The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-01-31
STRANGE SCENES OF DEVASTATION IN
IRELAND.

Mr. W. j.. Trench, writing to tho
London Times to appeal to the charita
BILE Tor aid fer some uniortuu ate families
gives this account Of the bursting of an
Irish bog. He saws;
4 have just returned from inspectin
one OF the most pitifnl scenes of tn e
sort it has been my fate to witness since
saw the remains Oft the village Of Fisp
ln-thc Rhone Valley, Switzerland, aftc,
its destruction by flood some wear.
ago.
The scene to which l refer is tn
result OF the bursting Of boz, situate d
about three mics east of the town OF
| iunmorc, in the northern part Of Ga
way county. Heretofore this bog was
| connected with the Dunmore Ri~cr, Mt
| Dunm"rc, by small stream called the
N"lrnbel River Il wing through con
tlnnation Of pasture and tilage Ian Is in
It's course. The level Of the upper sur
face of the bog was formerly 2GO fe t
above the sea, aud that Of the water at
Dunmorc 100 feet, showing fall of 10
feet, Up to fortnight ago this bog
presented the. usual appearance Utmost
OF our undraInsd Irish boys, i. G.. it's
skirts, adjoining the arabic land. consist
lug OF high turf banks, being exceeding
iy wet and spongy-
'On the first Of October the farmer
occupying a farm on the Gorrabal stream
naar the bog was digging his potatoes.
when he su 1dcnly abScrvcda ii brown mass
slowly approaching him He left his
SPADE IN the ground, aud went for the
nclghbors; on his urn he mas which
was the moving bog had half covered
his potato field, ana completely hidden
from sight his field of corn. with the cx
! =".ss.:.,.. ~ a ic" .s'ooks situated on ii
Knoll; they still rcinain an island in tie
middle nia sccre OF dcsolation Thi,
was but the conimrnccmcut, since then
the DO. has cnn,in,ird tn advance ia Il
rolling nnHsS. con,iiuin. its course ri Ii;
down the valley to nunmor.. lurvin.
on Its way three farm hol<cs. and ever
ing At least one hundred and eight V
acres Of pasture and arabic Ianl to :,
depth i'll some places Of six feet The
unfortunate oc ;npicrs Of the three farms
have been turned, by this visitation of
Provldemos, larnlcss and homeless. with
their families, on the world.
AT Dunmore n small bridge has been
removed, near the junction Of the Cor
rabcl stream with the Dunmorc River
to afford relief 20 the lands up the val
ley, and bog laden torrent is being dis
charged into the latter river. The
worst may be said tp be over, but the
dlscharging powers OF that river will be
materially affected by this influx of sol
Id matter The spurc,. OF this disaster
resented wonderful appearance. The
snbsdcnce at the discharging point can
not be less than about 30 feet. The
cXtcnt of the bog affected is most clear
y dctineG hs IL series Of black 'crevls
ses, where the upper crust Of the bog
has. by the subsdcncc below. been torn
aSunder. The whole assumes III. form
OF orator half a mile in diameter.
With considerable difficulty we p;lyt
ed our way to the centre. where W foam
the brown liquid bog boiling out like a
stream Of lava aud feeding lho moving
mass in the valley below. At the point
where the bog burst, the turf banks
were forced right ov'r aud rou.a on
either side, aud assumed somewhat the
appearance of'moraines.'
This and similar disasters to which
this country is liable must be attributed
to the absence Of Il complete and good
system OF artcria drainage \ similar
catastrophe occurred two years ago, oc
casi9ncd by the backwatcr Of The River
Suck, near Castlrreh'