The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-12-05 00:00:00

THE DISASTER IN SWITZERLAND.

Some details respecting the recent (shocking catais
trophe on Mont St. Bernard, a brief notice of which
has been already published, are given by the Journal
de Godly. On Monday morning last, it says, it waa
rumootad in Sion that a frightful accident had hap-
pened at a few kilometres G.... the Great. St. Bernard.
This rumour, unfortunately, proved tot— --II founded.
On the 19th inst., at the break of day, a caravan com-
posed of twelve Italian workmen, returning to their
country, left th e Bourg St. Pierre and the tavern of Proz,
where they had passed the night, and, despite the foul
weather and difficult state of the roads, attempted to eroB2l
the mountain paw or to reach the refuge, as circum.
stances might allow. The sky was dark and there was
, a violent snowdrift. On reaching the spot known as
the Montagne St. Pierre, half-way between the start-
ing point and the place of refuge, they were joined by
Iwo monks. preceded by Clip ennvent ssrsmit and a
large-sized dog, who, according to the rule of the
monastery, came to meet the travellers. At this
moment the drift of snow became intense. Soddenly
a frozen waterspout, called reura in the language of
the mountaineers, whirled through the air, and,
whisking up the fresh-falkn snow, enveloped the
travellers. The first column, composed of five Italian
workmen, two monks, the servant, and the dog, disap-
peared under a shroud of snow several metres thick with
out any avalanche having fallen from the mountain; the
seven others who were following were stricken down
by the same cause a short distance from the first A
deadly silence followed. Suddenly the seven last
victims bm fed in the snow succeeded in emerging from
beneath the white surface. They were saved, and they
returned to their starting place after having made
every endeavour to rescue their comrades from the
grave in which they are probably at this moment f
writing still alive. One of these men succeeded by the
force of instinct and the energy of despair in breaking
through the ice piled above him. It was the monk
Contat from Sembraucher. He dragged his bleeding
limbs about a mile and a half from the grave where
he had been buried for several houv, and reached the
first hut called the "hospital," and situated close to
the Velan. It is there the young monk was found the
next morning nearly insensible, after having been
27 hours alone, without food or assistance of ally
kind, by his brother monks of the convent who had
COMIC to look after the victims of the accident. How
had they become aware of the catastrophe The dog
Turco had succeeded in scratching through the snow
and found his way back to the canvent. At the sight
of this noble animal, with his bruised and bleeding
body, the monks no longer had any doubt as to the
fate of their two brethren, and started at once to seek
for them. A flask of spirits applied to the mouth
of the only survivor of this scene, which is here
narrated from his own description, restored him to life
for a brief apace, for a few minutes later he was a
, corpse. His colleague and six other companions,
buried beneath the reura, have not yet been found.
I This is the most terrible accident which has happened
on Mont St. Bernard ince the year 181 G.