Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-01-17

When the brief statement first appeared. q
few months ago that q town in the Falkland
Islands had narrowly escaped destruction by a
flood OF peat the story seemed Incredible. Au-
thenttc details, however, have lately reached
England which leave no doubt Of the fact. The
phenomenon Is believed to be unprecedented
and has served to attract the attention of men
OF science once more to the archipelago OF tree.
less islands which Darwin explored nearly halt
century ago, and which constitute Great
Britains S0uIhernmOSt colonial possessions.
The Falkland group is situated some three
hundI ed miles from the eastern coast OF South
America, opposite the entrance to the Strait OF
Magellan. TWO OF the islands, known as East
and West Falkland, are much larger than the
rest. and upon the east side OF the former is
Stanley, the chief town. There seems to be
some influence in the climate peculiarly IA
vorable TO the production OF peat. for, says Mr.
Darwin, ''almost every kind OF plant, even the
coarse grass which covers the whole surface OF
the land. becomes converted into this sub
stance: scarcely any situation checks its
growth: some Gf the beds are as much as twelve
feet thick, and the lower part becomes so solid
when dry that it will hardly burn" Thus, it
viii be understood, peatS soil is Characteristic
OF the whole country.
just back Of the town OF Stanley and about
5000 feet inland, rises range OF heights which
are surmounted by a plateau, upon which
rests q deep bog of peat Curiously enough.
the tbickest deposits OF peat in the FalklandS
occur on the hiilsides or hill tops. In other
places the peat seldom exceeds few feet in
depth. The subsoil is a dense yellow clay i'm
peneirable by water, and in the Stanley bog
already mentioned this is between twenty-four
and thirty feet below the surface.
On Nov. %, 1873, SOutheaSterly storm of
wind and rain set in at Stanley. and the raj n
fall from that time until midnight OF the Both
is estimated to have been two inches. Then
the peat bog on the heights above the SETTLE
ment gave way. 'The black Oozy mud" writes
naval officer to the Royal Geographical So
ciety, ''rolled down the hill with a momentum
which neither the iron stanchiOns around the
reservoir nor the barriers by the sea could with
stand. 1t broke through the backs Of wooden
houses, inundated the rooms, and obliged the
inhabitants, rudely awakened from sleep, to
flee for safety; few pigs and calves were
swallowed up in the irresistible stream but for
tunately no human lives were lost" The We
locity of the stream was not noted at first, but
pended, 1t was still moving into the sea at the
rate OF about half mile an hour.
DT. John Mulvany, Staff Surgeon in the Brit
lsh navy was an eyewitness q the phenome-
fall OF rain upon the peat. He estimates that
over SOC, 900 gallons OF water fell into the bog
on the four days preceding the avalanche. The
impermeabe yellow clay underneath would
enormous quantity OF water, mlngiing with the
peat, burst the weakest side of the bog and
rolled down the seaward slope Of the heights
above the town In the remarkable torrent we
have described.
The entire absence Of trees In these islands
has been remarked by all visitors to the Falk-
lands. In this respect they offer a Strfcking
contrast to Terra del Fuego, which, though
only 800 miles distant, is clothed with forest.
According to MI. Darwin, the largest bush in
the Falklands Is scarcely as tall as the British
gorSe, the best fuel being little bush resem-
bling heath, which burns quite readily even
when green. Dr. Mulyany. suggests that the
treeless character of the colony is due to the
heavy yellow clay already mentioned The
tender rOOtletS cannot grow In so impenetrabIe
formation.-[N. 2. sun.