A BURNING MOUNTAIN IN QUEENSLAND.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 116, 25 January 1879, Page 3

A BURNING MOUNTAIN IN QUEENSLAND.

(From the Brisbane Courier.) Wo are favoured by Mr Thomas Freney, surveyor, with a very interesting and graphic account of a burning mountain, whose existence has, strange to say, hitherto been unknown. Mr Freney's communication is dated " Cooper's Plains September 16th," and runs as follows : Eange, my attention was drawn by some young men in the locality to a burning mountain they had lately visited in company of a blackfellow, who acted as guide, and by whom they were informed it had been on fire to his knowledge since lie was a little boy. I arranged with them to visit the locality on a certain day, and accordingly ten or more of us started, all anxious to see so rare an occurrence. After travelling some miles the mountains began to close in, and our path was continued to the valley of the Teviot Brook, with its splendid stream, clear as crystal. A narrow passage of solid rock was reached, through which the stream flows, the face of this well being perpendicular, about 200 ft. high, and seven chains long on left hand side going up. About midway is this wall, and at 20ft. over the stream is a cave, divided into several compartments. Continuing our course up the brook, in a mile and a half a cedar scrub was reached, and half a mile further we dismounted and secured our horses in a yard used by the cedar cutters, of whom there are two parties. This far there is a fair road ; we had now one mile to tramp, half of which was through scrub intersected by tracks from one fallen cedar to the next. On leaving the scrub we mounted a steep spur, only a few yards wide on top, the inclination of its sides being about 50 degrees, running parallel with the brook, and standing probably 200 ft. above, it ; it consists chiefly of shale and coal. Proceeding smre distance a small descent to a cross spur was made, and this was the termination of our journey. Looking to the south, the view 7 was shutout by the spurs of the main range and the density of the timber. Wilson's Peak, though not i visible, was only two miles distant. ' Turning to the north, the cedar scrub j and bed of the brook were 200 ft. under where we were standing. There was nothing strange or unusual to observe, and .had it not been p inted out by the guides, we should never have suspected that the heart of the spur under our feet was a smouldering mass of lire. Moving lower down, and more around on the inclined face of the slope, a patch o; burnt earth and ashes was entered upon, which continued about a chain horizontally, and haf it chain wide. At each step, we sank up to the knees in burnt material, and the heat of the ground was di.-iiueily f\-it. Trees, over 2ft. through Wei- burnt, across in small openings ISin, wide, others, probably of more recent fall, being untouched ly the fire. At the top <>f this slope a s:am of coal a foot thick was seen resting on a compact massive-looking shale untouched by fire. We now tried to ascertain what was under the ashes, and clearing away as best we could—not having any implements to assist the operation, and the ashes coining down as fast as they were cleared out—at length, and at say J din. deep, calcined clay and shale were exposed, too hot to handle, and a stick thrust in was in a few seconds ignited. Everywhere we tried in the above-mentioned space the result was the same. That it is a coalbed on fire there cannot exist a doubt, and in my opinion the seat of the fire, or combustible matter is at present situated far in the heart of the ridge. My inionnants say that it cannot be Ices than 30 years since this phenomenon was first seen. Whether such is the case I . cannot say, but evidently, judging by the surroundings, it has at least hern some years on fire. The question arises, when or where will it end ? The locality is a va.-fc coalfield ; coal is visible in every gully, and many of the spurs are largely composed of it ; and though upheaved, penetrated, and overflowed ly the main range, which is of a more modern era, it is reasonable to conjueture it to be a continuation of, and identical with the. Allora coal field."