The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-08-05
THE POOL OF DEATH.
A Spring That ExhaIes 3 Gas which None
Can Breathe and Live.


Can Breathe and Live.
"Talk about Death valley" said Gavin
McNab last night. al know n spot in this
state where no living thing can exist five
seconds, and the place is within thirty feet
of Travelled country road"
"Tell us about it," said the gentlemen
clustered around the speaker
well, said Mr.. McNab, 81 will, but II
] did not know there was asuperahundance
of proof concerning the story am about to
relate to you, ! would hesitate to tell it.
Along the foot of the Mendocne noun
tains, in the county by that name, runs a
much Travelled road which leads from the
town of Hopland to UkiAh. The road is
on 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 overflows occurit spreads
over the whole valley and is a mile or more
wide. l mention this in order that you
may understand the nature of the valley.
1t is dry river bed, all sand and gravel,
with here and there bunch of scrubby
willows.
"In clump OF these stunted trees, at a
point about three miles from Hoplsnd and
about thirty feet from the road have mem
toned, there bubbles spring Of the clearest
sparkling water you ever saw The only
thing peculiarly noticeable about the spring
from n distance is the loud Kissing sound
1t makes as it gushes up out of the gravelly
soil. 1t sounds more like boiling water
with occasional jets Of steam escaping than
it does like the ordinary purling of a
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 animals in n moro or less
advanced stage Of decomposition near the
edge of the spring. II a man is wise he will
be content with an inspection of the unat-
tractive spot from distance, more especi-
ally If there happens TO be the catcass of
steer lying beside it with the nose an inch
or two from the water. The fact is, gentle
men, that there rises constantly from the
spring gas so noxious and 50 deadly that
one Whit Of it is sufficient to extinguish
life.
1.-THE terrible character of the spring."
continued Mr. McNab, "is well known to
all who reside in tie neighborhood, and
they tell some horrible stories concerning
it. One day the little siX-year.old daugh-
ter of a farmer living near the spring wan
dered away from home. Its absence was
not noticed for an hour or two, and then
the parents went in search of their child.
They found her lying dead beside the
spring, with n little dead bird cutched in
her hand. She had evidently seen the bird
lying beside the spring, and, being attract
ed by the bright colors Of its plumage had
tried to pick it up, and in SO doing had in
hailed the gas rising from the water and
died with the bird
Another time" said the narrator Of
this strange story, ga squaw wandered
down by the spring. She probably started
to the river to get a drink, when she dis
covered the spring and linelt beside it, dy.
ing in that position. The strangest thing
about it is that, well known as is the dead
ly character of the spring, there is abso-
lutely no warning posted, no fence around
it, nor protection against it OF any kind
other than few limbs of trees and bushes
thrown over the place by farmers to keep
their stock away from it, and the last time
r saw the place even the brush had been
scattered until the spring was uncovered.
A yenturesome man once held his breath
and nostrils and leaned over the spring to
hear the noise 1t made, which he described
as something terrible.
1.-THE water is thought to be compara-
lively wholesome, but nothing is known
positively about it, rs it has never been
analysed. There can be no doubt, how
ever, that the spring is certain and instant
death to every living thing that approaches
it."-San Francisco Chronicle