The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-11-15
REVENGE CAUSED FIRE
ROMANTIC STORY OF OLD COAL
MINE BLAZE.
Started by Rejected Wooer During
Civil War--More rrosaic Version
is That Fire Was Result
OF Forest Flames.

Charleston. w. Va.--On Paint creek,
about 20 miles above this city near
the station of Standard, coal mine
fire is raging--a fire about the origin
of which an interesting romance is
bullded. At night the mountain side
IN which the mine Is located is ablaze
with weird play of light; by day
column of smoke ascends like a monu-
ment In truth, the mountain 10 alire,
an unquenchable Gre, as those VINO
have already lost $4,000 in a vain at
tempt TO smother II viii testify.
In the late SOS Of the last century
the Kanawha Coal and Oil company
was organized for tho purpose OF pro-
ducing oil from the camel coal found
in the mountains divided by Paint
creek Tie vein Of camel coal was.
comparatively thin one, lying in the
heart Of thick seam OF the bitumin.
Gus coal found in abundance through.
out that section. The company was
busy with it's operation when the civil
war brodC out, and continued at WORK
for some time thereafter.
The superintendent Of the mine was
n blunt old Euglishman named Gordon
and he had a handsome daughter,
Rowena. who was the delight of her
fathers heart and the despair of the
young men of the ncighborhood. There
was the usual courting and flirting,
with the usual final settling down on
one man and the inevitable prepara'
TONS for the wedding The lucky man
was one Adkins. u native of the noun
taIns. a strapping young fellow, who
had won the fathers favor as work.
man oven before he won the daugh-
tors esteem as a lover. Thus the
course OF true love seemed about to
IAN smooth
But the war came on, and the Paint
creek section was as badly torn by
opposing facticns as any other small
, art of the entire country. The ma
tives were OF the south southern
while most Of those who had come
with the company to work in the
mines were union men OF the latter
was old man Gordon, while Adkins
| was REGULAR fre-cating rebel.
After several stormy interviews
AdGns was forbidden to enter the
Gordon home. and RoweIn was OF
dared not 10 sec him lie enlisted In
| ,ac co,iicdcrata army aud marched ont
with Wise on his famous retreat NJ
| he valley. This was in the spring OF
6Gl. IN tho autumn he returned
home on . furlough and sought to re.
| new amlcable relations with the Cor
| ions, hut was repulsed by both father
ana daughter. It Is said that in q
spirit OF revenge he set Ore TO the
dgunhouac at the mouth of the mine
The fire was communicated to the rich
vein of camel coal inside aud, OBJ.
aiming a good hold, has been burning
ever since.
Adkins returned to his regiment and
| gas Killed In battle. The Gordons left
he country soon after, and their sub
i,quent history Is 40, known here.
That IS the romantic version. The
| arGealc one is that fire was communi.
| Gated to tho mine by forest fire that
aged fWiousiy In October, 1861. Ger
ain It Is chat the mine began to burn
It that time and has been burning
'Yer since.
In the late sos company was
ormcd by Charleston men to extin.
,uish tho fire and reopen the mine
sut after spending $4,000 in a vain
attempt the enterprise was abap.
loned. It is probable that the fire
viii be allowed 10 burn until the en-
| tire vcin of coal Is consumed
| Ofter, for years at time, the fire
cannot be seen, but there is always
samethng about the locality to bear
| witness Of its presence. Sometimes
his Is smoke, sometimes steam aris
ing from the place under which the
| heat lies. In wet weather there Is
| always Il vapor rising from the noun
tain above the mine. In winter snow
! aelts as rapidly rs i falls on the par
| icuiar spot above the fire. or else dis
ppears from there while the ground
around is white. In the spring vege
.at,on appears earlier whore the
! earth Is warm from this underlying
heat. or late it has been burning Wis
ibly at night, the extent being perhaps
hundred yards along the face of the
| mountain