The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-02-05
NATURAL WONDERS IN TEXAS

NATURAL WONDERS IN TEXAS.
A Curious Lake-Wells that Emit Gas
and Contain Sour Water.
Galveston News.
I have in my time been in many of
the most remarkable places in the
world, and now I have tnrned up, as I
think, in that which is the most remark
able of all. Sour Lake is a circular
pool of an acre or two in extent, stu
ated in a depression on the most ele-
waited tract of land in wide SCOPE of
country. It rises above the contiguous
territory as an island in the sea rises
above the waters. Now conceive a de-
preston in the center of our island
filled with q bubbling, boiling pond, as
round as q well, surrounded by dense
forest, and we have Sour Lake in its
topography. =.
On the edges of the lake or pool, are
situated some of the wells, five or six
feet deep, with plank curbing. Some
of these are in vigorous state of ebul-
lition. This ebullition is nothing but
currents of gas escaping from the bow.
els Of the earth. This is made appar-
ent by a common experiment here,
Take q common iruit-can, open at one
end and a small hole bored in the other.
Immerse half of it in the water where
he~ebullition is going on, and then
touch lighted match to the hole. In
stantly brilliant flame pops up, which
will burn, unless blown out byth wind.
:as Icing asyou choosaito hold the can IN
it's position. There are jets Of gas issu-
ing out Of the ground all about the pool,
so that with your fruit-cans and milk
cans you may have flames without end.
You may even set fire to the pools, or
apparently do so, by applying a match
to the surface where it. is bubbling or
boiling, but these flames speedily go
out. .
Some of these wells throw .up a. vel
lowish and blackish oil, which collects
on the surface and may be SKINNED
like cream. This smells very strongly
of tar or naphtha, but at q little dis
lance is pleasant to the nostrils. The
water on which this substance collects
tastes precisely. like the substance
SMELLS He who drink of it gets his
whole body considerably infected with
the smell. This substace is gathered
here, and the people readily buy it at
81 q quart. It is infammable and burns
with a great smoke. It is, suppose,
liquid carbon.
Others Of the wells are as sour as crab
apples, and these invariably send up a
strong odor of sulphur. They bubble
and boil considerably, and have whit
ish appearance, as if pulverized chalk
had been stirred up in them. This
is white sulphurs. They have slight
taste. of fluid carbon. These are said
to act powerfully upon the liver, and
several have told me no cases Of dys-
pepsia could long Withstand them.
Then there is another we'll that is
strongly impregnated with iron. It's
waters are distinctly marked from the
othersin appearance, being exceedingly
soft and limpid.
Then there is another well or pool.
which, if what is said Of it is true, is, if
not the most remarkable, yet certainly
destined to be the most renowned of all
They call it Youth and Beauty" It.
deposits a peculiar sort of sediment on
its. bottom, which, as they say, has the
remarkably property of identifying the
skin and removing freckles. am told
that this deposit is SO much in demand
that it is not always easy to keep q sup
ply of it during the winter season.
The site here is really 9 glorious one
for q watering place; q great prairie to-.
the south, filled with fragrance and
wild flowers, and q great forest in every
other direction, penetrated with laby-
rinthine walks; oaks, magnolias, nyr-
ties, hollies, beeches, and naples and
gums, and vines without end. How
easy would it be to light all this extern
sivel ground into q blaze Of glory at
night, by utilizing the gas that pours
in torrents out of the earth.
s&E,