Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-17
BURNING MOUNTAIN.
Suns Rays Start It Going Every Year
and Indians Resort to It.

D,v,s IT T) CORRESPONDENCE New York American.
Since the discovery Of gold in the Ar
buckle mountains by prospectors from Sa4i-
fornia and Colorado the Arbuckle range
near old Fort Arbuckle. has been thorough
Nv explored, and among the many curious
freaks OF nature none have attracted SO
much attention as Burning mountain.
This old volcano frequently burns, and
the smoke can be seen from the highest
mountain peaks for many miles away. Pas-
sensers on the Santa Fe often notice large
volumes Of smoke off to the left near DAVIS
as they come from the north, but Few ever
stop to ask about II: IN iaGt' n,nraS
mountain has never been fully explored
until quite recently, and the general pupllc
knows nothing of its history. Ola reslueh.s
at the little town Of Daugherty can relale
wonderful stories about thus mountain ou'
they rarely speak of it to strangers.
Burning mountain burns only about -FOUR
months in the year. 1t appears that the
heat of the sun causes the sulphur ana
asphaltum to ignite, and II smoloers ar 10
burns all during the summer months, ana
in the autumn it gradually grows dim. ana
nearly goes out. The spot Is most roman
tic place. situated in the rock-rlbbed mus
OF the Arbuckle mountains: ABOUT n a,ie
miles southwest Of Davis, and about 1--WE
miles from Daugherty on the west SIDE OF
the Washita river.
The Indians have made burning mountain
their summer resort for several generations
and they formerly believed smoke from TINS
old crater would cure them of almost any
Ills flesh was heir to. 1t was believed that
to smell this smoke one would never nave
consumption. and those who suffered from
cstarrh would find immediate relief and a
permanent cure. The fumes are deadly II
taken more than a few minutes at time,
and an old Indian relates how some of ms
people many years ago dropped dead on the
spot from inhaling this smoke.
In order to within Few feet OF the
crater one must climb to the top of rocky
cliff, some 200 feet, and then descend over
a series of rocky precipices down into the
crater Once within this curious old vol
cano one feels rather faint, and If the sui
phur fumes happen to blow In your dlrec-
ton you will probably seek relief ana smell
ter.
II must not be assumed that Burning
mountain, as it is locally called, is actually
a blazing furnace or active crater. such as
those you read about in the South Sea Is
lands but only a smoldering mass of smoke
from burning asphaltum and sulphur
Biologists have recently visited the place
and report it an old gas blowout, giving
as their opinion that at one time the gas
and oil were thrown out at this point ana
the asphaltum which now shows in great
abundance Is the heavier portions OF OIL
and the sulphur being a part of the OIL
bearing strata.
tum to melt and run down into the old
crater and the smoke begins to rise in great
volumes. This Is said to be the greatest
phenomenon in the entire country. Scien-
lists call 1t the "Arbuckle freak and the
locality is known throughout this section as
the wonderland of the Mountains"
On the side Of this burning mountain Is
a most wonderful cave, which has been only
partly explored, but party is being made
up to explore 1t. A party Of Davis business
men found an underground river about
1000 feet beneath the surface, filled with
fish, and 1t is the intention Of the new party
to catch some of these fish and bring them
to the surface to learn whether Or not they
will live in cold water, such as this river
affords.