The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-05-02
II WAS AN AWFUL CATACLYSM
A Mile-Wide River Filled With
Clay Banks,
Which lowered One Hundred and
Fifty Feet Above Its Level.
Five Occupants of Farm Crushed On
der the Failing Earth, and the
Exact Spot OF Their Burial
Place Unknown.
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
ST. AIBANs. Quebec, (vis Lach-
evrotiere), May 1.-sam Gsuthier, a
farmer of st. Adams, his wife Emily.
their sons Joseph and David and q
brother, are buried under 100 feet OF
earth by the terrible landslide OF Friday
last.
The principal scene OF the accident is
Is miles from the nearest telegraph sta
ton and this is the reason why news OF
this terrible freak of nature was not
given sooner to the outside world. For
miles there is nothing but desolation.
Where the st. Anne was once nearly a
mile wide. it is now only narrow
stream, raging and surging in vain at
tempt to break it's new bounds.
Woods, houses and cattle are all gone
and nothing is left but barren ground of
uneven height for six miles back. Here
and there the debris OF the Inflated
farm houses, gransries and outhouses
are seen in little heaps, tangled up with
unrooted trees and earcasses of dead
cattle, but most of it has been swept
into the river and carried long since into
the st. Lawrence and thence toward the
ocean.
The shores OF the river are of peculiar
formation and rise $50 feet above the
level OF the water except for mile or 80,
where the Glide occurred. Here for al
most seven miles back the earth has
gentle declivity and ia nearly level with
the river, whose bed has risen at least go
feet. What the scene must have been
when the earth began to move can be
imagined. The lower soil of the river
bank ia composed OF clay, honeycombed
by the water, that for years back has
filtered through from the mountains.
1t was o'clock in the evening when
these clay banks caved, and with thou
sands OF tons of sand on top slid into the
river. The farmers were just preparing
for supper. The noise was terrific, but
was followed by sudden calm, for the
roar of the falls had been smothered in
the crumbling earth. The ground. how
ever, kept ON vibrating as from an earth
quake, and the farmers for miles around
rushed out OF their houses for shelter,
which they did not know where to find.
Alter the first panic was somewhat
allay ed they went back, but the river
had slowly risen, snow and ice. which is
still plentiful here, helping to strengthen
its power. The water rose for miles. 1t
was fully 100 feet high when the earth
began again moving first slowly, then
faster and finally so fast that those who
were fleeing were thrown down. 1t is a
miracle indeed thas no more human
lives were lost.
The ground near the river slipped off
first and the first house was that of the
Gauthiers, which shared the fate OF the
pulp mills farther down by the first
break in the shore. There is not the
slightest doubt but the whole of the
poor Gauthier family are dead. When
the landslide started the house was seen
to be on fire and even had they not been
buried or smothered to death, they must
have been crushed under the immense
quantities of earth that kept sliding on
top OF them. No one is really certain as
to the exact spot where they we're bur-
led and it is possible the bodies may
never be recovered.
1t is difficult to exactly describe the
state of affairs. The debris OF the
houses and the dead animals are situated
in what was before Friday the middle
of the river. Even today it ia impos-
sible to cross the river, although an at
TENT will be made to repair the bridge
at St. Adams this afternoon. All the
boats from miles around have been
swept away. Thousands of people
crowd the banks and point out to one
another where the farms of their
friends stood.
MONTREAL. Maya French evening
paper states that the Gauthier family
of four who were buried under the dis
astrous landslide at st. Albans on Fri
day night last, were dug out of
their living tomb on Monday, after an
imprisonment Of three days and nights.
On Sunday the cure of the parish
visited the scene of the disaster and
blessed the spot when, rescue followed.