The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-12-05
9RtSrenann.
SWITZERLAND.
BERNI, Sept. IL.
.ccEN-7<-

dreadful accident which has deroycd fevcra village
in the Of Sehwitz, tuate between the lakes oil
Zug and Lauwertz. M. M. Frendenreich and
Schlatter, directors of the mines, fet yeaerday
evening by order of government, to give aid The
following the details of the difaGer, the moi dread
ful recorded in this annals of Switzerland
son Tuefday, the I'd of September, at in the
evening, the Kn;ppenbnh Rock, that formed the
fumnit Of mount Rofenberg, was fuddenly detached
from its tation and at the fame time, part Of the
mountain of feversl feet in thickne!s the welern
ide, and about $50 feet in thickness the eali ide
gave way and fell into the valley which fsparates the
lake of Tug from that at Lauwersz, overwhelming
the whole of the villages of Golden, Ruthan, Rufn-
gen, Huzloch, three parts of that OF Lauwertz and
fome houies in the village Of Stein. The fall of one
par, of the mountain into the lake OF Lauwertz, about
fourth part OF which is filled up, cau!ed luch ag
tation in the Of the lake. that they overthrow
n number of houfes, chapels, mills, &c. along the
jouhern ihore of the lake amongR Others, the mill
of Lauwertz where 5 pcrfons were killed and bu-
red in the ruins of the buildings, all the parts o.
which were difperled with fueh violence, that the
foundation only remains. This mill was Etuatej SO
60 feet above the level of the lake.
I" The waves alto beat againf the village Of Seeven
tuate at the extremity of the lake, and deRroyed,
fome houtes Two perions were killed. In the villa
ges which were overwhelmed, individual Ell
capped Upwards of 1000 perlons have been the vic
tins CT the diiater. A foesty of travellers, in
number were on the road from, Arth to Schwitz; 9
WHO walked fri, perilhed; the other who were
about 40 PAGES dilsnt efcaped. Thoie who were
killed, were, NJ. M. Randolph Jenner, Of Brelen-
berg: Colonel Vietor stsiger of Bern; Charles
May, Of Ruth DR. Dudwie, of Arbon, in 1hurgo-
via MademoiiIele Drefbach OF Berthoud Madame
Drefoach, of VAUDEVILLE; Madame Frankt auier of
Ber,houd, and guides of Arth. Five minutes fulfil
ced to complete this dfaiier.
cat Schwitz, fon,e perions heard the noife and
Jaw at dinance the vapor which covered the place
when the acciden, happened. and which was carried
towards lug, the oppoite iide, with ftrong ful-
Phureous fniell The falling of the mountain extend
ed from the lunnrt to the opPolite fide beyond the
Lake, dinance of three leagues from north fou,h
and league and quarter from wei to eaft. There
is nothing now to be feen but melancholy ruins
through the whole of that country which prefented
the richea commons in the canton of Sehwtz, nha-
bited by brave and faithful people. Only thirty
Perions remain GU. of this intereiiing population.
Several circumstances attending this event are We
ry remarkable Enormous males of rock were car
red through the air to prodigious diftances. The
rocks in falling, drew with them immefe nlaiies of
EARTH of from 10 so feet in thickness; and num-
bers Of thee naiIes together with large blocks of
flint Rome, thrown the opPohte ihore, to
the height Of from eighty one hundred feet. One
can icarccly believe his eyes when he fees tneie phe
nomena.-Every infant, one fees houies ione forced
on one tide, Others in two and feparated great
alliances, snd Others carried more than quarter Of
league from their foundations.
" The Lake of Lauwertz has loft abou, quarter
extent, recovered part ned at prelent
By the Of feveral brooks, which no longer
flow. That rich plain, which was 70 beautiful, now
preients mountain OF near 100 feet in height, :
league and half in leugth, ard much in breadth
" Mount Roenberg bears l.. ~. {. from Arth. 1t
10 It's weitern part which Las fallen down; than
which the fds &C Arth, aftcr defending d.
reSt towards IT'S baie, was fudden!y thrown to the
eait, anu thus Arh lug, aud all that fde of the |
Lake were faved The tl..nefs of the MATS carried
down, appeared to be two feet on the weRern iidc
and upwards OF hundred ard fifty the eat fide
The hIIippeubnn ieemed to have announced this milf
fortune 10 early the year 1874, when it detached
itielf from the MATS of the mountain. The lie of
Schwanau, elevated rock, in the middle of |
Lake, experienced alto lome damage, particularly |
its church. The good hermit fortunately at !
Einiiedlen. The long road of the Lake, is broken
in thouiand places.
Succors have been lent with the greatef promp- |
titude. Six hundred worknen from Zug and Schwitz !
have gone the banks of the Lake OF I.auwertz,
particularly TO the mouth of the Se-ven. This fnsll
river 70 obGru9eJ By ruins of al Descriptions,
wood, trees, houfes, &c. that without prompt aiii
tance, the iafety of all the houes below Schwitz to
Brunuen, would have been menaced.
One man had tine good fortune to withdraw in |
time under ground, with his ferv.nt and ohld |
which he held in his In one houfe near Ar,h,
Is It'll living poor man, who bad both his thighs
broken. During the fearch which has already been
made, twenty perfons dfcovered dead at the |
entrance OF the village Of Goldau-men, women and !
chidren fcuie having their arms, others ,hoir heads
Others their legs fePara,ed from their bodies AND the
bodies fome cut in half. We have COATED along the
foot of Riga, where the greash part of thofe who |
iurvived this catatrophe tool. refuge, alas not more
than thirty. An old man whom fsid to us, |
=" had fons, daughters and great number of grand
Children. had wife and other reletions alone re-
main" A little girl laid, " have no longer father |
or mother, brothers lifers." A woman had loit
her mother hufkand brothers, filters and i've chill
dren.
The villages Of Goldau and Rothen, confining of
hundred and fifteen houies, that of Buiingen, of
one hundred and twenty FIX, have totally diappear-
ed. OF Lauwertz, which lof twenty five houfss (
there remain buildings, all much damaged. Stein
has lot two houies asd feveral Rabies, which we're
IN great nu.n5ers in all thefe villages.
P. S. Twenty years finee, general Peyfer pre-
had Of the nature of the mountain. A protector of
S-hwifz, faid that above Spitzaue was ea of water
whch hsd undermined the rock for feveral years and
that below there cavern Of great depth, where
the waters were engulphed. The quantity Of water |
which has fallen the preceding years has haened this
eatalrophe, and the rains of ionie weeks paa have
decided IT,"
LONDON, Sept %.
Sbaoie Ty4gGvn--Mr Alexander Davidfon, Of 81. (
I1rlcs iuuare colonel cOp1fuaudaut az the Jvst Rel