Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-02-26
DESTRUCTION OF A VII
LACE

The calamities glanced at in former Occasional
Note from which Great Britain is exempt, occur
nowhere so frequently as in Switzerland. This
without doubt, the most picturesque country in Eu
rope, pays dearly for her beauty in the destructive
catastrophes to which she is subject; thus bearing
out tavorte line by French poet, slgnlfying
that" the ovellest things have the viest destlnes.
In this beautiful but unfortunate land, avaanches of
snow, torrents Of ice (Which glaciers truly areG
undatlons of rivers, and the fall Of huge rocks,
sweep away not only the produce, but the inhabu-
ants OF valleys, and covert villages and towns into
ruins. Not long ago the little town of Peurs, COM
prlsng 2430 inhabitants, was buried under rocky
masses suddenly detached from Mount COMO and
Goldau still lies hidden under portion of Mount
Rufberg At present, Felsberg another village,
is daily expected to be swallowed up and its des-
tiny is so CERTAIN that IFS inhabitants remain in it
at the risk of their lives. An appeal in their behalf
is going the round of the continental papers, to
whlchwe are anxious to give further currency.
The traveller, whilst ascending the Rhine, and
whose destination is Core, the capital Of the Girl
sons. having passed Reichenau lin the castle of
which the present king of the French was once an
assistant schoolmaster, and where DR.. Zschokkc
presided in the early years of his career perceyes
opposite to Ems, the church steepe OF village,
surrounded by meadows, and half-concealed by or
chards. This Is Felsherg, or the " Alountan Of
Rock" 1t is situated between the lett bank Of the
river and the southern base of Mount Calanda.-
The rock which supplies Fesberg with It's name,
is about 600 feet in height and forms the base only
of the mountain; for above it the well wooded
brow of the Caanda rises 10 further elevation OF
5000 feet AT distance, the situation OF this VIII
lage appears everything that human Imagination
could desire; but nearer approach reveals the
awful fact, that the place. with all ii contains, is in
hourly danger of destruction. Already huge blocks
OF stone, which have rolled violently down from
the steep sides OF the mountain, are seen close to
the houses, under the trees, and IN the md OF the
fields. Looking upward, an enormous mass, sui
ficcnt to entomb large city, topples over the vii
lage, and is So nearly disengaged from the rest Of
The mountain, that 1t is by no means improbable
that before the pages meet the public eye, Fes-
/ berg will have been crushed under its oyerwhelm.
il ing fall
Various efforts have from time to time been made
to postpone the catastrophe; but now competent
engineers have decided that further efforts are of
no avail, The most threatening part of the noun
tain has separated itself from the rest and inclnes
fearlully forward over Felsberg. The chosm thus
formed has been intGrsected with horizontal
props and orders so tina, the one side may be made
to support the other. But other chasms are cons
family opening, in consequence OF the lncessaht
ldisintegraton that is going on. The largest OF
these is already almost II thousand feet deep and
ten feet broad The inhabitants, who for ten years
have resisted all sense of tear from the dangers
win which lhey nave oeeh t'leateneu' "'e nv" at
length, by the persuasons OF their minister, dlspo'
sed to remove from the doomed village.
But, alas now that they are brought to this point,
it is found that they have nowhere to go to- The
district Immediately adjacent offered an asylum
but one spot had no water, whilst another was cons
family subjec to the nundatioos of the Rhine In
this dilemma, the people of Felsberg supplicate
the neghbouring communities to grant them shell
ter. Ems was willing to receive them, but ON q
condition which could not be complied with. Ems
is Catholic city, the people of FeIsberg are Prot
estants and the former would only shelter them OF
condition of their becoming Roman, Catholics
t Coire, where they afterwards applied, was more