EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENON.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 23, 17 December 1874, Page 3

EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENON.

. Residents in the vicinity of Goodrich Hallow Columbia county, have (an American paper states) been recently startled by quaking of the earth at intervals.

The water in a brook near by has doubled its flow, and the temperature as been increased to 118 degrees. A man living on the east end of the hallow says that he had discovered the same sudden rise in the stream as it rushed down the sides of the mountain, and had also observed that "it was smoking hot." This stream is the outlet of a natural lake of about twenty-five acres in extent, situated on the very top of the hollow. Tho lake is in the town of Hancock, Berkshire county, Mass., and is about three miles distant from Lebanon Springs, and has always been considered a natural curiosity by visitors. It is nearly circular and very deep: Many persons have taken lines there, and made attempts to reach the bottom, but without success. Being upon the highest point of the mountain, without any visible brook or stream to feed it, the wonder has been from what source the supply of water has been constantly furnished to keep this lake always overflowing without a visible inlet. A gentleman who visited, this locality some years ago, and had been a great traveller in foreign lands, gave it as his opinion that the lake was now occupying the crater of an extinct volcano. A party of ten, on arriving at the lake, found the surroundings almost concealed by a thick mist arising from the surface of the water, and on apuroaching the shore were wrapped in steam, which on first entering was oppressively hot; but they in a short time accustomed themselves to its surroundings. Mr Ostrander ventured; down the bank to the surface of the lake, and for a moment placed his hand into the water, but, finding it almost in a boiling condition, he quickly withdrew it. The explorers, therefore, retired a short distance and seated themselves, with a determination to see if some change would follow. They ;had remained about an hour there, when it was: discovered that the body of water flowing from the outlet of the lake was evidently diminishing, and shortly afterwards the water and mist disappeared/leaving where was a short time before the'surface of the lake nothing but an immense cavern of unfathomable depth. In the space of fifteen minutes after, the party felt a shock beneath them, and ail were startled by a trembling of the earth beneath their feet. The shock was followed by a dense column of steam, and directly afterwards the rushing in and filling, of the,chasm with boiling water. The party remained upon the mountain some hours, and saw several ebbs and flows of this remarkable lake, and then returned to the valley below. All the fish in the lake have been killed and the timber in the vicinity injured.