The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-07-18
TIE pool OF peA1A.
A Sparkling Spring That Exhales IA Gas
Which Mono Cnn nreatlle md Live.

A Sparkling Spring That Exhales IA Gas
which None Can Breathe and Live.
"Talk about Death Valley" said |
Gavin McNab. 81 know spot in this
state where no living thing can exist
five seconds, and the place is within
thirty ieet of u travelled country road"
"Tell us about it, " said the gentlemen
clustered around the speaker.
"Woll," said Mr.. McNab, 81 will, but
IL did not know there was u supera-
bundance of proof concerning the story
am about to relate to you, would
hesitate to tell it. Along the foot of
the Mendocino mountains, in the county
by that name, runs a much-traveled
road, which leads from the town of
Hopland to Ukiah. The road is on n
bench or shelf above valley created
by the Russian river, which. like nearly
all California streams, is constantly
changing its channel, and hence it is
sometimes within a hundred yards of
the road at the nearest point and again
half-mile away. When the annual
oUerhows occur it spreads over the
whole valley and is u mile or more
wide. l mention this in order that you
may understand the nature of the val
ley. 1t is dry river bed, all sand and
gravel with here and there u bunch of
scrubby willows.
"In clump of these stunted trees, at
point about three miles from Hopland
and about thirty feet from the road l
have mentioned, there bubbles q spring
of the clearest sparkling water you ever
saw. The only thing peculiarly notice
able about the spring from distance
is the loud kissing sound it makes as it
gushes up out of the gravelly soil. 1t
sounds more like boiling water with oc-
casional jets of steam escaping than it
does like the ordinary purling of u
stream. Approach it and you will be
startled to see lying around the spring
the skeletons of hundreds of birds, scores
of small animals such as coons foxes,
and the like, and nearly always there
will be body or two of birds or ami
mails in more or less advanced stage
of decomposition near the edge of the
spring. If man is wise he will be con-
tent with an inspection of the mat
tractive spot from distance, more es-
pecially if there happens to be the car
cass of steer lying beside it with the
nose an inch or two from the water.
The fact is gentlemen, that there rises
constantly from the spring gas SO
noXious and deadly that one Whit of il
is sufficient to eXtinguish life.
"The terrible character of the spring, -
continued Mr.. McNab, lis well known
to all who reside in the neighborhood
| nj +o1l hA, s4n
cerning it. One day the little six-year
old daughter of farmer living neal
the spring wandered away from home
its absence was not noticed FOR an houl
or two, and then the parents went il
search of their child. They found hei
lying dead beside the spring with lit
tie dead bird clutched in her hand
She had evidently seen the bird lying
beside the stream, and, being attracted
by the bright colors of its plumage, hat
tried to pick it up, and in so doing haC
inhaled the gas arising from the watel
and died with the bird.
Another time" said the narrator q
this strange story, "a squaw who wa
supposed to be recovering from spree
wandered down by the spring. Sh
probably started to the river to get
= , drink when she discovered the sprin
and lznelt beside it, dying in that posi
tion. The strangest thing about it i
that, well known as is the deadly chal
J, acter of the spring, there is absolutel
. no warning posted, no fence around il
nor protection against it of any kin
other than few limbs of trees an
bushes thrown over the place by fan
mers to keep their stock away from il
and the last time | saw the place eve
the brush had been scattered until tn
spring was uncovered. A venturesom
man once held his breath and nostril
and leaned over the spring to hear tn
y y noise it made, which he described a
4 something terrible.
1.-The water is thought to be compar;
: lively wholesome, but nothing is know
positively about it, as it has never bee
: analysed. There can be no doubt, how
y ever, that the spring is certain and il
stant death to every living thing that al
y. proaches it."-San Francisco Chronicl,