Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1903-01-22
DISLIKED BY NATURE
Towns That Seem to Be Chosen
Marks of the Elements.
Where Rain Falls Heaviest, snow
Lies Thickest and Thunder ana
Lixhtning Exhibit the
Greatest Violence.

which Dame Nature seems W hATOoh
a curious spite, as if she would say:
This site is not meant to build upon.
Langtoft, a little place OF some ooO
people in the East Riding OF Yorkshire,
England, is one of these. Over and
over again has tho weather all round
been fine and clear, yet the valley IN
which Langtoft stands has been
shrouded in heavy clouds and drenched
with rain. The snow in winter always
seems to lie thickest on the woids
above the town, and to cause floods
more or less disastrous a. it melts IN
the spring.
The climax came on a Sunday even
ING two SUNNI srs ago, says the Chicago
Tribune.
After a hot day a violent thunder
storm broke. Then there appeared IN
the west an inky cloud, from which
hung four long, twisting black COL
umns.
Suddenly, just after six o'clock, a wall
of water came roaring down the h1ll-
side above the village. When 1t struck
the upper end of the street it was seven
feet high. In twinkling it had demol-
ished number of houses, and torn par
titions from others, and swept away
every thing in its path. What was LETT
was so plastered with mud and earth
as to be almost useless.
No one was killed. but the destruc-
ton of domestic animals, OF houses,
property and roads was complete. Gar-
dens and grazing lands were ruined.
Even the parish we'll was utterly
choked with mud and dead animals.
South four miles on
the east of Bournemouth, has far bet
ter air than the latter town, and looks
as if it ought to be just the site for
health resort Tens of thousand have
been spent in the effort to make 1t so,
vet nature had said no, and mans Ell
forts have proved unavailing.
A handsome pier was built, support
ed on the shore by immense cement
walls. The pier is now only ap-
preached by single plank. It's center
supports are gone, and it is the resort
oply of two or there fishermen. The
cement wall looks like a wave-eaten
cliff. Further along the shore neat
row of houses was built in great re-
cess. cut back al vast expense In the
cliff. The sea cut in below them, and
the owner was forced to raze them
and carry the material away.
There is no great city in Europe
which nature so evidently wishes to
be rid of as St. Peters burg. Built in
the first place on fow-lying swamp,
which was filed in at a cost of hun
dreds of lives and hundreds of thou
sands of pounds, fevers reduced 1ts
populat ton and gave it death rate
higher than any other European cap
ital. Failing so to oust its builders, ma
ture used new weapon The ice came
down in spring out of Lake Ladoga'
and, piling against the new WharVes
and bridges, damned the Neva and
flooded the city. Every spring saw
repetition Of these disastrous hoods,
which. even after they dried away, LETT
the streets mere quagmires. The ST
petersburgers now defeat the HOOD
bv setting to work thousands OF men
at the first s1ring thaw, who cut and
blast the river ice, and leave free pass
ages for tie lake ice to sail down
stream unnindered.
Vet still The struggle goes on. For
some wears past it has been apparent
that St. Petersburg is becoming city
of toothless people. Dentists ascrIoe
This curious fact to the effiuvia from
The rotten vegetation deep buried un-
dor the new suburbs of the city. so
serious is the matter becoming that
there is a strong agitation IN favor OF
once more removing the capital OF Kus-
sia to some other site.
Russia has another town against
natural forces are waging a terrible
war. This is Schemacha, in the eau
casus. When Schemacha w. founded
if was for long impossible +" oct sup
nlv of drinking water. The cltleUIty
was overcome by bringing water from
a distance. Next came a series OF ter
rihle epidemics-frst smallpox. then
cholera. and then SMALLPOX again. Yet
the city grew. helped TO prosperity ~
the petroleum trade, and began tins
wear with 35, 900 people.
In February last the town was hum
ming with industry, when one dull bn'
warm morning came suddenly terrific
crash of thunder The solid ground be
! ,.on To vibrate. A few seconds latel
! tbere was a horrible cracking sound
! I'D tho whole of the MohammedaI
cuarter was thrust upwards bubble
like, till it's houses were reared nlei
upon a hill. The bubble burst and IN
stead of a town there lay formIes'
heap of ruins, from which red flames
leaped and crackled toward the glgan
tic paU of dust which hid the sky.
within week Schemacha's survivor
determined to rebuild their ruined city
They had hardly reached the decision