The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-12-03
5 NO.. H..
Very Extraordinary Occurrence,
BURSTING OF A BoG-sTRANGE SCENE
OF DEVASTATION IN IRELAND.

BURSTING OF A BoG-sTRANGE SCENE
OF DEVASTATION IN IRELAND,
Mr.. w. L. Trench, writing to the
London Times to appeal to the chari-
table for aid for certain unfortunate
families, gives this account of the
bursting Of an Irish bog. He saws:
have just returned from inspec.ing
one of the most pitiable scenes of the
sort it has: been my fate to witness
since l saw the remains Of the village
of Visp, in the Rhone Valley, Switzer-
land, after its destruction by flood
some years ago.
The scene to which refer is the re-
suit of the bursting; of u bog, situated
abont three miles east of the town of
Dnnmore, in the northern part of Gal
way County. Heretofore the bog was
connected with the .Dunmore River, at
Dunmore, by a small stream called the
Corrabel River, flowing through con-
tinuation OF pasture and i;ilage lands
in its conrse. The level of the upper
surface of the bog was formerly 26O
feet above the sea, and that of the wa
ter at Dunn,orc 100 fact, showing a tall
of 20 feet. Upto a fortnight ago this
bog presented the usual appearance of
most of our unlerdraiDel Irish boys.
!. G., its skirts, adjoining the arabic
land, consisting Of high turf banks, its
centre being exceedingly wet aud spon-
On the 1st of October the farmer &C.
cupying a farm on the Corrabel stream,
nearest the boy, was digging his pota-
toes, when he suddenly observed a
brown mass slowly approaching him.
He LETT his'spade in the ground, and
went for hisneighbors. On his return,
the mass, which was the moving bog,
had half covered his potato .tieli, and
completely hidden from sight his field
of corn, with the exception of few
"stoolis' situated on a knoll. They
still remain an island in the middle OF
q scene of desolation. This was but
the commensurate. Since then the
hog has continued to advance in Il roll
ing mass, continuing its course right
down the valley to Duamorc, buryiug
on its way three tarm-l,onses, and COW
eling at least one hundred aud eighty
acres of pasture and arabic land to
depth, in some places, of six feet. The
unfortunate occupiers of the three
farms have been turned, by this vista
ton Of Providence, farmless and home
less, with their families. on tbs world.
At Dunmnre a small bridge has been
removed, near the junction of the Cor
rabel stream with the Dunmore River,
to afford relief to the lands up the val
ley, and bog laden torrent is being
discharged into the latter river. The
worst may he said to be over; but the
discI,arg;ng powers of that river Will
be materially affected by this Influx Of
solid matter. The source of this dis
aster presented wonderful appear
,ance. The subsistence at the discharg-
ing point canmct be less than about
tt,irty-fve feet. The extent of the log
affected is most clearly defined by
series Of black "crerasses,' where the
upper crust of the bog has, by the sub
sidence below, been torn asunder.
The whole assumes the form ola crater
half mile in diameter.
With considerable difficulty wepilot-
ed our way. to the centre, where We
found the brown liquid bog boiling ont
like a stream of lava and feeding the
moving mass in the valley below. At
the point where the bog burst, the turf
banks were forced right over and
round on either side. and assumed
somewhat the appearance Of "mo-
raj o."
This and similar disasters to which
this country is liable must BE attribu-
ted to the ahse,tce of a tHhfplete aud
good system of arterial drainage. A
similar catastrophe occurred a couple
of years ago, occasioned by the back
water 0fthe River Suck, near Oastlcrea.
Not nfuch danger as yeti
lSquire's lady: - Aud how has your