Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1866-07-27

Should scatter crumbs rs well.
The mercy that is warm and true
Must lend helping hand,
For those that talk, vet fail to do,
But build upon the sand
The Bursting ola Cloud over Jones
Brook in MOretOwn.
have used the term, bursting Of a cloud
in the caption of this article, because it is
expressive of popular notion, and not be-
cause it is either philosophical or correct.
1t has long been Il prevalent belief, that, in
cases of extraordinary falls of water over
particular localities, clouds, like old leather
bottles. suddenly burst and let the water
they contain fall to the earth almost in Il
body, like rivers falling over prccipiccs in
cataracts whereas nothing can be more un-
scientific or farther from the truth. No
collected body of water, not even to the
amount Of quart could remain suspended
in cloud single second, but would in
stantly fall to the earth from the force of the
universal law of gravtation. The great
deluging torrents of rain that occasionally
occur, simply proceed from unusual thick
ness. or upward extent, of the cloud. This
will be more readily understood, perhaps
when we consider, that if a cloud half mile
thick discharges from its gathering mists Il
duco Il rain doubly heavy, and so on, in the
same proportion, with every additional
thickness OF cloud. till that thickness. as has
been known sometimes to be the case. cX-
tends upwards to the distance of five or six
miles, when from the whole mass the water
reaches the earth less in the form of rain
indeed, than the pouring of cataract.
The most remarkable instance of these
great falls of water, which was ever known
in this region. occurred, about thirty years
ago round the sources of Jones Brock, Il
small mill-stream that rises in Morctown
mountains and cmptics into the Winooski
river three miles below Montpelier. The
mountains round the sources of this stream
rise to the height of about two thousand feet
with unusual abruptncss, and, at the same
time. so curve round as To leave the intcrmc-
date space in the form of a deep hall -basin
down the PERCEPTIONS Sides of sudden
shower descends almost as rapidly as water
strOlllng down the stccpest roof of house,
and collecting at the bottom, pO;Irs, in u
raging river, down the valley to the outlet
of the stream. 1t was over the mountain
trimmed basin that burst the extraordinary
thunderstorm which have undertaken to
describe, and which passed among the in
habtants under the name of tie bursting Of
q clOud.
On the day and hour this storm occurred,
| chanced TO be on high hill, east of Mont
pelier village, which afforded plain view
of the whole range of the Morctown noun
tains 1t was Il still, sultry midsummer
day, when my attention being attracted by
the sudden observation of the sun. | looked
toward the west, and saw the unusual spec
tacc of two heavy clouds rapidly rolling
towards each other, in the line of the range
Just named. from Numerically opposite di-
rection. the point where the collision must
occur being evidently at the natural basin
already particularized, or on the high noun
tain above it. These strangely moving
clouds | watched with intense interest. On,
on they rolled towards each other, with
their long, streaming columns and menacing
fronts, like two opposing, hostile lines of
cavalry rushing together for deadly conflict
As anticipated, the collision occurred di-
rectly over the basin and on the sides of the
adjoining mountains, and there. the oppos-
ing currents being of equal strength, the in
tcrmingling clouds came to a dead stand.--
Presently, however, the colliding masses
began to rise upward and double over and
over till they had swelled into huge. dome
like figure shooting up miles into the dark
ened heavens, and then commenced Il start
ling display of the electric phenomenon
With the short, sharp and quickly repeating
peas of thunder. the fierce streams of light
ming were seen bursting, in rapid succession,
from every part of the siIrcharged cloud,
like some hotly-worked battery of artillery
from Il smoke enveloped field of battle. But
soon the expanding cloud shut out the basin
and valley from the sight; and being unable
to see more, | returned home, and, with
much interest, waited TO hear the result of
the fearful elemental exhibition | had been
witnessing.
The news of the remarkable, and in one
instance. fatal effects of that storm, in the
disastrous flooding of Jones Brook, at length
reached us. The inhabitants of the basin,
when the storm burst upon them so sudden
ly and unexpectedly, were struck with as
tonshment and alarm at the unwonted guam
titles of water that descended upon them
from the seemingly flooded heavens. A
settler who lived nearest the foot of the
mountain described the rain us ''coming
down in bucketsful." "Why,n said he, "it
seemed to come bodily like water from Il
| fun, overturned washtub. | was in IA field
short distance from my house when il
struck, and was so astOnished at first that
knew not what to do. But the rain, if il
could be called rain, coming thicker and
| faster, / ran with all my might TO the house
but was almost drowned before | got there
and then il was only to find the water gush-
ing into the house on all sides ill il was
nearly knee-deep on the floor" And Sc
with all the inhabitants of the basin. Nc
place afforded them any protection: rivers
were in all their houses within, and rivers
rising into seas were all around them with
out; and they looked on il with mute con
stcrnation at that tremendous out-pourmg
of the clouds. But they were the first to be
relieved The rain, after the brief duration
Of less than half an hour ceased as suddenly
as it came; and the inhabitants ran out o
their drcnched houses Just in time TO behold
the numerous uniting streams, that had
come pouring down from the cncircline
mountain, gathering into Il mighty river
that swept away shanties, fences, old trees
logs, lumber and everything in its path anC
! bearing them in wild confusion ON its sur
face, went foaming, tumbling, and roaring
like cataract, with amazing force, dow
the valley towards the outlet, three or foul
miles below
But the principal scene arising from The
destructive and fatal progress occurred at ,
saw-mill, owned by Mr.. Oren Clark, and sit
uated about mile from the mouth of th'
| tln %. Is.,..