Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-10-20

sWere composed OF the Wneie surface u
the earth, with all it's growth OF woods
and loose rocks, to the depth OF Is 20,
and 80 feet. And wherever the slides
OF two projecting mountains met, form
ing vast rayine, the depth was still
greater.
Such was the report which the party
from the mountains gave. The intelli-
gence which Mr.. Crawford, and the
gentleman accompanying him, brought
from the Notch, was Of moro melan-
choly nature. The road, though turn
pike, was in such state, they were
obliged to walk to tho Notch House,
lately kept by Mr.. Wiley, distance Of
six miles. All the bridges over the
Amonoosuck, five in number, those over
the Saco, and these over the tributary
streams of both, were gone. In some
places the road was excavated to the
depth OF fifteen and twenty feet; and IN
others i, was covered with earth, and
rocks and trees to as great height
In the Notch, and along the deep detiie
below it, for mile and half, TO the
Notch House, and as far as could be
seen beyond it, no appearance OF the
road, except in one place Tor two or
three rods, could be discovered The
steep sides of the mountains, first Oh
one hand, then on the other. and then on
both, had slid down this narrow passage,
and formed continued mass from one
end to the other, so that a turnpike will
t.obably no, be made through it again
very soon if ever. The Notch
House was found uninjured: though the
barn adjoining it by shed was crushed
and under its runs were two dead hor'
ses. The house was entirely deserted
the beds were tumbled their covering
was turned down; and near them upon
chairs and on the floor lay the wearing
apparel Of The several members of the
family; while the money and papers OF
Mr.. Wiley we're lying in his open bar.
Prom these circumstances il seemed al
most ceriain, that the whole family were
destroyed and it soon became quite so,
by the arrival Of a brother OF Mr. Craw-
ford from his fathers, six miles east.
From him we learnt that the valley oil
the Saco for many miles, presented an
uninterrupted scene of desolalion.-
The two Crawiords were the nearest
neighbors of Wiley. Two days had
now elapsed since the storm, and moth
ing had been heard Of his family in eli.
Their direction. There was no longer
any room to doub, that they had been
alarmed by the noise of the destruction
around them, had sprung from their
beds, and fed naked from the house,
and in the utter darkness had become
SO overtakcn by the falling mountains
and rushing torrents. The family,
which is said to have been amiable and
respectable, consisted Of nine persons,
Mr.. Wiley and his wife and FIVE young
children Of theirs, with hired man and
boy. After the fall Of single slide last
June, they were more ready to take the
alarm, though they did not consider
their situation dangerous, as none had
ever been known to fall there previous
to this. Whether more rain had ALLEN
now than had ever been known to fall
before in the same length OF time, at
leas, since the sides of the mountains
we're covered with so heavy growth of
woods, or whether the slides were pro-
duced by the falling of such quantity
Of rain so suddenly, after The earth had
been rendered light and loose by the
long drought, am utterly unable to
say. All know is, that at the close of
a rainy day, the clouds all seemed to
come together over the White Noun
tains, and at midnight discharged their
contents at once, in terrible burst of
rain, which produced the effects tina,
have now been described. Why these
effects. were produced now, and never
before, IS known only to Him, who can
rend the Heavens when he will, and
come down, and cause the mountains to
flow down al his presence.
Yours, &c.
CARLOS WILCOX.