Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1845-06-26

quantity ofrock, driven into level field
at the termination of the ridges, that
would weigh one or two tons, with ev-
cry size down to a pebble, is immense.
Several acres of ground are ruined be-
You'd recovery. What is astonishing,
the maddened torrent disregarded the
ravine, whenever the bending Of the
ridge ;nterfered with a strait direction,
forcing direct course, although it had
to surmount the ridge from 10 to Is
feet.
Another fact worthy of notice is the
excavations of the ground where the
water spouts struck are almost as strait
at the end and sides as if they had
been dug by art, while the twigs and
leaves lying on the very margin of the
banks were not even moved by wind
or running water, which shows that it
was not rain running on the ground,
and collecting into body, that made
these channels. The roots ofthe trees,
on the margin of the channels, once
extended across where the excavation
now is. These roots are cut off, as if
it had been done by mattock. But
the most extraordinary fact is, that
trees are cut off near the root 10 hori-
zontal manner, the eEd resembling a
a stick twisted off in square, and yet
the body of the tree is not shattered Or
split.
Weexamined large shell bark white
oak about 4 feet feet in diameter: taken
off in this way, stript of its bark, and
its limbs, and top, appearing as if they
had oeen cut off. About 40 feet of the
body of the tree remained entire. A
large poplar had been treated very
much in-the same way. In such cases
the spout penetrated so deep as TO car
ny with it whole trees standing p,and
the ground that held their roots, and
set them at the foot of the ridge, on
which they grew. In some instances
the excavations are so deep, that IT
common dwelling house were rolled
into them, they would contain it, being
both deep and wide enough. The
number | have seen, and been inform
ed of, is above 100. But had | seen
the two, which l have just described,
from some eminence, I would have
counted them as two, yet, when went
to them, l found the number to be 81.
Now suppose one in every ten to be
similar, there would be some 100 or
1870 more than they appear to be, as
seen from a distance. This renders
it probable that 200 fell out on that
memorable night in space from 10
to Is miles in length, and from l to
three in breadth. Perhaps about one
half Of these ran into small creek II
miles east of Maryville, and produced
a swell in Little river, greater than the
oldest inhabitant had ever seen. When
that river emptied into Holston, it pro-
duced swell of 10 feet, but the swell
above the mouth of Little river was on
ly 2 feet by the general rain. Those
whose farms lay on the margin Of Little
river, lost horses, cattle, sheep, hogs,
out houses, and some had much oftheir
corn destroyed.
The water of the other spouts went
into Little Tennessee, and the two pro-
duced a tide at Ross Landing of 10
feet plum water My paper will not
allow me gilmore details. l have room
however, to say few things as to the
cause Of this sublime natural phenom-
enon. 1t was produced by heavy
and extensive cloud, carried by cur
rent of air in stratum of the atmos-
phere, as high as the cloud, while the
atmosphere below was calm and I'M
moved. This current of the upper
regions was met by current bearing
on its bosom a heavy and extensive
cloud. The opposing currents met, and
formed whirls in the air of a conlcal
form, similar to what Is called suck
or whirlpool in river or sea-wide
next the cloud, and contracted by the
calm and denser atmosphere, to point
comparatively next the earth, and form
ing something like an exhausted re-
ceiver. Into these whirls the air car
ried the opposing clouds with amazing
velocity, and they poured down their
waters in vast bodies and with incon-
ceivable force that went into the ground
in moment, till stopped by the solid
rock, and bore down every thing that
stood in their course. But this vii!
not account for taking huge trees square
off, and stripping off limbs and tops, as
if they had been cut offby a dull axe.
This must have been done by The a.
agency Of electricity. The cloud that
came from the west, was observed be-
tween shutdown and Oakland on till