Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-11-19
BURSTING OF A BOG,
Strange Scene OF Devastation In
Ireland.

Mr. w. Il. Trench, writing to the
London Times to appeal to tho
charitable for aid for certain unfor.
tunate families, gives this account of
the bursting Of al Irish bog. lie
says:
"t have rciurucd from inspecting
one of the most pitiable scenes of
the sort it has been my fate to wit
ness since | saw the rcmains of the
village of Visp, in the Rhone valley
Switzerland, after its destruction by
flood some years ago.
"Thc scene to which refer is the
result of the bursting of bog, situ-
atcd about three miles east of the
town of Duminorc, in the northern
part Of Galway county. Heretofore
this bog was connected with the
Dunmore river, at Dunmore, by a
small stream called the Carrabel riv.
er, flowing through q continuation
of pasture and tillage lands in its
course. The level of the upper sur
face of the bog was formerly EGO feet
above the sea, and that Of the water
at Dunmore 100 feet, showing q fall
Of seventy feet. Up to fortnight
ago this bog presented the usual mp
pcarance of most Of our undraimed
Irish bogs; j. e., lis skirts. adjoining
the arabic land, consisting of high
turf banks, its centre being exceed
ingly wet and spongy.
"On the first of Octobe the farmer
occupying q farm OH the Carrabel
stream, nearest the bog, was digging
his potatoes, when he observed
brown mass approaching him. He
left his spade in the ground and went
for his neighbors. On 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 u
few stocks situated OH a knoll they
still remain as all island in the mid
die of u scene of desolation. This
was but the commencement. Since
then the bog has continued to ad.
vance iii rolling mass, continuing
it's course right down the valley t.
Dunlnorc, burrying on its way three
farm houses and covering ut least one
hundred and eighty acres of pasture
and arabic land to depth, in soinf
places, of six feet. The unfortunate
occupiers OF tile three farms have
been turned, by the visitation OF
Providence, farmlcss and homeless
with their families, Oh the world.
cat Dunmorc small bridge has
been removed, near the JUNCTION q.
the Currabel stream with the Dun
more river, to afford relief to til,
lands upNthe valley, and bog ladci
torrent is being discharged into th,
latter river. The worst may be sai'
to be over, but the discharging pow
ers of the river will DC materially af
fecled by this influx of solid matter
Tie source Of this disaster presemte,
a wonderful appearance. The subsi
dence at the di>ci'arging point canuo
be less than lhirty-iive feet. The ex
tent of the bog affected is most clcarl,
defined by series of black 'crevas,
es,' where the upper crust of the DO:
has, by the subsistence below, bcel
torn asundcr. The whole assume
the form Of q crater half Il mile il
diameter.
with considerable difficulty W.
piloted our way to the centre, wher,
we found the brown liquid bog boil
ing out like o stream of lava and feed
ing the moving mass III the valley be
low. At the point where the bo,
burst, the turf bunks were force'
right over and round on either side
assuming somewhat the appearance
of :lnoraines.'
"This and similar disasters to whic
this country is liable must be attrit
uted to the absence Of complete an
good system of arterial drainage
A similar catastrophe occurred
couple Of years ago, occasioncd b
the back water Of the. river Suck
e near Castlcrca."