Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-09-10
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT oFASTRANGE
CATASTROPHE,
THE FLOODING OF BELLE PLANE


The artesian well at Belle PLANE. Ia.
that burst and nearly flooded the town
Tuesday, continues to discharge 1000. 900
gallons daily. but all danger of an over
flow has been averted. Thus far nobody
has been able TO suggc-t mode of com
piete relief. The we'll is surrounded lev
strangers who have journevrd long dis
tance- to witness the wonderful phcnom-
enon The probable source of the i'm
mense flow of water is undetermined.
says special to the New York Times.
1t Is mineral water. Large pieces of
wood and camel coal. charcoal. together
with iron pyrtes and all varieties of
stone are thrown out by the flood The
damage direct to the adjacent property is
not large, "a the entire surroundings are
about on level. After the first flood
levees were built along the streets and
the water was led off. The mistake made
by the contractors was in their efforts to
force three-inch tube into a two-inch
hole. The water. of course. broke loose.
sulhclent space was worn away outside
the tubing to allow the water to boil out
around the tubing at the surface and the
decentralization began. Frantic efforts
were then made to get the casing down.
but after prying away at it the contract
ors only succeeded in getting about l2O
feet down and not in shutting off the out
side flow. The amount of water and
sand thrown out was immense. Men
were employed 10 shovel out the cutters
TO allow the water to run of. but The
sand filled them up "a fast a. they were
opened. Every inmate the situation was
becoming more desperate. At shutdown
Friday stream of water a foot in diam
eter was pouring out. The attempts to
check the flow had 80 far been of no
more effect than pouring water on a
duck : back. The city authorize, We're
finally appealed to to take control and af-
ford relief from impending danger. Al
ready many lots and house, were more
or less flooded. y gang of men wa, then
set at work. the mayor and council SUI
pcrintending them. BY thi, time the
hoie had become IL large a. a barrel.
and the emissions were terrific. The
casing already in was pulled ont and two
bu>hcl sacks filled with sand were thrown
into the SETTLING caldron. These heavy
sacks We're tossed out a. easily a, if they
were corks. Until nearly morning all
eNpedicnt, that could be devised were
tried. but the elephant could not be con-
trolled. The hole grew larger every
hour. and men and women looked at the
awful situation with blanched faces. Ii
was worse than Il fire. The latter would
III time burn out and die for want of fuel.
but this flood was gainin" strength. with
no prospect of an exhaustion. The mind
could not grasp the extent of the direful
possibilities of the continuance of that
awful Hood. After passing through the
upper crust about II feet there j. Il >tra-
tlIm OF quickSand ~ feet thick. beneath
which there are layers of blue clay and
sand down To the water. which j. found
in Il stratum of sand. There wa, reason
to fear that the ground would cave in.
Over 500 carload, of sand have been
thrown out. On sunday - feet of boiler
tlue>. Ii inches in diameter. were sunk
in the hole. but without effect The force
OF the water was 80 strong a. to make
Il lGOO-pound hammer rccoil when
dropped from a pile-driver. An immense
cone made of heavy boiler iron i now
being made To sink in the hole in hopes