THE BURNING WELL NEAR THE FEATHERSTONE STATION IN THE VICINITY OF PONTEFRACT. In boring for coal, the sinkers penetrated a bed of shale at a depth of about 120 feet, upon which the water previously rising through the borehole was suddenly ejected like a fountain to the height, it is said, of 30 feet above the surface of the earth, impelled by the violent efflux of gas which the perforation had liberated from its cavernous laboratory; and, on the application of a lighted match (after the subsidence of the jet) near the surface of the water, which covered the orifice, the gas escaping through it instantly took fire, blazing up occasionally to the height of at least three yards, and dancing and flickering in red flames over the well, which heaved and bubbled like a witch's cauldron beneath.
Légende

THE BURNING WELL NEAR THE FEATHERSTONE STATION IN THE VICINITY OF PONTEFRACT. In boring for coal, the sinkers penetrated a bed of shale at a depth of about 120 feet, upon which the water previously rising through the borehole was suddenly ejected like a fountain to the height, it is said, of 30 feet above the surface of the earth, impelled by the violent efflux of gas which the perforation had liberated from its cavernous laboratory; and, on the application of a lighted match (after the subsidence of the jet) near the surface of the water, which covered the orifice, the gas escaping through it instantly took fire, blazing up occasionally to the height of at least three yards, and dancing and flickering in red flames over the well, which heaved and bubbled like a witch's cauldron beneath.

Date

1861

Crédit

Photo12/Liszt Collection/Quint Lox Limited

Notre référence

LZT13A19_139

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

25,2Mo (1,9Mo) / 29,4cm x 21,5cm / 3471 x 2542 (300dpi)

Mots clés

BURNING WELL FEATHERSTONE STATION VICINITY PONTEFRACT. boring coal sinkers penetrated bed shale depth 120 feet water previously rising borehole suddenly ejected fountain height 30 surface earth impelled violent efflux gas perforation liberated cavernous laboratory application lighted match subsidence jet covered orifice escaping instantly took fire blazing occasionally least three yards dancing flickering red flames heaved bubbled witch's cauldron beneath. 1861 engraving

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