ing perpendicular at the distance of 22 feet from each other: one about 20 feet in height, the other about
12. The road from Lancaster to Portland passes through this notch, following the course of the head stream of the Saco.
The Scenery at this place is ex- ceedingly beautiful and grand. The mountain, otherwise a continued range, is here cloven quite down to its base, opening a passage for the waters of the Saco. The gap is so narrow, that space has with dif- ficulty been found for the road. About half a mile from the entrance of the chasm is seen a most beau- tiful cascade, issuing from a moun- tain on the right, about 800 feet above the subjacent valley, and about 2 miles distant. The stream passes over a series of rocks almost perpendicular, with a course so lit- tle broken as to preserve the ap- pearance of a uniform current, and yet so far. disturbed as to be per- fectly white. This beautiful stream, which passes down a stupendous precipice, is called by Dwight, the Silver Cascade. It is probably one of the most beautiful in the world.
At the distance of 3-4 of a mile from the • entrance of the chasm is a brook, called the Flume, which falls from a height of 240 or 250 feet over three precipices—down the two first in a single current, and over the last in three, which unite again at the bottom in a small basin formed by the hand of nature in the rocks. The water is pure and transparent, and it woulP be impossible for a brook of its size to he modelled into more diversified or delightful forms.
It is by no means strange that the unlettered Indian fancied these regions to be the abodes of celes- tial beings ; while the scholar, with- out a stretch of fancy, in calling to mind the mythology of Greece, might find here a fit place for the assemblies and sports of the Dry- ads, Naiads and Oreades. |
Avalanches or slides from the mountains. On the 28th of Au- gust, 1826, there occurred one of the most remarkable floods ever known in this mountainous region; and which was attended by the awful calamity of the destruction of a whole family, by an Avalan- che or slide from the mountains.
These Avalanches, as they are termed in Switzerland, are produced by heavy rains: they commence generally near the highest limits of vegetation on the mountains, which, on some of them, is near their summits; the slides widening and deepening in their downward course, carrying along all the trees, shrubbery, loose rocks and earth from their granite foundation. At this time there were probably thou- sands of acres reft from the sides of the mountains and carried to the valley inihe Notch below.
The house inhabited by Capt. Samuel Willey and his family, stood on the westerly side of the road, in the Notch, and. a few rods distant from the high bluff which rises with fearful rapidity to the height of 2,000 feet. Adjoining was a barn and woodhouse; in front, was a beautiful little meadow covered with crops, and the Saco passed along at the foot of the easterly pre- cipice.
Nearly in range of the house, a slide from the extreme point of the westerly hill came down in a deep and horrible mass to within about five rods of the dwelling, where its course appears to have been checked by a large block of granite, which, falling- on a flat surface, backed the rolling mass for a moment, until it separated into two streams, one of which rushed down by the north end of the house, crushing the barn, and spreading itself over the meadow; the other passing down on the south side, and swallowing'up the unfortunate beings, who probably attempted to fly to a shelter, which, it is said, |