386 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 



earth, stones, and rocks, rushed to the house, and marvel- 

 lously divided within six feet of it, and just behind it, and 

 passed on either side, sweeping away the stable and horses, 

 and completely encircling the dwelling, but leaving it un- 

 touched. At this iime, probably towards midnight, (as 

 the state of the beds and apparel, &c., shewed that they 

 had retired to rest,) the family probably issued from their 

 house, and were swept away by the torrent ; five beauti- 

 ful children, from twelve to two years of age, being of the 

 number. 



This catastrophe presents a very striking example of 

 sudden diluvial action, and enables one to form some feeble 

 conception of the universal effects of the vindictive deluge 

 which once swept every mountain, and ravaged every 

 plain and defile. In the present instance, there was not 

 one avalanche only, but many. The most extensive single 

 one, was on the other side of the barrier which forms the 

 northern boundary of the notch. It was described to us by 

 Mr. Abbot, of Con way, as having slid, in the whole, three 

 miles, with an average breadth of a quarter of a mile ; it 

 overwhelmed a bridge, and filled a river course, turning the 

 stream, and now presents an unparalleled mass of ruins. 

 There are places on the declivities of the mountains, in the 

 notch, where acres of the steep sides were swept bare of 

 their forests, and of every movable thing, and the naked 

 rock is now exposed to view. In the greater number of 

 instances, however, the avalanches commenced almost at 

 the mountain top, or high upon its slope. We pursued 

 some of them to a considerable distance up the mountain, 

 and two gentlemen of our party, with much toil, followed 

 one of them quite to the summit. The excavation com- 

 mencing, generally, as soon as there was anything mova- 

 ble, in a trench of a few yards in depth, and of a few rods 

 in width, descends down the mountains, widening and 

 deepening, till it becomes a frightful chasm, like a vast 



