Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-07-23
A FREAK OF MOTHER EARTH
Peculiar Phenomenon at Cannelton. Beaver
COUNT, Pennsylvania.
Pittsbary Di,pateh

Pittsbars Dispatch.
Cannelton is only little town, and it is
set down SO far among the hills in Beaver
county that the big majority of the citi-
zens of the state do not know of its ex-
lstence. But il does exist. and it now
bobs up into full view with one of the
most peculiar phenomena ever brought
into the glare of public scrutiny. 1t is
not two headed colt with double body,
but IL is 8 real bona fde, inexplicable
phenomenon; one of the kind that de-
mics the scientists and laughs at their in
ability to fathom its mystery. 1t is stu
ated on the farm of Burns White, half a
mile east of the Cannelton coal mines,
and Is known to the people of the valley
as the Breathing Ground. And the name
Is not mlsnomer, for it is in reality
breathing ground; place where the earth
heaves and pulsates exactly as does the
human breast.
In the spring of the year when the pull
satlons are most pronounced, thin,
white cloud of smoke is seen lowering
over the earth for a couple of days, and
then terrific explosion, which can be
heard all through the valley, takes place,
after which the smoke disappears and the
earth resumes its normal condition
There Is no hole or fissure in the surface
of the ground and the only apparent eff
feet is the scattering of the dust which
lies in the vicinity.
This peculiar freak of the earth has
been noted by Mr.. White for several
years. His attention was first called to it
by seeing dense smoke rising lust be-
yond hill short distance from his house.
Thinking it was fire at the house of one
of his neighbors, he started to the res
cue.
THE GROUND ON FIRE.
When he reached the brow of the hill
he still saw the smoke. but instead of
coming from the roof of a house it was
coming right out of the ground He went
closer and tried to find out what was
burning, but all he could see was smoke
There was no fire and very little heat. A
couple of days later he was working about
his farm when he was startled bv an explo-
sion which sounded like a whole battery
of artillery going off. Looking across
the field where he had seen the smoke he
saw heavy cloud of dust, which, as he
watched 1t, settled gradually to the earth,
and the field looked just as it had a week
before. Ever since that, however, there
has been perceptible pulsation of that
! particular portion of the field. and at in
tervals, generally in the spring or early
summer, the smoke returns and an explo-
sion takes place.
| 10 reporter who visited the place Mr..
White said: Very few people outside of
| my immediate neighbors know anything
! about my little phenomenon, for have
! kept very quiet about it when away from
home, for fear people would not believe
what l told them. 1t is here now, how
ever, and you can see it for yourself Sew
| eral times my family, or some of my
nelgkbOrs, have been called out by a cry
of fire, when the only thing in the world
| that was burning about there was that lit
tie patch of ground.
Can l explain the mystery? No, l can
not. l thought at first there must be a
volcano down there somewhere, and that
it might break out and fill the valley
something after the style of Pompeii
but 1t has been going 50 long now that !
don't bother myself any more about it
There is fire down there under the sur.
face somewhere, that's sure but don't
know where it it is, and don't know that
l care much. l have thought that II
might be a vein of camel coal which had
in some way caught fire, but if it was
coal it would smoke all the time and not
only at intervals. Some people who have
been here lately think that natural gas is
to blame for it. There is certainly q
great deal of gas in this vicinity and il
may be that in some way or another it ii
the cause of the phenomenon. Still nat
ural gas don't smoke, and l don't know
just how it could explode without tear
ing the ground to pieces more than il
| does.