Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-01-07
A FREAK OF NATURE.
The Strange Liquid Perpetually OoSing
from tho 0Fountain OF Blood"

kuO oUrhuB0 foIpobuhhy OOSnB
from the "Fountain OF Blood"
Near the town of Virtud. in Hon
duras, South America there exists
what is known as the Fountain of
Blood" 1t received this name on ac-
count of the curious red liquid which
is perpetually oozing and dropping
from the roof of cavern, and which,
on falling, coagulates and exactly re-
sembles human blood. Like blood,
also, it speedily corrupts and emits an
odor of animal decay. Insects deposit
their larvae in it, and dogs and carrion
birds flock to feast upon it, We are
informed by one who has witnessed it
that the grotto is the nightly haunt Of
multitudes of large bats, which, like
the dogs and birds, feast upon this
strange liquid. which has not only the
smell but the taste of blood. A fear
full odor is perceptible at consider
able distance from the cavern, and
when it is reached masses of the
blood may be seen IN a
state of jellified coagulation.
Numerous attempts have been made to
obtain portion of this blood-like
liquid for analytical purposes, but in
every case without success, in conse-
quence of rapid decomposition. which
causes the bottles to burst. The late
Don Rafael Osejo undertook to trans
nit some bottles of it TO London, but
his intention was frustrated by the
bursting of the bottles, and tina in less
than twenty-four hours after sealing
them. Mr.. E G. Squicr did once sue
ceeded in taking back with him to
New York two bottles of the liquid,
largely diluted with water, but it be-
came very offensive, and no salts
; factory explanation of the phenom-
enon could be obtained. We give the
Neutrality-suspicious. the most salts
neutrality-suspicious. that has been re-
ceived. 1t was written by one who
undertook the journey in order to
satisfy his curiosity: 1.-The principal
cave" he says, sis fissure about fif-
teen or twenty feet high, and five or six
wide at the entrance. but it rapidly mar
rows, so thata man can only follow it
for thirty or forty feet. 1t abounds
with huge bats. which cling IN masses
to the narrower part of the fissure.
The stencil is strongly ammoniacal,
and so intense that | was obliged to
retire thrice before l could procure
from the innermost part that | could
: reach sufficient quantity of the
, material to fill the bottles of alcohol
which l had carried with me for the
purpose. In the rainy season small
current of red matter, like blood,
flows from the cave into the stream;
but in the dry season the water ceases
to percolate through the roof and back
7 of the cave, and the flow ceases. At
my visit it had already stopped, but
the floor of the cave was covered
, several inches deep with q jelly-lke
or pasty mass, which gave blood-red
color when mixed with water. On the
sides of the cave were clotted masses,
: looking like dried blood, which had
S run down from above; and in the mar
!. rowest parts that / could reach in the
4 recess of the assures collected with
( my knife some fresh semi fluid
matter which the insects had not
attacked. Examined with micro
scope on the spot it exhibited
no living particles, nor in fact,
Y any thing but minute fragments
s of the digestcd debris of insects. From
: the tint of the red color was at first
e inclined to believe that it might result
from the generation of sulphocyanide
n of ammonium during the putrefaction
! of the animal excretions, and the reac
= ton of that substance with q trace OF
iron in the water percolating through
e the sandstone. But Mr.. W. T. Taylor
t to whom submitted some of the solid
Il matter collected, rs also the semi fluid
t preserved in alcohol, writes me that
o he can not detect any iron in the red
e solution, and that it appears to be en-
tirely an organic coloring matter. The
y insoluble substance has been found by
. DR.. Leidy to consist chiefly of chitine,
undigested fragments Of insects
d mingled with bats hair and homogene
= GUS granular matter" In country
l. like South America, where scientific
$ knowledge can hardly be said to exist
g freak of nature of this extraordinar,
description could not fail to become
. an object of great and superstition
y wonder. and many weird and mar
n velous stories are current concerning
e the Fountain of Blood. y CdSseI
Saturday Journal.
n -a-H-S--
4 Talanranh w;nac