The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-16
BOTTOM HASN'T
YET BEEN FOUND
Southern Pacific Engineers Un-
able to Fill a Quagmirs.
IT IS ON THE lUClN CUTOFF
SWALLOWS UP TRAINLOADs OF
DIRT AND LONG PILES.

Near the mouth of Bear creek, where
the Luciu cut-on crosses Great Salt
lake. is "a mysterious quagmire which
The Southern Pacific has been trying
Tor months TO hn. but it is as traach-
erous as the quicksands of fairy
tale. Every method known 10 engi-
neering skill has been resorted 90 with
out success. SO far as outward ap-
pearances go the mire is no nearer
being filled Up today than when the
first carload of earth was dumped into
it The treacherous place is only q few
carlengths across. but into this hungry
nav a whole mountain of earth has all
ready been dumped. yet it has been
swallowed up and the "quag' is stiil
Unsuitable
The place was discovered about
three months ago. Piles were driven
into IL and they disappeared. The SUR
prised engineers tried the plan of driv-
ing in two long piles one on top of the
other. but if they had been driving
them toward the sky the result would
have been mo- different So far as strlk-
ing bottom is concerned.
Piles Dropped Out of Sight.
Three piles. one on ton of the other,
were tried. but 70 was only necessary to
give them "a little tap of the hammer
and they were gone. The engineers
lost patience They made zap their
mind To- reach bottom or poke some
. Dhlnamans eye out on the other side
Jf the earth.
The engineers built a cradle of piles
around the quagmire and dumped lu
several carloads of earth. BY night 10
looked firm and "a nice mound was
started The engineers smiled. AT last
they saw a hope of filing mp this hun
cry monster of the earth. The next
morning they were dumlouuded TO
discover that the "quag" had sWal-
lowed not only the earth, but the whole
cradle. ana had come near taking with
70 whole train of cars chat had been
eft there over night AN the cars but
one We're recovered.
They tried the experiment over again,
with the same result. They have been
repeating Dc ever since. but the 'quag
does not dIL Sometime ago it looked
as III the earth was beginning TO make
an impression. for a. roadPed was be-
-Finuing 90 appear over the PREACHER
GUS place.
Almost Lost a Train.
The engineers then laid tracks part
way across. The next day they start
cd O uauI0ad of earth FOR the place,
and this time they again HAD "a narrow
escape of losing not only che train. but
the engine as we'll The "quaE' had
recovered its appetite and was sWal-
lowing everything in sight Since then
the engineers have been more cautious.
but they have been dumping tons and
tons of earth into the place without
any apparent effect.
Steel piles of no matter what length
disappear with tap of the hammer.
Some believe there is "a subterranean
stream there which carries the earth
and other substances away as soon as
10 goes through the crust overhead.
Others believe that III Is "a semt-iuld
spot of exceeding depth and that b. can
eventually bee filled up.
The action of the "quag is Ike that
of "a quicksaud. 10 was supposed aJ
one time that the place would have TO
be bridged. hut the engineers do not
lose hope that the place has bottom
and shat TO can De- filed mp ln time.
They don't seem to know what time.
but they hope sometime.