Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-08-22
LOOKS RATHER FIsHY.
A DELIRIUM TREMENs STORY
FROM THE HoosIER STATE.

~ OEIIRIOM TREMENS STORY
FROM THE HOOSlER STATE.
Ton Acres of Land Converted Into a Fiery
Hell-Natural Gas Ignites and Furnishes
Il Scene Most Beautiful to Behold
Thousands of Spectators Visit the Scene.
At a. m. on the 18th inst. the farmers
near Waldron, Ind, were startled by ter
rifle explosion. When they reached the
Ogden graveyard, which is on bluff near
the Flat Rock stream, they discovered that
fully ten acres of the earth was in cemmo..
ton. Geysers were shooting up to the
height of six or eight feet, and gas was
blazing from ten to fifteen feet above the
water OF the gsysers. The river bed was
torn up and the water had stopped running
below the graveyard. Flames are still
shooting from fifty different tissues in the
earth. Tha county has not been con-
sidered in the gas belt, although local com.
panies have sunk many wells. At Wall
dron, little town eight miles southeast
OF this place, sufficient flow of gas was
found to supply the citizens with fuel.
Nobody thought that gusher was slum-
berlng near the town, and few have enter.
tame the idea of a permanent flow Of
gas in the locality.
little stream known as Fat Rock runs
southwesterly through the country, and
about three miles south of Waldron on the
banks OF Flat Rock is sort of butte,
upon which country graveyard has been
for many years. The river at this point
runs west and Conn's Creek empties into
it from the north, forming kind of horse
shoe shaped strip of land opposite the
gray ,yard. Edmund Cooper owns the
land on the north side Of the river, and it
was in this strip of land that the explosion
occurred to-day. j. H. Lowe, who lives
on the Cooper farm, heard terrific report
and felt the earth quivering beneath his
feet. He went toward the graveyard and
was soon confronted by sheet of flame
200 feet high. Then fifty or more foun-
tains of fire burst from the eartn. These
were interspersed with six or eight active
geysers. At the east side of the eruption
large stack of straw was afame, and
field of green corn was dropping before
the excessive heat from the ten acres Of
flame. The river bed was torn to pieces
and the huge assures were receiving the
rivers water. Sheets of flame swept over
the water and crater covering an
area of about one acre was quickly
converted into huge hole, from
which a continuous roaring and rumbling
noise proceeds. Within the bend of the
river and for one-eighth Of mile along
the stream great rents are in the earth and
the river bed. At the bend of the river,
the bank, which is of limestone, is frac-
tured quarter of mile in length, and
stones the size of house have been
hurled from their places. The graveyard
was shaken up, the skeletons Of the dead
being distinctly seen in the fractures Of
the earth. Gas flows fresly from the en-
tire surface of the ten acres.
Many theories have been advanced as to
the cause of the upheaval. Many people
contend that it was spontaneous COM
bustion of natural gas. AS much as, the
gas is flowing, there seems to be room for
the conjecture, but Mr.. Lowe, who got to
the scene before the gas ignited, says that
the upheaval was volcanic.
The gas ignited from q burning brush
heap near the eruption, and the blaze i'm
| mediately shot 200 feet in the air. Blue
mud and water continues to spout upward
in streams to the height of four to ten
feet, which indicates that some powerful
force is still exerting itself upon the mat
ter within.
No use can be made Of the flow Of gas at
this point nor near it, as the fracture will
let the gas escape so as to destroy the. gas
pressure for miles around. AS yet no one
can get within the furthest limits of the
rupture owing to the intense heat. DR..
an hour after the explosion, but could not
get nearer than hundred feet. He was
not anxious, however, to venture much
closer, as he discovered that the county
road has sunken several feet and the ad-
jacent soil had heen going down from its
proper altitude. 1t is three miles to any
gas we'll or line of gas pipes, and this
makes the phenomena more mysterious.
1t looks as though something akin to-
hades has broken loose in Shelby. The
state geologist and other prominent scien-
fists will investigate the intruder.
A terrible rumbling sound'as Of distant
thunder was heard for miles at the time of
the explosion, and as there was not cloud
became greatly alarmed. They are wild
Will eAcAsemeAt auu sone VI tueu 3fe
leaving their homes. Within the last
eighteen months there have been thirteen
gas wells sunk in the locality of the grave
yard, and while each have had some gas
none have been gushers, and it is sug-
gested by some that gas in large quanti-
ties has escaped below the castings in the
wells, causing this unusual occurrence.
FEELS HIS DISGRACE.