This story form the archives of the Alloa Journal newspaper covers an incident which caused considerable damage to the main street area of Clackmannan back in 1927.
1st August 1927.
THE ALLOA JOURNAL SATURDAY,
EARTH SUBSIDENCES at CLACKMANNAN.
ALARMING OCCURRENCE LAST WEEK END
CENTRAL AREA OF TOWN GETS RUDE SHOCK.
TOWN HALL AND MANY DWELLING HOUSES DAMAGED
WALLS RENT CEILINGS CRACKED: DOORS JAMMED.
WATER AND GAS SUPPLIES AFFECTED.
FULL NARRATIVE
NOT SINCE that never to be forgotten Saturday over twenty-one years ago, when the thrilling drama of the Pretoria Pit Disaster was inaugurated, had the ancient and historic County Town of Clackmannan been thrown into such a state of excitement and perturbation as was the case last weekend, when a series of alarming earth subsidences occurred in the central area of the town, causing serious damage to the Town Hall and many dwelling houses, are occasioning much uneasiness, inconvenience and expense on the community generally and the Local Authorities.
The area affected by the subsidences embraces roughly that portion of Main street from the Police Office to the top of the incline leading down to the Cattle Market, the south side of North Street, the North and South Vennels, Garden Place, and a considerable portion of Castle Street.
PRELIMINARY WARNINGS
The principal subsidence occurred between five and six o'clock last Saturday evening, and was followed by several minor sinkings at intervals during the same evening and the following morning. These earth movements appear to have taken place very quietly, and were in themselves unnoticed save for their disastrous affects.
We learn, however, that certain peculiar circumstances were noted by the residenters in the district earlier in the week and though the significance of these happenings was not grasped at the time there seems little room for doubt that they were portents of the exciting occurrences of the weekend.
For instance, during the previous week some of the residents in Main Street found that the doors in their houses were difficult to open and shut. At the time this was set down as being due to the damp weather, and occasioned no concern. Faint rumbling noises are also said to have been heard, but the cause of these could not be determined.
While a "Journal" representative was investigating the stirring events of the weekend, Mr James A Hunter, Inspector and Clerk to the Parish Council, who resides in North Street, on the very edge of the affected area informed him that about four o'clock last Saturday morning he was awakened by a peculiar sound, which resembled the noise of a high wind blowing. So distinct was the sound that Mr Hunter got out of bed to see if the wind had risen during the night, but found that the atmosphere was quite calm, and there was no sign of anything unusual. At short intervals thereafter, Mr Hunter heard other strange noises, but was unable to detect anything to account for these.
FIRST SYMPTOMS
As above indicated, the first unmistakable signs that anything was seriously amiss were forthcoming about six o'clock on Saturday evening. About the time Mr Duncan Rankine who resides opposite the Town Hall, noticed that one of the two large ornamental lamps that stood on the edge of the foot pavement in front of the Hall was inclined at an angle. Closer inspection showed that the granolithic pavement along the entire frontage of the Hall was "sprung" to a height of several inches, and the kerbstones at the edge of this pavement were leaning over towards the roadway at a considerable angle. These disturbances had evidently been caused by the front two storey block of the Hall buildings having sunk down bodily to a depth of some inches. This part of the building houses the public library and reading room on the ground floor and the recreation room, lavatories, etc on the upper floor. As the premises are usually closed for a time at this period of the afternoon, there was no one in the building at the time when the subsidence occurred. Constable James H. Bell, the Officer of the Clackmannanshire Constabulary resident in Clackmannan, was soon on the spot, and was joined by Parish Councillors John P. Forsyth and Andrew Rankine, junior, the former being Convener of the Town Hall Committee. By Constable Bell's instructions, the leaning lamp was removed from its position as it was considered to be a danger to passers by. Later in the evening the other lamp in front of the Hall also began to lean over and it also had to be removed bodily.
HOUSES DAMAGED
It was soon evident that the subsidences had not been confined to the local of the Town Hall. Reports began to be received of serious damaged to houses and other property in in the area above indicated. In many of these houses large cracks or rents were found to exist in the walls, ceilings and floors, obviously caused by the sinking of the ground on which they stood. Doors were also found to be jammed fast, and could not be opened or shut properly. Pending the services of tradesmen being secured to put the doors in order, the householders had in some instances to barricade their premises at nightfall to make them secure.
As the weekend passed, more information came to hand as to the damage that had been caused to houses and other property. In all about fifty tenants were affected. Those in authority, however were of the opinion that the houses were not so far in any way dangerous to the occupants, and the inmates therefore were allowed to continue in residence.
To do so required a considerable degree of courage and coolness on their part, as although by Sunday evening the worst seemed to be over there was no knowing what further developments might ensue at any moment. The occupants of the affected area are therefore to be highly commended for the calm and courageous manner in which they faced the trying conditions that confronted them. It may be mentioned that some of the households were away on holiday at the time when the subsidences occurred.
