New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-09
TWO SWISS SENSATIONS.
BURSTING OF SOUZIER RESERvOIR-A NEW
PRISONER OF CTILLON."
N OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT ~ THY TRIBUNE
Lausanne Switzerland. Nov mber | I.


together had the result OF attracting universal
attention to the picturesque corner of the Lake of
Geneva immortazed by Lord B,ron and Jean
Jacques Rousseau The hoary pile of granite
in the dungeons of which Downward, the Prior
of .ctor. passed so many weary years OF
Imprisonment is a familiar oh ect to every tourist
from the United States and the town of MontreuX
is ALWAYS crowded with American visitors and
residents
The church-tower clock was Just striking the
hour of . on the morning Of Tuesday OF last
week. when suddenly the people OF MontreuX
were startled from their slumbcTs BIZ terrhH
rumblng noise. On gazing from their WINDOWS
they behed a gigantic torrent OF water mineIe
with trees, boulders and fragments OF houses
rushing down through the town to the AXE
below. carrying everything before IT. IL re-
quired but glance n convince those OF the
! inhabitants who were fortunate enough u eS-
cape, that their worst fears had been realized
and that the immense reservoir at SOuzier, q
village about a couple Of thousand feet above
Montreux, had given way, and poured forth its
| 10000, 600 gallons OF water almost pcrpondlcu
larry on the town below Striking the latter a
little to the left Of tn, railroad station it de-
stroycd the highroad leading up to Les Avants,
toppled over the houses, stables. shops and
away the high and broad railway cmblalSncnt
and at length, reaching the carriage road which
runs along the shore dashed through the gardens
Of the Hotel du Cygne into the lake
| Fortunately the breadth OF the torrent was
not great. otherwise the loss of life would have
| been appalling The official returns give the
number of lives lost as not exceeding twenty.
| But il is probable that these figures d. not
| represent the real number OF victims. since the
| authorities, realizing the fact that th' town
! depends for IFS existence entirely on IL foreign
visitors, are now seeking by all the means in
| their power TO diminish the importance OF the
disaster. which they fear will have tn effect
Of frightening away many Of the strangers who
usually spend the winter there In order 70 con
vince ones self Of the extent OF the catastroph e
il was only necessary to gaze upon III, havoc
which the water had wrought in the pretty
little town. The course which the torrent had
taken WINS clearly shown by the ruined houses
and stables, and by the streets and gardens
covered to depth of more than six feet with
huge rocks, mud and fragments of buildings
Here ana there the carcasses of dead atle
were to be seen caught under heavy boulders
but the majority of the bodies Of those who
persisted were swept into the depths of the lake
which at that particular spot is almost fathOm
less. For three days after the accident the
one section of the town completely cut oil
from the other and the only way in which
communication could be maintained was by means
of boats along the shores Of the lake.
may add that several Of the annexes, nclud
ing the kitchens and Offices Of the well-llnown
Hotel du Cygne were swept away by the tor
rent, the force of which may be estimated by the
fact that some Of the pieces Of rock which were
#. ha Hofrl
eight feet in height
The village Of Souzier is up on the side Of the
mountain at about the same level as Clion, from
which it is separated by the gorge known as the
ChaudrUn. The reservoir was badly constructed,
since the bottom instead of being level followed
the steep slope OF the mountain. By this means
almost the whole weight of the water was al
lowed to press against the lower wall OF the res
ervolr Some days previously omnous cracks
had been observed on the face of this WALL and
the chief engineer had given strict orders that
the reservoir should not be permitted to become
more than half full. On the Monday evening
preceding tn, catastrophe the man in charge Of
the reservoir had teephoned down to the pumping
station Oh the shores of the lake not to pump up
any NOR ,v9tt After sending this message he
left of q. for the night and went home leav-
ing the reservoir TO its own devices until the
next morning Unfortunately, the telephone did
not work well, and the man down at the pumping
station understood the message as asking him 10
pump ND more water. Accordingly, he set his
machinery in motion, and by the next morning
at o'clock the reservoir had been pumped full
to The very brim. The lower wall was unable
TO withstand the immense increase Of pressure
on its already defective surface, and about an
hour later suddenly gave way
The new Prisoner Of Chllon" who has taken
the place Of Downward is an Englishvoman OF
the name Of Miss Sterling, who holds the rank Of
captain in the Salvation Army, and who for
some time past has become a source Of great per-
plexity and even anxiety TO the Swiss Govern
ment. Miss Sterling is one Of the principal COM
manders Of the little force of Saivationlsts who
have undertaken the task Of invading the cOun-
try Of William Tell, and Of preaching their pc
cular doctrines in their own peculiar way. In
each city, town, hamlet and village which they
have visited during The last two years they have
been encountered by the inhabitants with min
gfed feelings of approval and hostility. and their
presence has on numerous occasions led to san
culinary ARRAYS between their sympathizers and
their enemies At length the Government, with
view of quitting an end TO these constant dis
turbances. prohibited the outdoor rel gous prac-
tees OF the Salvation Army forces, and forbade
their professions through tht streets with banne-s
flying and bands Of music playing. Miss Ster-
ling and her subordnateS, however, paid no heed
20 the behcsts Of Of the authorities on the sub
ject, and continued TO fire of their aggressive vol
eys Of halleluiahs in public, just as if no Swiss
Government had ever existed. The State there
upon availed itself OF clause 20 Of the Federal
Code. which authorizes the Executive TO expel
from SWISS territory any foreigner who either en-
dangers or disturbs the peace and security of the
country either at home or abroad" and issued a
decree Of expulsion against Mss Sterling as be-
ing the leader of the SakationiSt movement in
switzerland. The fair captain arrested
and conducted TO the frontier at Pontarlier by
a couple OF Swiss gendarmcs
The authorities at Berne were Just in the act
II COMMUNICATING Themselves ON haying lhus |