The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1891-09-11
pEApLrER THAN DEATH VALLEY.
A California Pool That Gives or Gas
Fatal to All Life.

Fatal to All Life.
~Talk about Death Valley, said Gavin
McNab to San Francisco Chronicle re-
porter, Il know spot in this State
where no living thing can exist five
seconds, and the place is within 80 feet of
a travelled country road"
Tell us about it. said the gentlemen
clustered around the speaker.
"Well, =" said Mr.. McNab. III will. but
IL did not know there was superabun-
dance Of proof concerning the story am
about to relate to you | would hesitate to
tell it. Along the foot of the Mendoicino
Mountains, in the county by that name,
runs much travelled road, which leads
from the town of Hopeland to Ukiah.
The road is on bench, or shelf, above a
valley created by the Russian River,
which, like nearly all California streams.
10 constantly changing its channel, and
hence IL is sometimes within hundred
yards of the road at the nearest point and
again half mile away. When the an
nual overflows occur it spreads over the
whole valley, and is mile or more wide.
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 a bunch of scrubby
willows.
Ina clump Of these stunted trees, at a
point about three miles from Hopeland
and about 30 feet from the road l have
mentioned, there bubbles spring of the
clearest sparkling water you ever saw.
The only thing peculiarly noticeable
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 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 skele-
tons 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 more
or less advanced state of decomposition
near the edge of the spring. If a man is
wise he will be content with an inspec-
tion of the unattractive spot from dis
tance. more especially if there happens
TO be the carcass 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 80 noxious and SO deadly that one
Whit of it is sufficient to extinguish life.
THE terrible character of the spring
continued Mr.. McNab, lis well known to
all who reside in the neighborhood. and
they tell some horrible stories concern
ing it. One day the little 6 year old
daughter of farmer living near the
spring wandered away from home. her
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 little dead
bird clutched in her hand. She had evil
IDENTIFY seen the bird lying beside the
spring, and, being attracted by the
bright colors Of its plumage, had tried to
pick it up, and in so doing had inhaled
the gas rising from the water and died
with the bird.
Another time, said the narrator Of this
strange story, "a squaw who was sup
posed to be recovering from spree wan.
dered down by the spring. She probably
started to the rivS to get drink, when
she discovered the spring and knelt be-
side it, dying in that position. The
strangest thing about it is that, well
known as is the deadly character of the
spring, there is absolutely 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 l saw the
place even the brush had been scattered
until the spring was uncovered. A VEN
turesome man once held his breath and
nostrils and leaned over the spring to
hear the noise it made, which he des-
cribed as something terrible.
The water is thought to be compare
lively wholesome, but nothing is known
positively about it. as it has never been
analysed. There can be no doubt, how
ever, that the spring is certain and in
slant death to every living thing that
approaches it"