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In the fall of 1886 the newspapers began to talk of a Georgia wonder that had been accidentally discovered on his farm by Rev. Andrew L. Hillman. The remarkable cures that had been made created a sensation in the neighborhood, and notwithstanding Mr. Hillman made no effort to advertise the matter, the State press commented upon the strange discovery, and enterprising correspondents sent the item abroad over the wires to other papers.
The Richmond (Virginia) Dispatch, perhaps the most enterprising newspaper in the South, sent a special correspondent to the scene, with instructions to give the facts in the case. Here is what he wrote, and in this the story of the discovery of the rocks is told:
A Wonderful Rock -- Hillman's Electric Rock Down in Georgia -- Its Discovery, and How its Natural Shocks Give Health to the Rheumatic and Dyspeptic.
How It Was Discovered
The history of the discovery of the great wonder (the like of which has never been known) is as follows:
Mr. Hillman is somewhat of a mineralogist, and for years has been sinking shafts in search of gold and alum on his place. Many of these attempts proved unsuccessful; but nothing daunted, in August, 1885, he commenced to sink a shaft at the foot of a mountain, the top of which, hundreds of feet above the Shaft, is capped with huge borders of rock that indicated the presence of alum. The ascent to the top of the mountain is precipitous, but, once reached, a commanding view of the country for miles around is presented, and a more pleasing one can hardly be found in any State.
The First Cure
At the time Hillman commenced his search for alum, he was in bad health, but his energy did not desert him. He was suffering from severe rheumatism and dyspepsia, and in the hope that the exercise would relieve him he went into the shaft daily and worked an hour or so. A few feet from the surface a fine specimen of alum rock was found, and through this, with the aid of drill and blast, the work was pushed.
In handling the drill Hillman felt a peculiar sensation, similar to that experienced from a shock given by a galvanic battery. "Sometimes," said he, "the hands could hardly hold the drill. To my astonishment," he continued, "I found my dyspepsia greatly improved and my rheumatism completely gone. I persevered, and found myself restored to perfect health. I found water at the depth of fifteen feet, and cut under the mountain side of the Rock, at right angles, a square hole in the rock, as a receptacle for the water. I took a medical gentleman with me to get his opinion of the matter, but he did not give me any very great encouragement. I went to Atlanta in the spring of 1886, leaving the Shaft covered.
(PHOTO)
For more detailed information on the "Shock House", contact larrystewart@technologist.com
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