The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1897-01-20
A QUEER TOWN.
England Has One of the Strang-
est Municipal Freaks on Earth.
Why a General Appearance OF
Topsy-Turveydom Prevails.

hsouiculs tuc HOot CuTlOuS tO"h III
England, and the most upside-down-
looking place, is Northwich. As a
stranger walks up one OF the streets
he wonders whether he is the victim
OF "a disordered Imagination or whether
an earthquake has been visiting the
locality. Here two houses are lean
ing one against the other, as if for
mutual support; three more are lean
ing from each other, rs il in sullen
anger; higher up are dwellings sunk
EN- in the center or mt the ends; the
pavement on one side in certain places
is higher than the other, while little
farther on it Is lower.
In short. everything has general
appearance Of topsy-iurveydom in this
town OF what nrc described ns"drunk-
en- houses. The cause of il oil is not
for to seek. Northwich, MS every one
knows, or ought to know,is the center
VI INV hhio inuuolig ,uHu ~ II 'hS WIN"
ing Of brine and rock salt for the man.
ufncture of this very necessary COM
modify that is the moving factor in
the mischief. On nearly all sides OF
the town are big salt works, with their
engines pumping hundreds of thou
sands of gallons of brine every week,
while the extensive mines of rock salt
are being cut into in all directions
At depth OF some 200 or 800 feet
are immense submarine lakes of brine,
and as tho contents of these are
pumped and pumped away the upper
crust OF earth is correspondingly
weakened aud the result is an occa-
sional subsistence. In some of the
mines where the snlt is blasted and
cut away ono can travel n mile in GER
tain directions. As the glistening
white or deep red rock is cut awny
great pillars OF il, some eight feet
square, with n large thickness all
along the roof, are left to support
the earth above. Sometimes, how.
ever, tho mine is flooded. the pillars
dissolve in the water and the earth
falls in, with oil on top OF it. Luckily
this kind of subsistence generally hap
pens in spots where houses are not
numerous, and for this rem
son no lives have been lost
within recent years. Ono morning
n few years ngo horse left
in a stable overnight was found to be
missing, and a hole filed with water
occupying the place where tho animal
should have been. Near Wincham
and Marston, suburbs OF Northwich,
lakes acres in extent are now seen
where green fields used to be, and
there is spot whore the highway
takes the form of n railway embank-
ment. On either sido are big ponds
where the earth had subsidized and the
road goes through like bridge. This
itself is bound to go at some future
time, and it is to be hoped at that
time no one will DO in tho immediate
noighborhood.
All these subsidences have n pull
ing" effect on the nearest buildings,
which are drawn "all ways" Such n
state OF things is amusing rs well as
interesting. "This desirable property
to let" is the sign one may seek cheek
by jowl with one Mt the beginning of
stile road bearing tho legend: This
road is dangerous" One has to be
aware of such roads at night time in
this neighborhood. A part of the
path may have sunk 100 feet or more
during the preceding hour and an in
voluntary drop into the water. which
rises as fast rs the eurth falls. is
rapid way out OF this world.
In order to make all buildings last
n fairly decent length of time all new
erections are built in frames of wood,
this style holding the bricks together
longer length OF time than if the
building was on the ordinary princi-
Piles. Even under those conditions,
and taking into consideration the fact
that in the town itself the subsidences
are gradual and give some warning,
living must be rather exciting in GER
tain portions of Northwich. Philadel-
phia Telegraph.