Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-09-08
THE FORCE OF THE FLOOD.
Graphic Description of tho Last Slide
on lIount hInusnoId.

A Graphic Description of tho Last slide
ON Mount Mhus6old.
The following minute description Of the
new slide is given by Prof. II. A. Storrs,
who visited tho scene fuw days since:
| Ascending from Underhl Centre we find
that ON the last of the two miles to the
Half Way House clearing the road has not
been much damaged, and following a level
wood road northward for a quarter of a
mile we strike tie water course leading up
to the foot of the Slide Here the irresistible
force OF a mountain torrent is demonstrated,
Huge trees, foot or more in diameter
have not only been swept down the noun.
tain side, but In their rapid descent have
struck across some sturdy giant of the for
est and been shattered. Other trees have
collected on this aud bouders and gravel
have lodged on top of all, thus obstructing
the flow OF the stream and causing the
waters to plunge into the dense growth
of timber on either side, whore lat
crel burrows have been ploughed down.
ward till the force of the stream was spent.
Yet this point is half a mile below the foot
of tho slide proper, and, as we discover
later, is only one of two or three main
courses through which this grent volume
Of water was discharged on the afternoon
of August 4.
Climbing up this steep rocky bed, where
every hundred feet on ward means 30 feet
upward, we sec that the channel Is some
times 20 feet deep and 80 wide and tho ter
rifle speed of the stream can be imagined
bv noticing how great spruces have been
| broken OH squarcly and then turned end
over end us they struck against solid Lodges
or stumps. a great birch, drifting down,
has thrust ona end firmly in among tho I'M
yielding tfca trunks at side, ami the
other end, protruding out into the stream,
has been hammered 10y the drifting bouders
and logs into small spiintcrs perhaps five
feet long, and there it now stands, several
feet above the stream bed, Ike giant
paint brush hung up in the sun to dry.
! Soon we find a granite boulder tossed to
one side by the playful waters and resting
partially on stranded trse trunks. 1t
measures IA by l4t by II feet and is ost
| mated to weigh 100 tons. A distance of
hnf a mile horizontally and nearly 1000
feet vertically from our starting point
brings us TO the foot of the slide. Below Us
the larger part of tho material has been de
posted in the first 600 feet. 1t consists
Chiefly of boulders and gravel, for most OF
the trees have COMO further down. Above
Us extends the bare smooth rock, about as
steep as the roof Of house, from which
the heavy first growth apruces have been
swept clean by the trcmenlous down pour
OF wafer from the cloud. Under tho noon
day sun this lodge of mica scAist, bare Of
moss, earth or sand, and washed by the lit
tie streams that now tr.ckle down, & i ten
and sparkles. GERS must claYs. before tits
scar on the cheek OF the old !uan Of the
mountain can be covered BY natures hand
with now growth OF verdure
Its width at the bottom is over 200 feet;
its lengtu ON tho surface about 1Gj feet an i
the total descent from end to end ABOUT 400
feet. At the upper end j.; nearly vertical
wal OF rock, about - feet high oal ,I'!ic.-
entity BROKEN to render climbing poss biz
but exciting. On top OF tuis we nnI me
surfing point OF the slid. a slope etc Ler
than that below, and by measurement :olaI
to uc nearly - degrees and j.y fac. g.. Z
with al area Of hal an ecc- FURNISHED .
ma.cr.a w.th which TIE work q .eTa.:2
ton WIS tegun
1t ii !cu.y to imagine t;w /. 40.
no water course leads = Us I...-. -.
steep s.ore &, ore i II. c-T-.+4 -
bushes, moss AM fern. g.. --.a 20
either was there s.u.s.-a:un o.: Cay -
which great mas. o. water-soabt! ear.
and v2ce,st:0a IN cht easily slide. BU.. =, Il
. p--icct tsrTea- Lesce"-.,, from tie cloud
oa this devoted spot, troas and rocks wert
; hurled over tie cl.t, crushing tue trees be
meath anu, having gained IN weight and no
) iueutum, rushed on down the mountain sill,
carrying everything before It 70 tie foot y
the steep s.ope. Hers some mighty trees he'll
their ground, causing the avalanche o
, water, rocks and trees to split into severa
Gtreams which forced their separate way
through the forest AMI finally united at III,
Lcul waters of Brown : river.
y short sharp climb to overcome the Re.
manning elevation OF 800 feet brings u, I,
: the top OF the mountain above the slide, an,
at > O'Clock p. m. We stand on the chin
The course OF the torrent can b
easily traced from thu foot Of the slid
+ down through the timbered ravino and GU
upon the meadow i"uds of the APPARENT,
Level val!ey. Other slides OF loss extent caI
be seen on the sides of Sterling mountain
across Smuggltrs' Notch \ party has com
up from Cambridge and reports another
large side On the northwest side of tn
e chin, and through the clear air VIC sea be
e yonl the blue lake "Oil Whitetace" witt
. from year to year.
Descending we reach Tnderhill Centre il
; time for the stage which is suppo ,od t,
, start at Gao p. IN. aud re, ca Undsrh.ll il
time for tho ,:01 train, due IN Burlington
about o'clock. Even though there is a,
odd Fellows excursion on the Darlington
and Lamoille one may get home before mid
night, and by means will one regret hav
ing taken the trip"
THREE MEN FATALLY SHOT.
The RAidins of "A Chicago Race Tracl