ROAD FISSURES
Soon after the first affects of the earth sinkings were noted, it was seen that several cracks of considerable size had formed across the surface of the roadways. The most ominous of these crevices extended across Main Street near the top of the incline that leads down to the Cattle Market, and formed part of what seemed to be the eastmost boundary line of the subsidence area. This boundary line could be traced by the continuation of this fissure through the premises of Mr J. F. Forsyth, merchant, where there was a large rent in the cement floor of the back shop on through his back garden, where the fissure was clearly distinguishable in the soft soil, and then towards the bakery and hall premises of the Clackmannan Cooperative Society, Ltd. In the passage leading to the Cooperative Hall, very large cracks were seen in the stone walls and the wall of the bakery was also affected.
WATER AND GAS TROUBLE
About eight o'clock on Saturday evening, water began to show on the road surface at various points, particularly in Castle Street, indicting that bursts had taken place in the main water pipe. A strong smell of gas was also felt in the vicinity of the corner of Castle Street and Main Street, from which it was evident that the main gas pipe had also been disturbed. The Local Authorities concerned took prompt measures to deal with these emergencies. The local Water Committee at once engaged workmen to commence digging operations in Castle Street for the purpose of exposing a section of the water main there and locating the leak.
Speedy attention of a similar nature was also given to the gas main pipe, and these operations were continued practically incessantly for several days. In all the gas and water mains had to be opened up over twenty different points in Castle Street and Main Street. In the course of these operations, some curious complications were noted, due to the close proximity of the gas and water to each other. At one part of Castle Street both pipes had been so disturbed that the gas had found its way through the loosened joints of the water pipe, with the result that the water was strongly impregnated with the smell and taste of the gas.
On Monday morning, Mr Matthew Waddell waterman to the local Water Committee proceeded to inspect the sewage system in the vicinity of Chapel hill Park, and on lifting the manhole there he was met by an outrush of gas, which had evidently found its way through the sewage pipe from a part nearer the town.
Owing to the leaks from the water main and the shutting off of the water supply during the mending operations, there has been something of the nature of a water famine, particularly in the eastern districts of the town. To cope with this the Water Committee have had to supply the houses there, and in the outlying hamlet of Kennet Village, by means of a water barrel carted round the district.
At the time of writing, there is still a considerable leakage of water, and some difficulty is being experienced in tracing same. For example, in the trench made by the workmen half way down the incline towards the Cattle Market water is still running freely, and its source has not yet been located. It is certainly not coming from any of the pipes in that immediate district, as the two bursts discovered there have been repaired. The water appears to be coming from a source somewhere in the garden ground between Main Street and North Street.
TOWN HALL DAMAGED
On seeing the extent of the damage done to the Town Hall, and in the prevailing uncertainty as to what might still happen, the Parish Council wisely decided to close the Hall library, and reading and recreation rooms to the public. The County Council authorities have also closed that portion of Main Street that lies in the area of the subsidences to vehicular traffic.
When our representative visited the scene of the subsidences Monday afternoon he was shown over the interior of the Town Hall buildings by Mr J. A. Hunter, Clerk to the Parish Council, Hall Committee, and Local Committee, on whose shoulders has fallen the bulk of the work undertaken by these Authorities in coping with the various emergencies that have arisen. Mr Hunter pointed out the various evidences of the havoc wrought by the subsidences on the fabric of the hall. The Hall Committee, it appeared, had made inspections of the Hall on Saturday night and again on Sunday morning and afternoon. Most of the doors in the building were found to be jammed tight, and levers had to be requisitioned in order to open them. The door leading from the-front vestibule to the staircase which gives access to the recreation room on the upper floor of the front block was found on the Sunday morning inspection to be jammed so tightly that it resisted all efforts to open it, but when the Committee returned again in the afternoon it opened quite easily when the key was turned in the lock, showing that in the interval the general stress on the building had been adjusting itself in some way. It was a somewhat "thrilling" experience to stand within the precinct of the threatened building and note the damage already done, with the feeling that, even while one stood there, "something else" might happen.
On entering the vestibule after the massive front doors had been opened with some difficulty, the first evidence of disaster pointed out was the fact that the lower of the two broad steps in the vestibule was split right along its entire length. A little further on, large cracks were seen in the walls of the staircase leading to the upper floor, while a large beam supporting the upper part of the building was seen to be warped and cracked. On entering the large hall used for public gatherings, it was seen that the fine maple floor, installed a short time ago to improve the facilities for badminton and dancing was "sprung" over three inches at the end nearest the front block.
On the west side of the main hall a handsome annexe, comprising a spacious billiard and recreation room, anteroom, etc, was nearing completion under the auspices of the Miners' Welfare Scheme, and here also much damage had been done. Rents were visible in the newly plastered walls and ceilings of the recreation room and anteroom, while a cement floor was also fractured.
