The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-05-22

that was sucking him down to the
bowels of the earth where he would be
consumed by fire. He thought that
his coffin might have got stuck in a
narrow part of the passage and that
therefore he had chance to be saved
Working on this theory he had care
fully looked about and found his sur
mise to be correct after which he had
torn the coffin in parts and barred the
passage to the air as much as possible
After that he had been able to make
his way along the passage in the direc-
tion that he thought was the surface.
The passage seemed to be Illuminated
by phosphorescent CLEAN from the
walls, and although the air was hot al
times it was always fresh and pure
The Chinaman said that for four
days he had travelled along this pas
sage, shaking his thirst at an occasion
al underground stream, but finding
nothing to eat. He was anxious to
get to the surface but this had not
kept him from exploring small parts
of the cavern and he had found yalu-
able deposits of gold, silver, pure
aluminium, and even radium. He was
under the impression that the passage
was lighted by radium. On the fifth
day, when he had about given up hope
of ever reaching the surface, he
felt himself lifted off of his feet and
borne along the passage at a terrific
rate. Then he realized that his cot
fin barrier had given way and that he
was again being sucked into the I'M
known. Soon he lost consciousness
and did not know anything again until
he awoke in bed at the hospital.
After hearing this story DR.. Evans
consulted his geology and at once
came to the conclusion that the China
man had been buried in the famous
boracine sink hole of the California
desert. "Air sucks down into this
hole continually" said the Doctor in
explaining it, land men, horses, and
many animals have been lost to sight
and forever in the hole. 1t has never
been explored on account of the fact
that no one is able to resist the wind
pressure in the cavern.
II have long held the theory" con-
tinued the Doctor, THAT the natural
slope of this hole would give it an exit
somewhere in the neighborhood OF the
Blue Ridge mountains, if one existed.
because the dip of the rock together
with the slate at the entrance OF the
hole show it to be the same formation
as the quarries all through these
mountains.
"Now, | believe that this wind
which sucks down the hole goes to
feed fires in the interior of the earth
and that what is not used that way
comes to the blind ends of caverns in
this vicinity where it is held at very
high pressure. | presume that in
digging in the bed of the red pool at
Shongum struck soft spot in the
end of the blind hole and opened it up
at about the time the Chinaman ar
rived at this end of the passage. Just
why he was not sucked down to the
center of the earth have not de.
termined, but on that point l shall
theorize later
"Of course / believe the Chinaman's
story. He has the evidence right or
him for the pockets of his jacket and
trousers are filled with beautiful speci'
mems of pure gold, light blue diamonds
white silver and sticky mass in which
l think the valuable mineral, radium
is to be found.
81 think l shall organize company
to exploit this cavern and see if we
can not make mining at the center Of
the earth pay"