34 
GEOLOGY OF THE FIRST DISTRICT. 
rendered the clay slippery, and acting by its great hydrostatic pressure, burst off the cliff, 
which tumbled in huge fragments, sliding along as a mass of ruins, carrying every thing 
before it. The avalanche, after reaching the level ground, slid onwards about eight hundred 
feet, crossed one street and stopped at the second, crushing three houses and two barns, and 
destroying the lives of several persons, who were buried beneath the materials. The avalanche 
was accompanied by torrents of water and mud, rushing with a roaring noise over the fallen ruins. 
The fragments of the cliff form a very uneven surface of small irregular hills ; the masses of 
clay are in huge fragments, with their layers placed at every angle of inclination and in every 
direction, and cover a surface about equivalent to two hundred yards in length by one hundred 
in breadth, and from ten to forty feet deep. By a moderate estimate, two hundred thousand 
tons of earth were thus transported to a distance of about two hundred yards. 
The following extract is from the Troy Budget, and gives the details of this catastrophe. 
Early last summer, a large mass of clay burst from the hill on the east section of the first ward of this 
city, followed by a gushing stream of water, and doing no other injury than covering a large portion of 
ground at the base with the bowels of the hill. Last evening about seven o’clock, a similar occurrence took 
place on the same spot, but, we regret to say, greater in extent and exceedingly fatal in its consequences. 
An avalanche of clay came tumbling from an eminence of nearly five hundred feet, moving down the 
base of the hill to level land, and then continued from the impulse it received to the distance of about 
eight hundred feet, covering up acres of ground, accompanied with a cataract of water and sand, which 
kept up a terrible roar. The mass moved along with great rapidity, carrying with it two stables and 
three dwelling houses, and crushing them and their contents in thousands of pieces. The stables and 
horses were moved to a distance of over two hundred feet, into a hollow on the corner of Washington 
and Fourth-streets. 
In its way the avalanche also encountered a brick kiln, burying it partially over and crumbling it 
together, from which a few minutes after the flames rushed forth and lit up the city as with a great con¬ 
flagration. This signal was the first intimation that was had of the catastrophe to those not in the imme¬ 
diate vicinity. 
The three dwelling houses destroyed were of light structure, and one occupied by Mr. John Grace, 
another by Mrs. Leavensworth and the third by Mrs. Warner, the last of which was fortunately vacant 
at the time of the calamity. In Grace’s house was himself and wife and a little boy, the two former 
were extricated from the ruins dead, and the boy was taken out alive, very little hurt, barefooted and 
bare headed, the building having been shattered in a thousand pieces; which is undoubtedly one of the 
most singular escapes that ever came to our knowledge. There were four of Mrs. Leavensworth’s 
faniily in her house — herself and three children. Two of the children were in bed at the time, and pro¬ 
bably asleep, and were afterwards taken from the midst of the wreck dead, crushed almost to a jelly, and 
were undoubtedly thrown instantly from a natural sleep into a sleep of death. Mrs. Leavensworth was 
taken out shockingly bruised, and was barely alive when we last heard from her. Fortunately three of 
the family were at church at the time, and escaped awful deaths. 
In the stables were twenty-two horses, and all carried along with the mass, together with nine or ten 
dirt carts. Six horses were taken from the ruins alive — the other sixteen were killed. The dead bodies 
of the horses can this morning be seen mingled among the ruins. 
