The Moving Bog.

Hastings Standard, Issue 251, 19 February 1897, Page 4

The Moving Bog.

FATAL LANDSLIDE IN COUNTY KERRY. [Duxedix Star Correspondent.] London, Jan.l. "With kindly consideration for unfortunate pressmen, compelled to manufacture bricks without straw during other people's holidays, Providence generally furnishes a " sensation " of some kind during this flattest of weeks. One year I can recall 'twas a, sanguinary murder helped us through; another anniversary the Osborn jewel case afforded subject for sage reflections ; and to-day Ave are greatly indebted to the moving bog. This natural phenomenon lies, or rather lay, fourteen miles from Killarney, on Lord Kenmare's estate. It covers 200 acres, and is 80ft deep, so that when on Sunday night the huge, black, muddy mass developed peripatetic tendencies, and moved botlily south, overwhelming everything in its road, you may guess a fearful panic set in. Just when the slip started is not known, although some of the people living in the vicinity declared'that they hfeard a rumbling sound, and felt a tremor of the earth as though of a distant earthquake between three and four o'clock on Monday morning. Whatever time it started, it must have moved with appalling swiftness, for by the time the people were astir in the morning the river of earth had swept bcdily across the face of the country for a mile or more, while detached portions had been carried down old watercourses and along easy channels for several miles more. Full in the path of the landslip stood the cottage known as Quarry Lodge, occupied by one of Lord Kenmare's stewards named Donnelly, his wife and six grown children. Around the cottage were outhouses in which pigs, cattle, and other domestic animals. The sliding body must have overwhelmed them as they slept, and without the slightest warning. Where a cottage stood is now a quivering mass of water earth. The only living thing that escaped was a dog belonging to Donnelly, which all yesterday was wandering confusedly about the place where his master's house had stood, and whining piteously. Some considerable distance away on the surface of the moving earth-river is the thatch roof of the cottage, the only vestige of the house remaining. In its course down the sloping sides from the tableland, the bog swept into and completely filled a quarry 20ft deep, and continued its descent into the valley. After passing over Donnelly's home it entered an old water course —tributary to the River Flesk and flowing down this soon blocked the course of the river, and caused it to overflow its banks. All yesterday great masses of peaty earth were being carried down the stream towards the Lakes of Killarney. The roads were made impassable, and in the early morning when the country people began to set out for the market at Killarney they were amazed and terror-stricken at the change that had taken place in the face of the country, and at the sight of the moving river of earth. A visit to the scene of the disturbance at Knocknageela is the only means of realising the havoc wrought by the disaster. The topography of the district is completely changed. Fields have been turned into bogs, the public roads have disappeared, and the glen "has been converted into an ocean of liquid mud. Huge cliffs of slush have also appeared in many places, and tons of peat are still coming down with fearful velocity, and threatening everything in their track. The bridge on the country road may be described as a minature Niagara, hundreds of tons of water and bog whirling over it every moment. The strangest incident connected with the catastrophe, apart from its suddenness, was the deadly silence which characterised it. In the words of one of the inhabitants the visitation came on the people like a thief in the night. A boy who passed Donnelly's house at midnight, and noticed nothing unusual about it then, found on passing the place next morning that the house and farm had totally disappeared. Luckily for the people of the district were few anil far bet-ween. Donnelly resided within a short distance of a large quarry (owned by the Earl of Kenmare), over which he acted as steward, lie, his wife, ami six in family retired to rest at the usual hour at night, and whilst they were asleep the land-burst occurred, and engulfed the house, family, and stock. What has become of tin.' house is a matter of conjecture, as the bog has been moving for miles, and will eventually reach the Lakes of Killarney in the shape of liquid mud. AH that was to be seen was a solitary cap belonging to one of the boys who was drowned, and a dog which was in the house when the disaster occurred, which by some unaccountable means managed to escape. I'eople acquainted will: tin; district are inclined to belic.v that the catastrophe was thv- result of a subterraneous lake of water, which was augmented by the rains of the past few day-. Killarney is well-known to bo of volcanic origin. The actual cause of the calamity fan only be determined by time. At present the district presents tin appearance of the ii-tiieof an earthquake ; and, as_ the place is honeycombed with caves, it is suggested that the incident is only the be«,'innitiL' of a -r.-at- r displacement. A imuse belonging to a man mimed Sullivan at LeamygHs-,ai!e surrounded by the moving mass of pea!, but the rumbling of the m id .iwakt ned Sullivan, and he ami hi* family managed to escape, I h. curious conformation of the dl-tnet lwt\ hi i'lle-M d bv * the f.u t that tin pi at w :i, actually for. • d up alum' a h.d. wii whvh the ho i-i----.-.in'id. A :vi\\di r m.i^'i.'::ii- near the quarrv had di-apiv.tn 1, and frv/nii nts of timlw-r found iloaung down tinriver are -i.ippoM-d to U- jxjrtiom of it. A large <]uamhy of bay belonging to

the people in the track of the moving bog has disappeared, and people residing near the River Flesk, through which the debris is continually passing are abandoning their houses for the present. Crowds of people from Killarney have visited the Flesk, where the bog, after its journey of thirteen miles, is blocking up the arches of the bridge next the town. The amount of mud which is being scattered over the country may be judged by the fact that the bog extended into the County Cork, and supplied peat to a very large number of farmers in Cork and Kerry. Several parties who were going to Ivillarney Fair with cattle had a narrow escape.