Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-01-07
STRANGEST TOWN ON EARTH.
/ Everything Is Turned Topsy-Tul.vy in an
English SaIt-MIning District.

English Salt-Mining District.
/ Assuredly the most curious town in
England, and the most upside-down-
looking place, is Northwich As the
stranger walks up one of the streets he
wonders whether he is the victim of a
disordered imagination n whether an
earthquake has been visiting the local
1ty. Here two houses are leaning one
against the other, as if for mutual sup
port; there more are leaning from each
other, as if in sullen anger; higher I'D
are dwellings sunllen in the center or
at 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 a general ap-
pearance of topsy-turvydom in this
town of what are described as drunk
en- houses" The cause of it all is moi
far to seek. Northwich, 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 moving factor in the
mischief. On nearly all sides of the
town are big salt works. with their en-
gines pumping hundreds of thousands
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 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 travel d
mile in certain directions. AS the
glistening white or deep red rock is
cut away great pillars of it, some eight
feet square, with a large thickness all
along the roof, are left to support the
earth above. Sometimes, however, the
mine is flooded, the pillars dissolve in
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, and
for this reason no lives have been lost
within recent years. One morning a
few years ago a horse left in a stable
over night was found to be missing, and
hole filled with water occupying the
place where the animal should have
been. Near Wincham and MarstCn,
suburbs of NOrthwich, lakes acres in ex-
tent are now seen where green fields
Us ed to be, and there is spot where the
highway takes the form of a railway
embankment. On either sides are big
ponds where the earth had subsidized,
and the road goes through like bridge.
This itself is bound to go at some flu
ture time, and it is to be hoped that no
one will 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 we'll as interest
ing. ''This desirable property to let"
is the sign one may seek cheek by jowl
with one at the beginning of a stile
road bearing the legend: This road is
dangerous One has to be aware of
such roads at night time in this neigh
borhood. A part of the path may have
sunk 100 feet or so during the preceding
hour, and an involuntary drop into the
water, which rises as fast as the earth
falls, is 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 subsidences are gradual and
i've some warning, living must be rather
exciting in certain portions of North
ch.-Philadelphia TELEGRAPH.