Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-11-14
A HILL BURNING UP BY SPONTANEOUS
COMBUSTION

Receiver Sherwood aud Register Brad
ley, of the Marysville Land Office, paid an
official visit on Sunday last to the Welsh
mine, in Butte county, near Peuz station.
They were accompanied by Jesse Wood, of
the Chico Enterprise. There ia a suit
pending in the Land Office in regard to the
claim. The parties to the suit are John
Welch, who claims the land as mineral,
and Jesse Wood, who claims it as timber
land. The Welch mine has been worked
by the hydraulic process, and Welch claims
that deposit of auriferous gravel under
lies all the land covered by his location.
Wood, on the other hand, AYERS that the
land is more valuable for timber than for
minerals. Recently a Com missioner ap-
pointed by the Marysville Land Office con-
sumed about week in taking testimony
in regard to the conflicting claims. The
Register and the Receiver will shortly
make up their decision, which will be for
warded to the Commissioner of the General
Land Office for his approval. 1t is stated,
however, that whatever his decision may
be the case will be appealed to the Secre-
tary of the Interior, whose decision Will.
be final.
This land in dispute is specially interest
ing as being the scene of one of the great
wonders of nature. Within the bounds of
the claim, in the very face of the hydraulic
workings, is situated that spontaneously
burning hill, that mysterious subterranean
fire, which was recently described in these
columns. There is now perhaps no other
such natural fire in the world. 1t has been
suggested that it was from some such natu-
raj fire, resulting from the action of chem
ical forces within the earth, that man first
learned the use of fuel
On this second visit to the claim Messrs..
Bradley and Sherwood found that the fire
had greatly extended since the date of
their first visit some weeks ago. Then it
was confined to comparatively small spot
in the center of the face of the bank, but
as seen by them on Sunday it was spread
across the face of the bank for distance OF
200 feet, and the ignuous belt was about
| u feet wide. There was no fame, but
smoke and sulphurous gases rose from the
face of the bank. The action of the fire
has loosened and thrown down from the
bank hundreds of tons Of mineral matter,
which forms sloping shelf at the bottom
of the bank. Up this mass of debris the
visitors clambered, in order to get as near
to the fire as they could. They found She
debris still hot beneath their feet, and on
their return they brought with them
quantity of specimens taken from the
material that had fallen from the bank.
These specimens can be seen at the Land
Office here. They vary much in color,
from yellowish gray to red. Some of
the specimens are of the color
of rich cinnabar ore, but the reddish
color is probably due to the presence of
sesqui.oxide of iron. The specimens ap-
pear more of the nature of clay than of
rock. They have the appearance of rock,
but most of them can be easily crum-
bled in the fingers, except where the fire
has fused into a hard mass. Several of
them plainly show that they have been ex.
posed to intense heat. Those which are
friaole give out strong sulphurous smell
when broken. They all seem to be
strongly charged with sulphur.
| In addition to these specimens Mr.. Sher-
wood shows quantity of white mineral
substance. apparently potash, taken from
the natural surface of the hill. He also
has bottle of water strongly impregnated
with mineral matter, which water he took
from the bottom of the bank, where the
drainage of the hill collects. This water
has been analysed, and found to contain
soda, alum and arsenic. It is not, how
ever, poisonous, as Mr.. Sherwood says he
drank quantity of it during his visit to
the hill, and experienced no i'll effects
| I[Msrysville Appeal, November 18th.