The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-10-24

aNdldilOllC lA1O M jain
in the same way: and these curves
are all marked by great RATS Of
timber thrown off by the centrifu-
gal sweep of the food, which still
lie stranded 10 and 80 feet above
the bed.
1t is a question of much interest
and more difficulty, how much
water fell III mass, at the summit.
| make 500 to LOCO tons. 1t was
evident enough that the column,
whatever It's height. was much less
than 70 feet diameter. It was
probably much less than half that,
and need not have been more than
10 or 20 feet. the wide semi-circu-
lar basin being scooped out by the
residence of the water. 1t was
also evident that the volume of the
mass was rapidly augmented by the
| accumulated earth, stones and tim
Der swept along with it. \ simple
| calculation shows that more than
500 tons of earth, &C., was removed
from the basin Of the point Of i'm
| pact, and at least 10, 600 tons from
the first mile Of It's descent !; to
which must be added more than
500 forest trees, or about 1000 tons
of timber. And Il very moderate
estimate of the mass as 1t entered
the plain at the distance of two
miles from the starting point, gives
20, 900 tons.
1t is described by Mr.. Conley,
who watched with alarm the re-
sistless rush of the avalanche as it
swept directly towards his house,
presenting in front a wall ten feet
high and nearly 100 yards wide,
with trees riding erect, (ike Dir
nam Wood coming to Dunsinane,)
and debouched into Tessenter
Greek, which, already swollen to a
torrent by a heavy days rain, swept
by his door no. so yards distant.
The course Of this stream being
directly transverse to that Of the
avalanche, arrested and DETECTED
it's current, and distributed its ma
terials for more than a mile down
the valley in great masses of drift,
almost running several plantations.
Nothing but the flood in the creek,
which had passed all precedent
from the great fall of rain increased
by the contribution of two water
spouts which had fallen nearer and
entered higher up the stream,
saved Mr.. C.'s house from utter
o~bliteration. Hearing the thunder
and the roar and crash of the grind
ing rocks and swapping trees, in
the direction Of the mountain
which was enveloped in clouds, he
had hurried his family to a place
of safety on the hillside a hundred
yards distant, while he waited to
see what was coming. When he
saw the avalanche emerge from the
forest into the open road, some 200
yards in front of his house, and
make straight for it, of course he
gave up all for lost.
OF course the figures given above
are only approximate. Gen. Cling
man, who had the pleasure of
visiting the spot within a month
and SO of seeing evidences of the
action of the water, which are now
dimmed, or perhaps obliterated,
tells me he made the amount of
water more than 10000 cubic
yards. SO that my figures are
much within the probable limits.
1t may be of further interest to
mention that another w~aterspout,
not so large, tell at the same time
on the opposite side of Fish Hawk
Mountain, only a few hundred
yards distant, and two others with
in a mile on the same side. And
along the high mountains around
the valley of the upper Tennessee.