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

nNWEf&MA
immense masses Of foliage the rain hung in
largo glittering drops: and the silver note
Of q single unseen and unknown bird was
the only sound that we. could hear. After
Z we had proceeded nile or two, the roar
ing of the ARoRoosuck began to break in
upon the stiffness, and soon grew so loud
as to excite onr surprise in consequence of
coming to the river almost at right angles,
and by a very narrow road, through trees
and bushes very thick, we had no view Of
the water, till with quick trot we had adj
vanced upon the bridge too far to recede,
when the sight that opened at once to the
right hand and to the left, drew from all of
us similar explanations of establishment and
terror: and we hurried over the trembling
fabric as fast as possible. After finding
ourselves safe on the other side, we walk
ed>down to the brink; and, though famil-
lar with mountain scenery, we all confessed
that wo had never seen a mountain torrent
before. The water was as thick with earth
as it could be without being changed into
mud. A man living near in a log hut show
ed US how high it was at day break. Tho
il had fallen six feet, he assured us that it
was still ten feet aboveits ordinary level
To this, add its ordinary depth Of three or
four feet, and here at day break was body
of water twenty feet deep, and sixty feet
wide, moving with the rapidity of gale of
wind between two steep banks covered
with hemlocks and pines, and over a bed
of large rocks, break its surface into bill
lows like those of the ocean. After gazing
a few moments on this sublime sight, we
proceeded on our way, for the most part
at some distance from the river, until we
came to the farm of Rosebrook, lying on
its banks. We found his fields covered with
water and sand, and flood wood. His fen
ces and bridges were all swept away and
the road was SO blocked up with logs, that
we had to wait for the labors of men and
oxen before we could get to his house.
Here we were told that the river was never
before known to bring down a considerable
quantity ofearth, and were pointed to bare
spots on the sides of the White Mountains,
never seen till that morning. AS our road,
for the remaining six miles, lay quite near
the river, and crossed many small tributary
streams, we employed a man to accompany
us with an axe. We were frequently o.
bliged to move trees from the road, to fill
excavations, to mend and make bridges, or
contrive to get our horses and wagon alongI
separately. After toiling in this manner
for half day we reached the end of our
Journey, not however, without being obli-
ged tie leave our Wagon half mile be-
bind. In many places, in these six miles,
the road and the whole adjacent woods, as
it appeared from the marks on the trees,
had been overlooked, ito the depth Of ten
feet. In one place the river in conse-
euence of some obstruction at q remarkable
fall, had been twenty feet higher than it was
when we passed. We stopped to view the
fall, which DR.. Dwight calls beautiful
lie says oft" The descent is from fifty
to sixty feet, cut through a mass of statifed
granite; the sides of which appear as if
they had been laid by mason in variety
of fantastical FORMS; betrayiAg, however,
by their rude and wild aspect, the mastery
hand of nature. This description is suf-
fciently correct but the beauty of the
fall was now lost in its sublimity.-You
have only to imagine the whole body of
the Amonoosuck, as it appeared at the
bridge which we crossed, now compressed
to half its width, and sent down at an an
gle of 20 or Is degrees, between perpen-
6icular walls of stone. On our arrival at
Crawford's the appearance of his farm was
like that Of Rosebrook's, only much worse.
Some Of his sheep and cattle were lost; aud
eight hundred bushels Of oats were .des-
troyed. Here we found Ave gentlemen,
who gave us an interesting account Of their
unsuccessful attempt to ascend Mt. Wash
ington the preceding day. They went to
tho g Camp" at the foot of the mountain
on Sabbath evening, and lodged there with
the intention Of climbing the summit the
next morning. But in the morning the
mountains were enveloped in thick clouds;
i the rain began to fall, and increased till af-
ternoon, when it came down in torrents.--|
AT FIVE o'clock they proposed to spend an
other night at the camp, and let their guide
return home for fresh supply Of provis-
ions for the next day. But the impossible
ity ofkeeping FIRE where every thing was|
So wet, and at length the advice of their
guide made them all conclude 20 return,
though with great reluctance. No time
was now to DO lost, for they had seven miles
TO travel on foot, and six of them by rug
ged path through gloomy forest. They
ran as fast as their circumstances would
permit; but the dark evergreens around
them, and the dark clouds ahoxa. mada !,