CITY BOUT OVER VAST CAVE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 6 September 1907, Page 4

CITY BOUT OVER VAST CAVE.

250,000 PEOPLE LIVING ON PROPS. New York, July 10. Two hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants of Minneapolis, the chief city in the State of Minnesota, and one of the greatest grain centres in the fforld, have just received an unpleasant thrill. For the last fire years, it is officially announced, they have been living in imminent danger of collapsing with all their buildings and property into a vast underground cavern. As "the-danger is now over the city authorities have no longer- aesd.- to cott» ceal the manner in which it was discovered and the secret methods adopted to avert it without alarming the inhabitants or Interfering with the immense business interests of the town.

It appears that five years ago workmen were excavating in the centre of the city for a new sewer, when they broke through a covering crust of earth into a gigantic cave. The city authorities were immediately notified of the fact, and subsequent investigations by the city engineer showed that almost the entire city was built over a vast cavern, which in its dimensions is believed to exceed the mammoth cave of Kentucky. j Strict orders were given that the discovery should not be made public, as it was feared the citizens would be seized with panics and take to Sight. At the same time it wa3 recognised that a terrible disaster might overtake the city at any moment. Minneapolis is one of the greatest business centres in Amfrica. Its town hall alone cost nearly a million pounds. It has many other' magnificent public buildings, is the seat of Government, and possesses lumber and Hour milling industries unrivalled in the world.

Working with the utmost secrecy, the city authorities set to work to prop up the roof of the mighty caver. Miscellaneous appropriations were used to buy concrete and pay the cost of erecting supporting pillars underground. Inquiring citizens and the newspapers constantly raised questions where the money all went. The officials were often at their wits' end to explain the disappearance of the money, but they were, nevertheless, successful in keeping the secret and averting a panic. The city is now propped with hundreds of ample supports, and the underground streams, which were chiefly responsible for hollowing out the cavern, have been diverted. Now that the facta have been made known, the public of Minneapolis have nothing Cut the highest praise for the authorities.