Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-02-07

A Mountain On Fire.

a correspondent writes, calling at
tention to curious phep omenon which
although well known in the immediate
district III which it exists, viii be new
to many readers. He says, Il hap
pened to be making tour a few days
ago through the Rhoud6a Valley IL
wales and as was passing the C~m
Park Mountain L noticed what at little
distance appeared to me TO be a small
bonfire about halfway up its side. Not
seeing any one in the vicinity of the
fire, curiosity prompted me to climb the
barren hill tosee what was being burned.
Aztec struggling through a good dea
of mud and over marshy ground,
reached the fire ; when, to my surprise,
[ found that the flames were not caused
by the burning OF rubbish or any Other
visible substance. The fire famed ul
through about three squaI feet of bar
ren earth, which was hot and parched,
except where covered with what at first
seemed to be boiling water. Upon closer
examination / found that only the Wa
ter near the centre of the fire approached
anything like boiling heat, the res;
being in some places lukewarm, and IL
others quite cold. / was sorely puzzled
at first TO account for this difference OF
temperature in the water, Tor 1t all
boiled and bubbled with equal violence.
As happened to have walking stick
in my hand | drove it into the earth
two or three inches away from any spot
from which fire issued. when, to my
asronishment, flames sh0t up from this
newly-made hole at least foot high. L
repeate the experiment two or three
times with tie same result. 1t seemed
as though fierce fire existed under
this small patch of ground. The thing
that puzzled me most was the nonexis-
tence OF any cracks or holes In the
ground except those which 1 had N.Y.
self made. The earth belched forth
fire without opening its mouth l had
not been many seconds at this spot be-
fore | discovered that / was to leeward
of the flame, for / was half suffocated
by suiphurous, gassy stencil. which
escaped from the flames. L shifted my
ground, and after considerable delibera-
ton come to tine conclusion that this
extraordinary phenomenon was caused
by the continuous escape OF suOterran-
can gas through a deep tissure Ill the
rocks. Subsequent inquiries in the
nelghborhOod proved that my conlec-
ture was right. The inhabitants OF the
district say that the gas ascends through
a tissUre Ill the rocks from a seam OF
coal several hundred feet below the
surface, and that 1t was set on fire many
years ago by some unknown person,
and has burned continuously ever since.
also learned that this Is not unique
phenomenon In the district. \ smaller
Jet of gas, | was tUIU, has been burning
Tor some wears near the head OF the
Rhoudda Valley. l could not, however,
spare time to ascertain the truth OF
this statement. To witness the earth
on fire is, no doubt, astonishing, but 1t
can hardly be compared with the phe-
nomenon which fellow-trayeller IN
formed me exists near Aberdare. Near
that town the gas from a seam OF coal
forces itself up through a fissure In the
rocks, and through the surface OF the
earth and the waters of a stream, II
has been repeatedly lighted, when a
large spot on the water through which
the gas bubbled seemed to be on fire,
just as the ground appeared to me on
Cwm Parf Mountain. My informant,
however, stated that in the former in-
stance the discharge of gas was inter-
mittent, and that, consequently, the
fire went out at intervals, whereas, so
far as L could learn. the fire on the
mountain has been burning for some
thing like forty or fifty years, and has
in that time materially increased IN
body and force. Indeed, so strong is
it now, that considerable difficulty, L
should imagine, would be experienced
in extinguishing 1t. 1t certainly forms
a notable feature in the landscape at
night, and gives a kind of weird aspect
to the scene. The inhabitants, how
ever, seem particularly attached 70 their
curious night-light.