The Lake That Disappeared

     Before November 21, 1980, Lake Peigneur was a lovely lake in New Iberia, Louisiana.  After November 21, New Iberia had one less lake.  Lake Peigneur disappeared.

     On the morning of November 21,  a crew was drilling for oil from a platform in the lake.  Before long, the crew returned to shore.  They thought the platform might collapse.  They were right.  Suddenly the water began to turn around and around.  It made a huge whirlpool and started to drain from a hole in the bottom of the lake.  The hole grew and grew, and the whirlpool turned faster and faster.  The drilling platform, a small island, five houses, nine barges, eight tugboats, and many other things were sucked through the hole.  It didn't take long before the lake and just about everything in or around it was gone.

     How did this event happen?  Remember the oil drillers?  They had drilled into a salt mine.  Once water got into the salt mine, the salt began to dissolve.  The small hole the drillers made grew until it was half a mile wide.  Fortunately, no human beings lost their lives.