The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-04
TAPPED A VOLCANO.
It May Mean All Sorts of Trouble to Half a Dozen California Villages.

| It May Mean All Sorts of Trouble to Half a Dozen California Villages. While drilling for oil in the great de- sert of southern California known as
 the Colorado Desert an Indio oil com
 pany tapped what appeared at first sight to be the internal regions but which proved to be a. slumbering val- cano. The sleeping giant immediately awoke when the drill dropped into his fiery nest and the result was indeed startling to the drillers.
 The drill had reached depth of but
 800 feet, and as it was expected that 1t
 would be necessary to go at least twice that depth to find oil, the workmen were
 not looking for strike of any kind. It
 required extreme activity on their part
 to escape from the derrick when there
 came rushing up from the well a hiss
 ing, roaring stream of steam, gas, hot
 mud, rocks and brackish water. The
 volcanic substance shot several hun
 dred feet into the air and fell in a de-
 structive shower about the derrick. The
 drilling tools were thrown from the hole
 and the aperture made by the drill was
 rapidly enlarged as the roaring torrent
 continued to rush skyward
 Within the confines of the desert,
 though several miles from the location
 of the volcanic well, is region known
 as "The Volcanoes" This tract is
 more than a mile in extent and con-
 tains hundreds of cones and peaks
 varying in height from afew feet to
 more than a hundred feet. from which
 flow mud and hot water, steam and suIphurous vapors. Over the whole re- zion hangs a dense cloud of steam and noxious gases which taint the air. This tract lies from 200 to 300 feet below the level of the sea- as also the land upon which the Indio oil company's well is located. A few miles away rises the towering peak of cd Mount San Jacinto, which, though having an elevation above the level of the sea of but 10997 feet. is the highest mountain above the level of the surrounding country in the United States. for it's bass lies below the sea. The region about this noun tain has long been the field of frequent light shocks being felt ev- cry fe wdays and as recently as last February one paroxysm was of so se- were nature as to cause the loss of six lives.
 The general opinion has long prevail ed that old San Jacinto is preparing to develop into a volcano. It would now appear that the earth for some distance about is but thin crust over menac- Ing danger. The well of the India com | pany continues to cough and spout it's | volcanic matter and the earth for many | rods around shakes and trembles vio- entity. What the developments will be | s hard to conjecture.
 Not many miles from this strange | we'll Is the locality known as the Salt | Desert" This is @ tract of land of | or more acres which lies 300 | 'eet below the level of the sea and has 1 he appearance of a vast field of snow. Over the entire tract lies bed of salt | in depth from six to sixteen nches. Seventeen years ago the Liver pool Salt company took possession of | he land and began to harvest the salt | rom this exposed mine There have ,een, since the establishment of the ! works there, 2000 tons of salt per year aken from the field, and yet but ten cres have been worked. As fast as the alt is removed a new crust is formed rom the water of salt springs there. 'he water is rapidly evaporated by the avs of the sun, which is seldom ob- cured by clouds and which induce a often reaching 120 to 130 egrees. Should volcano of consider ble size and activity develop, this val able plant, together with the villages f Salton, Indio, Walters, Drumid, rink, Volcano Springs, Flowing Wells nd Tortugo, all of which lie below the ve of the sea woud be in danger of ex- armination. The outcome of the vol anic well will be watched with a deal interest and anxiety by the residents these towns.-From the Louisville ourier-Journal.