Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-10-10
A SWISS CONFEDERATION,

| ~ oVA0o CVNEAAUNAV1UNs
Berning Of the Village OF zeruet.--<)no
Handled and FfiIcen House. I'm
Ashes.
A correspondent Of tho London Times,
writing from Samador, in Switzerland,
Sept. q, says:
81 have just returned from tho piteous
spectacle OF IN entire village in shoulder
ruin, nOd 1t occurs to me that some par
t'oulars Of the burning Of Zoruetz may not
be embarrassing to the very large class of
your readers who are more or less &C.
9u"lnted with the Engadine. [write from
San'aden, tho village capital Of the upper
Eng"dine, which last night presented M
extraordinary scene. The whole popula.
ton OF this place WIS gathered ut its lower
end, gazing with intonse interest toward u
spot fifteen miles down the valley, where
the ' formed by the mountain sides was
filled with the light inot lurid in this rare
atmosphere, but white) ola hundred burn
ing houses.
Zernetz lies more than 1000 feet lower,
on the hank Of tho Inn, than Samaden,
but the winding of the valley AMI the m
tervcning mountain slopes prevented u
| direct Wow of the fire, yet the force glow
| Of the pine wood flames lit the mountain
sides to tho height Of several thousand
feet, aud it formed an episode in ones
Swiss experiences not soon to be forg often,
to stand among tho crowd and observe
how the intenser or fainter glow sent hone
or despair like wave over these olannish
,nountaineers, many Of whom were sob
5ing ut the thought Of the perishing of
their homestsads or it might be their rela.
tives themselves. The fire commenced ut
b O'Clock last night. and by u the ubiouit-
GUS wire flashed brief and tuching mes.
sage for help TO tho Upper Engadine The
result was magical. 1t was spirit.rousinp
to zee each village speed its contingent to
the spot Samaden, Celcrina, Pontrcsina,
and last, Silva Plana, whose gallant quota,
with their little fire engine, ealioped
through Samaden at 10 O'Clock.
Every imaginable vehicle was pressed
into service-landau, einspanner. berg.
wagon, each laden with hardy follows.
VIII" boldly sprang in without the smallest
provision for fifteen miles ride and a
battle with fire till daybroak, A little
before 9 the Telegram h brought its last
message, announcing that the post dill
gence. could not pass through the burn
ing village, and that the Bureau itself
was On fire. Henceforth for hours came
no news hut such as tho waning or waxing
glow at the bottom Of the valley gave u.s..
BY this morning the return began, and
~ rode down the valley it was rad to
meet carloads Of scorched and disbeart.
ened-looking fellows whose errand had
sped so poorly. The village is as touching
spectacle OF Bazeilles itself, which, saw
while its ruin was yet fresh saving that
there 50 NO loss Of life. Commencing at
u house few yards from tho On.
trance 10 the village coming from
Samaden, the fire swept etraipbt
through it, not single house escaning If
all that lay on the Tarasp road. On the
1nnspruck road there lies branch Of The
village ana the old chateau Zone of the
residences Of the Plantss) and the church
on a knoll between these and the bodv
of the village interviewed q cornfeld
which saved them-viz, some dozen or
fifteen houses, which are all tha. remains
Of Zernetz but blackened walls inclos;ne
hcaps of fiery ashes. The number Of
houses destroyed is lis, and although the
pastures all around tho village are dotted
over with the poor remnants Of these homea
IA touhing spectaele-the destruction
was 60 rapid Us t. prevent much salvage.
Tho whole harvest Of these, many of them
poor people is annihilated, and upward Of
400 people IRE homeless, and many Of
them ruiuod.
BY recent act Of the Swiss Parlia-
ment, house insurance has, I believe, been
made obligatory, but this regulation bus
come but tar1ily into operation in this
mountain region; and, al ~, many of the
poor Zernetzers are the losers. Twill not
say anything one way or the other as to
the incendiary organization in these viii
rhSss pine roofs a after such
here are like touchwood, but will close
this hurried letter, which l have not time
to revise,with brief reference to the NOR.
III impression produced on my own mind
as we'll as on that of travelling companion
by our visit to-day Zernetx.