Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1902-06-04
NEW MEXICO VOLCANO.
Hot Air and Steam Issue From Creyi- ces in the Earth, But it is Un-
 accompanied By Smoke.

A correspondent of the Albuquer- que Citizen writes as follows to that paper concerning an alleged volcano in Mckinley county, New Mexico:
 So much has been said, at random, about Mckinley county volcano, that the truth about it may be interesting.
 Fifteen years ago I first heard that there was a burning coal vein, some where in the county northeast of Gal lud. Reports of this kind have been current at intervals until since the late seismic disturbance in the West Indies, when the burning coal mine turned into a full fedged volcano, which was emitting clouds of smoke and shaking up the backbone of the continentout that way in a very dis agreeable manner.
 l.. E. Densmore of Gallup, who is one of the very few, if not the only, white man who has investigated the phenomena, gave me lately, a graphic description of "the burning mesa, for that term seems more fitly to de- scribe unique condition.
 Mir. Densmore, a couple of years ago, having heard the current stories relating to this strange place, sue ceeded in inducing an Indian to guide him to the spot, which is To- cated thirty miles northeast of Gallup on high mesa, near the upraise of mountain chain and within one hun dred feet of the east line of the reser- vation. MT. Densmore had pointed out by the guide spot, in nothing different from the surrounding red mesa, the guide indicat- ing that to be the spot. There was no sign of smoke, no ssteam, nothing that would in any way distinguish the spot from any other. And Mir. Densmore said: II felt that had been badly sold" On walking out few feet in the di rection indicated by the Indian guide he noticed that the rock had been split open by some convulsion or na- ture, leaving a crevice from six inches to three feet wide. The edges were whitened by some substance which attracted his attention, and stepping down to gather some of it from the crevice his hand came in contact with heated air; the rock itself was hot enough to burn him.
 Further investigation showed tha over an area, which he described to be an area of about a city block, mar row crevices opened into the princi- pal crevice, from all of which hot air ascended in some places with suff- cient intensity to boil water or to cook meal. In some places he found that vapor almost imper- ceptiblv ascended. On one occasion he visited the place early in January and while the surrounding country was covered with snow, vegetation was growing on this spot. Mir. Dens- more says the surface rock is the common red sandstone of the coun- try, and that the absence of smoke is conclusive evidence to him that it is not a burning coal mine. He has since located a smaller heated area within one mile of the first which seems to be of the same character. The surface of the country shows much fossil rock, apparently sea forms of vegetation, shells. etc.
 MT. Densmore says he will will ingly guide any scientific party to the place, furnish teams and outfit, and that if they do not find it just as he describes he will not charge them one cent for the trip; but he stipu- lates that there must be in the party some person who can show claims to scientific knowledge and who goes prepared to test the gases and take correct temperatures.