The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-08-14
Opening or A Crevasse in In
diana Down Which Vol
umesof Water Flow.
Natural Gas lgnites and Furnishes .
Scene Most Beautiful 10
Behold.
A Creek Turned Backward and Con-
yerted Into Niagara--Thou-
sands Of Spectators

sHKLByvTI-LK, Ind, Aug. -.
At Ga. m. on the 1Ith inst. the farmers
near Waldron, Ind, wsre startled by tor
rife explosion. when they reached tbs
Ogden graveyard, which 10 ON bluff near
the Flat Rock stream, they discovered that
fully ten acres OF the earth was In c0mmo.
tion. Geysers were shooting up 20 the
height of six or eight feet, and gas was
blazing from ten to fifteen feet above the
water OF the geyssrs. The river bed was
torn mp and the water had stopped running
below the graveyard. Flames are stiii
shooting from atty different fissuss In the
earth. The county has not been eon~
siderea In the gas belt. although local COM
panies have sunk many wells. At Wal.
dron, little town eight miles southeast
Of this place, sufficient flow of gas was
found 10 supply tho citizens With fuel.
Nobody thoueht that gusher was slum-
bering near the town, and few have enter
tanned the idea Of permanent fow OF
gas In the locality.
A little stream known rs Fat Rock runs
southwesferiy through the country, and
about three miles south Of Waldron ON the
hanks of Flat Rock is sort of butte,
upon whirh country graveyard has been
for many years. The river st this point
runs west and Conn's Greek empties into
IL from the north, forming kind Of horse
shoe shaped strip of land opposite the
gray yard. Edmund Cooper ogns the
land on the north side of the river, and IL
was in this strip of land that the explosion
occurred to-day. j.. III. 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 o sheet Of aaae
400 feet high. Then hfty or more foan-
salns of Gre burst from the eartn. These
were interspersed with sin or eight activs
geysers. At the east side Of the eruption
large stack OF straw was afiame, and q
feld Of green corn was dropping before
the excessive heat from the ten acres OF
fame. The river bed was torn 20 pieces
and the huge assures were receiving the
rivers water. Sheets Of fame swept over
the water and o crater covering an
area OF about one acre was qn1oAfy
converted into huge holes from
which continuous roaring and rnmbling
noise proceeds Within the bend OF the
river and for one-eighth of . mile along
the stream great rents are in tbs earth and
| the river bed. At the bend of the river,
the bank, which is Of limestone, is frae-
tnred quarter OF q 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 freely from the en- =
tire surface Of the ten acres.
/ MANY theories have been advanced as TO
aha cause of the nphegval. Many people
contend thai ID was . spontaneous COM
bnstion of natural gas. AS much as the
gas is flowing, there seems 60 be room Tor
the conjecture, but Mr. Lowe, who got to
the scene before the gas ignited, says that
the uphaaTgt Was volcanic.
The gas sgnited from burning brush
heap near the eruption, and the blaze i'm
mediately shot 300 feet In the air. Blue
mud and water continues 10 spout upward
la streams TO the height Of four TO zen
feet, which indicates that some powerful
\ feree ~ sliIi exarting itself upon the mat
ter within.
No use can be made of the fiow of gas q
this point nor near it, as the fracture viii
let the gas escape so as 20 destroy the ga
pressure for miles around. Az yet no ont
.. can get Within ths fnrthest limits OF thu
rupture owing to the intense heat. Dr
II. II. Washburn visited the scene withii
. an hour after the explosion, but could no
get nearer than hundred feet He wa
not anxious, however, 10 venture muci
closer, rs he discovered that the count,
road has sunken several feet and the I'D
jacsnt soil had hesn going down from II
! proper altitude. II In three miles to an
I gas well or line Of gas pipes. and thi
.. makes the phenomena more mysterious
!. IL looks ~ though something akin
hades has broken loose in Shelby. Th
state geologist and other prominent scien
tists will investigate the intruder.
A terrible rumbiing soand as OF distar
thunder vas heard for miles at the time Z
the expiosaon, and - there was not clou
/. to be seen the inhabitants in the iocahi
! became greatly alarmed. They are vii
! with excitement and some OF them Al
leaving their homes. Within the la
= eighteen months there have been thirtes
I eas wells sunk In the locality Of the gray'
!. yard. and while each have had some n
= none have been gushers. and q 10 snl
gested By some that gas in large quaint
ties has escaped below the castings in q
wallis. cas1sinn thia unusual occurrence.