The Bottomless Well of Christopher
A routine digging job on a Washington farm turned into a bizarre geological mystery when a well-digger hit a void that seemingly had no end.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Several days ago, Charles Hoskins arrived at a place one and a half miles from Christopher, Washington, to get a good supply of water for the sum of $40. He dug down into the earth to a depth of thirty feet when he came to a large boulder. After digging about that stone, he discovered that it was loosely embedded in the sand and gravel, and pried it out. Much to the workman's view, a hole four feet eight inches one way and two feet inches the other, and extending downward, appeared. It is not known how far. Mr. Hoskins and neighbors descended into the well. After letting a rope fifty feet in length into the hole, they failed to reach bottom. A heavy stone was dropped into the hole, and at the same time noting the time, it was as much as thirty seconds before a dull thud was heard from deep in the earth. Arrangements are being made to explore it thoroughly.
“A heavy stone was dropped into the hole, and at the same time noting the time, it was as much as thirty seconds before a dull thud was heard from deep in the earth.”
This strange 1892 report from Christopher (a community now part of Auburn) highlights a recurring fascination with the mysterious and hidden landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Today, such stories—often debunked as geological curiosities or folklore—still capture the public imagination in a region defined by its hidden geography, subterranean lava tubes, and shifting, swampy soil.
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