Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-01-07
A Swiss Mountain Horror.

THE London Times of the 2Sth of No.
vember contains the following account
Of the recent terrible catastrophe on
Mount st. Bernard.
On Monday morning last it was ru-
mored in Sion that a frightful accident
had happened at few kilometers from
the great St. Bernard This rumor, un-
fortunately, proved'to be well founded.
On the 10Th inst. at the break of day, a
caravan composed Of twelve Italian
workmen returning to their country left
the Bourg st. Pierre and the tavern of
PROF., where they had passed the night,
and, despite the foul weather and diff
cult state of the roads, attempted to
cross the mountain pass or to reach the
refuge, as circumstances might allow.
The sky was dark and there was a yio-
lent snow-drift. On reaching the spot
known as the Montague st. Pierre, half
way between the starting-point and the
place of refuge, they were joined by two
monks. preceded by the convent servant
and large sized dog, who, according TO
the rules of the monastery, came to meet
the travellers. At this moment the drift
of snow became intense. Suddenly q
frozen waterspout, called Ueurd in the
language of the mountaineers, whiIlcd
through the air and, whisking up the
fresh-fallen snow, enveloped the travel.
ers The first column, composed Of five
Italian wor kmen, two monks, the ser
want and the dog, disappeared under a
shroud of snow several meters thick
without any avalanche having fallen
from the mountain; the seven others
who were following were stricken
down by the same cause short
distance from the first A deadly
silence followed Suddenly the seven
last victims buried IN the snow succeed
ed in emerging from the white surface.
They were saved, and they returned to
their starting place, after having made
every endeayor TO rescue their comrades
from the grave in which they are prob
ably, at this moment of writing, still
alive. One of these men succeeded. by
the force of instinct and the energy Of
despair, in breaking through the ice
piled above him. 1t was the monk Con.
tat, from Sembraucher. He dragged his
bleeding limbs about mile and a half
from the grave where he had been buried
for several hours, and reached the first hut
called the Hospital" and situated close
TO the Velan. 1t Is there the young monk
was found the next morning nearly in
sensible, after having been twenty-seven
hours alone, without food or assistance
of any kind, by his brother monks Of the
convent, who had come to look after the
victims of the accident. How had they
become aware Of the catastrophe? The
dog Turco had succeeded in scratching
through the snow and found his way
back TO the convent. At the sight of the
noble animal, with his bruised and bleed
ing body, the monks no longer had any
doubt as to the fate of their two breth-
rem, and started at once TO seek for them.
A flask of spirits applied TO the mouth
of the only survivor of this scene--which
is here narrated from his own descrip.
tion--restored him TO life for brief
space, for few minutes later he was a
corpse. His colleagues and six other
companions, buried beneath the Ueura,
have not yet been found. This is the
most terrible accident which has hap.
pened on Mount St Bernard since the
year 1916.
HI