Geological researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan, during the years 1862-1865.

54 GEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES IN
oil has a very powerful odor, and is used to light the area where the pits and coppers of salt are concentrated."
"4 The largest fire wells are those at Tselieoutsing, forty leagues from Wutung.
Tselieoutsing, situated in the mountains, on the banks of a small river, also contains
salt pits, bored in the same manner as at Wutung. In one valley are seen four pits
which give a flame, to an amount truly frightful, but no water. These pits, for the
most part, have previously afforded salt water; which water being drained, the
proprietors, twelve years since, caused them to be sunk even to three thousand feet
and more of depth, hoping to procure an abundant supply of water. All this was
in vain; but there suddenly gushed forth an enormous column of air which brought
with it large, dark particles. These did not resemble smoke, but the vapor of a
glowing furnace. This air escaped with a roaring and frightful rumbling, which
was heard at a great distance. The orifices of the pits are surmounted by a wall
of stone six or seven feet high, for fear that, inadvertently, or through malice, some
one might apply fire to the opening of the shaft. This misfortune happened in
August last. As soon as the fire was applied to the surface of the well, it made a
frightful explosion, and even something was felt approaching to an earthquake.
The flame, which was about two feet high, leaped over the surface of the earth
without burning anything. Four men devoted themselves and carried an enormous
stone over the orifice of the pit. Immediately it was thrown up into the air; three
of the men were scorched, the fourth escaped; neither water nor dirt would extinguish the fire. Finally, after fifteen days of stubborn work, a quantity of water
was brought over the neighboring mountain, a lake or dam was formed, and the
water was suddenly let loose, which extinguished the fire. This was at an expense
of about thirty thousand francs."1
Fossils from China.2-Mr. Davidson, after examining a collection of shells sent by
Dr. Lockhart to the British Museum, came to the conclusion, "that the specimens
belonged to eight Devonian species, seven of which are common to several European
localities, among which we may mention Ferques and Nchon (France), Belgium,
and the Eifel, but they are not found all existing together in any one of these
localities. In external aspect they most resemble those from Ferques, in which
locality, however, neither the Cyrtia Murchisoniana nor the Rhynchonella Hanburii
have been as yet discovered." If to these we add the other two described by M. de
Koninck,3 the total number of Chinese Devonian types now known will amount to
ten species: viz., 3 of Spirifer, 2 of Rhynchonella, 1 Productus, 1 Crania, 1 Cornulites, 1 Spirorbis, and 1 Aulopora. The species determined by Mr. Davidson were
as follows: Spirifer disjunctus, Sowerby; Cyrtia Murchisoniana, De Koninck; Rhynchonella Hanburii, Davidson; Productus subaculeatus, Murchison; Crania obsoleta,
Goldfuss; Spirorbis omphalodes, Goldfuss (?); Cornulites epithonia, Goldfuss (?);
l Compare Humboldt, Asie Centrale, II, p. 521, 525.
2 On some Fossil Brachiopodes, etc. T. Davidson. Quart. Journ. Geolog. Soc., IX, 1853, p. 353.
3 "Notice sur deux especes Brachiopodes du Terrain Paleozoique de la Chine." Bulletin de
l'Academie Roy. des Sciences, Lettres et Beaux Arts de Belgique. 1846. XIII, pt. 2, p. 415.