The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-25
A TEXAS WONDER.
A Curious Lake-WelIs that Emit Gas and
Contain Sour Water.

Tho Sour Lake and Springs OF Texas have
long enjoyed local reputation o. higf or,
der On account OF their alleged medicinal
virt,,pa ana M New Orleans Ii soon to be-
nlaced in direct railway communication with
the section Of tho Lone Star State wherein
the springs are located, tho following descrip-
tinn. by a correspondent OF tho Galveston
Nema will be of interest. Tho lake ana
springs are located In Hardin county, about
| nfty miles east OF Houston aud near tho Inc
Of tho Tpxas and New OrIeans railr al:
Sour Luke ia u circular pool Of ~ acre or
two In extent situated in depression on Tue
most elevated tract of land In wide scope OF
country II rises above thelcontiguous terri
| tory 10 an island In the sea rises above the
waters Now conceive n depression III inc
centre of our Island, filled with a bu6bling,
hv a dense forest, and We have Sour lake and
Tia topography. On the edges Of the lake or
pool nre situated most Of tho wells, five or six
feet In depth, with plank cufbing. SOM
OF these are III vigorous state OF
ebuIIition. while others have very little
ebullttion This ebulition Is nothing
hut currents of gas escaping from the
bowels OF the earth. This is made apparent
by a common experiment here. Take com
mon fruit can open ut one end hnd small
hole bored In the other. Immerse half Of It
I'm the water where tho ebuitton Is going on
and then touch lighted match to the hole,
Instantly "a brilliant fihme pops up, which
will burn unless blown out by the wind as
position. There are jets Of gus issuing out
of the ground all about the pool. 50 that with
your fruit cans and milk cans you may nave
flames without end. You may oven set lire
fo the pools or apparently do SO, by apply
Ing n match to the surface where 1t Is bub-
bling or boiling, but these fltmss speedily go
out Some of these wells throw up a yeliOwish
and backish oil. which collects un The surface
and may he skinned like cream. Ihls s nells
very strongly of tar or naphtha. but at a little
distance Is pleasant to tho nostriis. The
water on which this substance collects tastes
precisely like the substances smells. he who
drinks 1t gets his whole body considerably IN
feeted with the smell This substance Is
gathered here, and the people readily buy 1t
Mt dollar u quart. They say 1t cures sores,
cuts and burns. It Is itl tnnible and burns
with u great smoke. 1t is, | suppose, liquid
carbon. Others Of tho wells are rs sour rs
crab apples, and these invariably send up u
strong odor OF sulphur They bubble and boil
and have viii tsh appearance
as II pulverzad chalk had been stirred up In
them. This Ia white sulphur. They have n
slight taste Of the fluid carbon. These are said
to net powerfully upon the liver, and several
have told me no case ~ dyspepsia could long
withstand thrm. Then there Is another well
that Is strongly impregnated with iron. Its
waters are distinctly marked from the 9TH r.
In appearance being exceedingly soft and
iimpld. Then there Is another well or pool,
which. If what Is said be true, II. II not the
most remarkable. vet certainly destined to be
the most renowned 81 Ill. Ihey call IL Youth
and Beauty" 1t deposits peculiar sort OF
sediment on It's bottom. which, rs they say,
has tho remarkable property Uf beautlfying
the skin and removing freckes. | am told
that this deposit Is SO muCh In demand that
it is not always easy to keep a supply of 1t
during tho watering season The site here
Is really u glorious one for n watering place,
II great prairie To the south, filled with fra
GRANGE and wild flowers, and II great forest In
every other direction, penetrated with laby-
rinthine walks oaks. magnoltas, myrtles, hol-
lies, beeches, and naples, and gums, and vines
without end How easy 1t would be- to light
all this extensive ground into a blaze of glory
at night by utilizing the gas that pours In
torrents out OF the earth.