemed
dazzling rays that sreamed steadily out in all di
rections warm streamy CURE OF OF air steadi-
ly ascended from the swelterine cegions below
and there was observed a sickenn,c musty smell.
All those who looked into the shaft aterward
sclt severe pain in the temples, aud two or three
~ tba ctnn oh
appearance lasted for nearly half an hour after it
was first observed, and before it was all over,
eight or ten men, mostly miners turning from
their work at various mines lit being about the
time of changing shifts, had collected about the
shaft. The light died out from the top down
ward, and prouaerances from the sides OF the
shaft continued TO glow for some minutes after
tie light was no longer visible above the top OF
the shaft. The light would seem to have been
caused by the bolching forth of some Kind OF
highly phosporated gas from some OF the deep,
underground chambers in the old abandoned
works. The rush of CASTOR gas Of some kind
il must have been-was probably caused By an
extensive cave in some place where the old tim
bers had rotted away. One of the men who had
the good fortune to witness the strange phenom-
eaon is of the opinion that tue mixing or mlngng
of the gas from the mine with the atmospheric
air had something to do with intensiiy'ng the
light, as he observed in the ascending current OF
pseudo fame myrads of small particles of some
substance, olobues of vopor, OR somethiug OF the
kind, which appeared to fash and scintillate as
they darted upward, and which presented in 'he
general column of light much the same appear
auce as notes moving about in snnbeam.
AT Baptist revival in the little town OF
Hannibal, Mo-. many years ago, there was an
aoad naoro named "Uncle Pete" who offered
himself for regeneration by means of INNER
sion. The season was early spring, and the ice
still came down the river. "Uncle Pete,' how
ever, braved the element, and after being sound
ly doused by the enthusiastic clergyman long
er than he thought necessary for the salvation
of his soul, scrambled ashore dripping ard
choking, exclaiming as he climbed up tne
drownded wild dis yer darn foolishness, sure