Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1901-08-08
A SINKING TOWN.
lana, Have Undermined the
Whole Place,

Northwich. the center of the salt in.
dustry OF Great Britain, is one of the
| queerest towns in the country. The
whole underlying country is simply
one mass of salt. When descending a
shaft one passes through successive
thick strata of the mineral. The
mining of the salt constitutes the
staple industry of the district, and
from Northwch alone 100000 tons
OF salt are shipped annually, says
the Scientific American. The product
is obtained by two methods-quarry-
ing and brine-pumping. In the for
mer case, which is the method gem
orally adopted, shaft is sunk about
800 feet, and the salt rock blasted
and eXcavated in the usual manner.
The brine-pumping, although it is
still continued upon large scale, is
gradually falling into disuse. When
the industry was started it was con-
sidered that only one stratum of salt
existed, and that was only few feet
below the surface. Fresh water found
its way to this extensive salt deposit,
with the result that the salt dissolved
ike snow. A huge subterranean lake
of water, charged with 26 per cent.
OF salt, was thus formed. Pumping
engines were then installed to con-
evaporating pans, in which heavy
deposit of salt was left after the wa
ter has evaporated. The result of this
extensive pumping is that Northwich
now rests, as it were, upon a shell OF
earth, which at times proves insuffi-
cient to support the weight of the
houses, with the inevitable conse-
quence that the buildings are con-
stantly sliding and collapsing in every
direction. AS the result of a subsi-
dence one building fell over upon its
back in the course of a single night,
and it is noteworthy that the house,
owing to the care observed In Its con-
struction, fell over intact, not crack
being produced in the walls. nor even
a pane of glass being broken. This is
by no means single instance.
Throughout the town the same eff
fects are to be observed upon all
sides. There is scarcely perpen-
dicular wall to be seen; In numerous
cases the doors and window frames
of the houses are awry; the roads are
extremely uneven, and are often
closed, owing to the falling in of por-
tons. Houses are being continually
condemned as unsafe for human
habitation and demolished. The de-
probation of public property is enor-
nous. No matter how substantially
house may be built, or how great
the care observed to obviate subsi-
dence, the building is bound to sink
sooner or later. In one instance,
house that cost 100000 to erect was
shortly afterward sold for $500, it
had been so injured by subsiding. In
some cases the sinking is very gradu-
al, while in others it is unexpected
and instantaneous. One of the prin-
cipal thoroughfares took 40 years to
sink Is feet, while another grew ap-
preciabl wider every day. Examina-
ton proved that one side OF the
street was slipping completely away.
the houses were three feet distant
from the buildings which they orig
inally supported The shop of dry
goods merchant sank one-ffth OF its,
height in ten years, and IN the SUD
sequent seven years subsidized another
fifth. Several houses may be seen
the windows of the ground floor OF
which are level with the roadway.
It is no uncommon circumstance for
q building to be constructed and have
to be abandoned shortly after its
completion.
The inha bitants, however, endeavor
to mitigate the danger of their build
ings' collapse by constructing them up
on the frame principle, with massive
timber beams securely bolted togeth-
er. By this means if a subsistence oc-
ours the house does not necessarily
collapse, but heels over in toto. In this
instance the house is raised to its nor
NAL position once more by means OF
Jacks, the cavity filled in, and the build
ing once more rests upon firm foun"
dation. Should another subsistence oc-
cur, the process of lifting is repeated.
Yawning chasms are constantly APP
pearing in the streets, and in some in
stances the cavities are so extensive
as to necessitate the closing of the
thoroughfare.
The area in which these subsidences
occur covers about two square miles.
A few years ago the matter was
brought before the attention of the
British parliament. and the result of
their Investigations showed that dam
age had been inflicted upon 1872 build
ings, of which total 636 comprised
houses and cottages. Some idea of the
extent of these excavations in this
area may be gathered from the fact
that as ton of salt represents one
cubic yard, and 100000 tons of salt
are produced every year. therefore
1900, 900 cubic yards of solid material
underlying the town is removed annu-
ally.
The water from the river also gravi-
tates toward these subsidences, caus-