Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-09-15


Daily Advertiser, from friend now in Eu-
rope, dated
Loneche Baths, June 2l, 1918.
Perhaps you will have seen some account of
the inundaton, which has just overwhelmed
the village of Martigny, and may be curious TO
know more of the particulars Of this disaster.
Coming now from the scene OF ruin, and being
stopped on my way over the Gemni, by rain
st.rm, have thought that a leisure hour
might not be Unemployed in giving vou a short
history of this devastation. Martgny was a
village IN the canton Of the Valais, of about
five hundred houses and three thousand ipha
bitants, situated upon the Rhone, exactly i'm
the point where IT changes its course from w.
). w. to n. n. w aud where it receives the
DranSe, small but rapidriver, arising in the
Glaciers of ST. BERNARD and monut Combin
The GLACIER OF the latter, called Che rmontana,
" remarkable for its height, and for the dis.
lance 1t extends from the summit of the mouB.
ram the water, which comes from it, trckles
down from beneath and soon unites i'm the ere
vice OF an enormous mass of rocks and forms
the eastern branch of the Dranse which flows
through the valley Of Basnes is TONED by ihe
other branch al ST. Blahcher, aud then CONT.
,tInues its course through Marticny. 10 the
R.cnc, as before described. This Glacier has
been melting underneath for some time past:
two years since considerable masses of il Began
10 tall, butit was net till the beginuin. OF the
last month that any danger was appreheude,
hona them ; huge block then Tell aud com
Eleteiy filled up the passage, by which lake
ftt cen thousand feet long and eight hundred
vide, was Immediately formed, that rapidly
Increased III depth, and soon had more than
tive hundred feet OF water. This, as NAV he
well supposed, excited great alarm, aud the
more, when they recOIiecied what terrible de-
strnctiou similar obstruction had caused iu
i55. Engineers were called to examine the
lake aad devise some mode of gradually dis.
charging it they decided that the mass of
ice, which blocked up the passage, must be
perforated by gallery, and the water led into
the GSuai course OF the Dranse; this was ac-
srt y ,aI al.
didtsly began cutting the ice, and ia the course
OF eight or ten days, gallery of dozen feet
square was finished, which promised TO dis
charge the lake without danger.
The grand council ofthe canton immediately
gave notice, tllat nothing more was to be fear.
eh but II was fatal security the rapid Sow
OF the water soon enlarged the passage and at
leusth, in tie afternoon of June 10th, a large
piece OF the glacier suddenly broke oil, and
the lake instantly rushed down the valley, car.
Tylng with it every thing which impeded its
course. In one hour aud half, this immense
volume OF water was at Martigny, a distance OF
twenty-iour miles from whence il started and
Il descent of six feet to all hundred upon an
average you will Judge from this, Of tile velo
city and violence with which it moved and az
the valley not enlarged but little, till the We
~ entrance of this village, the overwhelming
nIasS pOared ont its full force upon it. The
rushing Of The mighty waters was heard and
reached the unhappy fugitive before he could
hnd Teinge IRON It's fury; the f1eetest horse
20 THIS means OF escape, were OVertaken and
lost; IN fact, most OF those who were in the
fields and in the streets, were victims of the
overwhelming hood a few escaped nv spring.
ing upon some neigh boring tree or sszing
hold of some floating timber; the greatest rari
of those who remained quietly in their houses
escaped nnhnrt, for bit small number Of
houses were swept away, and those only which
we're hhilt OF WOOD all the barns, stables,
and such like light bindings, were overthrow
almost without az exception, and hence the
number of horses and cattle lost was prodi.
gious. did not reach the spot until two DAYS
after the calamity. but was fully in season TO
see how dreadful was The havoc which had
been made.
The great road upon the left b1uk of tie
RhOHe being still impossible, ! was Obliged TO
climb over one of Rob Roys passes OF the
other side, which brought me out fOa hill M
on the bank directly opposite the village such
aSeeue of Iun as theu lay before me- never
before witnessed The whole OF the delightful
valley around Martgny presented nOught nut
dgvastatiOU-when passed oser it, I found
every thing destrOyed-uOt blade OF corn or
spire OF grass remaiDcd-ieaps OF ruins
parts OF houses, uproOted trees, farming uten.
sis, mechanics tools, furniture, merchandise
irons the shops. caTcdSSts of cdttip. and huusan
bodies covered the plain which few weeks
before had seen as smiling and rs fair as ua.
ture aud a fine season could make 81. Tie
water mad not set wholly sub.ided IN many
plaCes / had To- wade above knee deem lry
which understood completely why so few had
saved themselves by SWIMMING. w,.ich was be.
fore a mystery 80 NE, IL was 80 cold that after
wadiug few hundred feet init could scarce
~ move ms legs, OF course, when the Whole
y ~ was plunged in, ~ Chilled 40 mach. tha {
il WAs impossible 10 make the cNeftiOn beside
which, tie quantity OF hOaijng wood offered
suOiheT spectacle, lur observed that the bo.
dies which passed were ttrr. bis bruised and
maugied aud irOmDn the head was complete
is fora OF. Ihas far the accOuut Of things is
a. ] saw them mysell rs usual iu times OF
src'l cslaGuties, every one aids something IA
the tale of disticss, aud therefore cannot say
with ans certainty how many lives were lost
rs isis 10 Magtsny itself probably not above