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Show Fields Deserted As Men Fear Engulfing BUHL, Idaho, August 11 (U.R) Earth-shaking booms and spurting clouds of yellow volcanic dust today marked progress of a violent subterranean' disturbance which is forming form-ing a new and deep canyon seven miles west of here. Five acres or rich land on ti. A. Robertson's farm has sunk approximately ap-proximately 200 feet in the last 14 days. Huge cracks, apparently apparent-ly bottomless, are ripping through 17 more acres on Robertson's farm. Latest crack is a quarter of a mile from his home, and is getting bigger. Crack formation is marked by muffled detonations, like dynamite dyna-mite blasts. Persons watching (BULLETIN) BUHL, Idaho, August 11 (U.R) Emil Bordewick, general manager of Griffin ranches, j ! today denied the public fur- j ther access to H. A. Robert- j son's rancji where a stibter- j I ranean disturbance is causing" formation of a now canyon, j Serious danger to persons j : crowding close to the new canyon wall was cited by Bordewick. Hundreds of persons per-sons have been flocking to I view the phenomenon. the phenomenon said the earth shook, and clouds of dust shot into in-to the air. Hill Now Valley The land, located a short distance dis-tance east of the old Salmon river canyon, is rapidly sinking, transforming trans-forming a hill into a valley about half a mile long. Robertson abandoned the land ) . when disturbances became violent, vio-lent, and is watching the canyon growing day by day, guarding against possible engulfing of his home. As cracks form, the earth crumbles. Observers can step to the edge of a bank, and look down 200 feet into a crawling, dust-belching dust-belching canyon below. The old Salmon river canyon is feeling the earth spasm. Along the river's course, dust jets from the ground, settling in the water. Land Honeycombed Authorities said t h e entire country around Buhl and in the Twin Falls area was honeycombed with caverns, result of an incomplete incom-plete volcanic formation thousands thous-ands of years ago. When the top strata was disrupted dis-rupted by volcanic explosions, it did not settle, leaving virtual bubbles bub-bles beneath the earth's surface. Robertson's farm is apparently located atop one of those bubbles. Now it is feared the earth is I finally settling, and the bubble collapsing. The land, formerly rich in corn and wheat, has been abandoned. No attempt is being made to use j the land for production. Farmers I fear that a crack will open sud- I denly, engulfing them. |