Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-10-08
A Fatal Landslip.

In the northern part of Bengal Is a coe and
sequestered resort called Naina Tai. 1t is
perched up among the hills and has longbeeu
a special refuge during the sitting heats Of the
HindOstan summer for Englishmeu OF both
the civil and military service. Many such
residents have been wont 70 fly with their
families on the approach of the parchng
weather of the extreme season aud to ind an
asylum in the moist shades of Mama Tai. A
considerable mountain stream passes the SPOT
on its course toward the plains, and a beaui-
full lake tempers the atmosphere hard by. /
At Mama Tai some Of the most romantic epi-
sodes of Indian life have had their beginning
aud their end, and more than one novelist hAs
chosen the place as a scene for picturesque
incident and description. Such are some Of
the associations of Mama Tails past; but thai
Its history will be embellished by similar pas
sages in the future is scarcely probable. The
village, as we just learn by telegraph, has been
absolutely overwhelmed; and it Is even likely,
If fears now expressed are confirmed. that
Mama Tai will be obliterated from the face of
the earth.
The fate that has come upon this remote
Bengal settlement, while rare one, is by no
means without precedent. A memorable ex-
ample has been known in this country, and
the name of Franconia suggests its sad par
two cases. But instead of lying at the foot OF
one or two mountains Naina Tai was sur
rounded by them. 1t might be described as
lying in u cup or basin; and was liable from its
Typographical position to sudden inundation.
1t was due, no doubt, to great rush of
water that Naina Tai was destroyed. But the
flood was ouly the indirect cause of destruc-
tion. 1t appears that rain began falling heavi-
ly there, as we read the dispatches, on last
Friday morning. and that it continued to de-
scend in prodigiOus torrents until Saturday
afternoon. The gauge by that time showed a
rainfall OF twenty-five inches in forty hours.
The neghboring lake swelled to a threatening
height. The river had become cataract.
Soon after twelve O'Clock there was a sullen
roar and rumbling, followed by vast clouds of
dust, and the whole place shook The lake
rose in moment far above its usual height
and swept in massive wave toward the river,
when an enormous mass of land came down,
buTying the hotel and the band of rescuers.'
1t appears that some OF the visitors at the ho-
tel had taken alarm in season and fed. Later
on, when the rest were in imminent danger a
party was organized to save them; and these
were the "resouers" who with the remaining
guests, were thus smothered by the ava
lanche. Some thirty natives and an unknown
number of visitors were included among the
hVbA
not subsidized but was devastating the whole
surrounding country.
The most terrible feature about this disaster
has apparently lain in its unexpectedness. Ii
parts of Italian Switzerland, in the high val
leys of the Rhone or at spots like the site OF
Briel, in Valais, where avalanches of snow
have already occurred, it may be said that q
danger signal is always flying, and people know
what they have to look for. AT any point ~
ing below and near 10 possible glacial frac-
ture such a chance of catastrophe is ever inn
| pending, and those who encounter 1t do so al
their own choice and peril. Where, however
no such evil has heretofore been known it'
coming is more awful, in the degree that it il
unlocked for, and that its victims are totally
unprepared either for fight or for any Other
means OF protection.
In the case of Naina Tai the fatal mischief
has obviously at the first thought been i'm
puted 10 cataclysm merely; but IL may be
suspected that the tremendous rush OF eartt
that buried the village was partly of volcanic
origin like the many minor earthquakes which
during the current year have been experienced
at so many points of the globe in both III
western and eastern hemispheres.-M Y
! Eueniig Post.