The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-04-09

FEARFUL EARTH SL1DEs-THREE TER
HIBLE ACCIDENTS WITHIN FIFTEEN MI
NU1Es. The Pittsbnrg Dispatch says:
There was knowing" scene in Monon-
gahela borough yesterday. The latter
part OF the night had been stormy, and
after daybreak. the rain fell in torrents.
On tho top of the almost perpendicular
hill looking down upon the borough, the
storm was particularly felt. Such was
the effect of the rain, that it gradually
loosened overhanging lodges Of rock
huge projections, weighing many tons,
and these, unsupported, fell with tre-
mendous force from their places, striking
the hardened railroad bed 100 feet below,
and bounding thence, some of them al
most unbroken. others in hundred
splinters, through the air.
The first crash came Mt twenty mi
nutcs past o'clock. At this time, in
one OF the shanties, occupied by the
families Of John Hollerur and Bernard
and early attendance ut Easter church
services were in progress. The first
named had been upstairs with his wife
and man named Joyce, and all three
were now descending to the lower story,
Joyce leading the way. When about
half dozen steps from the bottom, u
piece of rock. weighing at least half q
ton, came whizzing through the side of
the house, bearing with it walls md
doors. and tearing away the stairs just
from below the step on which Joyce was
standing. Its course then lay through
the floor into the cellar, bringing Joyce
along, but apart from injuries to his legs
and some slight bruises, not injuring
him severely. Holleran and his wife,
strange to say. were left standing on the
upper and unsupported portion of the
steps, frightened out Of their wits, but
otherwise unharmed. Two minutes after
this, another rock came into the build
ing, swept the clock off the mantcl-
piece, dashing it into many fragments,
and tearing through the room occupied
by Mr.. McCaffcrty and his family.
The crash of the falling rocks woke
up the entire row very quickly. and in u
moment the situation was SO far under
stood that preparations were made for
snfety. \ woman named Mrs. Jones
had. with her daughter, only little
while left house occupied by them, q
few doors removed from that of which
Holleran and McCaffcrty were tenants,
when unother immense weight of stone
whirled through the Jones building,
cutting it completely. tearing away the
atairs, breaking the furniture, and event
ually lodging in the cellar.
Tho worst accident occurred iu less
than fifteen minutes on the premises of
man named John Golden. Mr.. aud
Mrs Golden, on learning what had oc-
Cured farther up, left their plnce and
went to u family next door, allowing,
however, their buby to remain in bed in
their own house. They had been away
some time. when q little girl Of seven
years thought of the slumbering child,
returned to see how it Jared, and brought
it out OF the house. She had no more
than left with her charge when the
largest piece Of rock that had vet fallen
came in with q terrific crash through the
house, leaving it simply mass Of splin-
tered timbers, and landing ten feet be-
yond. All through yesterday the great
est alarm prevailed among residents in
the row, and n constant watch was kept
upon the frowning hill above, which ut
that place seemed on the point of disso-
luton. It is only matter OF timo for
further falls, and the fact is 30 we'll
known that the Italians never looked
with greater anxiety and suspense for
their native ayalanches than do the Mo-
nongahela borough folk at present anti
cipate the dreaded land slides from Mt.
Washington.