Evening star., 1896-12-29
SLID AWAY
Mass Of Bog, Roaring Like an. Ocean,
Cuts a Wide Path.
HOUSES AND FARMS ARE DESTROYED
Bridges Carried Off and Roads
Ruined.
RIAL OF A MILY

DUBLIN, December 29.-During the past
terrible. night and this morning the land
slide in County Kerry continued uncheck-
ed, a copious rainfall helping the move
ment. The mass of bog mile and half
wide, roaring like the ocean, carried away
bridges and roads, destroying houses and
farms, sweeping through the Flesk valley
and emptyins peat, carcasses of COWS,
sheep and donkeys and debris of houses
into the Lake of Killarney.
The people living in the direction in
which the bog slide Is coming have fed,
and the police, searching for bodies, are
arriving on all sides.
Lord Kenmare has caused a Gordon OF
guards to be drawn around the slide in
order to prevent loss Of life.
The greatest excitement prevails in the
vicinity and all the houses there are open
to receive the hundreds of people render
ed homeless by the disaster.
Scene of the Disaster.
Near Baltimore there is an eminence
about thousand feet high, known as Boy
Hill. and 1t was here that the landslide
occurred. as telegraphed to yesterdays
Star. The rains percolating through the
ground gradually loosened a huge mass of
|
out the slightest warning, a large part of
the surface Of the hill began to slide to-
ward the valley. Gaining momentum as it
moved 1t swept downward with a roaring
Sound, carrying rocks, trees and everything
before 1t for miles. In soma places the
path of the landslide was a mile wide. and
as 1t moved along 1t buried everything, en-
tlrely changing the aspect of tine section
over which it passed.
Killed in the CatastrOphe.
The residence Of Mr.. Donnelly, steward
OF Lord Kenmare, one of whose seats Kill
larney House, is at Killarney, was en-
CURED in the mass OF earth and debris.
and Gil Its occupants, Mr.. Donnelly, his
wife and seven children, were killed. 1t
is supposed that the house was swept from
Its foundations by the on-rushing mass.
overturned, and buried to a great depth.
AS Its present locality is not known Il
Is hardly probable that the bodies win
ever be recovered.
All the cattle, pigs and horses on the
place were also buried, and there is now
scene of utter desolation where on Sun
day stood the neat dwelling and outbuild-
ings of Mr.. Donnelly.
The movement of the landslide was to
the southwest, in the direction Of the
river Flesk into which a large portion of
the earth slipped, blocking it up The cur
rent OF the river was employed in run
ming dyna mos which furnished electric
Ao"e AoA Inc AS1Iy Asylum ana
some buildings in Killarney. The block
Ing of the river, of course, stopped the
current and rendered the dynamos tempo
rarily useless. All the buildings using the
light from this source were plunged into
darkness, and it was some time before
other light could be obtained
1t Was a Bog That slid.
The part of the hill where the slide be-
gan was a bog, and much Of the earth
that moved was very soft. Huge quanti-
ties plunged into the river, and there is
danger Of the back water flooding the coun-
try round about, unless the current is able
to carry the debris down with it. If any,
body was passing along the roads at the
time the slide passed over the highways
they would surely have been buried There
have been no reports of anybody being
missing and on this is based the belief
that there was no loss of life outside the
Donnelly family.
The thatch which formed the roof Of
the Donnelly house was found floating in
the river, and some people surmise that
the bodies of some Of the family may have
been carried that far us WELL