The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-09-27
ROMANCE CT a FIRE.
Tradition Has it That Rejected Lover
Set Coal Mine on Fire.

Dispatch to Baltimore Sun.
On Paint Creek, about twenty miles
above this city, near the station at
Standard, coal-unine fire is raging
"A fire about the origin Of which an
interesting romano is woven. At night
tbe mountainside in which the mine
IS located ie ablaze with wlerd play
of light: by day column OF smoke
.ascends like a monument. In truth,
ehe mountain is afire, an unquencn-
.ab}a fire. as those who have already
lost $4,000 in vain attempt to
smother it will testify.
In the late SOS Of the last century
the Kanawha Coal and Oil Company
vas organized for the purpose OF
producing oil from the camel soal
found IN the mountains divided by
Paint Greek. Then vein located was
q comparatively thin one, lying IN the
heart Of thick seam Of the bltumln-
.ous coal. The company was busy with
Its operations when the civil war
:broke out, but continued at work Tor
ssome time thereafter.
The superintendent was blunt Old
EnsIishman named Gordon, who nad
a 5handsome daughter, Rowena, who
was the delight Of her fathers heart
1and the despair Of the young men OF
syne neighborhood. There was the
-asual courting and flirting, with the
.vusual final selection Of one man and
.fhe inevitable preparations for the
wedding. The lucky man was one
Adkin a native Of the mountains a
strapping young fellow, who had won
the fathers favor as workman even
before he won the daughters esteem
as a lover. Thus the course OF true
love seemed to run smooth. !.
But the war came i'd the Paint
Greek section was as badly torn by
opposing factions as any other smal
part Of the entire country. The ma
-tiyes were Of the south, while most o!
those who had come to work in tn
mines were Union men. Of the latte7
was old man Gordon while Adkln
was regular fre-eating son OF Dixie
After several stormy interview
Adkins was forbidden to enter tn
90. N3ordon home and Rowena was order
~ed not to see him. He enlisted 1
the Confederate army and marcne
out with Wise on his famous retrea
ND the valley. This was in the sprln
of 1861. In the autumn he returne
home on a furlough and sought t
.renew. amicable relations with to
&sSordons, but was repulsed by bot
sSsSaer and daughter. It is said ths
IN as spirit Of revenge he set IRE
= the drum house at the mouth OF tt
mime. The fire was communicate
!. xo.tae rich vein of camel coal insld
asaa, obtaining good hold, has bee
amrnning ever since.
! adkins returned to his regimel
and ". killed in battle. The 10
g,dons left the country soon after, an
their subsequent history is not kno"
here.
+: That is the romantic version. II
~prosaic one is that fire was commu
,Scated to the mine by forest. ii
= chat ragged furiously in October, l0t
! Certain it is that the mine began
burn at that time and has been. bur
ing ever since. =
In the late 'S0's a company W
formed by Charleston men to ext
xuish the fire and reopen the NIL
But after spending $4,000 in a VI
; attempt the enterprise was abandt
: ed. It is probable that the fire "
he allowed to burn until the ent
~yein Of coal is consumed.
: :: Often, for years at a time, the
xrannot be seen, but there is alws
something about the locality to bf
witness to its presence. Sometimes
is smoke. sometimes it is steam.
vet weather there is always val
uine from above the mine. In "
Ser snow melts as rapidly as it Il
~on the particular spot, while
ground around is white. In the spr
vegetation appears earlier where
zan,h is warm from this un6eTty
9,eat. Of late it has been h.'rn
=visibly at night, the extent o5
perhaps a hundred yards along
-ttace Of tnc mounta'r