Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1886-03-12
LETTER FROM THE BECKkYE
STATE.
FlSDt.AY, Quo, Feb. ~, 1856.

hi. IDAHO WoRLn.--l have often:
thought ] would .hore'' yon with MI
item. Well, now, have got il an
item or bo.ing. After heilg away
thirty. two years am spending the
winter very pleasantly with my rela-
tives and old friends here III Ohio. The
only thing disagreeable % tile wealth.
er, Ever since the I'D Of October,
when | landed here, 1 cant say that
! have seen half q dozen pleasant
days to be out doors Will, comfort.
The following program for the win
ter season has been strictly adhered
to ever since the first OF November:
Rain, mud, snow, slush, mud, blizzard,
mercury 10 to II below zero, with
possibly one or two sunshines in a
month. Aud yet when | make any
remarks about the horrible weather
the people here look surprised and
ask me whether we have any better
weather in Idaho. tell them that If
we didn't we would certainly hang
every civil service officer in the Ter
iritory. To write up the weather and
climate is not my principal object i'll
this communication. 1t is to give
your readers Gf you think it worth
puhlishing) true and accurate de.
scription OF the great discovery ol
natural gas here at Findiay, Ohio
Yesterday at o'clock boarded the
train at Napoleon, Ohio, accompa
MED by my old California mining
partner, John M. Smith, who also min
ed at Centervi'le in 1864 and 20
then went to Montana, where he has
grown wealthy i'll the sheep business
We ran down to Toledo and Their,
took the train for this place; arrive,
here at O'Clock in the evening, thu
night being very dark, but when W.
3 arrived within eight or ten miles 0
e here the darkness began to fade, ali.
e take the appearance of moonlight
| which every moment grew brighte
: until we arrived at the station here
y and beheld the source from whicl
J. this beautiful illumination emanated
: 1t was no more nor less than the lar
n gest gaslight burner ever erected b
y human hands. A gaspipe six inche
It in diameter, standing perpendicula
!. fifty. eight feet high above the sur
e face of the ground, where the ga
e makes It's exit and has been blazin
: ever since the pipe was erected, abor
Z six weeks ago. The gas flow thu
l. feeds this stupendous burner We
% struck 1,120 feet below the surface
It the earth, and is of eight inch Dor
r. and it is claimed the gas has pres
J. ure of fifteen thousand pounds to tt
!. square foot The fame in shape r,
q sembles that of IA candle, but vigo
!. Gus and fierce in action. The heigl
Il of the flame in itselfls about sevent
n five feet. Ignition commences abo,
ID ten feet above the end of the pip
at consequently the apex of the fire
,e one hundred and forty-three fe
ID above the surface of the ground, al
I'd its central diameter about sixty fee
at The escape of the gas and the roa
es ing of the flame are heard distinct
X at the distance of FIVE miles ava
st. /, nd the people here tell me that
lis the distance of two miles by the lig
of this monster gas jet, person CT
I, read a newspaper with ease and col
" fort-as we'll as by the light of an c
y binary coal oil lamp at the distan
=, of five or six feet. l noticed tn
within a radius of about three HI;
dred feet from the base of the bur
:, err there is no frost in the ground n