Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-07
FLOODS In IRELAND
Water Damage Most Serious in
Memory of Man.
TOWNS INUNDATED FOR DAYS
Bread and Letters Have to Be Dis
' tributed by Boat. y
LARGE MOVING BOG IN GALWAY
Fertile Land at Lismore Overwhelmed
by Curious Disaster.
BISHOPS FOR FREE SCHOOLS
Declare Against Proposal to Make
irish Co,hpulsOry study at Ma
tIonaI Untversity---stOry of
Blake Fortune.
Fertile Land at LiSmore Overwhelmed
by Curious Disaster.
BISHOPS FOR FREE SCHOOLS

northwest ireland nave 0etn lH0 SSehcS
during the last few days Of the most dis
astrous floods in the memory OF the Oldest
inhabitants. Not for ninety years, It is
said. have the floods been SO extensive and
= isastrous The trouble began with a
h,avy snowfall which lasted for three
days. covering the hills nearly foot deep
with a mantle OF snow. Then came
thaw and n heavy rain and the natural re-
suit was that the water came rushing
down from the mountains in great torrents
and overwhelmed the valleys The rivers
we're not able to carry It off and large
districts are still under water.
The districts which have suffered most
are the Finn, Mourne and Foyle valleys In
Tyrone and Donegal. Strabane, which lies
where the Finn and Mourne unite to form
the Foyle, was turned into poor imita-
tJon of Venice Half the town was covered
by six feet of water and the residents were
COMPELLED to take refuge in the upper
stories OF their houses. Food supplies and
letters were delivered at the ends of pitch
forks, from boats which piled up and down
the main street. The town was cut OH
from railway communication for NUMBER
of days and It must be remembered that 1t
is an important railway junction. 1t is on
the main line Of the Great Northern rail
than four narrow gauge railways which
tap rich agricultural districts In the two
counties. The Great Northern trains, in
stead OF running through to the terminus
at Derry, were forced to stop and go back
some miles east of strabane Enormous loss
has been inflicted on the farmers In the
flooded districts.
Hog Overwhelms Farms.
49, aad Hxf
the rains at I,ismore, County Galway. Sew
Y eral hundred acres of bog on the lower
slopes of Mount Mary began to move few
nights ago and swept down on the fertile
lands at the bottom OF the mountain. Every
thing in the path OF the moving bog was
overwhelmed, and doSens OF houses were
angulfed in the mass OF semi-fiuid matter,
which averages a depth OF twelve feet.
Most of the farmers had time to get out
Abefore the bog reached their houses, but
vthey could not save their stock or their
household belongings and twenty families
are absolutely destitute. One old woman
was caught In her house and engulfed and
so far all efforts to recover her body
have proved unsuccessful
THE whole face of the district has been
changed. Hundreds of acres Of fertile grass
and farm land have been covered with
dozen feet OF peat. and will never be worth
anything for cultivation again
Hundreds OF men have been employed to
omen I'M the water-courses and to attempt
10 check the progress OF the bog. but they
have not been able to accomplish much.
The bog continues to move at intervals.
= some times slowly and some times as fast
as five miles an hour. All the farmers in
the direction of its movement are prepared
TO evacuate their houses at moments s
notice The local priests are organizing a
relief fund for the people whose houses
and stock have been engulfed.
National Convention Not National.
A great deal Of feeling has been caused
by the decision of the Irish party to ex-
clude from representation at the coming ma
tional convention of a number OF branches
Of the United Irish league In Cork Linn
erick and Kerry, apparently because these
hranches are not In accord with the present
poIiey OF the party. The 10 branches of
the Land and Labor association, an organ
ization with an immense membership. have
also been excluded. Mr.. William O'Brien,
NJ p. voices the general dissatisfaction by
declaring that . convention to be truly ma
tonal must include men OF all shades OF
Thought. and that the only way to settle
Hhc differences which are now weakening
the Irish party is for men OF all opinions
10 meet and thresh out their disputes on
the floor of the convention.
The Catholic bishops of ireland have de-
clared against the proposal to make Irish
compulsory subject for matriculation al
the new National university, and It is ex-
pected that the senate OF the university
win follow this lead, and make Irish q
eelective subject The bishops declare that
TO make Irish compulsory would probably
have the effect OF driving away a number
of young men who otherwise would CONS
under Gaelic influences in the new uni.
versity, and would in the end becoms
good Irishmen. They propose AZ an alterna
tive that bright and attractive centers oi
Gaelic study be set up and they point I,
the spread OF the teaching OF the Irisl
tongue in the elementary and secondary
schools OF the country as a vindieation o.
the voluntary principle.
story of Blake Fortune.
The romantic story Of the Blake fortun,
has been revived by the announcement
Of Michael Feeney. a schoolmaster OF Bal
inastanford. near ciaremorris that he ha
succeeded in tracing some OF the heirs o
Helen Blake. General Robert Dudle,
Blake was q great English landowner. ant
while he was a young captain In Dublin n,
tell m love with Helen Sheridan. the beau
tlful daughter of a country schoolmasteeT
He had her educated In England. and Il
sis he married her In Scotland. On hi
ieath in 1saO he left all his property 4
his widow, Helen Blake died intestate II
I.ondon In 1876 Her real fortune was for
geited~to the crown ON account OF her In
lestacy. but she left personal estate WORT
u.1a0o0e. and this taken over by tn
court of chancery. Efforts we're made Z
Ind heirs but none were found and II
J. stimsted that the estate is now wort
y bout s1.500O00 Mr.. Feeney has discovere,
4 NO families In Sheridan in county May
no are descended from brothsrs Q
Helen's father and he has also discovers
the existence OF descendants OF her sister
In county Galway, but has not fully es
tabEEAeo their claim yet
F. X CULLEN.