The Irish standard., 1905-01-21
THE MOVING BOG
In Eas Connacht Covers Miles
Of Territory.
Msny People Compelled TO Flee
From Their Homes.

y despatch from Roscommon on
Monday says
The moving bog at Cloonshiever,
about three miles from Castlerea,
which began to move towards the vii
lage. from which it takes it's name,
early on Saturday morning, has been
shiftly slowly but steadily all day, and
ut 1 this evening, the huge mass Of
peat and mud had covered a distance
OF three-quarterS of Il mile. The pub
lie road between Castlerea and French
park is completely blocked up, coat
ing about eight feet deep of mud and
water covering it for several hundred
yards. When the bog slip was first OBJ
served OH Saturday the inhabitants of
the village became alarmed. bearing in
mind the results of Il similar slip that
took place in the same locality some
years ago. To be prepared for the
worst, they had their houses cleared
and their stock and contents of the
haggard removed to place of safety.
1t was fortunate for them they did so,
us the houses cleared on Saturday are
now surrounded with several feet Of
bog, and the water i'm the interior of
the dwellings is on Il level with the
windows. The inhabitants of the
other houses are in q state of panic,
and as soon as their household be-
lon"ings can be removed the place will
he deserted. Much loss and hardship
must result to those poor people, as
the village in the vicinity of their
houses is submerged to depth of sew
eral feet, and for some years to come
the land will have gone back to what
it was before it was reclaimed by their
industry. Today Mr. Mulvany, the
County Surveyor, had large gang of
men employed at the Frenchpark end
of the slip. draining off the water,
With Il view to opening up the thor
ougllfarc.
The moving bog is on the De Frcyne
estate ut CloOnShccrers. 1t is about
eleven miles in extent. On Saturday
morning last about twenty acres of the
long moved from it's place in the space
of half an hour. The bog forms por-
ton Of Il lowlying plain, and in its
progress on Saturday, it partly COW
cred the holdings of Larry Freehill,
Tom Frcehill, Peter Kelly, and Widow
Serridge, the latter having to vacate
her house early on Saturday owing to
the water flowing in through the door.
In the course Of a few hours, the bog
destroyed almost all the crops in this
lowlying district, sweeping away a
rick of turf belonging to Patrick
Dockery, and he and another brother.
Michael Dockery, who lives in the
same place. lost about sixteen barrels
of potatoes between them. The peo-
of the neighborhood seeing the
danger of the moving mass, began
clearing their stock. furniture, etc, on
day night to be prepared for the
worst. There is at Cloonfower, q
bridge across this small tributary OF
the Suck. OH the mail car road from
Frencllpark to Castlerea, and on Satur.
day evening the mass of fluid stuff
was within about fifty yards of the
bridge, where it was stopped by a
large double fence. On the opposite
side Of the road are situated the
houses at Pat Dare, Michael Dare
John Callaghan, and John Corcoran
The houses of these people are stu
lted about ten feet over the bed of the
river in which the bog stuff is moving
md all Of them had to vacate theil
houses this morning. The grounds re
claimed by them are completely coy
cred with the bog stuff to the height
If about IL feet, and all their crops
have heen swept away. The incline OF
the hog is in direction of Kilgariffe
which is only about four hundred yards
distant. and in the event of it reach
ing there it can join the River Sucl
md will go on to the bridge of Bal
linadrunly and into the town of Cas-
tlcrca where twenty years ago a simi
lar bog slip took place. At Coolis, the
flow of the mud at the time complete
ly blocked the arches of the bridge.