The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-03-05
QUEER SPOUTING CAVE.
Very Curious Phenomenon Of Nature at
Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz.
at Santa Cruz these days is a queer
spouting rock, or. rather. tunnel and
rocky aperture, through which the sea
water boils and bubbles turioIsly.
Hundreds of people have been out 10
see It. The queer spouting was develop
ed during the recent great storm. Every
two or three minutes. alternately. vol
ume Of water sixty seat high shcats in
TO the air. To view it wholly from the
surface II appears to be a gigantic
geyser, with which tho3e Of the Yellow
stcne Park are at Zines II signif "a mt,
SAYS the SaE Francisco Examiner.
The water which is thrown up in sLch
a great volume, is salt brine from the
Pacific ocean. For a THOUSAND lars
possibly, and maybe more. for nobody
knows, the waves of the ocean have bt en-
playing such an earnest hide-and-E o-seek
with themselves and the rocky shore that
they have worn great chasms and tunnels
into the land.
1t Is a rock-bound shore. out t'Ie rock,
for the most part Is not very hard.
II is mainly a silicious or micaci ,Is sand
stone OF a light yellow hue. ani II you
walk over II while II is wet you INST be
cautious, for II Is almost as slippery as
soapstone. In this curious stone the waves
have cut long avenues and dug cut
caves far inland over which people g'.;k
and never mistrust that If the ,op shou:'s
fall they would be precipitated INTO the
sea.
In some places the tops have already
fallen or partly so. and one may peer
over the edge and look through queer
circular holes fifty feet down in the
seething blue waters. The tunnels. opfn
cuts and this strange squirting rock are
two miles south OF Santa Cruz, not far
from the esplanade. and In full View or
the Crescent bay, the mouth OF the SAL
mas and San Lorenzo rivers and The white
shaft erected to the memory OF the Fran
cscan friar. Junipero Sierra. The azure
OF the ocean. the faint blue OF the two
wings Of the Cascades and the varied
colors of the sky. with the Other sur
roundings, make the place one OF singu-
lar beauty.
II was odd to see such a column ex-
tending out OF what appeared 10 De
level stretch OF land, covered thcEiy with
grass. which for much of the year was
redolent of wild flowers. Very fantas-
tic the water appeared. Day and night
at intervals OF two and three minutes
the column would shoot up and as sud
denly fall, only to appear again ds telore.
Throngs went to see IL and wonder at
its fantastic colors. The wilder the storm
the ioftier the column. II varied from
forty TO sixty feet high. according TO
the force OF the waves.
An examination Of the ground therea-
bouts revealed novel things. II was
found that long. narrow groove or cut
led into the shore. 1t was widest at the
sea end. like a wedge, and grew narrower
as II reached into the land. 1t extended
about eighty feet.
Into this the waves thrashed and ham,
mered as they rolled in from toward the
mountains across the bay which border
the Salinas river. AS the waves crashed
against the end OF the tunnel they Kept
wearing away the soft sandstone when
composed II and portion OF the ROOF
above. At length the waves extended
far beyond the weak portion or the root'
and there was a rebound which was very
powerful. Gradually II ate away the
roof.
Suddenly during the storm 1t burst
through. making an aperture about two
feet square and looking much like mop
per TO a grain mill. 1t appears to have
been at a point where peculiar strain
was put upon portion OF the caprock.
which cracked and fell. When this oc-
CURED the water was partially treed
from the queer underground prison, ana
as the waves played back and forth IL
sent the column skyward.
A loud sound accompanied 1t like me
roar OF artillery. The bending OF the
1.-THE eucalyptus trees the incoming OF
the many white waves, the falling OF
the sheets Of rain and the fury of the
tempest made I'D a scene inexpressibly
grand. AS the waves died down the
lofty column OF water ceased TO appear.
but as they increased in power with the
storm II again shot up into the air. AL
together 1t is a new attraction for this
part OF the beach.
A. c. Bilicke and an Examiner repre-
sentative went out TO look al IL
Wednesday II was found that all the
stories told Of the queer cave ana its
singular water column were true. but as
the fury of the storm had ceased. the
cave was spouting but little water.
Mrs. c. c. Pixley. who lives hard by.
made a sketch OF 1t during the height OF
the tempest.
1.-The spouting cave was revelation
to me-" she said. II had lived here for
three years and never expected TO see
so curious a phenomenon. The water
burst forth very suddenly little over
week ago. apparently right out of TIE
grass. did not know how to account
for II, and approached carefully as near
as I could. 1t was an awe-inspiring
sight, such a one as IL worth much TO
see. The curious thing to me was that
1t We uid shoot up so high at intervals.
the intervals being every two OF three
minutes. 1t was so extraordinary tha'
sketched It, and here II the picture now.
] do not doubt that In future. when the
waves run high. as during the storm
which has Just ended. many will come 70
~ II"