THE LANDSLIP AT SANDGATE.

Evening Star, Issue 9125, 4 May 1893, Page 4

THE LANDSLIP AT SANDGATE.

The town of Sandgate (F.ngland), which has several times been seriously damaged by the sea, was on Saturday night and again yesterday the scene of a most disastrous subsidence of land, which has caused widespread distress and rendered many hundreds of people homeless. A visit to the scene yesterday disclosed a condition of desolation, wrecked homes, and a general flight of the inhabitants with their furniture, which could scarcely be adequately described. The first subsidence occurred on Saturday night. The popular impression was that the town had been visited by an earthquake, and the utmost terror and alarm spread amongst the inhabitants. Rut while there is no doubt that the devastation caused is equally as great as it yould have been had the disturbance been due to an earthquake, the appearance of the land and the indications generally point very conclusively to land subsidence, and not earthquake. The worst feature of the affair is that there is every indication of a further extension of the disaster.

The area affected extends for about a mile east to west ami about dOO yards inland from the sea line, where the ground rises irregularly until it reaches the plain upon which Shorneliffe Camp is situated. The whole of the land in this area indicated is more or less “ alive ” and broken up in innumerable places into ridges caused by the subsidences, (lenerally speaking, every house in the area is more or loss affected. The line taken by the subsidence is very clearly indicated in the ground. Houses have slipped away from eaeli other, leaving gaping sections ; others have their walls bulging out, and are on the verge of toppling down, while great rifts appear in the walls and in the ground at every turn. One of the groynes on the seashore was broken. The most remarkable effects of all arc to be seen in the extensive grounds attached to Kncombc, belonging to Miss Riley. It is slated that in these grounds there had been for the past few weeks indications of a slight subsidence, (treat gaps occur at frequent intervals in the earth. In other places it is contorted in the most extraordinary fashion. All the greenhouses were swept down, and lie in a heap of ruins, while the walls surrounding certain portions of the grounds arc split through in many places, and stand gaping (pen as though passages bait been knocked through tboni. These grounds lie on the slope and appear to be about the centre of the disturbance. About two-thirds of the area of Sandgatc has been affected, and it is estimated that somewhere about ‘2OO houses have been wrecked or more or less damaged. The marvel of it all is that no one was either killed or injured, and this is the more remarkable seeing that in many cases portions of the buildings fell. In some parts of the slopes the land has sunk as much as seven, eight, nine, and ten feet. In the

road and across the promenade some curious antics have been played with the paving stones which form the path. On one side of the road they have been forced up in all directions, and yesterday gangs of men were employed by the local Board in removing them. Very few houses remain tenanted in the affected area, (treat kindness lias been shown on all hands to the sufferers, and numbers have been temporarily housed in Hythe and Folkestone. The scene at Sandgate yesterday (Sunday) was almost an indescribable one. Thousands of people flocked into the town. Furniture and effects of all kinds, valuable and otherwise, were bestrewed on the ground around the houses, and in the roadways. Every possible conveyance had been requisitioned, and all were tilled with household effects. Valuable assistance was rendered by the Army Service Corps, who were kindly sent with their waggons and drafts of soldiers from Shornelitt’c Camp. It seemed a wonder how the furniture could be stored at a moment’s notice. Confusion reigned everywhere, and at every step in some of the back streets little children and men and women were met with carrying some article of furniture.

The damage to Sandgate is almost irretrievable. At any rate, it will take many years before it can bo restored. In the majority of cases the houses damaged must be razed to the ground. The distress caused is very great, many of the people being lodginghouse keepers, who look to others for their living. The disaster has affected the whole town most seriously. The drainage system has been considerably affected by the disturbaaicc of the ground. Water and gas pipes have been broken. Last night the town was in darkness, the town crier being sent round to warn the inhabitants where they could obtain candles and lamps. Water is conveyed from house to house by means of water-carts. How the disaster can be coped with by the local Board it is difficult to imagine, as the town is already highly rated. The explanation given of the disaster by engineers is that the town is built upon a thick bed of sand lying upon a sloping bed of greasy clay; there had been heavy rains saturating the sand and softening the surface of the clay ; the upper bed being on an inclined plane, the water supplied lubrication to cause tine whole to slip down hill. The slip took place unevenly, and therefore the ground was broken up. The engineers stated that there were signs that the whole site of the town had moved previously. To prevent further movement they recommended complete drainage of the sand-bed.— ‘ London Chronicle,’ March 13.