The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-01-16
sTRApoEsr TOWN ON EARTH.
Everything Is Turned fopsJ-Turvy in an
English salt Mining District.

Everything Is Turned rorsy-Turvy in an
English salt Mining District.
Assuredlv the Iaost curious town in
England. and the most Hpside-down-
looking place. Is Northwich. As the
stranger walks up one of tie streets ne
wonders whether he is the vic i'm OF a
disordered Imagination or whether an
earthquake has been visiting the lueal-
ity. Here two houses are leaning o7e
against the other, as II for mutual sup
port: there more are leaning from each
other, as il in su1len anger; higher up
are dwellings sunken in the center or
at the ends; the pavement on one side
in certain places is higher than the
ether, while little farther on it Is
lower.
In short everything has general APP
pearance of topsy-turVydom IN this
town Of what are described as drunk
en- houses" The cause Of IL all Is not
far to seek. Northwieh, as everyone
knows or ought to know, is the center
of the salt industry, and it is the draw
ing of brine and rock salt for the man
ufacture of this very necessary com
modify that is the m5vfng. factor in the
mfsehief On nearly all sides Of the
town are big salt works, with their en-
gines pumping hundreds of thousands
of gallons of=+5rine every week, while
the extensive mines of rock salt are
bei6g cut into in all directions.
At depth of some 200 or 300 feet are
immense submarine lakes of brine, and
as the contents of these are pumped and
pumped away the upper crust of earth
is correspondingly weakened, and the
result in an occasional subsistence. In
some of the mines where the salt Is
blasted and cut away one can traVeI~e
mile in certain directions. As the
glistening white or deep red rock Il
cut away great pillars of it, some eight
feet square, with large thickness al.
along the roof, are left to support the
earth above Sometimes, however, the
mine is flooded, the pillars dissolve IL
the water and the earth falls IN, WITH
all on top of it. Luckily, this kind OF
subsistence generally happens in spots
where houses are not numerous, ano
for this reason no lives have been lost
within recent years. One morning G
few years ago a horse left in stable
over night was found to be missing, and
a hole filled with water occupying the
place where the animal should have
been. Near Wincbam and Marston
suburbs of Northwich, lakes acres in ex
tent are now seen where green fields
used to be, and there is spot where thu
highway takes the form of a railway
embankment. On either sides are bis
ponds where the earth had subsidized
and the road goes through like bridge
This itself is bound to 60 at some flu
ture time, and it is to be hoped that nc
onewill be at that time in the immediate
neighborhood.
All these subsidences have pulling
effect on the nearest buildings. which
are drawn "all ways" Such a state Of
things is amusing as well as interest
ing This desirable property to let
is the sign one may seek cheek by jow.
with one at the beginning of stilt
road bearing the legend: This road IL
dangerous One has to be aware OF
such roads at night time in this neigh.
borhood. \ part of the path may have
sunk loo feet or SO during the preceding
hour, and an involuntary drop into the
water, which rises as fast as the earth
falls, is a rapid way out of this world.
In order to make all buildings last
a fairly decent length Of time all new
erections are built in frames of wood
this style holding the bricks together
a longer time than if the building was
on the ordinary principles. Even under
those conditions, and taking into con
sideration the fact that in the town it
self the subsidenees are gradual anc
i've some warming, living must be rather
exciting in certain portions of North
wich.-Philadelphia Telegraph.