History is repeated in Saint-Thuribe, 127 years later

At the time, The sun had reported in its pages a detailed testimony of the landslide which won several buildings and which cost the life of a little girl, Régina Douville.

The disaster described at the time as “grand. Consequently, appalling” is very similar to the one that occurred in the same village 127 years later, on July 16.

“Since Saturday the earth has broke. However, […] The landslide occurred around 5:30 am on Saturday morning and so suddenly that the family of Mr. Nevertheless, Phineas Douville, whose land was the first started, almost was swallowed up, ”reported The sun In its edition of May 9, 1898. For example, “The landslide has continued since and has not yet been finished when I telegraph you.”

In the next day’s newspaper, a detailed testimony of history repeated saint-thuribe, 127 years a neighbor described “the scree” of Saint-Thuribe.

“Around four o’clock on Saturday morning, I was doing my train. I heard a appalling noise. which appeared to come out of the white river, a few arpents from home, “said a cultivator named Georges Bussières.

“So hearing this crash, I rushed to the place where the phenomenon occurred, and I saw on the left bank history repeated saint-thuribe, 127 years of the river, of the earth that was watering with a great noise. The air, in an instant, fills with a vapor with a clay smell, and we heard like a huge bubbling. The earth continued to swallow quickly, over a land width of about an acre. ”

— Testimony published in the sun. May 10, 1898

The cultivator of Saint-Thuribe then recounts the collapse of several buildings which sink into the landslide, including a small parish school.

The man describes how he notified the two neighboring families, the Tessier and the Douville, to quickly evacuate their house.

“Fortunately, the Tessier family, managed to save themselves, with some effects; But all his furniture and animals were lost. The Douville family was not so happy, ”he said.

“Awakened with a start by the crash of the landslide. most history repeated saint-thuribe, 127 years of the children saved themselves, but young babies who were sleeping in the attic did not save themselves so easily. The young Donat Douville ran to the attic. took the baby in his arms, woke up little Régina [6 ans]and tells him to follow him. As he was going to cross the threshold. the house rolled in the abyss and it was only with difficulty that the little Donat was able to save with the baby. Little Régina was lost, ”we could read in The sun.

According to geographer Louis-Émond Hamelin, the hole at the time was nine meters depth.

A risk sector – History repeated saint-thuribe, 127 years

It is not surprising that the land near the White River in Saint-Thuribe again succumbed. explains Ariane Locat, professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Water Engineering at Laval University.

“It is certain that the presence of history repeated saint-thuribe, 127 years former landslides indicates that there are risks of this type of slipping there. ” says the expert. In this territory, the soils are known to be clayey.

There is a specific type, the clay sensitive to the reshuffle, which can cause landslides called retrogressive. Sensitive clay can pass in an instant from the solid state to the liquid state.

Hence the importance of checking the floors before building on given land.

“We should not expect all the soils to be sensitive. but it is really necessary to make geotechnical investigations to determine if the soil is quick to these large retrogressive shifts,” explains Ariane Locat.

“A government mapping of areas potentially exposed to landslides was carried out in this sector by the Ministry of Natural Resources. Forests (MRNF) between the 1970s and 1980s. Although it has a few years. it is history repeated saint-thuribe, 127 years still deemed relevant by the Government of Quebec,” explains the Ministry of Public Security.

But you shouldn’t go in fear, says Ariane Locat. “You have to reassure the world, not all soils are sensitive, even in the Saint-Thuribe region.”