Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-04-05
ANINTERESTINGH HOL.
A GIGANTIC BREAK IN THE eARTHN
, CRUST CAUSES WONDER. I

! a
It Was Supposed That Meteor Hal
( Struck There, hut GeOlogist Ad
/ vances Theory That an Explosion Il
/ the Ice Age Burst Through the SurfsTf-
! To the sheep herders, the hunters, the In
dians and the efrontiersmen the Koon BUTT
or Great Hole, as they sometimes call it,
imply a strange hole in the crust of the
tlrth. Some sheep herders tending thei1
iocks on the arid plains of southeastern
Arizona picked up here and there little
bits of iron ore 1t was almost pure iron
nuggetlike in shape, and the sheep herders
became enthusiastic because they believed
they had discovered in that desolate coun.
try an iron mine So, in some excitement,
they went to Albuquerque, which is the
largest town in the vicinity, and going to
some of the officers of the railroad they
held out in their hands some of these mug
gets of iron and said: See, isn't this iron2
If it is, we know where there is a mine of
it not very far from here, and we are will
ing to sell or make arrangements with you
for securing it, if you find that we are
right"
/ There happened to be in Albuquerque at
that time two mining experts, DR.. Foote,
of Philadelphia, and Mr.. Barry, and they
pronounced the specimens magnetic iron
of the finest quality, with every indication
that it was of meteoric origin. They were
therefore instructed to go to the place in
dicated by these men and make thor
ough exploration.
While the experts did not find any iron
mine, they did see something which most
greatly interested them, and that was Koon
Butte or Great Hole. They spent some
little time in examining it, and were salts
fled that it was natural curiosity worthy
the attention of the ablest scientists.
Mr.. G. X. Gilbert, scientist of wide re-
pute and great ability, who is connected
with the geological survey, gave much
thought to the reports, and it occurred to
him that possibly the great hole in the
earth's surface might have been caused by
a gigantic meteor. The theory or sug-
gestion came to him on account of coin
! CidenCe which is very rare, ii not unprec-
edented. In the first place there was a
meteoric iron in small fragments, and in
the next place gigantic craterlike exca-
walton in the earth's surface, the two con-
ditions existing side by side. If Mr.. Gil.
bert's theory or idea was correct he be-
lieved it could be easily determined
Mr.. Gilbert determined to visit in COM
pany with scientific experts the great
hole, to make experiments and investi-
cations that he might ascertain if pos
sible whether his idea was correct, and if
not, what the cause of the immense curl
osity of deformty, so to speak, was. He
took delicate scientific instruments, among
Others compasses which would be sure to
reveal the presence of meteorc iron even
at considerable distance. When he reached
the Koon Butte he made some measure
ments. He found that the crater or hole
was three-fourths of mile across, and the
bottom of the hole was 600 feet below the
rim or topmost part of the crust, and 400
feet below the plain or level of the earth's
surface. Therefore, whatever caused this
enormous disturbance of the earth's crust
had forced or squeezed or blown out of the
hole rock and earth sufficient to rim the
circumference about 200 feet above the sur
face of the EARTH
The first experiments were made with
the compass. The compasses had been
tested in the navy yard in Washington, so
that it was well known how near piece,
of magnetic iron would have to be to diss
turb the needle. The tests were exhaust
i've, and not the slightest DETECTION of the
needle was observed. Mr. Gilbert then
reasoned that if piece of magnetic or me-
teoric iron big enough to make that enor-
nous hole was beneath the surface it must
be at least fifty miles below the crust. or
the needle would have given some indica-
tion of it. 1t of course was absurd to SUD-
pose that any object could have struck the
earth with a velocity sufficient to pene-
trate the crust to distance of fifty miles.
and Mr., Gilbert therefore abandoned the
idea of meteoric origin of this hole and be-
gan investigations looking to other expla
nations.
He considered many theories, all of
which, on investigation, with one excep-
tlon, proved to be unsatisfactory. He
measured carefully the amount of earth
and rock which composed the rim of the
hole or crater, and then also measured the
space bounded by the hole itself. And he
found that if the earth and rock which
composed the rim were shoveled back into
the hole it would almost exactly fill it.
That indicated TO certainty that no for
elgn substance was beneath the bottom of
the hole, for if there was the material of
which the rim was composed would more
than fill the hole. This also showed that
the earth and rock had been forced out by
some violent subterreanean force.
After making some very careful and
deilcate experiments Mr. Gilbert reached
THIS conclusion: He decided that far be-
meath the surface of the earth at this point,
perhaps thousand feet, was body of
water resting upon primitive rock. The
water from some cause became greatly
heated in prehistoric age. The amount
OF neat must have been enormous, for at
that depth and under that pressure water
does not change to steam until far higher
degree Of heat is reached than 212 degs..
winch is the temperature that converts
water to steam on the surface. Whatever
the degree of heat, it was sufficient to con-
vert the body of water into steam of
enormous extensive power.
Inc force was sufficient at last to cause
an explosion, to speak without technical
accuracy, or, in other words, the power of
the steam was so great that the earth's
crust, even 1000 feet in ickness, was not
aoie TO resist it. The pr ssure blew that
nole IN the earth's surface, carrying with
IL earth and rock, and the force of this ex-
plosion was so directed that it made n YER
ltaole mole almost exactly circular. Ex-
actly the same thing happened that occurs
when a steam boiler is bursted by the pow
er of steam. ~"
Having satisfied himself as to the cause.
MI MI Gllbert undertook to decide if possible
on the time when the remarkable and
PROBABLY unequaled explosion occurred,
fis investigation led him to believe TINT
1T occurred probably during the ice ace
when the whole northern part of the North
American continpnt was cnverod ,,,i.L -