The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-12-01
ROMANCE OF A FIRE.
Started by Rejected Suitor, 1t Has
Burned Forty five Years.

Tn RANT CREEK, dDOul twenty hileS
above Charleston. W. Va, near the sta
ton at Standard. Il coal mine fire Is
IA ging a fire about the origin OF which
an interesting romance is woven. N
night the mountain side in which the
mine is located is ablaZe with a weird
play of light. BY day column Of
smoke ascendS like Il monument In
truth the mountain is atire, an I'M
quenchable fire, as those who have al
ready lost $4,000 i'll a vain attempt to
smother it will testify.
In the late fifties of the last century
the Kanavha Coal and Oil COMPANY
was organized for the purpose Of pre-
ducing oil from the camel coal fouGG
in the mountains divided by Pain;
creek. The vein located was COM
paratively thin one, lying in the heart
of a thick seam of the bituminouS
coal. The company was busy with its
operations when the civil war broke
out, but continued at work for some
time thereafter
The superintendent was a blunt old
EngliShman named Gordon, who had
a handsome daughter, RoWena. who
was the delight of her fathers heart
and the despair of the young men of
the neighborhood. There were the usual
counting ana flirting, with the usual
| final selection of one man and the in
evitahle preparations for the wedding
! The lucky man was one Adkins, Ma
| tive of the mountains, stripping
| young fellow. who had won the +:
| Tiers favor as workman even be
! fore he won the daughters esteem a.
| a lover. Thus the course of true love
| seemed to run smooth.
| But the war came, and the Paint
| creek section was as badly torn by
| opposing factions as any other small
part of the entire country. The ma
| tives were of the south. while most Of
| those who had come to work in the
mines were Union men. Of the latter
| was old man Gordon. while Adkins
was spirited son of Dixie.
After several stormy interviews Ad-
/ kins was forbidden to enter the Cor
don home, and Rowena was ordered
| federate army and marched out VITA
| Wise on his famous retreat up the val
| lev. This was in the spring Of 1861
In the autumn he returned home on Il
| furlough and sought to renew amicable
relations with the Gordons. but was re
| pulsed by both father and daughter. Il
| Is said that in a spirit of revenge he
set fire to the drum house at the mouth
| of the mine. The fire was communicat-
ed to the rich vein of camel coal in
side and, obtaining good hold has
been burning ever since.
| Adkins returned to his regiment and
was killed in battle. The GOrdons left
the country soon after, and their sub
sequent history is not known here.
That is the romantic version. The
prosaic one is that fire was commune
Gated to the mine by forest fire that
ragged furiousiy in October. 1861. Ger
tain it is that the mine began to burn
since.
In the late eighties company was
| formed by Charleston men to ex-
tinguish the fire and reopen the mine.
but after spending $4,000 in a vain at
tempt the enterprise was abandoned
1t is probable that the fire will be al
lowed to burn until the entire vein of
coal is consumed.
| Oftzn for years at time the fire can
not be seen, but there is always some
thing about the locality to bear wit
ness Of its presence. Sometimes it is
smoke, sometimes steam. In wet
weather there is always vapor rising
| from above the mine. In winter snow
melts as rapidly as it falls on the par
ticular spot. while the ground around
is white. In the spring vegetation APP
pears earlier where the earth is warm
from the underlying heat. OF late it
has been burning visibly at night. the
extent being perhaps hundred yards
along the face of the mountain.-Bal-
| timOre Sun.