Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-01-11
STRANGE WRESTLING WELLS.
GIVE WARNING OF THE COMING OF
STORMS.
StranSc Freaks of Nature in WixcOn-
sin-HOt Air in summer That Will
Quickly Boil Wnter-Weird
Sounds Heard.

Cumberland wis) correspondent Milwaukee Sentinel.
A freak of nature. which is attracting
attention in this part of the state, is a
series of blowing or whistling wells. as
they are called, located in the northern
part of the town of Eureka and the south
ern part of the town of Sterling. in Polk
county. west of this city.
There are six of these phenomenal wells.
ranging in depth form 1o to 1O feet. but
the one owned by james Calm in the town
of Eureka exhibits the most remarkable
features. 1t is 12O feet deep and was dug
fifteen years ago. The first twenty feet Is
hardpan and the rest coarse gravel.
Before a storm the wind blows out OF this
Well with great force, making a roaring
moaning sound that can be heard a great
distance. This current of air Is so not That
water placed over the well will boil in a
few seconds.
The current blows out only before a storm.
and the severity and duration of the storm
are accurately foretold by the force of this
begins.
1t is. therefore. an accurate and absolute
~ reliable barometer, as it fortells 9, change
from hot to cold or vice versa with equal
accuracy, but remains quiet In settled
weather. no matter what the temperature.
IN a winter a current of air is drawn in
pelore a change OF weather, Just as 1orci-
current will freeze water 30 feet below
me surface more quickly than 1t would at
the surface, and though many attempts
have been made to use a pump in the well
they have all failed. Several pumps of diff
1erent makes have been destroyed by the
water freezing and bursting the cylinders
and pipes.
Some years ago a house was built over
me well and a stove placed in it SO that
1t could be heated to an intense degree.
but strange as 1t may seem. this did not
prevent the water from freezing and burst
ing pipes l5 feet from the surface. and
though there aTe but eighteen or twenty
inches of water in the well in winter. ice
freezes several inches in thickness in spite
OF all representatives..
Windmills have been tried with the same
results. A windmill and buckets have also
been tried. but the water freezes over so
thlck in one night that a heavy stone
the ice.
The temperature at the bottom of the
well Is so much colder than it Is at the
surface that in extremely cold weather it
Is dangerous for anyone to venture into
1t. In winter the heavy downward cur-
rent before a change of weather will cause
outward current causes the water to rise
sometimes fifteen or twenty feet. The
curling cur in this well is always dry and the
water OF good quality.
The other five wells resemble this In al
most every particular. They are located
within a radius Of about one mile and vary
IN depth from $50 to lG0 feet. Some of the
as in the We'll described. While p others are
even more remarkable.
Within half a mile of these wells water
Is obtained at a depth of from ten to thirty
feet, and the wells exhibit none of these
unusual symptoms.
IN and theories advanced concerning an
underground passage. but no outlet has
been discovered, and If there is one it must
be a great distance away in order to foretell
the approach of storms so long a time in
advance.
The weird, unearthly sound produced by
the blowing in and out of these wells often
frlghtenS superstitious persons or those I'M
acquainted with these phenomena.