The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-09-10

Viii result IN changing the course OF
the famous river Rhoae. Already the
colllery OF Grand Combe. In the little
village OF the came name. and the best
part OF a mile Of the Atlas railway
have been destroyed. and the dwoliera
In that region have had TO Gee before
the mountains slow and Irresistible
advance.
The entire movement q strange and ]
peculiar One reads OF the transforma-
lions OF the oarths surface which took /
place In the geological ages. but such /
an event has not been known 10 happen
hitherto In these times Of ours. The /
primal cause OF this mountains moving
IL said 10 be the weakening Of It's base
Of grit and green mari by the continual
lnhltration Of rain. The lower portions
Of the enormous mass Of soil and bowl
ders have given way and the whole
vast bulk. which has hitherto lifted rs
head high above the valley. IL gradual
~ slipping down toward the far-on ser,
threaiening 20 choke up both the Gard
and the Carbon rivers which ming.e
and ilow down to the Rhone through
the valley along which The mountain Is
making It's way.
Many people are travelling out from
nearby Mines each day TO get q look
at this phenomenon. As many as 5000
sighiseers have already visited the dis
irlct. and great care has 10 be taken
that none Of them venture on he
mountain Itself or In the path Of the
moving mass.
As Il moyes. and the advance Ia 81
most pcrceptible az one stands by and
watches closely. the noise IL deafenlng
and tine and time again with sound
like a mufIlei explosion the surface OF
the mountain side breaks into great
cracks and erevasses. some Of which
are wide enough Tor q railway traiRrta
pass through.
Il was Just such vast dlsplacem
OF earth as this that used 10 occn
this region ages ago. 80 the sclent
say. before man made his appearaiit-
on the earth, and q Is owing 10 N ,se
natural phenomena Of the far-ofi period
that the 2hone and lts smaller sister
the Gard. stand almost unique among
the rivers Of France. For these rivers
are continually shifting In their course.
and eating away AZ times great bites
OF land In one place and building Il ur
IN another. but ell the time washing
down vast masses Of earth and stone q
the delta OF the Rhone. which wa
called BY the Romans Gallo Egypt OF
account Of the fertility Of these enor
nous quantities Of alluvlal soil brouga
down and deposited BY the spriag fool
which ovtrspread the region 10 th'
routh Of Arlos. This moving mountain
Of the Gard will IN all probability b
. eventually washed down TO the Rhou'
i delta. for tA.s same thing has beef
o happening on a smaller scale for eentu
i rles alorg the course Of the Rhone AM
4 the Gard.
\ An exceedingly curious land IL an TIT
p country. curious not only because Of II
j. picturesque inhabitants that Dautc
4 has portrayed with such faiihfulness
4 but especially because Of this little IN
e dersiooi. migratory. ever-shliting rive
" Hhone. In what the scientists call a
q dlluvlal epoch what Is now the deit
!. OF this strange river was a great ha
Ie into which the blue waters OF the Medl
In terranean poured. Now the mouth q
!. the Rhone makes almost a broad an
y Cat peninsula. stretching out into N
'e great inland SEA
o. This wonderful change was largcl
N brought about by a geologic moyemcr
he Of which this sliding mountain IL a
"a excellent example. The Rhone was
el small stream In those pre- damlte day
" but Il was destined to become a gre.
y one Two colossal deluges swept dow
w. from the Alps along the course OF III
DO river. and the nuranee. Us trihutar
carrying an before them In their fur
aud bringing down huge masses
stone which the force Of the torrel
PC ground into pebbles along the overflow
" Ing banks.
p" Such a vast quantity OF earth az
stone must nnd Judgment somewher
ana Il was carried beyond the n,
mouth OF the Rhone. miles out und
the Mediterranean There q makes
bed Of rubble that Is sixty feet In dep
aud which still exists almost as 4 VI
In the beginning But not an Of q
mountain powders and coil that we
carried down by these torrents IN The
hcadloag course reached tae mouth
this now great river. A conslderat
portion o. them remained scatter
4 along from ,he mountains to the 81
IN forming vast alm,ial plain. the a
II tribuilon telng helped along by sec
NJ OF tributaries, Of which the Gard "
N one.
Though th.s vast tract OF fertlllz,
mud and stone the river Rhone
wandered for centuries. choosing va
Gus courses for Itself AZ various tim
M changing even from season 70 seas,
ne This wandering OF the great rlv
ost though u proved a tribe lnconvenle
ems 10 tae poasaniry. left nevertheless
Of vast extent Of fertile soll capable
.ps growing any French product W
me The time Of Louis XIV the Rhone y
y A len pretty much "a itself. with the
ma csptoa Of the numerous canals q
aiFnclcd - The delta by We Roml
hpi LAMA shinkina ~ cold lmpr
npoa nature. sptal nIlllont e doll
Iiis1 n strengthening ne hanka q IN n
On. 80 a. mela eFsnshss sHa g,.Esine 4
- it4ala Fiit|h f9A