SHATTERED HOMES
A tour of the affected area revealed the serious nature of the damage done to the house property there. Nearly every house had suffered in some way by the calamity.
Possibly the worst cases were to be seen in the South Vennel and Garden Place. In the property in the South Vennel belonging to Mr John Hunter a large fissure, wide enough to put one's hand into, had been formed in an inside wall, while the outside wall showed a series of converging cracks, with an ominous bulge in the centre. This wall has since been buttressed up by order of the police authorities, as it was considered liable to collapse at any time.
The property in Garden Place occupied by Mr William Paterson, had also suffered severely. Four big rents were seen in the outside wall, which also bulged outward at one part, ceilings were cracked, and lintels broken. Several houses in Main Street bore evidence of having been rudely shaken.
The rear part of the Police Station had sunk considerably the back door being split, and among other dwellings affected were that of Mr Andrew Sharp, jeweller, the property at 22 Main Street occupied by Mr William Rankine and Mr David Hunter, where both the ceiling and floor of the lobby was split front to back, and a large rent made in the back wall of Mr William Patersons, Main street, the house and shop of Mr John F. Forsyth, the premises occupied by Mrs Stewart, Main Street, the tenement belonging to Mr John Forsyth at 76 Main Street, the house occupied by Mr John Hall, adjoining the Town Hall, and the house occupied by Mrs McEwan at the corner of Castle Street. Features of the destruction wrought to most of these houses were cracked walls and ceilings, ruptured gas pipes, and doors put out of action by the strain caused by the sinking of the properties.
THEORIES AS TO CAUSE
There is a good deal of divergence of local opinion as to the cause of the subsidences. A theory that gained a good deal of currency at the outset was that they were due to the giving way of the underground workings of a long disused colliery known as Harper's Neuk.
This colliery was situated at the rear of the site now occupied by the Town Hall on ground presently occupied by Mr Henry Higgins, crofter. It was understood that this colliery had been worked on what is known as the "stoop and room" principle, pillars of coal being left in as supports as the rest of the coal was worked out and it was conjectured that these pillars had been gradually demolished by water. An alternative theory was that the water in these old workings (which in itself would act as a kind of support) had been drained away by more recent coal mining operations in the neighbourhood.
As far as can be learned from old residenters, however, the Harper's Neuk colliery, which was closed over 130 years ago, was only in operation for a short time, and it's underground workings did not extend below the area affected by the present subsidences. The theory is therefore gaining ground that the subsidences were due to a kind of earthquake possibly occasioned by some geological "fault" in the strata beneath the area where the sinkings took place.
NOTABLE VISITORS
As the news of the occurrence spread, many people were attracted to the County town to inspect the evidences of the disturbances.
On Tuesday the Earl of Mar and Kellie, Lord Lieutenant of the County, visited the effected area. His Lordship evinced a deep interest in what had occurred and made many enquiries. Mr George Smith, of the Kerse Estate Offices Falkirk, factor to the Marquis of Zetland, also visited Clackmannan that day Lord Zetland is the superior of a large portion of the district and owns a considerable amount of property in Clackmannan, some of which is in the affected area.
AN ALLOA HOUSE EXPERIENCE
During Lord Mar's visit to the scene of the subsidences on Tuesday, Mr James A. Hunter, in the course of conversation, informed his Lordship that certain rumbling noises had been heard last Saturday evening. In connection with this, Mr Hunter yesterday received the following letter from his Lordship.
Alloa House,
11th August.
Dear Mr Hunter,
With reference to our brief conversation at the Town Hall on Tuesday, I may state that on Saturday night soon after 8.30, we were in the dining room, and heard peculiar rumblings for several seconds. The dog in the room was most uneasy, and rushed about trying to hide, evidently terrified. This was probably the earth tremor which caused the damage at Clackmannan.
TOWER DAMAGED
Since the beginning of the week, practically nothing has occurred in the subsidence zone to occasion further alarm, and the inhabitants are now beginning to hope that the worst is over, and that the sinkings have ceased for good. On Wednesday, however, Mr William Paterson, Main Street, the keeper of the Clackmannan Tower, located a newly formed rent in the west wall of the Tower, about the level of the second storey. the crack can be distinctly seen from the ground, but whether it is due to the recent subsidences is uncertain. It may be mentioned that some people who visited the Tower on Wednesday declare that while they were inside the building they distinctly felt a shock.
MEETING CONVENED
We learn that a special meeting of the Clackmannan Parish Council and the Hall Committee has been convened for Tuesday first at 7.30, to consider the steps to be taken for the repair of the damage to the Town Hall.
References:
This story was exhibited at the Clackmannan Town Hall 'Doors Open Day' September 2024 as part of the Clackmannan Heritage Group's display in the main hall, which thankfully proves that the town hall was repaired following this incident.