The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-08-18

as the etherS, tROu&n Rot quite
90 deep, eane tlIs tinAe In the
Z back yard Of Professor G. L VIE
son. adjoining the small frame
residence and lot which tunAbled
I'm and disappeared ON yesterday.
The two holes In Baldwin Street
have not yet met, but they are
Rnzch closer together than on yes
They are still very deep, one OF
them al 7earing to have q depth
OF at k st leo feet The ce-
nscnt steps OF the public school
building have cracked loose and
cracks In the walls, which came
yesterday, have extended all the
vEay TO the top.
The frame rear of Professor Will
sons residence tumbled into the hole
in his back yard and the walls on the
main building Of brick are cracked
considerably. and all the furniture has
been moved out. The worst seems 20
be over. Opinions differ as to the
cause, yet everybody has a theory. The
authorities think a Nig suction pump
recently installed = the Smith Fuel
and Ice Company right across the
block, an seo-fOot well lately bored,
has something 20 do with ID. The city
general manager has taken the gov
eminent geological survey to make an
examination and report and the
Staunton postmaster has notified the
supervising architect OF the treasury
OF the danger, the postoffiee being in
the line of progress of the break, half
a block away.
Fell with Crash.
At s'clock yesterday afternoon
the house which stood over the first
break, the home OF Mr.. Balsley, fell
In with crash and now lies buried
out OF sight. Il was q two-story struc-
tare, rs by as feet. All along at in
tervals huge sides of these craters
would break and fall with heavy de-
donations, showing the creVice TO be
deep. At o'clock or thereabout
fresh erevfces, opened directly in the
rear of Professor Wilson's home, de-
stroying his garden and endangering
his kitchen, if not his whole house.
which is q fine brick structure facing
Lewis Street. Baldwin is a short
street at right angles to Lewis and
Central Avenue and Augusta, its
length being from Lewis to Augusta.
The house of Professor Wilson is on
the corner of Lewis and Baldwin. The
crevice runs diagonally across the
squares formed by Lewis, Central
Avenue and Baldwin Street. The
houses most involved are the city fire
company building, which is hanging,
rooms, property Of Professor Wilson,
and his home. Should the break con-
tinue across Lewis Street il will en-
danger valuable residences,
About 5 o'clock water began oozing
up in the gardens of John Fallon, the
florist, and ran down over the gar
dens of those below him and between
his gardens and the fire house. Mr..
Ashburner, the city manager, imme-
diately put a force of wOrkmen to dig
ging a sluice to turn this water into
the main, Lewis Creek, which flows
through the town some thirty feet
east of the break. This will take of
the water and prevent its flooding the
gardens and houses below Mr.. Fallon.
A Cavern Below.
The most acceptable theory is there
has been for a long time here deep
substream, which flowed into some
cavern and lost itself to the west OF
the present crevasse. This stream
has been flowing there unknown car
rying away the soft earth in which
that part of the town is built, and
having undermined ii, at a great
depth, the top crust gave way. This
portion of the town is between two
hills and the land on which the hous-
es stand there has been washed in.
and filled in. Where the new public
school building stands, which is now
in danger, there once stood a large
public hall and beneath it a market
house When that building was erect
driven deep into the mari.
If the subterranean stream, which,
! it is thought, has done the damage by
| its silent but persistent excavation,
passed that point 1t was still beneath
that piling, and If its washing has
been sufficient that building may Sc
riously suffer. But the stream, whilst
deep, may not be large, and the pres
ent crevice may be as wide as 1t will
| likely get, save by the falling away
of the sides to an angle where the
| water has begun TO pour out OF the
ground above the break seems to in
dicate that a dam has been formed
| over this subterranean stream and Is
pressing the water upward and out on
| top of the ground.
Dog Swallowed Up.
Many apparent risks were taken b!
the thoughtless persons, because moth
| ing could be predicted as to wher.
the next break would occur. The ONLY
casualty, however. that has yet oc.
CURED befell a large setter dog whicl
no doubt was accustomed to travelin,
that highway. He came trOtting across
| from toward Lewis Street to Centrs
Avenue. and persons seeing his dan
ger tried to scare him back, but H.
paid no attention to their cries. He
walked up TO the edge OF the crevice
which he evidently mistook for E
shadow. as 1t was then growing dark
| and In q moment fell over the edge
OF the precipice and was heard of ne
more. His fall must evidently have
been fifty or sixty feet, and 1t Is
thought he was Immediately buried ir
the debri&