Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1881-09-03
NUMBER, SIG.
A Rock Avalanche.

DIR. Felix l.. Oswald's Adventures
in the American Tropics" series of il
lustrated papers now running in 81.
Nicholas, contains many incidents of
thrilling interest. In the July install
ment, the travellers climb the Andes by
the highway along the brink of the
precipitous mountain wall. A friar had
met the party, and bidden them beware
Of rock avalanches that might roll upon
them from the orags towering above
the road.
The friar's warning hls< not been in
vain. AS we continued on our road,
avalanches of rocks and stones rumbled
down along the mountain side, and
some Of them where they could do
great deal of mischief, for right under
the steepest part of the overhanging
cliffs, perhaps mile below the level Of
our road, the Indian village Of Tacunga
extended along the bank Of q little
mountain stream. Some Of the outly-
ing ranches seemed, indeed, to have
been damaged already, for We saw the
people running to and fro as IL they
were getting their COWS and horses out
Of the way. .4f c.9lP
We had nearly reached the cliffs above
the village when Captain Mstias sud-
emily reined up his horse and snatc he'd
the halter-strap Of our mule. "Hold
on there p he called out. "There's q
garrucha ahead--a blockadel Confound
it, that will cost us roundabout ride Of
five miles at least !" arf2
"What's the matter?" asked. care
the Indians going to stop us?"
"No, but the avalanche. Look up
there" cried "that whole promon-
tory is ready to come DOWN.,
A torrent of rolling stones drew our
attention to the overhanging cliffs half
mile ahead, and, looking up, we saw
that an enormous mass of rock was
going to detach itself from the noun
tain side. The split grew larger and
larger from the valley below we heard
the fearful cries of the rancheros, who
had already seen the oncoming ava
lanche but we could not help them,
and in the next moment the promontory
came down with crash that shook the
mountains like an earthquake. Ahuge
cloud of dust rose from the valley ten
or twelve houses had been completely
buried, but by rare good luck the first
shower of rocks had warned the poor
people in time, and we learned afterward
that they had saved all their children
and the larger part of their cattle.
We had to make a five-mile detour to
the left, and when we got back to the
road on the other side OF the promontory,
we found a large crowd of natives con-
gregated near the scene of the disaster.
Ten or twelve of them had begun to
clear the road, but the larger number
had gathered around a2man who was
performing o strange ceremony-an in
cantation, intended to propitiate the
wrath of the fire-god, to whom the In
dians attributed the effects Of he vol
canic forces. In the far southwest q
dim smoke-cloud curled up from the
Andes toward these mountains the
sorcerer had turned his face, and high
over his head he held vessel with
burning herbs, that diffused peculiar
aromatic odor. The Indians were 80 ab-
sorbed in their ceremony that they
hardly noticed us, and, after Watching
them for ten minutes or so, we passed
them in silence and continued on our
road.
"That's volcano-dootor," chuckled
the captain. "He makes them believe
that he can bewitch the earthquake, and
the poor wretches are silly enough to
pay him for his hocus-pocus. There are
volcano-doctors in every sierra, and they
are sent for as soon as there is the least
aion of 1onoarD