The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-10-21
miscellaneous.
Fearful Catastrophe in Switzerlan,

AND BURIED-MANY LIVES LOST.
Since the destruction of Goldau in Septem-
Der, 1906, by land slide from the Rossberg,
Switzerland has not been visited by more
fearful disaster than the utter demolition, on
Sunday afternoon, September 18th, of large
portion of the picturesque village of Elm, in
the canton of Glarus, nestled under the lee of
the great Tschingel Alp, at the base of the
Laaxer and Stoekil glaciers. The geological
formation of the Tschingel consists largely of
argillacious schist, and the perils of a land
slide were from time to time predicted but
familiarity with impending danger dulls ap-
prehension, and not until after two days of
heavy rainfall, on September 9th, when the
great and widening assures appeared in the
mountains sides, did the villagers commence
to realize that measures should be taken to
avert n catastrophe A local engineer was
called on to devise means calculated to meet
the emergency. But alas, too late; and now
the site of the lower portion of the village
comprising twenty-one dwellings, with most
OF their inmates, numerous out-houses, sta
bes, cattle, horses and well-stocked barns,
beautiful gardens, orchards and meadows,
lies buried beneath from twenty to forty feet
of fragmentary rocks, crushed trees and
mountain debris On Sunday afternoon of
the day of the terrible catastrophe, it was no
ticed by different groups of villagers sitting
in front of their dwellings that fragments Of
rocks would from time to time come bound
ing down the mountain sde until about four
o'clock larger mass descended, crushing in
its course the offices and other buildings of
the slate quarrying company located here
Still no serious harm to the village was APP
pretended. People sat quietly that Sunday
afternoon before their doors, watching list
essly the passing clouds and planning for to-
morrow's work. When suddenly, as 1t were
in moment, an unearthly crashing and rum
bling was heard, and instantly a thick cloud
of dust was thrust, as it were, over and into
the village envcloping everything in deep
darkness, followed Immediately by a whole
mountain side of huge rocks, immense trunks
of trees and great patches of sward, the
whole tumbling, grinding and sliding for
ward in ineXpicabe confusion with irresist-
ible force into the valley where but few
moments before had so peacefully and attract
lively stood Elm with its one thousand thrift
ty inhabitants. Then all became silent as Il
cemetery, and the clouds of dust slowly lift
ing revealed to the horror.stricken denizens
of the upper end of the village the fearful eX-
tent of the disaster visited upon their fellow
citizens. Help! help was the cry from
every quarter and nothing daunted many
strong and willing hands rushed forward to
meath the dehr;s Of n mountain side Hardly
we've tho niol,s su,nrr ond ShoyoIs deenerote.
" doinT div when another ominoms rImhIe
Voc hnSrd fyyliound oin,nst ;non,od;otei,, nv a
terrihle crash an irresstible cnIumn of wind
and ON ;rn,,,onsa nroa of tho n,nmn,oin edo
hnrlrd into The yoiiev hurving tba rescners
whilst ot tboi, nohla yor J and oouorinr nost
all hon" of rnscno those ryhon, tbo tirsf land hI
Slida hnd nvortai,o,, IN lo;r hnmos 6" now
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Which nrocedod thosn londsIidos thot an iron
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