The Litchfield County post. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1826-1829, 1826-09-26


grOpe their way through thickets almost inn
penetrable, where one generation Of trees
after another had risen and fallen, and were
now lying across each other 10 every d.
rectiOn, and in various stages of decay
The camp itself had been wholly swept a.
way and the bed of the rivulee, by which
il had stood, was now more than ten rods
wide, and with banks from ter to fifteen
feet high. Four or FIVE other brooks were
passed, whose beds were enlarged, some of
them to twice the extent of this. In seve-
raj the water was now only three or four
feet wide, while the beds were of ten, IF
teen, or twenty feet in diameter, that had
been rolled down the mountains, and thro'
the forests, by thousands, bearing every
thing before them. Not tree, nor the
root of a tree, remained in their path
immense piles of hemlock and other trees,
with their limbs and bark entirely bruised
off, were lodged all the way on both sides,
as they had been driven in among the
standing and half standing trees on the
banks. While the party were climbing
the mountain, thirty "slides" were count-
ed, some Of which began near the line
WuCAO SUI dAu SVSCAdStOu
and growing wider as they descended were
estimated to contain more than hundred
acres. These were all on the western side
of the mountains. They were composed
of the whole surface Of the earth, with
all its growth of woods,a its loose rocks,
to the depth of Is, 20 and 80 feet, And
wherever the slides oftwo projecting noun
tains met, forming vast ravine, the depth
was still greater.
Such was the report which the party
from the mountains gave. The intelligence
which Mr.. Crawford, and the gentleman
accompanying him brought from the Notch,
was of more melancholy nature. The
road. though turnpike, was in such
state, that they were obliged to walk to
tho Notch House, lately kept by Mr.. Will
ley, a distance of six miles. All the bridg-
es over the Amonoosuck, Ave in number,
those over the Saco, and those over the
tributary streams of both, were gone. In
some places the road was excavated to the
depth OILS or 20 feet; and in others it
was covered with earth, and rocks, and
frees, to as great height. In the Notch,
and along the deep defle below it, for
mile and a half, to the Notch House, and
as far as could be seen beyond it, no APP
pearance Of the road, except in one place
for two or three rods, could be discovered.
The steep sides Of the mountains, first ON
one hand, then on the other, and then on
both, had slid down into the narrow pas
sage, and formed continued mass from
one end to the other, so that a turnpike
will probably not be made through it agai,
gery soon ifever. The Notch House was
ound uninjured; though the barn adioin-
ng it by shed was crushed and under
is ruins were two dead horses. The house
vas entirely deserted the beds were tum-
lied and near them upon chairs and on
he floor lay the wearing apparel of the
everal members of the family; while the
money and papers of Mr. Wiley were ~
ng in his open bar. From these circum-
tances it appeared almost certain that the
vhole family were destroyed and it soon
'ecame quite SO, by the arrival of BROTH
IF of Mr.. Crawford from his fathers, six
niles further East. From him we learnt
hat the valley of the Saco for many miles
resented an uninterrupted scene of iesola-
ion. The two Crawfords were the near
st neighbors Of Wiley. Two days had
low elapsed since the storm, and nothing
lad been heard of his family in either di-
ection. There was no longer any room
o doubt that they had been alarmed by |
he noise Of the destruction around them,
had sprung from their beds, and fed naked
from the house, and in the utter darkness
had soon been overtaken by the falling |
and rushing torrents. The fam
lily, which is said to have been amiable and
consisted of nine persons: Mr.
Wiley and his wife, and five young chill
dren Of theirs, with hired man and boy.
After the fall of a single slide last June, they
we're more ready to take the alarm, though
they did not consider their situation dam
gerous, as none had ever been known to
fall there previous to this. Whether more
rain fell now than had been known to fall
before in the same length of time, at least
since the sides of the mountains were cove
cred with SO heavy growth of woods, or
whether the slides were produced by the
falling of such a quantity ofrain SO sudden
ly after the earth had been rendered light
and loose by the long drought, am utter
ly uuableSto say. All II know is, that at
the close ofo rainy day, the clouds all came
together over the White Mountains, and at
midnight discharged their contents at once,
n q fnrr;h1o hurot &c ra;, svhieh Slrodncn1