Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-17
BURNING MOUNTAINS
CONSTANT COMBUSTION FOR
AGES Is APPARENT.
FOR
Range of Cliffs From Colorado to Gen.
trail Utah, Then Southwest
Toward Arizona.

Through a long line of cliffs from Colo
RADIO TO central Utah, and then southwest
toward Arizona, extensive beds of coal are
found and recent geological hives legations
into this coal formation of the far west has
developed what may be termed burning
mountains, or coal beds fire with surface
indications of constant combustion for ages
past
Like other coal-producing states of the
Rocky mountain region, the coal fields of
Utah are somewhat widely separated and
even the known fields have been compare
lively little explored; therefore We y little Is
known of their productive area.
The edges of these beds come 10 the sur
face In these cliffs nearly 900 feet ABOVE
the 2ord arlng cesert, and In ages past this
coal has burned into the mountain cliffs I'M
III smothered by the accommodations OF
ashes and covering of superintendent
rocks. In places the heat of this burning
coal has been so intense as to melt the
rocks From surface appearances the fires
nave gone out in these cliffs but at one
point III the canyon of Prince river where
the coal is being mined. the rocks are found
to he intentionally hot and the m ners
were compelled to retire for fear the fires
would break out
Other Fields in Desert.
Other coal fields lie in the desert west OF
OF Fremont river the Goals are burning,
and have been without cessation since they
were discovered by the earliest explorer At
certain intervals, as the burning of the
thick beds progresses, producing cavernous
spaces in the earth, the rocks cave in,
forming vents for the freer circulation of
air. Then the coal burns more fiercey and
the heat becomes so intense as to even melt
the rocks. The origin of these fires has
been the subject of much speculation.
Three Explanations.
Three explanations are commonly heard
among the people-the Mormons who in
habit this peculiar country where the
mountains burn.
% One explanation is that lightning has
by chance struck the edges of these coal
beds at various times since these noun
tains were lifted w.
C) Another is that forest fires raging in
the mountains came in contact with ex
posed coal. The more thoughtful point out
that the forests in this desert region are
too sparse for forest fires TO occur.
90 Still another. and more common, eX-
PLANTATION, is that the Indians built their
camp fires under the protecting lodges CT
the mountains against the coal, and it was
thus ignited. They point to the fact that
there ruins of the habitations of cliff
jewellers here, and that in their day the
Goals began to burn.
The Miners View.
The coal miner in this region sees still
another possible cause for these fires. In
the dry mines, and most of them are dry
mines, they observe that when a quantity
Of water Is thrown upon heap OF dry coal,
1t spontaneously begins TO burn, and If not
protected will burn the mine.
Now ii can be seen that if the rocks are
rent by some subterranean cause, as some
times happens. there may be sudden
cess OF water to the fresh, dry coal caus-
ing spontaneous combustion.