The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-10-27
A MOUNTAINS FALL.
Details ofthc Terrible Lnnd Slip in svitze
land.

t"Poi 0uo ionoWlDB BFaphio aoHoouo VI
the destruction of Elms, Switzerland,
through land slip:
The end came on the evening of Sun
day, the 11th inst-in the "Saints
Calendar" current in some parts of
Switzerland, marked "The day of Felix,
saint of luck and happiness" During
the early part of that day the people OF
Elms went about their usual vocations
in the usual way and without any antici-
patton of the terrible calamity which
was SO near at hand The little church
was well attended, hearty dinners were
eaten. and aiterward, as was the custom,
most of the people, old and young,
walked through the meadows or upon
the mountain side. At 5 o'clock in
the evening, while many of them
were still out in the fields, some one
was heard crying, "Look at the Platt-
enberg look at the Plattenberg !"
Those who followed the direction and
are still alive say that for moment it
seemed to them as if every peak above
the slate quarry was in motion then
there came rumbling noise, like far
off thunder, and in moment they were
blinded by clouds of dust. When they
could see again they found that great
slice of earth and stone had slipped
down the Tschingelalp, burying fine
houses and covering acres CT good land.
Men and women were at the same time
seen struggling among the ruins, and
from all sides, friends, neighbors and
relatives hurried to their aid. Un-
happily, they hurried also to terrible
death. Even while they were en-
gagged in their work of love
the mountain above them moved
again. This time the sound of thunder
was not far distant, but only too near at
hand. The pine trees on the grassy
slopes were seen to sink. A great cloud
of dust and steam covered the whole
valley; thousands of tons of stone were
hurled through the air. An all-over-
powering wind pressure carried every
thing before it, There was a terrible
crash, a sound of madly-rushing tor
rents, and all was still. Then the dust
and smoke cleared away, the sun shone
in cloudless sky, and it was seen that
far as the eye could reach the once
blooming Sernf valley was covered with
from forty to 160 feet of black stone,
moraine, dirt and slime. Forty dwelling
houses, the best in the village, together
with dozens of stables and outbuildings,
were buried far out of sight, torn
to pieces by the air r-pressure, strewn
broadcast over the moraine. One hun
dred and eleven of the people of Elm
were swallowed up in the general ruin
At last twelve gers-ltalian quar-
rymen-shared their fate. It was useless
to think OF rescuing any who fell in tina,
| awful death slough. Far out upon its
edge, from strong house, which was
only partially covered with the slime
and stone, four persons-a graybeard O.
ninety-one years and mother with two
children-were taken out badly injured
but alive. Every other human being
overtaken in the path of the avalanche
was forever buried out of human sight
Fifteen Jumps of torn and bleeding
flesh, masses of pulp without shape o.
form, were taken out. The others res
in grave so deep and strong that NJ
| man can uncover it. In one house
| thirteen persons who sat at christening
feast, and who are known to have
ioked with each other in regard to the
old superstition about thirteen at table
were swallowed up as they sat. On s
| lonely hillside, out of the way of dan
| ger, an old man and woman lived witt
heir only son. After the first slide OF
the mountain the father and son hurried
down to the help of their friends. They
we're swallowed up with the rest. A
childless widow, who has become {
chattering idiot, now occupies the
lonely dwelling. Daughters who hur
ried to the help of their fathers, moth
ers who would have saved their child
ren, lovers who strove to aid their brides
we're together buried in the awful mo
raine. 1t is feared that many of thos'
who have been left behind will shar,
the fate of the poor creature who
mourning husband and son, has gon'
mad with sorrow.
The extent of the land slip is almos
beyond belief. To give anything lik
an adequate idea of it is no easy task
It is in no way to be compared to th
Goldau slip of 1906, when, as will b.
remembered, 457 people lost their lives
In the latter case the mountains sllC
down and covered the village. At Elm
great mass of the Plattenberg, mas
1900 feet wide, at least 1000 feet higl
above tho valley, and according to tn
engineers, from sixty to 100 feet deer
fell over upon the village, its farms
gardens and meadows. Tons of rock
were dashQd entirely across the valley
and now rest quietly 800 and 400 fee
high upon the hillside. The ali
pressure was so great that house
were lifted up from their founda
tions and carried a distance of LOO
fest. A barn built of heavy logs, an
filed with hay, was carried entirel
across the valley and overturned 20
feet high on the mountain opposite tn
Plattenberg. An iron bridge whic
crossed the Sernf was torn up, carrie
scores of feet away from ite abutmenti
and now rests on end, more than hal
buried in mud and loose stone. TIL
whole valley, as far as it can be see
from the village inn, which is sti
standing, very closely resembles tn
bed of glacier which has receded. A
| have already stated, the masses OF ston
and earth which have fallen are every
where piled up to height OF very man
feet. At least 500 acres are covere
in this way. The river Sernf has mad
for itself new channel through tn
debris, and has flooded and RUNE
much of the land below, land which ws
not directly harmed by the avalanche
stone. So in one way or another tn
whole valley has been injured beyon
all hope of repair. The loss in prol
elty will reach not less than 1000, ,OO0f