The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-10-16
4 Fatal LandSlip.

IN the nOftnefn part OF bengal Is COOl anu
sequestered resort called Mama Tai. 1t is
perched up among the hills and has long been
Especial refuge during the sitting heats Of the
HindOstan summer for Englishmen OF both
the civil and military service. Many such
residents have been wont to fly with their
families on the approach OF the parching
weather OF the extreme season and to find an
asylum in the moist shades OF Mama Tai. A
considerable mountain stream passes the spot
on its course toward the plains and beauti.
full lake tempers the atmosphere hard by.
At Mama Tai some Of the most romantic cpl.
sOdes of Indian life have had their beginning
and their end, and more than one novelist has
chosen the place as scene for picturesque
incident and description. Such are some Of
the associations Of Mama Tails past; but that
its history will be embellishcd BY similar pas.
sages In the future is scarcely probable. The
village, as we just learn by telegraph, has been
absolutely overwhelmed; and 1t Is even likely,
IL fears now expressed are confirmed, that
Naina Tal will be Obliterated from tue 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 n.,ine Ut Franconia suggests its sad par
ticulars. There is some likeness between the
two cases. but instead Of lying at the foot Of
one or two mountains Mama Tai was sur.
rounded by them. 1t might be described Is
lying in Il cup or basin; and was liable from ito
typographical position to sudden inundation.
II was due, no doubt, to Il great rush OF
water that Nana Tai was destroyed. But the
flood wa; only The indirect cause Of destruc-
ton. 1t appears that rain began falling heavi.
~ there, as we read the dispatches, on last
Friday morning, and that II continued to de.
scc!l in prodigioas torrents until Saturday
afternoon. The gauge by that time showed
rainfall OF twenty-five inches in forty hours.
The ncighbor,ns lake swclled to threatening
height. Yhc rvcc had become cataract.
Soon after twelve O'Clock there was suilen
roar ana rumblin9, followed by vast clouds Of
dust, and the whole place shook. The lake
rose in u moment far above its usual height
ind swept in massive wave toward the river,
when an enormous mass of land came down,
burying the hotel md the band Of rescuers."
1t appears that some Of the visitors at the hO.
tel had taken alarm in season and fled. Later
Oh, when the rest were in Imminent danger, q
party was organized to save them: and these
were the "rescucrs" who, with the remaining
guests, were thus smo:hercd BY the ava-
lanchc. Some thirty II .tives and an unknown
number OF visitors were included among tho
victims: andby the last adyices the flood had
hot sub !dri but was devastating tho whole
surround NJ country.
The most terrible feature about this disaster
has apparently lain in it's unexpectedncss. In
parts OF italian Switzerland, in the high val
leys OF the iihOne, or atsspots like the site Of
Bre in V:,iais, where avalanchcs Of snow
have already occurred, it may be said that q
danger signal Is always flying, ana people know
what they have to look iOr. At any point ~
turc such Il chance Of catastrophe Is ever i'm.
pen ding, and those who encounter it do SO at
their own choice and peril. Where, however,
no such evil has heretofore been known its
coming is more awful, in the degree that it ID
unlocked for, and that its victims arc totally
unprcpared either for flight or for any other
means Of protection.
has obviously ut the first thought been i'm
putcd TO cataclysm merely; but it may be
suspected that the tremendous rush OF earth
that buried the village was partly Of volcanic
origin like the many minor earthquakes which
during the current year have been OK experienced
at SO many points VI the globe In both i'll
western and eastern hemisphercs.-M. T.
ErcuiNu P)st.
Dir. HASTINGS, Of Boston, in speak
ing Of religious JOY and OF singing a
being the natural expression Of that
Joy. remarked that some congregations
had % little Of it that they had to hire
people to do their singing. "Why,"
says he, Il would a. soon think Of hir-
ing . man to eat my breakfast"
The Chinese agriculturalist does his
hair up in q French twist because he
don't want to have his cue cumber the
ground