The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-07-21
Up Mad River Valley,


Fayston Mountain-One Hundred and
Twenty Acres of Dense Timber Land
Hurled into the Valley elow-Narr
Escape of People Living Mt the Base of
the Mountain-The Story in Detail.
A representative OF the WATcHMAH drove
the Mad river valley last week to
look over the devastation wrought in that
fertile section by the recent floods, and to
see the havoc and ruin left in the track OF
the landslide from Fayston mountain.
Bad as was the flood OF the last week in
the Mad river valley this was not the hrst
time hat section has been visited by high
water. The worst Hood in the history OF
the valley was in July, 1880, when the high
water carried out the dam at Waitsheld and
a large portion OF the and lying in the val
ley between Waitsfield and Moretown was
under several feet OF water. Again in July,
1850, and in October, 1869, disastrous floods
swept through the valley running crops, car
rying away bridges, and badly damaging
highways.
The farmers between Middlesex and
Moretown suffered very little damage by
the high water Of a week ago but soon after
leaving Moretown the effects OF the flood
are still plainly visible. In the lower part
OF the valley but little hay had been cut
and a careful and conservative estimate
shows that at least three hundred acres OF
heavy grass, corn, oats and potatoes were
practically ruined. The muddy water de-
DOblIeu n SbulIDbuU IL bu6 nay MulOh AOh-
ders it unfit for feed and worthless except
for bedding. On the fertile farm OF Judge
G. f. Jones fully fifty tons Of first-class hay
were ruined, and the judge would be glad
to give it to any one who would cut 1t and
haul it away. Where the current was not
swift the potatoes were not so badly dam
aged, but the corn is fiat and under the
most favorable circumstances from now un'
til harvest time, will be poor and stunted.
The highways between Moretown and
Waitsfeld were but little damaged and a
comparatively small sum will put them in
good shape again.
THE FAYsToN Lam SLIDE.
An occasional old resident of Waitsield
or of Fayston can be found who remembers
the great land slide of une 3, 1927, when
about one hundred acres OF heavily tim
bered land slid off Fayston mountain and
was deposited in the valley beneath But
it will be many a long year before the " old
est inhabitant " OF hat section OF Washing
ton county will cease TO talk OF the occur
FENCES of last Wednesday morning, when
one OF the most extensive avalanches ever
known in Vermont and possibly in New
England, without warning came rushing
down the side of Warren and Fayston noun
tain, and was deposited in the valley below.
The WATCHMAN reporter visited the scene
in person and climbed the three miles that
intervenes between the immense lheaps
of debris in the valley, to its starting point
far up the mountain. After a drive OF four
miles from the village Of Waitsfield the
home of Hollis Mehuron, near the foot Of
the mountain, was reached. Mr.. Mehuron's
farm buildings were directly in the track OF
the avalanche nj it only seems a pure
providence that about one hundred rods
toward the mountain, from his buildings,
the avalanche took a sharp turn, following
the course of the brook and came between
the buildings OF Mr.. Mehuron and Julius
Hickory. Mr.. Mehuron has lived on the
farm he now owns for the past thirty years
and has not only wrung from those stony
acres q subsistence, but has educated a large
family OF children, paid for his farm and
laid by a comfortable competency. While
a large portion of his crops and moving lot
were ruined by the avalanche that swept
over it, damaging him several hundred dol,
lars, he and his family were so happy and
thankful to think that their home was left
and their lives spared that their financial
loss troubles them little.
The top of the slide was situated in the
town of Warren. What started 1t will
| never be known. An immense rock esti-
mated to weigh nearly two hundred tons
fell that morning a distance OF ten rods
from a nearly perpendicular height, and
| where this immense boulder struck was the
beginning of the slide. 1t started nearly at
the top Of the mountain at two separate
points, and after a distance Of about one
hundred rods the two came together and
the combined avalanche went laundering
and crashing to the foot Of the mountain,
nearly three miles, and it's momentum car
ried it nearly a mile further upon compare
lively level ground. A small brook trickles
down the mountain side in this valley that
was swept by the landslide, and last
| Wednesday this stream was swollen to q
raging torrent. About one hundred and
twenty acres OF heavily wooded spruce tim
Der lane went Town in the slide, leaving
the rocks behind almost perfectly bare.
The r-,Ith ~ thn oualonnhn "ou
twenty rods and at several points near the
top Of the slide it was at least sixty feet
deep. The noise was deafening and was
heard for a distance OF five miles and more.
The avalanche made two sharp turns, one
about a half mile from the top Of the slide
boulder, and again as it left the forest just
back Of the residence Of Hollis Mehuron.
The last house under the mountain Is oc-
cupied by Charles Belts. His buildings
very narrowly escaped destruction. The
slide passed so close to his house that the
trunks of the huge trees that were carried
down came within a very few feet of his
barn, and during the fifteen minutes that
the seething mass was passing his home,
the feelings Of himself n his family can
better be imagined than described. They
supposed the whole mountain was coming
down upon them and expected every mo-
ment that their little home would be-
crushed and they themselves hurled into
eternity. Mr.. Belts we'll knew that the
buildings of Mr.. Mehuroh below him were
Immediately in the track Of the avalanche
but he dared not leave his own family to go
to Mr.. Mehuron's assistance, and it was
more thar an hour before he learned that
the landslide had taken q sharp turn a few
rods below him and that Mr.. Mehuron and
Mr.. Hickory were safe.
About half way from the starting point to
the valley below, the force Of the avalanche
was 80 tremendous that it tore out the logs,
rocks and debris deposited in its path by
the old landslide of seventy years ago. The
logs were in a remarkable state OF preserva-
ton and bore the appearance Of having lain
only q very few years.
The land that was swept out OF existence
was wned by G.. A. Mehuron, q. N. Bill
lings and Fred Parker, and, although it wes
covered with heavy spruce timber, 80 far
was it from civilization that these gentle
men TINA their loss at the surprisingly
low figure OF 500 each.
BY actual measurement it was 1884 feet
above the level OF the sea where the slide
started n 1,478 feet above the level of the
sea where it was deposited in the valley,
making an actual fall OF 2,416 feet.
Mr.. Mehuron and his sons were nxiou
to give the newspaper man all the informa-
ton in their power and talked very freely
Of the exciting experiences through which
they had recently passed. Mr.. Mehuron said.
" i was working in my potato patch, right