The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-11-30
SPRING STATION,
MONUMENT, NEW OAK AND PARK
CHARLESTON PARTY CARRfED
TO LOCALITY BY X. & M.
RELOCATE SITE
which Answers to all the Traditions
Landmarks, Directions and Dis
tances Given as u Basis,

| Washington's Burning Spring,
the marvel Of the early pioneers, in
lcIuding George Washington him.
self, who left on record his surprise
at the mystery and who intended to
set aside the phenomenon and two
acres surrounding to the public use
forever, has again been located and
the original intention of the ''Father
OF His Country" will be carried out.
If the burning spring that first
made known to the pioneers that
remarkable thing-natural gas
has long since disappeared, for
reasons to be stated hereafter, the
plat Of ground upon which it was
located, what appears to be eviden-
ces Of the old trail near which it
was situated, and the charred stump
of the gigantic old oak that stood
near it, We're all located by a party
of citizens of Charleston and TX. &
NJ. officials who yesterday went up
to the spot to relocate the site of
toe ancient wonder. Two methods
of determining its location we're
adopted, each starting at opposite
points with certain data, as a guido
with the result that both ways
brought the party to the same spot,
thus removing any possible doubt
| in the minds of those who went on
the quest.
Changes BY Hand Of Time.
Where the spring once stood is
an old field; the forests that COW
cred the bottom have gone, even the
old salt furnace On the river bank,
directly in front of the spring,
whose existence was the cause of
the disappearance of the spring,
has also gone and left no trace ex-
cept the old we'll at the foot of the
river bank, which had evidently
struck the subterranean channel
that carried the water and gas to
the old burning spring and which
later furnished both water and gas
to the furnace, thus draining the
old spring dry and causing it's
obliteration. Still, tradition fairly
we'll defines the springs location
and there are just enough of old
landmarks around to point out with
reasonable accuracy where the old
burning spring once gushed forth
The site is about 800 feet back
| from the kanawha river on the OPP
posite side of a drain, within a few
fleet of. the line that divides, the old
! Tompkins homestead from the old
Dickinson-Lewis farm. Near this di-
vision line and On about a line
with the old spring, stood an old
oak that has been standing within
the memory Of the living. Only it's
Old charred stump now remains
Measurement across its base yester-
day showed that in one direction it's
| dlamater is just one inch less than
six feet and across at right angles
to the former measurement the
diameter Is three inches less THAI
six feet. 1t was under the spreading
branches of this giant old monarch
of the forest that tradition says the
women of the olden days used to
do the family wash, while travellers
along the old trail that crossed the
| bottom just a few yards above, were
about it, the location of the
spring SO close to the old trail MAX
ing it an ideal camping place. The
location Of the spring lies just a
little TO the west Of the Burning
Springs hollow that leads up into
the hills up which one can see the
rusted rails OF the old Burning
10
Springs locality preserves the name
as we'll as the traditions.
Another Spring Near.
/ A short distance across from the
place where the party located the
old burning springs site, on the
i Tompkins property, there Is a small
lspring that oozes gently out near
the bottom Of the drain, but its To-
Ication does not correspond with
II that defined for the old burning
spring, and, if that spring was in
existence at the time Of the old
Burning Spring, it could we'll have
have escaped mention, since the
far1e of the Burning spring rested
not upon the fact that it was a
lspring-not an uncommon thing
but upon the peculiar, and in that
age, wonderful aud mysterious
properties it possessed.
The Party and Its Object.
The object Of the trip yesterday
was not only to relocate the IA
nous spring but also to change the
name Of the station Heskett on the
K. e NJ, which is near this place, to
one that was more in keeping with
the historic locality. The X. & NJ.
railroad announced it's willingness
to give the station any name the
committee of the Chamber Of Com
b merco and Of the Business Men s
= association might bestow upon It,