I897-] PRAEGER. — Bog-bursts — Recent Disaster, Co. hCerry. 147 



Under the estimate of the cost of a scheme for draining the 

 bog, we find the following interesting item : — "Two cuts into 

 a swamp on the summit, 304 perches at 35. 6^., £^2> 4-^-" 



Mr. lyeonard, lyord Kenmare's agent, states that on visiting 

 the bog at mid-day on Monday, about eight hours after the 

 outburst, its surface for about a mile above the site of the turf- 

 cutting was no longer convex but level. As the escape of 

 fluid material continued, the surface correspondingly sank, 

 till a shallow saucer-shaped depression was formed, opening 

 by a narrow trough into the Carraundulkeen stream. At each 

 side of the mouth of this trough there could still be seen the 

 undisturbed ends of the turf-cutting ; the central portion, for 

 the width of a furlong, had disappeared. lyooking eastwards 

 from this point, a wdde, broad valley appeared to extend up- 

 wards into the bog. On January 2nd, when we saw it, this 

 depression was 7 furlongs in length by 5 furlongs wide, with a 

 maximum depth of 28 feet. From careful inquiries it would 

 appear that the former elevation of the centre of the bog above 

 the undisturbed edge of the depression was about 7 feet, so that 

 the total subsidence amounted to no less than 35 feet. The 

 margin of this collapsed portion of the bog was clearly marked, 

 so that we had no difficulty in tracing it on the 6-inch map. 

 The slope near the side was comparatively steep, lessening 

 towards the middle ; the steep margin was marked by con- 

 centric fissures, which, when of sufficient width, were occupied 

 by great masses of *' sludge " which had risen from below. 

 Near the margin, the area of these crevasses, as compared 

 with that of the still remaining upper surface, was about 1:3; 

 the proportion increased to about 2 : i near the centre, where 

 also the fissures were no longer concentric, owing to the fact 

 that a definite flow of the whole mass of the bog had taken 

 place down the valley. Over the two areas marked on the 

 map by close parallel lines, the surface had entirely dis- 

 appeared. Walking round the margin of the depressed area, 

 it was observed that, in addition to those portions which 

 originally sloped towards the Ownacree, other adjoining 

 areas, which previously had sloped towards the east and north, 

 had shared in the general subsidence, and now formed a part 

 of the newly- formed valley which we have described as 

 opening to the westward through the former turf-cutting. 



