Connecticut western news., 1880-03-10
A Land Slide.
CREATING WAVE THAT DEsoLATED THE LAND FOR FIFTEEN MILES FROM THE RIVER.

CREATING A WAVE THAT DEsonATED THE LAND FOR FIFTEEN MILES FROM THE RIVER. | A New Westminster, B. O., letter says The Fraser River, at place called Maple Ridge, some twelve miles above this city, Is about quarter of mile wide. The south bank is not far from ten feet high. The north bank rose above the water over hundred feet. The face of the bank had Q ragged look, small land slides having occurred from time to time. Trees varying from sixty feet in height to mere shrubs grew on the table land almost to the edge of the bank. George Howison has 8 farm of 160 acres along the river where the bank is highest. His house is 8 pleasant one, surrounded by fruit trees, and it is less than the width of square acre from the river. Also on the river bank is the 160-acre farm of Justus w. Howison.
 On 8 recent afternoon at about 2:30 o'clock, George Howison, while working | on his farm, heard noise like that pro- duced by gale striking a cluster of l trees, and saw acres of earth covered with the growth of trees disappearing in the river. About half dozen acres were taken off Justus Howison's farm by the land slide in ten minutes. The river, which was about 50 feet deep at that point, swallowed up the vast quan- tity of earth that went into it, but was rendered more shallow, and the width of the channel was reduced to one-eighth of mile. When the bank was sub- merged, wave ten feet deep was thrown up on the opposite bank, which rushed inland for fifteen miles over the level country, destroying buildings, uproot- ing trees and scattering the fences. The scene is described as having been ter rife. William Edge, who lived on the bank from which the slide took place, was working on the opposite side of the river. He was caught by the wave and swept against trees and other obstacles and finally cast up on heap of debris. When found by his sons he was uncon- scious, and he died four days later.
 The river at the place where the land slide occurred presents strange ap- pearance. Rising from two to ten feet above the surface of the water are trees standing at different angles, some of them as straight as when they stood on the high bank, and others leaning and partly covered with earth. The tract that went into the river was in shape like half moon. The new bank reveals reddish, light earth for about twelve feet from the top, under which is 8 stratum of blue clay some twenty feet thick, and all the earth below that, so far as it is visible, is mixture of coarse gravel and sand. There are large cracks along the bank extending inland for 150 feet or more. The impression is that still more of the bank will go into the river. The next wind storm is likely to prostrate many of the fir trees on the bank, because their roots have been loosened by the frequent deep cracks that have been made among them.
 There are several theories as to the cause of the land slide. It seems prob- able that the current undermined the bank for many feet, eating out the loose gravel and sand. When the water rises, as it does in the summer in consequence of the melting of the snow on the inland mountains along the valley of the Fraser, the Thompson, and other rivers, new channel will be opened between the dis placed earth and the new bank, and in time the Instructions in the river will disappear. All the boats on the river near this point were either destroyed or thrown high and dry on the bank. An old resident says that many years ago 8 land slide occurred that carried small house into the river. The tenants were fortunately absent. There are many other places along the river where land slides appear to be more likely to occur than at Maple Ridge.
 George Howison will remove his house farther inland, and Justus Howison will pay tax on several acres less of land than heretofore. A little above the place where the slide occurred was slope of ten acres, on which the owner was pre- pairing to build new farmhouse. He has changed his mind, and the house will be built farther from the treacher- ous bank.