Mel's hole IV

There’s a weird story that’s been going around on the Internet for a few years now, of Mel’s Hole, an 8 mile (or more) deep chasm in the ground outside of Ellensburg, Wash. Since the story began its garnered around it shades of Stephen King’s Pet Semetary, Spielberg’s Close Encounters, and even Lovecraft’s Great Old Ones.

The tale began on Art Bell’s nationally syndicated “Coast to Coast” radio program on February 21, 1997 when Art’s guest that evening was Washington state resident Mel Waters, who told a fantastic story of a large hole on his property which for generations had been used as an unofficial community dump.

One day Mel, an ex-shark fisherman, wondered just how deep it was and rigged up a line and weights over the center of the hole and began winching down a 5,000 yard spool of shark line and went through 80,000 yards of line (16 spools!) without hitting bottom.

A neighbor of Mel’s claims to have thrown the body of his dead canine down the hole and a few days later the animal returned home, none the worse for wear. Other puzzling aspects of the hole are said to be ancient retaining walls of worked stone placed the first 30 feet down the sides, and a large number of dead cow and animal bones around the periphery.

A local Indian named Red Elk was featured on MTV’s “Urban Legends” segment and claimed to have visited the site many times as a youngster, when he was told it was a “gateway to the underworld.”

Some geologists think, if its there, its must be an exceptionally deep lava vent tube, though all insist that a fishing line, however strong, would melt long before the reported depth of eight miles.

Mel insists his story is true. Skeptics aren’t so sure. So where does the search for Mel’s Hole stand now?

For all the reports of people who claim to have seen the hole or experienced mysterious goings-on, no one seems to agree on its exact location. A number of researchers and reporters have combed the hills around Mel’s former ranch and have come up empty-handed every time. Even Red Elk now speaks ominously that the underground “lizard people” don’t want the location discovered. In my own estimate, I’d file this one under “Urban Legend.”

Source : RiverJournal.com (Jody Forrest, 12 Juillet 2005).