The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-04-01
Lost In the Snow.

Among the dangers of the winter in the
Pass OF st. Gothard is the fearful snow
storm called the ''guXctcn" by tho German 8
and The tourmente or 'tormenta" by the
Swiss. The mountain snow differs in form
as well as in thickness and specific gravity,
from the ar-shaped snow-ilakes on the
lower heights and in the valleys 1t is
quite tloury, dry and sandy, and therefore
very light. When viewed through micro
scope it assumes at times the form of little
prismatic needles, at other times that of in
Vulnerable small siX-sidcd pyramids, from
which, as from the morning star, little
points jut out on all sides, and which driven
by the wind, cut through the air with
great speed. With this fine icc-dust Of the
mountain snow, the wind drives its wild
game through the clefts of the high Alps
and over the passes. particularly that of st.
Golhard. Suddenly it tears up few hun
tircd thousand cubic feet Of this snow, and
whlrls it up high into the air leaving it to
the mercy of the upper current, to fall to
tic ground again iii the form of the thickcst
snow storm, or to be dispersed ut will like
gllttering ice crystals. At times the wind
sweeps up large tracts Of the dry ice dust,
ana pours them down upon deep-lyiDg
valley amid the mountains, or on the sum
seconds tho laboriously cXcavatcd mountain
road, ut which whole company of rutncrs
have toiled for days. All these appear
anccs resemble the uvaanches of other Alps
but cannot be regarded in the same light as
the true snow storm, the tormcnta or guxc-
ten. This is lncomparably more severe,
and hundreds on hundreds of lives have
fallen sacrifices to its fury. These have
mostly been travelling Strangers who either
did not distinguish the signs of the coming
storm, or in proud reliance on their own
power, refused to listen to wcll-meant
warnings, and continued their route. AL
most every year adds II large number of
victims to the list OF those who have fallen
a prey to the snow storm. History and
Tie oral tradition OF the mountains record
many incidents Of accidents which have
been accustomed by the fall of avalanches
During the BellnZona war, III l479, as the
confedcrates, with force of 10, 600 men.
were crossing the st. Gothard, the men Of
Zurich were preceding the army as van
guard. They had just refreshed themselves
with some wine, and were marching up the
wild gorge. shouting and singing, in spite
of the warming Of their guides. Then in
the heights above, an avalanche was sudden
ly loosened, which rushed down upon the
road, and in its impetuous torrent buried
sixty warriors far below in the Reuss, in
full sight Of those following
On the 18th of March, 1S48, in the So
called Flanagan, above the tent of shelter
at the Matclli, thirteen men who were con-
veying the post, were thrown by violent
avalanche into the bed of the Reuss, with
their horses and slcdges. Three men,
fathers of families, and nine horses were
killed; the others were saved by hastily
summoned help. But one of their deliver
ers, Joseph Muller, Of Hospcnthul, met
hcro's death while engaged in the rescue.
lie had fastened to help his nelghbcrs,
but in the district called the "IIarness''
he and two others were over
whcmcd by a second violent avalanche,
and lost their lives. In the same year the
post going up the mountain from Airola
was ovcrtaken by an avalanche near the
house of the shelter at Pontc Tremola. A
traveller from Bergamo was killed; the rest
escaped. History tells of most striking
rescue from an avalanche on the st. Gothard.
In the year 1928, Landamman Kaspcr, of
Brandcnburg, the newly chosen Governor
of Bellenz, was riding over the st. Gothard,
from Zug, accompanied by his servant and
faithful dog. AT the top Of the pass the
paw Woo ofSttuhCI NY uSuluuCnC WHICH
descended from the Luccndro. The dog
alone Shook himself free. His first care
was to extricate his master. But when he
saw he could not succeed IN doing this, lie
hastcncd back to the hospice, and there, by
pitiful bowling and whining, announced
that an accident had happened. The
landlord and his servant set out Immediately
with shovels and pickaXcs, and followed
the dog, which ran quickly before them.
They soon reached the place where the
avalanche had fallen. Here the faithful
dog stopped suddenly, plunged his face in
to til" snow, and began to scratch it up,
Darking and whining. The men set to
work at once, and after long and difficult
labor succeeded in rcscuing the Landam-
man, SOON afterwards his servant; they were
both alive, after spending thirty six fearful
hours beneath the snow, oppressed by tho
most painful thoughts. They had heard
the bowling and barking of the dog quite
plainly and had noticed his sudden de-
parturc, and the arrival of their deliverers;
they had heard them talking and working,
without being able to move or utter sound.
The Landamman's will ordained that an
image of the faithful dog should be scnlp-
turcd at his feet on his tomb. This monu-
mcnt was seen till lately in st. Oswalds
Church at Ilr