The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1911-03-18
THORINON HAS
A WONDER WELL
FORMER HOT SPRINGS MAN MAKES
WONDERFUL DISCOVERY AT
SEATTLE HOME.
Well Acts As Blower" and Tells
Whether There Is storm At Sea Or
Whether All Is Calm.

n. - Thornton, a former Hot Springs
citizen and well known here. has on
his premises at Seattle one Of the most
wonderful Of the recently exploited
phenom'na. II is a wen which acts as
4 barometer and which is described IN
the following form Seattle paper.
II is a fact n. b. Thornton did it.
He resides at 1900 Foftieth avenue,
Southwest, right down among the new
streets the contractors are digging out
under the Walnut avenue grading con-
tract. He didn't do it yesterday. but
many months ago. and ne has been
watching and studying the proposition
ever since.
Mr.. Thornton started to bore we'll
IN the yard Immediately back of his
house A short distance beneath the
surface he came upon body OF course
pebbles ana cement, a soft Of con-
tamerate. and cpminensth over
again with pick and shovel, and dug
down 10 ana through the congiometate
the same as one would go at amy ex
caNated wen This Obstinate deposit
penetrated he resumed his boring un-
til he had gone down through sand
and gravel and empty void OF what
ever there was in the way. distance
Of 1853 feet without reaching water
But at Tint distance he made strike
just The ame He actually got barr
ometer.
the reader may think this story fun
OF wilnl bat II isn't a marker to that
wen II is the most remarkable pneu
matte tube Chat ever was hut 1t Is
uncertain Ia It's movements. apparent
~ being governed BY weather condi
lions. Sometimes It blows OF with
rush like a steam exhaust and will
carry leaves ar paper up to the vesS
caves Of the house, ana at other times
the suction is so strong as to draw light
objects into depths below. We're the di-
ameter of the pipe is sufficiently large:
for when Mr.. Thornton struck his bar
ometer he boxed up the excavation
through the conglomerate, placed COW
er over it and ran a pipe from It totne
surface of the soil ABOVE, and as he
pipes the wind in the pipe he prognosti
Gates the weather.
Mr.. Thornton has been keeping cases
on Observer Salisbury for months. and
says he has the government layout boat
en- mile when # comes down 70 a
einch on local weather changes. Q.
course he does not say OF this barome-
ter as quiet modest man not give TO
boasting. brt long and csase observation
Rus given him great faith in the relia-
bility Of his barometer and the accuIa
cs.of the predictions he can make after
taking an observation at the pipe in the
back yard.
AS an Illustration, the storm Of sun
day night was predicted by Mr.. Thorn
ton hours before it materializcd HE
barometer got busy IN the morning be
coming more ana more strenuous as the
day advanced unlil late in the afternoon
the rush Of wind out Of the pipe could
be heard for some considerable distance
around. That meant IA storm and
fierce one. in the immedite future-and
II materialized with vengance. Mon
day afternoon, the reporter took an OBJ
servation and found quite strong cur-
rent OF air descending in the pipe, and
Mr.. Thornton announced tnat the baro
meter indicated a marked fall In tenn
peinture. and that all storms look alike
to IT, and 1t does not indicate whether
there will be rain or snow or hail or
just plain wind, but when the atnlos-
pheric conditions are such as raise the
wind IN that pipe there IS going to be
a storm. and you may bet Upon 1t, If the
police are not aro,ind.
What sort Of a hole down IN the earth
that wen has gotten into. one can but
guess: but whatever II is. il has dc
veloped a natr;al register of atmosphere
pressure which Is most remarkable
rhorntons natural promoter is 4 fact
If you are curious or interested in sci
entifc phenomena, just walk over %
si00 Eorteth avenue S. W.. at the cor
ner with West Hines street, and you
win find the pipe from the wen stand
ing IN fhe back yard ready for inspect
ion. and II there is anything doing ~
the weather line YOU win find M. Thorn
.fe.