The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-22

NATURAL WONDERS IN TEXAS.
\ Curious Lake-Wells That Emit
Gas and C0ntain Sour Water.
fOorrespondence Galveston Newa1

fO0rrt8p0ndenoe Galveston News
Hhave in my time been in many of the
most remarkable places in the world, and
now have turned up, as think, in that
which is the most remarkable of all.
GBur Lake is circular pool Of an acre or
two in extent situated in q depression
on the most elevated tract of land in a
wide scope of country. 1t rises above
the contiguous territory as an island in
the sea rises above the waters Now con-
ceive depression in the center of our
island, filled with bubbling, boiling
pond, as round as we'll, surrounded by
. dense forest, and We have Sour Lake
and it's topography.
On the edges Of the lake or pool are
situated most of the wells, five or six
feet In depth, with plank curbing. Some
Of these are in a vigorous state of ebul-
ftion, while others have very little ebul-
htion. This ebullition is nothing but
currents Of gas escaping from the bowels
Of the earth. This is made apparent by
. common experiment here. Take a
common fruitcan open at one end and a
small hole bored in the other. Immerse
half of it in the water where the ebul-
Htion is going on, and then touch a
lighted match to the hole. Instantly a
brilliant flame pops up, which will burn,
unless blown out by the wind, as long as
you choose to hold the can in its posi-
ton. There are jets of gas issuing 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 90, by applying match to the sur
face where it is bubbling or boiling, but
these flames speedily 60 out.
Some of these wells throw up yellow
ish and blackish oil, which collects on
the surface and may be SKINNED like
cream. This smells very strongly of tar
or naphtha, but at a little distance is
pleasant to the nostrils. The water on
which this substance collects tastes pre-
cisely like the substance smells He who
drinks it gets his whole body considera-
bly, infected with the smell. This SUBJ
stance is gathered here, and people readi-
~ buy it at dollar quart. They say
IL cures sores, cuts and burns 1t is in
Aammable and burns with great smoke.
1t is, l 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 pulverzed chalk
had been stirred up in them. This is
white sulphur. They have slight taste
of the fluid carbon. These are said to act
powerfully upon the liver, and several
have told me no case of dyspepsia could
long withstand them. Then there is an
other we'll that is strongly impregnated
with iron. Its waters are distinctly
marked from the others in appearance,
being exceedingly soft and limpid.
Then there is another we'll or pool,
which, if what is said of it be true, is if
not the most remarkable, yet certainly
destined to be the most renowned Of all.
They call it youth and Beauty" 1t
deposits peculiar sediment on its bot
tom, which, as they say, has the remarka-
bic property of beautifying the skin and
removing freckles. I am told that this
deposit is so much in demand that it is
not always easy to keep supply Of it
during the watering season.
The sight here is really glorious one
Tor a watering place; great prairie to
the south, filled with fragrance and wild
flowers and great forest in every other
direction, penetrated with labyrinthine
walks, oaks, magnolias, myrtles, hollies,
beeches and naples, and gums and vines
without end. How easy it 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.