The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-04-25
Miscellaneous.
From Cheever's Wanderings in the Shadow
of the Jungfau.'
Avalanches of the Jungfrau,

level otthe sea- We are directly in face of
the Jungfrau, upon whose masses ofperpetu-
al snow we have been gazing with so much
interest. They seem close to us, so great is
the deception in clear air but deep, Yastra-
vino Il know not but a league across from
where we are) separates the Wengern Alp
from the Jungtrau, which rises in an abrupt
sheer precipice Of many thousand feet, some
what broken into terraces, down which tie
avalanches, from the higher beds of untrod-
den, everlasting snow plunge laundering in
to the uninhabitable abyss. Perhaps there is
not another mountain so high in all Switz-
erand, which you can look at so near and 30
tull in the face. Out of this ravine the jung
frau rises eleven thousand feet, down which
vast height the avalanches sweep with their
nCalculable masses of ice from the very top
most summit.
The idea of mass of ice so gigantic that
IT might overwhclm whole hamlets, OF sweep
away forest in its course, being shot down,
with only one or two interruptions, distance
ofceven thousand feet, is astounding. But it
is those very Interruptions that go to produce
the empowering sublimty oftlc scene.Were
there no conclusion Intervening between the
lOosening Of the mountain ridge Office and
snow, and its fall into the vallcy-if il shot
sheer off into the air. it would be az fla noun
tain had fallen at MONDAY out of heaven. ard
this would certainly be sublime in the highest
degree, but it would not have the awful slow
ness and deep prolonged roar of the jung
frau avalanche in mid air, nor the repetition
of sublimity with each interval ofthousands
of feet, in which it strikes and thunders.
| think that, without any exception, it was
the grandest sight ever beheld not even the
cataract ofNiagara having impressed me with
such thrilling sublimity. Ordinarily, in sun
q N hos T.,
the Jungfrau about every ten minutes, with
the roar ofthunder; but they are much more
seldom visible, and sometimes the traveller
crosses the WCngern Alp without witnessing
them at all. But we were so very highly IA
vored as to see two of the grandest avalanche
es possible, in the course of about one hour
between twelve and two O'Clock. One can
not command any language to convey an adj
eqnate idea oftheir magniticencc.
You are standing far below gazing up to
where the great disc ofthe glittering Alp cuts
the heavens, and drinking in the influence of
the silent scene around. Suddenly an cuor-
nous mass of snow and ice, in itselfa noun
tain, seems to move; it breaks from the top
ping outmost mountain ridge ofsnow, where
it is hundreds fleet in depth, and in its first
fall of about two thousand feet, is broken into
millions of fragments. As you first see the
flash of distant artillery by night, then hear
the roar-so here you may see the white flash
ing mass maesticaly bowling, then hear the
astounding din. A cloud ofdusty, misty dry
snow rises into the air, from the conclusion,
forming white volume offeecy smoke, or
misty light, from the bosom ofwhch thunders
forth the icy torrent in its second prodigious
fall over the rocky battlements. The eye fol-
lows it delighted, as it ploughs through the
path which preceding avalanches have worn
till it comes TO the brink of vast ridge of bare
rock, perhaps more than two thousand feet
perpendicular. Then pours the whole cata-
ract over the gulf with a still louder roar of
echong thunder, to which nothing but the
noise ofNiagara it its sublmity is compare
BILE.
Nevertheless, you may think of the tramp
fan army ofelephants, of the roar of multi |
,udinous cavalry marching to battle, of the
whirlwind tread often thousand bisons sweep
ing across the prairie, the tempest surf of |
ocean, beating and shaking the continent, of |
the sound of torrent floods, or ola numerous
host, or of the voice of the trumpet on Sinai, |
exceeding loud, and waxing louder and loud |
err, so that all the people in that camp trem-
bIed, or ofthe rolling orbs ofthat fierce char
lot described by Milton.
"Under whose burning wheels
The steadfast empyrean shook throughout
1t is with such mighty shaking tramp that
the avalanche down thunders. ..
Another fall of still greater depth ensues,
over second similar castelated ridge or reef !
in the face of the mountain, with an awful
majestic slowness. and Il tremendous crash |
lnlts conclusion, awakening again the reyer-
berating peals efthunder. Then the torrent
roars on to another smaller fall, till at length
1t reaches mighty groove ofsnow and ice
like the slide down the Platus, of which PLAY
its progress is slower, and last ofall you listen
to the roar ofthe falling fragments, as they
drop, out of sight,with dead weight into the |
bottom ofthe gulf, to rest there forever
Now figure to Yourself cataract like that
ofNiagara, (for / should Judge the volume of
one oftfe avaanehes to be probably every
way superior in bulk to the Horse-sh Fall)
pouring in foaming grandeur, not merely ov-
er one great precipice of200 feet, but over
the successive ridgy precipices offs or three
thousand, in the face of mountain eleven
thousand feet high, and tumbling, crashing,
laundering down, with continuous din of
far greater sublrnity than the sound of the
grandest cataract. Placed on the slope ofthe
,Wengern Alp, right opposite the whole visi-
Die side of the jungfrau, we have enjoyed two
OF these mighty spectacies, at about half an
hours interval between them. The first was
the most sublime, the second the most beauti-
iul. The roar ofthe falling mass begins to
be heard the moment it is loosened from the
it pours on with the sound of
vast body ofrushing water; then comes the
great first conclusion, booming crash of
thunders, breaking on the still air ofmid heav-
en-; your breath is suspended as you listen
and look; the mighty glittering mass shoots
headlong over the main preeipice, and the
fall is SO great that it produces, to the eye
that impression ofdrsad majestic slowness of