Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-08-26
QUIET ABOUT cAvE-IN
Remnants Of Engine House Burned
Deep Well Goes Dry
THURSDAY

Deep Well Goes Dry
|. THURSDAY
@ The cave-in grew almost perfectl
: quiet today and practically stood still
h The waGer did not rise perceptibl
d and conditions, SO far as appearances
b went were practically the same as o.
h yeterday. There was, however, goo
Q deal of interest going on around abou
the chasm. The STAUNTON fir
1 engine house, which number of hand
had been working on, tearing dowl
, for several days, and which was pretty
, we'll dismantled being much in tn,
3 way of the proposed work of fillins
D the chasm, it was decided by the com
! mittee in charg ,, that the shortest and
quickest way to get rid Of it was te
, burn it, SO that orders to that effect
, were given the general manager and
in little while, the dismantled es.
tablishment was in flames and soon
burned to the ground. As previously
announced yesterday, derrick was
installed and work will go on today
in the opening nearest the fire engine
house The SEiGh Fuel Company,
with the aid of the City Manager, got
their pump in order yesterday and
last night were pumping water rap
idly for a while when all of sudden
the we'll gave out.
There was meeting ofethe special
committees last night but there
was no definite action agreed on,
but they decided, however. to
make a more thorough investiga-
tion before any steps are taken as to
their ARal course in the matter. The
committee had no statement to give
out, owing to the fact that what they
did was tentative.
Mr. PArtlow is working Isteadily
along in his endeavors TO save the
Wilson Houses. He himself installed
a pumping apparatus to be worked by
a traction engine and has been busily
pumping water.
FRIDAY
The cave-in was more quiet yester-
day than at any previous time. The
derrick erected was picking timbers
out Of the break near the Fire Engine
House, and boring was progressing on
Lewis Street in accordance with pre-
viously announced plans. Samuel
Lindsay, the colored well borer who
sunk the well for the Smith Fuel
Company, had his apparatus rigged en-
Lewis Street and was driving wells
there three feet apart and about 4 in
ches in dia meter to connect with the
line of holes now being driven across
the valley above Bosserman's stables
from Central Avenue to Lewis Street.
This is done to test the foundations
of the Public School building and to
ascertain for certainty whether there
is any stream of water going under it.
The committee held a meeting on
Thursday night to discuss the situa-
tion and ascertain the best mode of
dealing with the proposition. The
main question seems to be whether
the chasm or crevice can be arched
and if so filled on top Of the arch, or
whether it should be filed from the
bottom of it. There seems to be little
doubt that the water seeps down from
further up the stream than where the
breaks have occurred and that the re-
cent heavy rains have accelerated the
washing out Of the crevice, allowing
the earth to crumble. A dam across
the valley from point between Au.
gusta Street and Central Avenue to
Lewis street would hold the water
coming down and force it into the ar
titicial channel, and thus prevent any
further washing. 1t is about agreed
that in the end it will come to that.
If this be so the thing to do now
would seem to be to fill the present
chasm at once and stop the caving in
and loss of material, an idea strongly
advocated by Mr.. Harry Frazier and
others.
There was some commotion yester-
day about depression in the post
Office yard between that building and
the buildings of the Smith Fuel Com
pany. But we can say with confidence
that this is no recent cave in. In the
early Gays of the present trouble, the
Editor Of this paper observed that de-
preston and intended calling the at
tention of MIR. Heald, the government
representative, to it but it passed out
of mind owing to things of i'm
portance crowding in. Others had no.
ticed this depression long ago. Col. s.
Brown Allen, the postmaster, will,
however, test the depression and he is
at this time having hole sunk IN the
center of it. As far as gone. the ground
seemed to get more and more firm.
With reference to the trees dying
in the school house yard and the ap-
prehension felt by some as to the
cause, Mrs. John Hanger. who lives
next door to the grounds, states that
she saw them blown over in a storm
a few months back and that the jani-
tor set the trees and boxing back up
straight. This rending and tearing
of the delicate roots has caused them
to die.
Mr.. Partlow was working yesterday
on his contract and had his Pump 60
ing, but as yet there seems to be no
diminution of the water.
The special committee held an in
formal meeting last night at which
took placs.a well defined discussion
to avoid useless expenditure of money
until it is found just exactly what
conditions are