Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-09-02
ANOTHER MUNCHHAUsEN
SPINS ALARMING YARNS
In the Ear of the News-Lea-
der Along "Geodetic Lines
and Creates a"Seismic Dis
turbance" in its Columns

luTDdIlC0 Ill It's AOluIIlIlS
The Richmond News-Leader of tn
oath has the following to say with re
ference to the cave in in Baldwin
| street:
The situation in Staunton, wher,
| the surface of tine earth has been tori
agape as if by violent seismic distur
Dances is causing more alarm in tina
city than the news dispatches sent ou
would indicate, according to CIarenc
L. Gunst, of the firm of Straus ant
Gunst who has just returned to tn,
city, after spending several days il
Staunton.
Geological experts from all point
OF the compass seem to have beel
attracted to the town. said Mr.
Gunst this afternoon. 'These sclen
| tific gentlemen have been making in
vestigations along geodetic lines, an(
are apparently keeping to themselves
the exact result of what they hav'
discovered.
TO the unscientific it would appear
that the geologists, who have takel
such profound interest in the situa
tion at Staunton, are gathering dats
for scientific articles for the maya
zines. At any rate, they are not Civ
ing the local authorities or the gene
raj public the benefit of their discov.
cries, if they have made any.
| That any investigation has beer
going on along ''geodetic lines" il
news to everybody. Geodesy, to which
geodetic pertains, is surveying, Sc
as to make maps and plat the
earth in large surfaces. There woalc
be as much reason to proceed
along "geodetic lines" as to make as
tromonical observations in order to as
certain the causes of the slip.
To the unscientific" of which Mr..
fiunst seems one, except in mistatins
facts, many things may occur, but il
has not occurred to any scientists sem
here by the government, or any othel
one vino is worth the name, to prepare
articles of scientific" character fol
magazines on this occurrence. Thil
statement therefore is pure fiction.
Again says the gentlemen, who ha.
so imposed on the stampede" portion
of the News Leader staff:
sThe cause of the sudden opening
Of the earth in Staunton's 8 streets re-
mains as much mystery as when the
first sensational discovery was made
Men who have watched the geolo
gists closely are of the opinion thai
science is baff1ed for the present, a,
least, and that this accounts for the
absence of definite and positive state
ment from the scientists as to the
cause of the phenomena
The cause has been known almost
from the first. Th9 moving cause il
simply a small underground streau
which has found an emptying point il
cave in one of our hills. It cut {
tunnel and the top of the tunnel fel
in. just as a sewer might do at any
time, especially a leaky sewer, only
the sewer would not be on so large 6
scale.
Again says that scientific Baror
Munchhausen:
1 nave seen no account publlsnet
of an incident that caused scare il
the town last Saturday. Local engi
neers were maxine sound inRs of the
large rents in the earth. Near the pos
Office building are two wide assures.
Into one of these six-foOt crowbar
sThe man making the soundinrs le,
the cable slip. Down went the irol
bar, dragging the cable after It,. In
nnnar;. ,aasi -. ,', fa;IoS - ,naoh +Io 80 ~
1a-. This circumstance. aDparentl,
indicating a bottomless hole, in the
start occaslonea general alarm. Inc
an%ineors ond tho sc;ent;t;c sontiamor
enga ged in geodetic probing are an.
parently at loss to explain not only
.he cause OF ens earIn > yaWnlng, pul
naasnre mo- Of the dancer that attands s
it,
The reason he has not seen an &C.
count published of the above "inci.
dent" is because it never occurred.
There are no assures near the post
office. They are square away. The
government drilled about the post
Office and ascertained that "it is
founded upon rock'', as firm and
Sonnd;nos in oil tho t;ssnros hove hoor
+obon +bov ORC known ond NO ;no;aon1
of tho kind mentioned has cansad
..aonor,1 alarm ,, Tbaro has hoop -,
reol ol.r,n since the first and soooni
dor The ca,ses are ascarta;nad III.
unhonomonon oro fnllv understood
Tboro never bas baan anvtb;po
uso;s,;o,; 81 ON, +;ro Tho+ ,bros,