The St. Johns herald., 1893-01-12
NATURES ANTICS.
Remarkable Phenomena in South
 ern California.
Unfathomable Pastures ia the Earth Gre ated by Internal ConvUisions A Very Mysterious
 Region.

A few months ago a small party of prospectors left San Diego for that lit tie known country lying below the Mexican boundary, just west of the Colorado river. This region is supposed to be full of valuable mineral deposits and prolific in natural phenomena.
 They spent couple of weeks on what is known as the Santa Ysabel ranch, some miles northwest of the Cocopah mountains. While there they heard that frequently during several days a heavy rumbling had been heard in the direction of the Cocopahs. Proceeding to Las Juntas, a little settlement made up of few Indians and a white man or two, they spent several days there in prospecting.
 Here they were told by man named Elliott that from high hill he had seen what seemed to be cloud over the Cocopah mountains, and had also heard heavy rumblings, and once at night had seen dull light apparently on the very top of the mountain. He believed it to be volcano. Indians had also brought reports that unusual disturbances had
 
 and they were greatly frightened
 They recrossed the line into the United States, and at Indian Wells, on the Colorado desert, not only heard more about the rumblings and smoke, but for the first time saw the smoke themselves, cloud-like shape that seemed to rest almost on the earth. The party came westward, and on the night when the earthquake shock was felt in San Diego were camped on an elevation some 5000 feet above the sea level.
 That night they not only felt the se- verest earthquake shock, but plainly saw great light shoot upward in the heavens directly over what was believed to be the main Cocopah mountain. The light continued with greater or less brilliancy late into the night, while the rumbling was almost incessant and the tremors frequent.
 The next morning murly cloud of the color made by burning sulphur hung like vast umbrella low on the horizon all day and there were frequent ly recurring shocks of earthquake. The party remained in camp that night and saw the light in the same place, but much fainter. George Nickle, who has a ranch on the eastern slope of the mountains, said that on the night of the great shake he saw an illumination Of the heavens directly over tue Cocopah mountains. The light changed re- peatedly, being sometimes very bright, sometimes dull and almost impercep- tible. The next morning he saw an um- brella-shaped cloud where he had seen the light the night before. There is no doubt in the minds of all who saw the light that it was an active volcano.
 George Campbell, an old stoclmaa of the Campo country and proprietor of the Jacumba ranch on the edge of the desert, states that a few days after the first severe earthquake he was on the desert looking after cattle that had strayed far in the direction of Indian Wells. He found that the earth was cracked in many places as result of the earthquake.
 Some Assures were nearly two feet wide. One afternoon he was riding fast when his horse stumbled on the edge of huge Assure. He recovered himself, however, and jumped across. Campbell turned back to look at the huge crevice, which was about eighteen to twenty-two inches wide and extended north and south as far as he could see and apparently had DO bottom.
 The old stage road from Campo to Yuma passes through deep canyon, both sides of which rise apparently to great height. Mir. Gaskel says that one hundred huge rocks have been dis lodged from the mountain sides and rolled to the bottom of the canyon, ob- structing travel so much that it is al- most impossible to get through with a wagon. This canyon is near Coyote Wells, in Jacumba valley, where are hot and cold springs to which many in- valids resort for bathing. Mr. Camp bell, the proprietor, says that the flow of the hot springs has ceased entirely.