The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-04
UNDER THE Snow.
.,,,,c rive Weeks on coats' MIX Under
an A,alanehe In the Alp.

m
\ remarkable instance II three perfons
surviving an imprisonment Of five weeks M
dor ,n avalanche Is recorded In Narratives
If Peril mud Suffering" In the valley Of the
Irm.r stnra. at tie foot Of tie Alle, Is the
lttls hamlet of nergoltttO. In the winter 81
i-,5 the falls of snow were uncommonly
heavy On tho lgth Of March the parish
nriet who was on his way 90 toe church.
heard a noise from the mountains, ADD, cast
ip~ M bis owes. ho saw two afalinfhc, or
seend.ne towards tho village IL gave the
alarm o. some ,iliaccr, and then fsireated
into lis own Loi-c.
The avalanche came and buried over thirty
l5rses. and twenty-five persons were found
~ lo missing. among them ihe parish priest
who had given the alarm. Tho amount ~
snow which las over the ruined dwellings
was about A. feet deep, 2iu feet long nnd III
feet wide.
When tine surviving peasants lad shaken
on the terror and depression which such an
eveat must necessarily causc. they sct about
trying % save any .fe or property possible
More than 60 peasant from nciehDorng VII
laccs came - their assistance. But they
could do little. the thickness Of the mo"
mas was 20 great and the SNOW continued 70
fall from thc clouds 10 ,ichamorut that they
were obliged 90 al.contindr tle1 in,i.-s ,s-
crrions. and wait OH The .ettng 90 of tAe
warm April winds which would partly melt
the Gigantic SHOW piles,
On the 18th of April Che villagers returned
90 their melancholy task. 10 was w.-h nc
hope of finding any human being alive. One
1frhom named Hoccia, whose whole family
was beneath the ava.ancle, was most active
i'm the search. By the 2lta az April he led
advanced $50 tar. that after breaking through
six feet ol i.e le could touch the ground wiil
"a lmr pole Three friends worsrd with him
Tho four worked vigorously. and mad.
their way. az lcn-,l. into hoceias house. hn'
mo- one. dead 81 living. was fl0rr Is u Na.
probable that, 10 the fatal moment, the yie
TINS had sought shelter DO the stable "hic.
was about hundred feet from The hou '
Rolcia and hls companions directed thei
efforts IN that quarter
After thoy bad huIr0Ued for some time
one Of them thrust pole through an apr
tafe, and on withdrawn. % heard a Aoai>e
.4int voice say.
Help. OBJ dear husband H-lp. dear
brother We AFRO alive
They uOw worked with rcdoublei activity
aul soon made % considerable opening An,
here. under the snor. EocciI. o. IBIS ioY
iound bis wife daughter aai n .'ster-in-.a"
Tie three sufferers 0efe incapable o. n'f
lur and Uef. lruuk.u almost o. skeleton.
They were carefully removed .1m t4en
place of imprisonment ana conveyed o. OLD
house 81 irimj. fll roper measure
.3optll for thcr restoration n o ilw day
f they we've fairly recovered
Their lives ull preserved during thea
long live weeks ia ihe following manner
They had taken le.u-, m Tie rao and man
ger which, being .'roac. bad "itlstood OBJ
strain. though tic roof fcl loriunaiei.
two goats were u,lr Them, which supl.c
them with goats mik quantity sufficient Z
u.tqn lie
Tofed tho goats wasof prime importance
Immediately over The mancor was q hole int
the has loit. through ibis hole ono Of ta
women Has abb. To pm down folder INTO ta
rack and vLen Poe could 30 longer reach Dc
ihe -aeaeious animals ciimOei upon i.l sau-.
.lels and helped 'homse.sr.
Through the hole oi uleif imprisonment
they r.fr In total darkness. After the' iir-
hye or six days they suffered Little irm
hunger. thou Do quart ot goat milk had I'd
suffice for three Ilrt suffered laf mnl
from The cxcca-iyccolire 'ot iae now "at.
tlat uiciled over them. end from lle e.a
strained posture into which they "Dla forced
Youth Companion.