Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-28
BLUFF BURNING Years.
Rare Freak ofNature in Charles
Mix County, in South
Dakota
LIKE MINIATURE VOLCANO
MATURE VOLCANO
Smoke Constantly Pour. From High
Missouri River Battle-Ground is In
tensely Hot-Has Been Burning for
/ Fifteen Years-PecuIiar Features Of
: the Bluffs.

burning DUH, rare freak Oh hdtuA
situated on the west bank Of the Mis-
& souri, river opposite the town of Wheel
er. county seat of Charles Mix county.
Recently greater volumes Of smoke
than usual have been pouring from
the bluff, and thousands of people are
daily visiting 1t for the purpose of wit
/ Messing the curious sight and striving
10 solve the mystery of the BLUM. From
I whence comes the great volumes pf
smoke and the great heat, and the
cause of the fire which appears TO De
= burning at some distance beneath the
surface. are mysteries which have not
vet been solved.
However, those who have some
knowledge of geology have interesting
\ theories as to the origin of the hre,
which has been burning for years, OUT
never with the force which now dis
tinruishes it. The Sioux Indians who
4 live in the region tributary TO the
burning bluff are very supersutous
regarding 1t, and most of the members
Of the tribe give it a wide berth, being
{ OF the opinion that bad spirits are at
i the bottom of the mystery.
Like Smoke From Locomotive.
/ For some days past smoke has been
rolling out of the bluff like 1t does
from q railroad locomotive, only the
smoke is Of lighter color. The smoke
can be seen for many miles in every
direction, and even timid whites living
within sight OF the bluff have become
alarmed and fear that the burning bluh
Is in reality a volcano and may become
active at any moment and commence
throwing out lava and hot cinders IN
stead of the harmless smoke.
Excursions are being run to the Vi
entity Of the bluff for the accommod a-
ton Of those who wish to see this great
natural wonder. A member Of an ex-
cursion party q few days ago was W.
! 4. Young, a prominent resident OF
Wheeler, who brought back with him
some fine specimens which he found
on tha bluff. Mr.. Young states that
the earth on the hill or bluff Is so hot
that embers dug out and placed in the
adjacent grass readily set the grass on
fire. The specimens secured by him
have a strong odor of sulphur. which
Indicates that it is a bed Of sulphur
and other minerals that is on fire.
e It is further stated by recent vis-
itors to the burning bluff that the
ground on the bluff is so hot that eggs
can be cooked in two minutes by
being placed on the ground nearest
where the fire is burning. The burn
ing bluff is similar in appearance to
scores Of other bluffs which are found
along the Missouri river The bluffs.
generally have rounding tops and are
covered with grass, and sand where
iandslides have removed their sides,
exposing the various strata OF earthly
matter Of which they consist.
Peculiar Features Of Bluffs.
Some Of the highest bluffs, measur-
ing from the Missouri river which
flows at their base, are between 500
and 100 feet In height. or 5000 feet
an0ve the level of the sea. One OF
the most singular, features connected
with them is that from their SUBMITS
TREY fall away from the river often
for distance of several miles, so
: that frequently the land is higher one
mile, from the river than it is six or
seven miles distant.
"a lower strata of the bluffs is COM
posed of chalk rock. Immediately
above the chalk rock lies a bed Of
alum shale, perhaps OF about twelve
feet in thickness. This is a carbon
ferrous formation and contains a large
FER cent Of alum, the presence Of
which may be readily detected by
tasting a little Of the shale It is
black, or nearly black, in appearance
( and resembles a poor quality of coal,
: F<,v. ;oI e. scto
Biologists say it is combustible and
I contains sulphur and irony among 9TH
of*minerals The sulphur Is readily
detected by burning some of the shale
and inhaling the fumes. Alum shale,
1t is further stated by biologists, oc-
casionally takes fire spontaneously
and burns for a great length of time.
In view of this it is the opinion of
some that it is the alum shaIe strata
On the burning bluff which is on fire.
On Fire at Least Fifteen Years.
To the personal knowledge of the
writer the burning bluff has been on
fire for period of at least fifteen or
twenty years, and it may be quarter
of a century or more before the fire
burns itself out for want of material
to work upon.
iIhe early history OF the MISSOURI
river section of what is now the state
of South Dakota tells of two other in
stances of bluffs being on fire. In the
year 1889 a bluff on the east side of
the river at point southwest of the
present town of Geddes, Charles Mix
county, attracted considerable atten-
ton The surface of the ground was
SO hot that water placed in a tin cup
and set on the ground would boil IN
very short time. 1t was first thought
to be a bed of coal on fire, but later
Investigation revealed that it was a
bed of copperas smoldering beneath
the surface Of the ground.
A similar phenomenon existed for
many years on the Nebraska side OF
the Missouri river opposite the town
of Elk Point, S. d. 1t is known local
ly as Mt. Iona 1t was first discovered
to be on fire by Lewis and Clark, the
explorers. who early in the last CEN
fury passed up the Missouri river, AMI
is mentioned in their notes. Mt Iona
continued in a heated condition until
few years ago, when the burning
portion. of the bluff caved off into the
turbuIen. Missouri river, since which
the remaining portion has conducted
itself as any we'll behaved bluff ought
to do.
Thus nre IL known to have burned