A BURNING MOUNTAIN IN QUEENSLAND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 69, 27 January 1879, Page 2

A BURNING MOUNTAIN IN QUEENSLAND.

Wc are favored by Mr Thomas Freney, surveyor, with a very interesting and graphic account of a burning mountain,. whoso existence has, strange to say, hitherto been unknown, Mr Freney's communication is dated "Cooper's Plains, September 16th," and runs as follows ; " Having recently been near the Main Range, my attention was drawn by some young men in the locality to a burning mountain they had lately visited in the company of a blackfelldw, who acted as guide, and by whom they were informed it had been on fire to his knowledge since he was a little boy. I arranged with them to visit the locality on a certain day, and accordingly ten or more of us started, allanxious to see so rare an occurence After travelling some miles the mountains began to close in, and our path wa3 continued to the valley of the Teviot Brook, with its splendid stream clear as crystal. A narrow passage of solid rock was readied, through which the stream flows, the face of this wall being perpendicular, about 200 ft. high, and seven chains long on the left hand side going up. About midway in this wall, and at 20ft. over tho stream is a splendid 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. Thus 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 tho scrub we mounted a steep spur,-only a few yards wide on top, the inclination of its sides being about 50 deg,, running parallel with the brook, and standing probably 200 ft. above it; it consists chiefly of shale and coal. Proceeding some distance a small descent to a cross spur was made, and this was the termination of our journey. Looking to tho south the view was shut out by the spurs of the main range and the density of the timber. Wilson's Peak, though not visible, was only two miles distant. Turning to the north the cedar scrub 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 pointed out by the guides wo should never have suspected that the heart of the spur under our feet was a smouldering mass of fire. Moving lower down and ■more around on the inclined face of the slope, a patch ■ of burnt earth and ashes was entered upon, which continued about a chain wide. At each step wc sunk up to the knees in burnt material, and the heat of the ground was distinctly felt. Trees over 2ft, were burnt across in small openings 18in. wide, others, probably of move recent fall, being untouched by the five, At the top of this slope a seam 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 as best we could—not having any implements to assist the operation, and the ashes coming down as fast as they were cleared out—at length, and at, say, ISin, deep calcined clay and shale were oxposed, too hot to handle, and a stick thrust in was in a few seconds ignited. Everywhere we tried in tho above mentioned space the result was the same. That it is a coal-bed on five there cannot exist a doubt, and in my opinion the seat of the fire, combustible matter, is at present situated far in the heart of the ridge. My informant says that it cannot be less 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 been somo years on fire. The question arises, when or where will it end? The locality is a vast coal-field; coal is visible on every gully, and many of the spurs are lavgerly composed of it; and though upheaved, penetrated, and over-flowed by the main range, which is of a more modern era, it is reasonable to conjecture is to be a continuation to and identical with the Allora coal-field. "—Brisbane Courier.