The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-10-17

DETAILED ACCOUNTS or rnE TERRIBLE DIsAs
TER AT THE RfLL.T0wN on MANI TAI,

| DETAILED ACCOUk1H or THE TERRIBLE D1sks-
TER AT THE RiLL.T0wS OF MANI TAI.
| A Calcutta dispatch to the London Times
SAYS: "Naini Tai, hill station in the Ku-
maon district, aud the summer headquar-
tiers OF the Northwest Provinces Govern
ment, was, On the afternoon CT the 18th, the
scene Of terrible catastrophe. In order
10 understand tho details II In necessary 10
explain that the place differs in one import
ant respect from other Ilimalaysn sanitoria.
| Instead OF being perched on a series OF hill
tops, like Slmla, Mussoorie, and DarjeelIng,
Nsini Tai lies for the most part IN
small basin, the greater part OF which
| IL occupied by lake about a mile long,
and which Is dominated on all sides by lofty
mountains. LandsIips on small scale have
been matters OF not infrequent occurrence
there, and II has been often pointed out that
many Of the houses were mos, unsafe. No
serious measures, however, have ever been
taken TO prevent accidents, and up to the
end Of the week before last the regular In
habiants and crowd OF summer visitors
continued to live In FOOLS Paradise. The
station has the reputation OF being the pref
| test In the Himalayas. IL Is the only one
| I'm which lake and mountain scenery Is
combined. Naturally 1t Is favorite resort
cident their numbers were being daily In
creased by people running up from the
plains TO spend the auiumn holidays In the
hills. Rain began TO fall heavily at Naini Tai
on the evening" Of Thursday the 10th, and
continued almost without intermissIon till
noon on Sunday. the 18th. 1t is said that
the gauge showed fail Of % inches In forty
hours. On Saturday morning the danger
| first became appaI ent, even to the most
careless. A small land.slip occurred near
| the Victoria Hotel, carrying away an out
| building and killing an ayah and child.
Mr. Taylor, the magistrate In charge OF the
station, with a body OF police and work
| ing party from the depot, under Captain
| BaIderston, Tbirty-fourtb Foot, station staff
officer, immediately repaired to the spot and
commenced TO clear away the DEBRIS and try
| to divert the course OF torrent which
| threatened the botei and some other houses.
The hotel was full of visitors, including
Mr.. Justice and Mrs. Straight. The
warning in the morning gave them
all time to seek safety elsewhere, but
some, unfortunately, sought shelter in the
| library-a portion OF the assembly-r00ms
| building close TO the lake. About 100 the
great catastrophe happened. An eye-wit.
ness thus describes il: "A NOISE, vision OF
parting earth and moving trees, rush OF
matter toward the lake, roar OF water and
OF falling material, and then deep brown
smoke, rising IN slow wrcaths through the
gloom and furious rain A great wave OF
water, caused by the precipitation OF part
| OF the assemby.rooms and an immense mass
OF earth into the lake, swept across It's
length some five feet high. Ii dashed over
the slucc.g gates at the entrance OF the gorge
4 a.. 4. To raj
persons standing by them. Sir Henry Ram
say, Commissioner OF Kumaon, was all but
carried away by the wild rush Of the wa
ters.'
4 correspondent of the Pioneer gives
most graphic account, which abrldge as
follows: AT O'Clock all seemed well, and
the working party were busy at their task
at the bottom Of the PERCEPTIONS ascent
which ovefhung ,he hotel. About 1880 Naini
Tai was startled by sudden and sullen
roar. louder than the simultaneous crash OF
heavy guns, followed by Il prolonged rum
bling as OF distant thunder, and then by an
omin0us silence. Vast clouds OF dust rose
heavenward through the murky atmos-
pbere, enveOping in one dense sbrOud the
tract OF ground from the hotel TO Bells
shop, and onward TO the assembly-roOms
and the lake. The whole place shook As
though an earthquake had passed. The
waters OF the lake rose in Il moment far
above their usual limit, and swept in a mas
siye wave toward the weir. Then all was
still. From the top OF the lower spur, under
which the Victoria Hotel had stood amin
ute before, down to the edge OF the cricket
ground, nothing was to be seen but vast
eXpanse OF loose earth, beneath which lay
buried hotel and garden, road and orderly
room. 1t was as though some giant had
dropped half mountain on the spot, blot
ting out in moment every feature OF the
scene, filling up the hollows, and reducing
to one dead slope all that lay below. Deep
below lay the working party. Not vestlge
OF them was To he seen; only the lone hill.
side, silent and dark. Meanwhile the
cricket and backgrounds presented a
strange contrast to the gentle sweep above.
Toward the pavilion they were intact,
save for the streams Of water pouring
in every direction, but on the Other
side was simply an enormous mound
of vast extent and varying height, tan
eled mass Of broken walls and roofs, fallen
trees, and beapedup earth In horrid confu-
sion, with spoils OF the shop and orderly
room. Saddest OF all was the spectacle oil
the few corpses that were visible among the
ruins. Never was havoc more sudden,
more awful, or more complete. Without
moments warning, without premonitory
rumble to awaken suspicion, down came
the enormous landslip, bnrying in deadly
embrace the hotel and the working party
behind. engultng orderly-room and shop
assembly-rooms and library, with almost
every living soul they contained. Or Tho
number OF people in the shop all save four
OF whom three were women, were SWEEP
away. A sadder scene | never saw. II
was worse than a battlefield"