-187-
- appeared on January 12, 1979 (exact newspaper
source is uncertain):
"...Yvonne
Crosby stood on the brink of a big, gaping hole in her front yard yesterday and
shook her head.
"’I
wish it would go away,’ the
“The Hole,
20 feet in diameter, appeared mysteriously last week not ten feet from the
front door of her
“Her life
hasn't been quite the same since.
“Each day
the hole grows in size, and is now threatening to undermine the curving
sidewalk that leads to her door. New cracks opened up around the edges after
yesterday's rainstorm.
“What used
to be surface level turf has sunk up to ten feet, and nobody knows the depth of
the cavern beneath it.
“Beyond
roping off the hole and posting a danger sign,
“Meanwhile,
the strange hole is becoming a major attraction. At first only worried
neighbors came; but they were followed by concerned city engineers, a puzzled
geologist, and curious sightseers by the hundreds. ‘I never thought so many
people would be interested in a damned old hole in my front yard,’ she said.
‘But they are’.
"’The
other day,’ she said, ‘the city bus even stopped so everybody could get a look
at the hole...’
"’Everybody
walks up to it, looks down in it, and then walks away, shaking their head,’ she
said.
“Even as
she talked, a small crowd gathered to peer into the yawning crater. ‘Don't get
too close,’ she admonished a mother with a small child who stood dangerously
near the crumbling edge.
“What
caused the hole to suddenly appear remains open to speculation. She said it
could be an old septic tank, or a well, or maybe a bomb shelter -– who knows?
