Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-11-10
Bursting Of II Bog.


Mr.. w. L. Trench, wiring to the London
Tunes 10 appeal to the charitable f. aid tor
certain uuf rtuuate families, gives this account
OF the bursting of au Irish bog lie says:
Il have just returned frnm iuSpec ing one
ct the most pitiful scenes of the SORT it has
been my late to witness siucc [ saw tie re-
mains OF the village of FiSp, 10 the Rhooe
Valley, Switzerland, after its destruction by
Hood some Years ago.
The scene TO which | refer is the result of
the bursting OF a bog, situated about three
miles east Of the town of Dunmore. in the
northern part Of Galway county. Heretofore
this bog was connected with til! Duumore rv'
er. at nuumore. by small stream called the
Corrabci river. fl wing through continuation
of pasture and tiage lands in its curse. The
level Of the upper surface Of the bog was form.
ery 2GO feet above the sea, and that of the
water at Dnnmurc 1870 feet, showing fall OF
70 feet. Up to fortnight ago this bog pre-
scented the usual appearance Of most OF our
unframed Irish boys, l. e., its skirts adjoining
the arabic land, consisting of high turf banks,
its centre being exceedingly wet and spougy.
"On the first cf October the farmer occupy
lug farm on the Corrabe stream, bear
est the bog was digging his potatoes when
he suddenly observed a brown mass
slowly approaching him He LETT his spad. in
the ground aud went for the ue!ghbnrs: 90 his
return the mass (which was the moving bog) had
half covered his potato field and completely
hidden from sight his field of corn, with the
exception OF few stocks situated on knoll ;
they still remain an island in the middle If Il
scene Of uesolatiou. This was but the com
meucemeut; siuce then the bog has continued
tv advance in a rolling mass, continuing It's
course right down the valley to Dunmore, bury
ing On its way three farm houses, and ever
ing at least one hun red and eighty acres Of
pasture aud arabic land TO depth, in some
of the three farms have been turu,d, by this
visitation of Providence, farmlcss and home-
less with their families, on the world.
"At Dunmore small bridge has been re-
moved, near the jupction of the Corrabel
stream with the Duumore river, to afford re-
lief to the lands up the valley, aud bug den
torrent is being discharged into the latter river
The worst may he said to b. over. but the dis
charging powers Of that river will be materially
affected by this influx Of solid matter. The
source of this disaster presented a wonderful
appearance The subsistence at the discharylng
point cannot be less than about thirty-tive feet.
The extent of the bog affected is most clearly
defined By series Of black 'crcvas>cs, where
the upper crust of the bog has, by the subsi
dence below, been torn asuDder. The whole
assumes the form Of crater half a mile i'll d.
ameter
with considerable difficulty we plotted our
way to the centrer where we found the brown
liquid bog boiling out like stream OF lava, and
feeding the moving mass in the valley below.
At the poi,, where the bog burst, the turf
banks were tnrcci right over, aud round on
either side. AID assumed somewhat the appear
ancc of 'poraues.
This, and similar disasters, to which this
country is liable, must be attributed to The alb
sence Of complete and good system Of artcrlal
drainage"