The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-11-12

BURSTING OF A BOG-STRANGE SCENE OF
DEVASTATION IN IRELAND.-Mr. w. L. Trench
writing to the London Times to appeal to
the charitable for aid for certain unfortunate
families, gives this account Of the bursting
of an Irish bog. He says: l have just re-
turned from inspecting one of the most pitt
full scenes of the sort it has been my fate to
witness since saw the remains Of the vii.
lage of Visp, in the Rhoue Valley, Switzer-
land, after its destruction BY flood some
wears ago. The scene to which refer is the
result Of the bursting Of bog, situated
about three miles east of the town of Dun
more, in the northern part Of Galway coun.
ty. Heretofore this bog was connected with
the Dunmore river, at Dunmore, by small
stream called the Corrabel river, flow
ing through q continuation of pasture
and tillage lands in its course. The le-
vel of the upper surface Of the bog
was formerly 26O feet above the sea, aud
that of the water at Dunmore 1901 feet, show.
ing fall of 10 feet Up to fortnight age
this bog presented the usual appearance OF
most of our undrained Irish bogs-1. e., its
skirts adjoining the arabic land, consisting OF
high turf banks, its centre being exceed
inglv wet and spongy. On the 1st of Octo-
Der the farmer occupying farm on the Cor.
rebal stream nearest the bog was digging
his potatoes, when he suddenly observed a
brown mass slowly approaching him. he
left his spade in the ground and went for
the neighbors. On his return the mass,
which was the moving bog, had half.covered
his potato-feld, and completely hidden from
sight his field OF corn with the exception
of few "stooks" situated on q
knoll; they still remain an island In the
middle of scene Of desolation. This was
but the commencement since then the bog
has continued to advance in q rolling mass,
continuing its course right down the valley
to Dunmore, burying on its way three farm.
houses, and covering at least one hundred
and eighty acres of pasture and arable land
| to a depth, in some places, Of six feet. The
unfortunate occnpiers Of the three farms
have been turned. by this visitation Of Prov
| idence, farmiess and homeless, with their
| families, on the world. Eat Dunmore
small bridge has been removed, near the
junction of the Corrabel stream with the
Dunmore river, to afford relief to the lands
| up the valley, and bog.laden torrent Is
being discharged into the Inter river. The
worst may be said to be over, but the dis.
charging powers of that river will be ma.
terially affected BY this Influx Of solid
matter. The source Of this disaster pre-
sented wonderful appearance. The sub
sIdence at the discharging point cannot bt
less than about thirty-6ve feet. The ex
tent of the bog affected is most clearly de,
fined by series of black "crevasses, y
where the upper crust Of the bog has, BY
the subsistence below, been turned asunder
The whole assumes the form OF crater ball
mile in diameter. With considerable diff:
ficulty we piloted our way to the centre
where we found the brown liquid bog boil
| ing out like stream of lava and feeding the
moving mass in the valley below. At ths
point where the bog burst the turf banks
were forced right over and around on either
side, and assumed somewhat the appearance
of "moraines." This and similar disaster!
to which this country is liable must be at
tributed to the absence Of complete anG
good system. of arterial drainage. A similal
Catastrophe occurred couple Of years ago
occasioned by the back-water Of the river
Suck, near Castlerea.