Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-11
ARE THE HOT SPRINGS DYING.
An Interesting Enquiry From the State
Of Arkansas,

| "A recently puDl1SneO Government re-.
port on the Hot Springs of Arkansa.
contains an interesting discussion OF
the question, of interest not only Their.
but in the other places where similar
| phenomena are observed. Are the Ho1
| Springs dying?" The Investigator an.
swers that the evidence seems to show
| a very small decrease in Temperature
in the century during which there has
been some approach to a record In
| the year 1904, Dunbar and Hunter re-
ported a temperature for the large,
spring of $50 degrees Fahrenheit, and
at another a temperature of 1854 de-
grees. In 1859 the springs were mucr
| more carefully examined by q state
geOlogist named owen, who construct
ed map OF temperatures and eieva-
tons. The Hot Springs creek he then
found to run at 107 degrees when the
air above it was 20 degrees cooler. The
larger spring he reported at LAG de-
grees and 14S degrees. The next year
still more perfect survey was made by
William Glasgow, Jr.
Since that time many artificial
changes have taken place. which might
modify water temperatures somewhat.
an Va thC cPA nave OCCI OuS Out
and enclosed in masonry arches Two
or more springs have in some instances
been consolidated into one, and new
outfiows have been developed. A CON-
parison of the old record with those re-
Gently made, under these changed con-
ditions, shows that the highest tenn
perature known today is lat degrees
as against ia degrees in 1904 and $50
degrees by Glasgow and 148 degrees by
Owen. lii number of springs there
mas been decline of two degrees since
1860. Such a slight difference might
however, the report says. be due to the
manner and race of taking the tenn
peratuie, CT possibly to the inaccuracy
of the earlier instruments. At all
events, the temperature is decreasing
so slowly that the change is almost i'm
perceptible in half century. In one
instance, that of the Alum spring, there
has been marked drop. Its tempera-
ture was 132 degrees in 1904 against
115 degrees now.
The comparison of the outflow is
more difficult. The Investigator be-
lieveS that the current varies some
what from year to year, correspond
ing to variations in annual rainfall in
some previous year, so that no definite
comparison can be made with the early
records more than to say that the vol
ume of water discharged is now much
greater. This in turn might explain
the slight drop in the temperature. as
Stunning that a practically constant
amount of heat was applied.
While there have been many theories
ady IN ho If
the hot waters the only hypothesis
that stands the test of scientific in
quiry is the one which ascribes the
heat of the waters to still hot but con-
cealed bodies of igneous rock. 1t
semes scarcely necessary to call atten-
ton to the absurdity of the idea that
either shaking lime in the depths of the
earth or chemical reaction of the
waters with the atmosphere could be
the cause of the heat. That the waters
come from a depth sufficient for their
heating by the normal increment of
earth heat Il degree for every SO feet
seems unreasonable, since it would
necessitate n depth of nearly 5000 feet
to give the waters their present tenn
perature, even assuming that they were
not cooled in their course upward. The
composition of the gases given off by
the waters shows that they contain at
mospheric air as well as carbon
dioxide. That the heat of the water is
due to the heat developed by the fold
ing of the rocks, which is the theory
given to account for the heat at the
Virginia Hot Springs, is not probable.
for the folding at Hot Springs. is not
more intense than elsewhere in the
mountain regions of Arkansas. and no
evidence of hot spring action has been
found at any other localities except
where igneous rocks are present
1t is believed that the heat comes
from a great body OF still heated
igneous rocks intruded in the earth's
crust by volcanic agencies. and under
lying a large part of central Arkansas.
The existence of such a mass is shown
by the great bodies of granite seen at
Potash Sulphur Springs and Magnet
Cove. where the rocks have been ex-
posed by the wearing down of the
everything sediments. though the
igneous rocks seen were, of course. long
since cooled. At Magnet Cove. more
over. there are tufa deposits which
show the former occurrence of hot
springs.
This hypothesis is strengthened by
the occurrence of intrusive bikes at
various localities about the springs.
and their trend and occurrence indicate
that the molten material which filled
the assures did not come from the
bodies of rock now exposed at Potash
Sulphur Springs or at Magnet Cove.
but had some deep-seated source,
whose location is indicated by the bikes
as being approximately under the hot
springs Deep-seated waters converted
into vapors by contact with this
"batholith" of hot rock prOba bly, as
cend through fisures toward the sur
face. where they probably meet cold
spring waters which are heated by the
yapors. AS the igneous bikes near by
are assures reaching down to this
great mass Of igneous magma which
have been filled by it to form bikes. II
is not unreasonable to suppose that
assures extend down to the now solid
but still hot igneOus mass.
The total harvest Of sea fish sold at
Gloucester and Boston. which are the