Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-06-24
THE NEW JERSEY SENSATION.
Sinking of the Morris Canal Bottom
Trees and Fields EuxuIphed-

A reporter OF the New York San, who was ser
30 the scene Of the late sinking Of ground In New
jersey, furnishes the following statement:
It appears that the driver of a boat coming
from PhillipSburg on Monday morning was
alarmed at hearing a terrible rumbling sound,
which seemed To come both from the land and
the water. and from n point not many yards
ahead Of him. Before his team could be stopped
and the speed of the boat checked he was in the
center of mimic maelstrom, which Kissed and
boiled and surged like the water in the witches
caldTOn. At the same moment the rumbling
sound was again heard, this tine evidently pro-
ceeding from point within a few feet, and,
almost paralyZed with fear, looking to the left
(the ncrth bank of the canal) he
saw THE EARTH SINK IN,
carrying tees anu rocks with it, and in a mo-
ment the bank had given way, and the water of
the c3nal was rushing ntOt the cavity with fright
ful force cGeating a current that threatened to
draw the boat into the seething vortex. The
boatran ran the barge into the right bank. stop
Ped his team. made fast, and without delay hur-
ried Ia the stop gates and had the supply of
water cut OF. In the mean TIM other b5atin IN
had come within sight of the break, and before
bJng the PhenOm non was known in the villages
near BY. and crowds Of curious people fastened
over the fields TO witness the strange freak of
nature. Within few minutes Of the first break
second occurred on the north bank ofthe canal.
at 2 point directly opposite; and simultaneously
with this the earth gave way in corn field about
thirty feet beyond the tOwPath.
Az ENORMOUS CHAsM.
Hardy had the crashing sound OF the immense
mass Offailing earth and rocks died away when
on the south bank Of the canal, more than 500
square feet of the eaTth's surface disappeared
with crashing, grOaaing, laundering sound;
and then thirty feet more Of the bank went in
followed by volume OF water sufi cent tn fioat a
navy. By this time there was bat little m ore
than two and a half feet OF water in the canal,
where few minutes before the depth had been
five feet.
When it is considered that the division OF the
canal in which the breaks occurred il a mile and
a half long by twenty-five feet wide, some notion
may be formed OF the immense quantity of water
swallowed BY these mysterious openings in less
a IT. Of an a q
show that IN that time no less than $4,000 cubic
feet of water disappeared As the surrounding
country Is not flooded, and a. the streams in the
helghbOrhoOd show no signs OF having been lib
eraily increased, and rs no visible sign Mains
to show
WHERE THE WATER HAS GONE,
II Il fair to presume that requisition has been
made upon the upper world for just 50 much to
make up Spne deficiency in ssthe waters under
the earth" In the course of the morning three
other .'sink-hOles,'' as the natives cali them,
were discovered learned that the cavity made
by the first sudden depression giving way Of
the earth on the south bank of the canal was AZ
least ) feet deep. The depth of the second was
not 30 great 10y 10 feet. That OF the third ION
the eaIlal) was more than 80 feet. Its diameter
at the surface vas about 20 feet Do not let me
understood as saving that the banks of the canal
were forced by the pressure of the water. The
breaks we're ia each OF the three cases sudden
depTtssions OF the earth In the third break ION
the canal the bank was solid ard strong for
some seconds after the cavity had formed in the
rear Of IT, In the other two instances the body
VI crll'4 taIlu loAlalii- rdffk anu the un~ut
soil behind Il went down in a lump-in other
words,
SANK INTO THE GROUND
crossed the canal. and a few PAGES from the
south bank, and directly south of the first breach
found sink-hOie twenty feet Deep with a di-
ameter at the top Of perhaps eight feet The
ground all around il was cracked AMI broken in
wide nssures- extending IN circles around the
opening. Carefully approaching the mouth of
the cavity, discovered that in one direction as
Tar a. could see, there was no wall TO il on the
cast side. and that covering large area of the
cavity Was "A simple crust of mold not more than
three feet thick In other words, the ground on
which tTOd - cautiously was a mere she'll that
could not bear the weight of 800 pounds Not
more than 10 feet from this hole and in n line
with i. found another much larger. Its width
at the top Was fifteen feet OF more. What its
true deFth was before the earth and rocks fell in
Il more than can conjecture.
HE DEPTH OF THE CAVITY.
Some notion Of il may be formed from a
Know lcd-e of the fact that several Young chest
nut trees, 50 feet in height, had plunged down
into II. leaving but five six feet of their tons
above the surface, their roots being COMPLETELY
covered and held in position by tons aud tons OF
earth This cavity was on rising ground per-
haps 10 feet from the canal. The general i'm
preston among the Intelligent inhabitants OF
tins region j. that these sinkhOles are caused NV
the rOtting or decomposition of the Hmestone
which underlies the surface, extending some
times 10 great depth.