Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1895-04-10
". W. B. GALLARER. Edtsor.
Iprii 10. 1875
Meifina Like IVG.u.

hciItHu Lihe HH't'
A French professor told the recent Sci
eniic congress in Rome that "all nom
tains will vanish off the face of the earth
in course Of time" We do not doubt it,
for il is diyiuely foretold thai the earth
Itself will disappear at The end of time
However, the Frenchmans prophecy is
already IN course of realization. The Ar
denues, lie Pyrcnces and the mountains
of Provence are going 10 pieces by degrees
IL our own age. The mighty Hymalayas,
as il weary Of rearing their forms sub
lime through 50 many generations, nod
ded their hea Is in one place two years ago
and hurled Into the valleys below mass
Of debris which was estimated at 500 00O-
600 tons. The largest locomotive ON the
fast trains on the Hudson river railway
weighs only 81 tons. That Asalic noun
tain slide, therefore, caused au avalanche
equivalent 10 The tumble OF about Is,
600 900 such locomotives off i bridge TO-
600 feet high. Little wonder Iha, 'the
noise was terrific" aud that "lhe natives
were frightened" Masses OF rock were
hurled a mile away, aud many blocks OF
do,omilic limestone were sent like cannon
balls through the air"
In 1881, in the Alps, there was an I'M
mense hill fall, caused by its human un-
dermining in order to obtain slate for
school use. The mining began in 1868.
In 1876 the Plattenberkoph split across
its crown, and after progressive enlarge
ments for years, which caused comment
and forebodiugs, it fell in the year named.
This catastrophe precipilaIed about -
100000 cnbic yards of rock 1,475 feet
downward into the valley. The debris
ricochetted across the valley and rolled
325 feet up the opposite slope, where 1t
was canted over sideways, and then pour
ed like liquid over horizontal plane OF
300 900 square feet and to a depth OF
from 50 to 10 teel.
One.half of the village of Elm was
overwhelmed, and it was so swiftly cleft
by the resislless mas that the line was
sharply defined, aud one house was cut in
two. One hundred aud fifteen people
were buried. One home was left on the
very verge, of which the doors were open,
the fires burned, the table was set the
coffee was hot, but no living soul was lett
The head of the family was saved, but his
entire family, who were out looking at
the mountain fall, were lost. The debris
damned up a river for which channel
was blasted alresh. New soil was carried
into The valley, and spread over the ruins
where harvests now smile again, and the
people 90 about their work as if there
was no such thing as au avalanche in this
humbling and crumbling world.
The process of change in earth levels in
all lands is illustrated in your unpaved
back yard or village street after heavy
rains. Each Tiny rivulet, no larger than
your little finger, has It's floods, its mar
, rover limits where it runs in lis square
inch of harder soil, and is therefore pinch
ed sideways; lis sudden Swallowing and
/ widening, where the soil IS softer, and the
; panic stricken ants or bedraggled beetles
5 are caught 10 their miniature world aud
routed as men are on a larger scale. Ten
= feet square Of back yard may illustrate
' the succession of events which make seas
: shallower and mountains lover. The sur
' charged warm c'oud gets chill as 1t ca
T. resses the hea. Of some dignified peak,
r the sudden co. eusalion up-eis the shower
:, out of the atnlo spheres myriad cell buck
els, and the torrent rushes down the
= breasts and limbs OF the mountains SC
: swiftly that the surprised soil catches the
spirit Of panic and forgets to obey gravi
tation until il finds itself II sea and almost
out of sight cr shore That transfer o.
earth leaves the hills thinner and deposits
tina; which makes the river or bay or sea
somewhat less deep People live IN Tx
lowlands near their grain and fruits, anc