382 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 



ing against the steep cliff. The depth of the soil and earth 

 washed off could not be estimated, as the debris was swept 

 off by the Juriiata. 



The next day I visited Poplar Run, about five miles 

 south west from Hollidaysbnrg. I found there, on the east 

 side of a high ridge (a continuation of Lehigh Ridge, I be- 

 lieve,) about one third of its whole height from its base, a 

 basin twenty-nine feet in diameter, and between three and 

 four feet deep. The side of this hill was covered with so 

 dense a growth of underwood that it was impossible to reach 

 the basin, except by following the opening which the water 

 had made in descending down to the base of the hill. This 

 opening was quite similar to the one before described, of 

 thirty-nine feet diameter, on Lehigh Ridge. The earth be- 

 low the basin was not torn up very deep, as many of the 

 shrubs had their roots still sticking in the earth where they 

 had grown, though they were all prostrated, which made 

 the ground look at a distance as if it were fresh ploughed. 

 About half a mile east from this, on the west side of a very 

 steep cliff bordering Poplar Run, were two basins not far up 

 from the base of the cliff, about two hundred yards apart. 

 These basins were small, and did not differ materially from 

 those first described. 



The great mass of water which fell in this remarka- 

 ble flood, seems to have been confined to a space ten or 

 twelve miles in diameter, having its centre a little south 

 west of Hollidaysburg. The flood did not extend to any of 

 the waters beyond the Alleghany, though I was informed 

 by a gentleman who lives west of the summit level, eight 

 or nine miles from Hollidaysburg, that there was a very hard 

 rain there, and that it beat in violently on the north west 

 side of his house. 



On the east side of Hollidaysburg, probably from about 

 fifteen to twenty miles, as appears by the evidence of Mr. 

 McDowell, there was a hard rain, with most violent east 



