Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-07-29
|. rIIsCELLANEOUs.
BURIED IN AN AVALANCHE.

I AAypEnY party we were that day, April
2, dS6 as we tramped along the road
which wound around the foot of the Arl
berg Mountains, lying near Innspruck.
Our party consisted of i've students from
Heidelberg, three German, one English,
and one (myselO American. We had
studied together during the long winter
terms sapd now, with kuapsasks upon our
backs and alpenstocks in our hands, were
making walking tour through some of
the mountains of Switzerland. We were
hound for the little town, or rather village,
Of Heiteiswach, few miles from Inns
Ypruck, where We intended to pass the night,
and on the following day make the ascent
of one of the highest peaks in that region
we had just dned at a roadside inn, and
now, refreshed and enlivened by the land
ford's good beer, were walking rapidly
ssIeng, making the air ring with lively
notes Of onr college songs. The road was
good, and the air fresh and invigorating,
and at about six o'clock that evening we
reached our stopping place for the night
the Gasthaus OF Heitelswach.
After an excellent supper, and having
engaged our guide for the next day, we
sat down to a foaming tankard OF beer
and our evening pipe, and listened to the
stories with which our worthy host was
ready and willing to entertain US. He
told of chamois hunts, of the PEASANTS
life upon the Alps, of avalanches, mar
row escapes, and lives lost in the furious
storms upon the mountains. One Of his
anet dotes interested us greatly.
"About five months ago." he said, "a
stranger spent the night here, and the
uext morning assembled the mountain with
his guide; a snow storm arose - he
was separated from his guide, who
nA g.. l. -.
Then there came down a tremen-
tfsW PEASANTS who were living upon the
Alps barely escaped with their lives The
stranger was never scen again" Then
lowering his voice and assuming mys-
terious air, he added:
alt was very strange thing, and it is
!, not safe to talk about him" ....r
+ "Not safe and why not?" we asked in
sstonishment
"Ah," he replied, "there was something
very mysterious about him; he spoke
but very little--he was dressed all in
) black, and called himself doctor-and
then the sudden storm-7he yanishes-snd
the avalauchel"
who, then, do you think he wass"
TaHushf',he answered, crossing himgelf;
%speak not so loud;" then, crossing him
=. self again, be whispered softly, Z" Doctor
The, three Germans smoked on in
j atlfoughtfti1 silence; and was about to
make some more inquiries into the matter
but Tom Robinson, who had no taste
for the supernatural, stood up, glass in
hand, and broke the silence with
"Then, boys, let's drink to the health
of Doctor Faustus, and go to bed. The
more we sleep to night the beitsr we
shall climb tomorrow"
After this we retired in good order.
The next morning, after an early break
last, we started off IN high spirits on our
way up the mountain, laughing and chat
ting together, and occasionally hating in
silent admiration of the magnificent pan
Dramas which were brought to view as
we assembled from one cliff to another.
About noon we had reached a very con-
4 siderable height, and, after passing through
a grove of frs, came in sight of scene
of devastation just above us, II was the
remains of an avalanche, vast snow slide,
which, had come laundering down from
the peak above, and now lay Os if resting
3 from its tremendous leap and gathering
4 iesh power. Yet still the huge mass
seepen threatening another rushtrom the
top of the Cliff on which IL lay, over a
precipice short distance below, and to
the edge OF which 1t extended We stood
watching 1t for some time, almost expect
log TO see the pile move before our eyes,
and hurl itself into the abyss hundreds OF
feet deep. Our guide informed US that it