Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-11-04
TowASriu's BurroMLEss PIT.
FUTILE EFFORTs OF A RAILROAD
COMPANY 40 FILL A HOLE IN
THE GROUND.

At Towantic, httls Village on top
OF the mountain ten miles west Of
Waterbury,, the New York 4 New
Eugland Railroad company Ia en-.
deavoring TO I'LL 10 what Is apparently
q botIomlssI pit, says the Hartford
Times. This pit IL eIaatly on the top
Of tho mountain, at mn elevation Of
fully 1000 feet. When the route OF tue
railroad was surveyed II was run
diieolly across the swamp. the ma
ture o, the marsh, Of course. not being
known. Is Ia only about 200 feet from
one e1Ro 10 another, bat what II lacks
In width u makes up In depth, Asd II
has proved ~ be- practically without
bottom.
When this point wss reached In cou-
sNuctlng the fOaoUed II was decided
to build tresilo across the swamp ~
the quickest and most practical way
OF getting over. Tue rrst 81 O. that
were dropped cndwiBe In tue mud
preparatory 10 driving them down to q
solid foundation sank nearly out OF
tisht VI theis own weight. Otner
poles were placed on top OF the first
ones aud eaaily forced down TO y depth
OF nearly six1y feet. Upon these poles
the bridge, which 10 About 200 fest
long, was built, and 1t has been
thorn IN the side Of the company ever
sinoe. Eternal vigilance has been the
price OF keeping the railroad from
sinking out OF sight, anu II was finally
determined TO oil IN tho oole. But this
IL proving to be formidable feat.
Before the work OF putting In gravel
was begun now track resembling u
horseshoe was constructed hrounI the
swamp. to 10 used while the old bridge
was being flled In. Tnis was done
from fear that the gravel would settle
and force the slructur, GU, OF place, and
the pfscsuIiun Was well taken. WORK
was begun early In the summer by
putting In hundreds OF old ties 10 serve
No fOun alton Tor the gruund. Al
ready 1000 carl ads OF gravel have
been dunn ped into the swamp from tue
bridge, and II settles out oiaight nearly
No fast ~ II eau DO put In.
Engines are not permitted to cross
the bridge any longer. A trsin load
Of gravel 10 pushed .ut on tho bridge,
the wiro cable Of big Iron pillow
10 attached to the engine and tho pillow
drawn over the cars, foTcing the
tefial 10 loaded upon the cars by n biz
steam shovel Ina nearby gravel hhnk,
anu tue loadl x and unloading 10 but
the work Of n few minutes. But the
porous aud false bed OF the pit has an
enormous appetite ior the material thst
IL dropped into ~, anu II will be q ms
time before tho yielding soil 10 made
firm enough to hold the heavy trains
that must pass over IL.
IL isa curious freak OF nature that
supn n place should DO located at tue
peak OF mountaiD, but II Ia not with
out u parallel. An almost Identical
difficulty wss enoou nt-red by this
same company when building its road
over the chain a this old Fishkill
mountains In New York State. The
ROAD here skifts large lake known ~
Whales pond, which covers several
hundred acres. Gravel aud rocks
that were dumped 10 the road
ned here during tho day would
disappear Ia the night, and at one
time when train load OF soil was be-
ing uuiosJed tho fiiling slipped from
under II, carrying several cars Into the
pond. These were never recovered, a.
thry went completely out OF sight iu
the mud. while gravel was being led
into this apparently Lottomless pit
without interruption 1t was noticed
that an leland was gradually rising out
Ia the lake iuiiy 1000 feet fram the
shore. THIS phenomenon continued
Just 30 long ms the I0Gd bed CO tlnued
10 settle, and was caused by the pros.
sure VI the soil anu rocks that were
disappearing as fast as they could be
unloadod. This Island grew 10 CON
siderable proportions, and when II
stoppe the roAdbed became solid and
has never caused any trouble since.
THIS will probably be the result OF tho
attempt TO hll up the hola ut TJwaDtic