The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-07-15
A Great Landslide.

Hampshire furnished by a correspondent
of the Boston AdUertiSer: Cherry Noun
tain, which has always been one of the
prominent features in Jefferson landscapes,
directly faces the long Starr King range
along whose base are the many hotels
and boardng-houses of this famous summer
resort. During the last two weeks great
deal of rain has fallen in this district, so
that the ground is soaked with water, max
ing all the conditions necessary for such
catastrophe as that of yesterday morning.
Thursday regular tornado swept through
the valley of Israel's river, lying between
the Cherry and Starr King mountains,
throwing down many trees, while the rain
fell in torrents for almost quarter of an
hour. Thursday night, and again in the
morning, heavy showers passed over Cherry
Mountain and it was just as the storm was
clearing yesterday morning that the slide
occurred. Soon after six o'clock several
people heard low, distant rumble, some-
what like that of thunder, but more con-
tnuouS and prolonged. Some who happened
to look across the valley towards Cherry
Mountain saw something move near the top
of the peak of the mountain, known as Owls
Head, and then part of the mountain rush
down the side and spread out in dark masses
in the green pastures and cultivated fields
at the base. One man, who had a good
view of it, said it looked like an engine and
train of cars rushing along with steam
trailing behind it, while its track was
marked by flashes of fire like lightning.
| Another, who saw it from another and
nearer point of view, said it seemed to be a
mass of mud and logs a hundred feet high,
| the great trunks turning over and over as
the mass swept down the valley, Two or
three families lived along the course the
slide had taken, and it was feared that
catastrophe had occurred as bad as that of
tifty-nine years ago, which swept away the
| Wiley family AS we looked up the pas
ture toward the mountain, there lay before
us some eight or ten acres, covered from
three to six feet deep with confused mass
of mud, stones and timber of trees of all
sizes. Great trunks of trees, two or three
feet thick, which few hours before had
been standing stately and erect in the forest
on the side of the mountain lay before u.s.
stripped of branches and bark and covered
with mud. Before the rushing mass they
had been snapped off like pipe-stems. In
the midst of the mass was one huge bowlder,
more than fifty tons in weight, that had
swept down from point several hundred
feet above. One or two powders as large,
if not larger, had been left stranded high on
the banks, while smaller ones were scat
tered through the whole mass of debris. At
the western edge of the debris stood the rel
les of the Stanley farm. The dwelling-house
of the Stanleys was burnt out more than three
weeks ago. The household furniture, as far
as learned, was stored in the barn, and new
dwelling-house was being built, into which
the family were intending to move yester-
day. Now the new roof lies almost fiat
across the road, thirty or forty feet from its
foundation surrounded with mud and great
logs. Some men were at work early in the
morning on the house and Mr.. Stanley was
inside. Hearing the noise, they rushed out
of the house, and at first ran towards what
proved to be the path of the slide, but for
tunately turned and escaped. just below
the ruins OF the house was the carriage-shed,
which was uninjured, except by the split
. ting of of some boards on one end. In this
stood wagon, just as it was left last night.
Just beyond this was the Walker barn, and
hnrn nnn rnHt tha .,.1t- par;nt 10, %xSr
human being. Donald Walker was in the
barn milking and was caught between a
, great rock and a huge log. AS soon as the
first moment of alarm was over the men
rushed to the ruins of the barn, heard the
groans of the injured man and extricated
him. He had one leg broken and it is feared
that he has suffered some internal injury,
but to all who looked into the confused
, mass of ruins from which he was taken, the
9 only wonder is that he escaped alive AT
l this place a horse was carried some rods
: and when sawed out of the debris was ap-
parently uninjured. A COW, also was
j., taken out, with both horns knocked off but
Z as soon as released she went calmly to feed
! ing. A pig with broken legs was killed to
n end its misery, while three cows and two
: more pigs were swept away and covered up
a in the mass of mud and logs. About fifty
= rods above the Stanley farm lives the
! French Canadian family of John Boudreau
- The house stands not more than fifteen feet
= = from the logs and mud, and the only thing
- that saved it and another back of it from
= being swept away was the DETECTION of the
j slide by a somewhat higher bank above the
- house. Near this house were the bodies of
- three cattle swept upon the bank Not the
least pathetic scene of the morning was to
!, hear little barefooted French girl tell, in
q halting English, her dark eyes cleaning
. with long-Suppressed tears, that her pet calf
!; had been killed. The whole family had
- not yet arisen, and it seems only fortunate
a :, miracle that saved them all from the fate of
n the little girls pet calf. Standing at point
n n some distance above the Boudreau house one
a could trace the course of the slide. Begin
h ming almost at the very top of the peak, with
:, breadth of only a few feet, it swept straight
q down steep incline for several hundred feet,
~ widening as it went, till, in the broadest
= part, 1t is not less than twenty-five or thirty
II rods wide. 1t then followed the course of
:, Stanley Brook as this turned toward the
+ west sweeping out the side of the brook,
~ whose banks are very steep and high. AS
= it came out of the forest it struck the west
4 side of the ravine, and then went by a sue
u cesson of bounds mot less than six from
side to side, till it reached an open pasture,
!. where 1t had chance to spend its force.
~ Standing in this elevated position dark line
,, OF mud and logs lay in sight, bordering a
; ravine forty or fifty feet deep, along the
bottom of which rolled the muddy waters of
q Stanley Brook. Here and there splintered
u stump showed how high upon the bank the
> rushing mass had reached, while the small
= stone ana branches scattered about helped
!, us to believe one man who said that
u stones seemed to be flying in all direc-
% tlons. Where the rushing slide struck the
Z side of the brooks course, mud and logs are
II piled twenty feet more higher than on
9 the opposite bank, showing how compact
= and, as it We're, unified, the mass was. In
N deed, there seems to have been no great
q amount of water in the slide, but it was al
II most entirely stones, mud ard logs. AS we
: were standing on the roof lying across the
II road, which is covered for several hundred
; feet, and measuring the depth of the mud,
: four and half feet at this point, a pho
tograpber appeared on the spot to obtain
q views of the scene of devastation; and later
= = in the day we saw that he had made his way
,, TO the great rock, spoken of above, to take a
3 view. At this point of the ruined house
. the scene was quite animated, as carriages
. were continually coming and going with
- their loads of curiosity seekers, while every
q one was exclaiming at the tremendous con-
n fusion and destruction around. The STAN
~ ley family is especially deserving of SYM
- pathy. 1t was sad to see the household fur
|, niture, hay and timber piled in confusion.
and to think of the hard struggle which pos
= sibly lay before them. There is, am glad
- TO say, strong feeling that the catas trophe
" has given 10 all, residents and visitors alike,
an opportunity to do that charity of which
!. It was said it is more blessed to give than
: to receive. "