The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-07-18
. TERRIBLE AVALANCHE.
HORRORS OF A SUDDEN sNowsL1DE
IN ARMENIA.

OF A SUDDEN sHowsL1DE
IN ARMENIA.
a Mountain of Snow Prccipitntcd Upon n
village - Fiity-Nine Persons Losing
Their Lives--Snow Fifty Feet High.
a correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press describes a journey which he
took from Van. in Turkey to the vii
lage of Shandalen in Armenia, fifty
miles distant, the scene of a terrible
Snowslide last March. We take up
his story from the time he arrived at
Shandalen:
Arriving, at length, ut our journeys
end, we began to realize a little the
severity Of the accident that has DC
Cured, but of which only the seeing and
hearing on the spot can enable n to
form IN accurate idea. Since leaving
the top of the pass we have descended
more than 1000 feet, but we find the
situation of the village exceedingly
wild and romantic. 1t is built at Il
point where another branch of the
Tigris converges with the one we have
followed. Even here the space be-
tween the mountains available for
buildings is not more than 100 or SOD
feet, and the houses are built us closely
together as possible, and in such Il pc
culiar fashion that the roofs of the
first story form the streets that are
most used, being connected with others
by bridges over the narrow lower
streets, now mostly filled with snow.
The comparatively few second. story
rooms rise above these roof streets.
As you stand and look about you the
mountains rise in majestic grandeur
on every side here a blank %perpendic-
ular wall of rock; there a steep noun
tain side where a few. trees, perhaps,
find standing room, and you feel as if
shut out from all the world. 1t was
down this steep ravine, beginning from
IL point some three miles away, that
the avalanche swept, leaving destruc-
ton in its path.
After two or three days Of steady
snowfall the people of the village
were cheered by the bright shining
forth Of the northern sum-. Until 10
o'clock on this warn day they were
busy about their usual avocations,
when they were suddenly startled Ivy a
noise like the firing Of 10 cannon.
simultaneously the bright Ill was
overloaded, while the inhabitants of
one end of the village found great
trees crashing in upon them and their
houses falling about their heads. The
people Of the south end of the village,
as they were able to come forth,
which, for some minutes they could
moi do, the great pressure from with
out making the opening of doors i'm
possible, found several inches of nov
on their roofs, hut the north end was
hurled under a mountain Of snow.
Along the hither edge OF this snowy
mountain n and another were seen
to be wholly or partially buried, and
the affrighted survivors set to work to
extricatc them from their peril. About
100 persons were thus taken out alive,
but under that debris were buried fifty
nine souls, destined never more to see
the light of day. From the house thus
swept away a few of the people were
absent at work; some happened to he
at other houses, and quite a number of
children were at school. These were
soon wailing in agony owe the loss of
those most dear to them. The scenes
of that day beggar description. To-day
l have been over this scene of ruin.
The snow, which was piled fifty
feet high, above the river, and for
two hours blocked its course,
has now most melted away,
and n can Judge a little of what
really happened. The first and great
est mischief was not from the snow it.
self, but from the violence of the wind,
it forced before it. Great trees that
lad stood the tempests for scores of
years, torn up by their roots, their
boughs wrenched away, and large
trunks often broken off or twisted into
kinhling-wood. Just us a cyclone treats
it's victims, had been brought fifty or
| one hundred rods and strewn in wild
ruins upon and among the houses and
in the bed Of the river and on the bank
beyond, and then snow had been piled
upon them. 1t was the cloud Of snow
thus tossed into the heavens and car
ried for a half mile or more by this
terrible wind that darkened the sun at
midday. Such a powerful wind is said
not to be a usual accompaniment of
avalanches here. The explanation
given is that the snow was light and
fresh, not compacted as is usual, and
so, rising in Il column, it pressed the
air of the narrow valley before it with
reSistleSs force.
l have been to the graveyard and
seen where iifty-seven victims are
sleeping together in Il common grave.
One victim was Il Turk, buried else
where, and one woman, the wife of
the village priest, who had gone to the
spring for water has not yet been
found. At one end, a little by them
selves, lie the daughter of another
priest, thirteen years of age, and the
young husband to whom she had Eeen
welded but three days before. One
woman and child were rescued alive
after they had remained three days
buried, and doubtless many died by
inches who might have been saved
could they have been found earlier.