Louisiana capitolian., 1880-02-21
ONE OF THE WONDERS!
OF THAT ENORMOUS WILDERNESS
NORTHWEST TEXAS.
Correspondence Galveston News.]

NORTHWEST TEXAS.
Correspondence Galveston News.]
LAKE Souri, have, in my time,
been in many Of the most remarkable
places IN the world, and now l have
turned up, as | think, in that which
is the most remarkable Of all. l came
over here yesterday from Sour Lake
Station, on the railroad, in cart,
over the meanest road in the world,
and Immediately set to work investi-
eating. These strange places have Il
fascination for me, and | know how /
have enjoyed Sour Lake.
It is u circular pool of an acre or
two in extent, situated in depres-
sion on the most elevated tract Of
land in a wide scope Of country. It
rises above the contiguous territory,
as an island in the sea rises above the
waters. Now conceive a depression
in the center of our island, filed with
q bubbling, boiling pond, as round as
a we'll surrounded by dense forest,
and we have Sour Lake and it's
topography. This similitude is exact.
All the region around is very low and
fiat, and sometimes the tract is sur
rounded by water. The extent Of the
elevated region is probably about two
miles in any direction. The hotel
and other buildings are Oh tho high
est point Of tile elevation.
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 ebullition, while others have very
little ebullition. This ebullit!on is
nothing but currents of gas escaping
from the bowels of the earth. This is
made apparent by a common expert
ment here. Take a common fruit
can, open at one end and small hole
bored in the other. Immerse half of
it in the water where the ebullition is
going on and then touch lighted
match to the hole. Instantly bril-
liant flame pops us, which will burn,
unless blown out by the wind, as
long as you choose to hold the can
in its position. 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 so by
applying u match to the surface where
it is bubbling or boiling; but these
flames speedily go out. While burn
ing, however, they look exceedingly
queer, and one cannot help but think
of the old traditional hell, which OF
late seems to be falling into contempt
Now, as some may be inclined tt
doubt all this, | state that saw it al
last night and tins morning with my
own eyes.
Some of these wells throw up {
yellowish and blackish oil, which col
lects on the surface and may b,
skinned like cream. This smells
very furiously of tar or naptha, bu
at a little distance is pleasant to thu
nostrils. The water on which thi
substance collects tastes precisely
like the substance smells. He wh'
drinks of it gets his whole body con
siderably infected with the smell, t.
such a degree that he makes his BET
smell of it. This substance is gath
cred here, and the people aroun'
readily buy it at dollar a quart
They say it beats all creation for cur
ing sores, cuts and burns. 1t is in
flammable, and burns with grea
smoke. 1t is, suppose, liquid car
bon. Few, suppose we could tax
this stuff and solidify it, and crystal
ize it, and purify it to perfect clear
ness, why we would have the tru
diamond. Where is the alchemis
who can do this?
Others of the wells are as sour a
crab apples, and these invariabl.
send up a strong odor of sulphur
These bubble and boil considerabl,
and have Il whitish appearance, as
pulverized chalk had been stirred u
in them. This is white sulphur. The
have slight taste Of the fluid carbon
These are said to act powerfully upo
the liver, and several have told m
no case Of dyspepsia could long will
stand them. There is another we
that is strongly impregnated wit
iron. Its waters are distinctly marke
from the other in appearance, bein
exceedingly soft and limpid; so muc
SO that it looks like q little pool (
liquid air, if such a thing may be.
few feet from this chalibeate well
another which is called "the Verm
fuge." 1t tastes rather nasty, and
do not doubt that it deserves tt
name. They say that children sic
) with the worms are effectually cure
by it.
, Then there is another well or poo
. which, if what is said of it be true,
if not the most remarkable, yet &c
tainly destined to be the most r
l nowned of all. They call it "you
I and beauty" 1t deposits u peculi
s sort of sediment on its bottom, whic
| us they say, has the remarkable pro
9 erty Of beautifying the skin and +
: moving freckles. Let a lady havil
+ freckles or splotches on her face al
:, hands apply little JUNCTION Of tt
e two nights in succession, and th'
: say she will wake up the second NOR
: ing as beautiful as nymph ju
h risen from her bath. am told til
l this deposit is so much in demal
II that it is not altogether easy to Ike
|, supply of it during the wateri
: season. The ladies go to the pool a
G gobble it up and store it away
Is their trunks to make presents to TIN
). friends who have freckles. WI
r, truth there may be in all of this,
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