The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-09-12
MYSTERY PUZZLES THE ENGINEERS

up in the Cascade mountains. and that
ter of luck, says the Tacoma Evening
News. Eight miles west of Gle Elum
near Nelson's Siding of the Northern
Pacific, the new road had established
a location camp and was boring for
coal. Ten men, an engine, boiler house
and complete drilling plant were set
! down in the mountain Businesses: and
a search for good coal-bearing vein
of rock was started. The plan was to
utilize such vein, if found to furnish
fuel for the mountain climbing engines
of the line, and save hauling of ma
! terial from lower down on the grade.
But, as stated above, the bottom
dropped out of things. and at present
| the Milwaukee engineers are trying to
figure out where their drilling plant,
boiler. boilerhouse and part of the
engine equipment have gone to. All
that is visible where they formerly
stood is a rough, irregular hole. filled
with bubbling black water that seems
to be too plentiful to pump out Into this
hole the greater part of the drilling
plant dropped and has not been To-
Gated since
! The location camp was established
at this point little over month ago,
and as soon as the heavy woods could
be cleared sufficiently, the drill was set
to work. 1t struck a good deal of
water, but that was not surprising in
that section. and the men operating it
made no comment upon it. Traces of
coal were discovered at surprisingly
high level, and then the drill plunged
into quicksand, through which it sank
unchecked for 20 feet or so. Then rock
was encountered, and after boring
through this more qucksand and a
better grade of coal was found Heavy
soil and gravel was also encountered,
|
in fact the drill brought up about
everything in the meteorological line
except fossils.
! Monday night when the work was
stopped the cable showed a depth of
| $50 feet. Reports of the condition
found had been forwarded to head
quarters. and word came back to keep
on drilling. So Monday night the
cable was wound up on the drum of
the engine, the drill laid idle on the
| ground, and at o'clock the crew oiled
and washed up, closed things down
for the night to keep out the rain
which had been threatening for some
time. and went to supper. What hap
pened during the next half hour no.
body knows.
Plant Is Missing.
At $50 Dave I.enehan, one of the
men employed at the camp, went over
to the boiler to draw some hot water.
But there was no boiler there, and in
it's place the astounded man saw only
a yawning hole, rapidly filling with
water and constantly spreading be-
cause of the caving in of it's sides.
His shouts aroused the entire camp,
and the men rushed to the scene. OF
the great frame that had carried the
drill there was nothing to be seen, and
the boiler and boiler house were also
mysteriously missing. At one side of
the hole, and fast slipping into it, was
the engine and cable drum. This was
supported over the opening by some
long spids that had been used to give |
easier to move.
The men fell to work with a will, |
and dragged the engine back from dan
ger. In the meantime the hole was |
constantly growing larger and relieved |
of the weight of the engine, the skids |
dropped into its open NAV and fioated /
about in the bubbling water. The To- |
cation crew got busy, raised another |
boiler from a plant lower down the |
grade, fixed up and got the steam pump |
with a six-inch hose to work on the
water in the hole After an hours |
steady pumping the water had gone |
down a foot, and a halt was called to
lower the intake for a fresh start. And
then there was a rumble and bub-
bling. and with a dash of spray the
water spouted up to its former level
and filled the hole.
Can't Lower the Water.
Once more the steam pump was
started. and once again it gained head
way on the water in the hole. And