Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-04-08
RUIN ON THE RHINE.

RUIN ON THE RHINE. T
The Fearful Disaster at the Tswn Of Cas
.-.Censeaucnces OF the Msve Of q Mean
and Death..-A Terrible Rell In the Doa,
Of Night.
, The small town of Caub, France, th,
historical spot where Marshal Bluchel
crossed the river on the first OF January
1914, is well known through its splendid
scenery and the wine that grows there
For the last few years the people hav.
noticed that part of one Of the noun
tains-at the foot of which whole streets
are situated--had moved about two feel
downward, forming vertical crevices, oi
which the bottom could not be ascer.
tanned. The numerous petitions sent tt
the government in Berlin, in which at
tention was drawn to the imminent dan
ger, induced the authorities to erect q
wall thirty feet thick about hundred
yards above the houses, in order to pre-
vent the rocks from rolling down and
crushing them. This wall was built six
months ago, and since that time the
miners, about thirty in number, working
near the summit OF the mountain for
states, were ordered to throw their rub
bish down in the direction of the
guardian wall, which accumulated In
time to an enormous mass. l,r., "A
At night, shortly before twelve
o'clock, the inhabitants were alarmed
by the bells and the night watchman, as
well as by the cries of the people, that
a portion of the mountain was rolling
down, and everybody hastened to the
place called the Kalkgrube, where a
sight as horrible as ever mankind wit.
messed presented itself. In consequence
of the heavy rain during the last few
weeks immense masses of slate suddenly
gave way above and came down with
tremendous force against the guardian
wall, which gave way with terrible
crash, together with the immense
heap of waste slate that was piled mp
against it. ..., ..,g. ...,,.G h,
In u few seconds afterwards no fewer
than eight houses, with their twenty
seven sleeping inhabitants, were entirely
buried in the debris. Three persons,
who happened to be up and heard the
peculiar noise in the back houses, had
just time to escape. The scene that fol-
lowed is scarcely to be described-the
screams OF about two thousand men and
women who surrounded the entrances
of the only two narrow streets leading
to the place of disaster, combined with
the cries for help and expressions of fear
that still greater accidents might every
moment occur, were for some time deaf
ening. Order prevailed at last, and the
men set to work, although it was pitch
dark, to release their buried friends and
neighbors-
Ths next morning they heard sounds
below, and digging in that direction
they succeeded, after hard struggle, in
iberating man, his wife and her sister
from the ruins. The man, although
seriously injured, may yet recover; the
two women (with whom have spoken)
were not hurt ut all. Later on; the \
bodies of two men and four women,
fearfully mutilated, one man decapi
tated, were got out, and more distant
sounds were heard from underneath.
During the night messenger on
horseback had to be sent to Bacharach,
which lies about eight miles lower down
the river, to telegraph for assistance;
because Caub, although railway sta
ton, has no night service, and therefore
kilograms could only be issued from
thence. In the morning detachment
of pioneers arrived from Coblenz, also
the government president, accompanied
by two engineers from Wiesbaden. In
the course of the day another express
train brought more soldiers, who, how
ever, were recalled shortly afterward,
the floods having endan1 cred Coblenz
and its neighborhood. AS soon as the
first military attachment made its ap-
pearauce the citizens were driven away,
and have since then been prevented
from working. At night the thirty
pioneers stopped work altogether, by I
order of their officer. They had not
done anything worth mentioning to re-
lieve those who are perhaps living, and
how the government will answer for not
the miners, who would willing
ly work day and night to assure them
selves OF the fate of their fellow crea-
lures. l do not know. On one of the re-
corner houses for some months
past, by order of the mayor, board has
been put up, on which in large letters is
written that passengers are warned to
pass the narrow streets as quickly as
possible. and yet the government did
not take steps to remove the people
from their endangered homes. Two or
three houses, which are still liable to
be sma,hed every moment by some
pieces OF the threatening loose rocks,
ought to have been pulled down imme-
diately, whereby they would have gained
space to pursue the opera
lions without any further hindranoe -
The easy way in which the soldiers
were working disgusted every feeling
man who saw them. Between two and
three hundred M ners repeatedly offered
their services, but were each time re-
iected by the officer in command: nay
more, the latter, seeing the threatening
position the men adopted, gave orders
TO their men to direct their arms against
The people. The situation was very
grave one, indeed, for only one Often
sive word would have sufficed to cause
most fearful slaughter. I must confess
[ myself was disgusted at the slowness
Of the proceedings Of the work, which is
/ disgrace to the government. s
One more dead body was brought
forth, which leaves eighteen still to be
got out, besides cattle. A peculiar in
,ident is that of a son Of one of the un-
fortunate families was imprisoned the
lay before for trifling matter and thus
,aved. About three hundred people
who inhabited the houses adjoining the
place of disaster have now been ordered
% leave them and obtain only with great
lifficulty provisional home.