New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-13
SWEPT BY An AVALANCHE.
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE AT ST. GERVMS-
LES BANS.
VILLAGES BURIED BENEATH GLACIERS FROM
MONT BLANC-ALMOEr TWO HCNDRED
BODIES TAKEN OUT.

Paris July 12-A terrible accident has occurred III
St Gcrvals-les- Bans, in savoy. st. Gervals IS
watering place with suphurous springs, ana ~
favorte summer resort 1t lies in the wooded raVlne
Of Montjoc, half a mile from Chamonix ROAD OIL inc
Bon Nant Nant being the name applied 10 III
mountain streams in Savoy. a heavy lahdshue w
Cured in the mountains that almost overhang tho
village and without a moments warning q hulhD'r
OF houses were buried beneath immense masses Oh
rock and earth
The disaster occurred nt o'clock In the morning.
when nearly all the Inhabitants and visitors were
asleep The Bi0nnasSay glaciers, which extepd nom
the northwest side Of Mont Blanc, became deu"hed
and swept down the side OF the mountain, carrying
the baths and the hamlet OF lie Fayct into the tor
rent.
The loss of life was appalling. There was no pos
sibe chance Of the people getting ont Of the way o
tho tremendous mass OF earth rock and Ice. ana Il
great number. whose lives wer not crushed out De-
meath the falling ruins Of their houses. were s"ePo
into the river and drowned over 80 bodies nave
been recovered from the Arvc. and these WIN 'he
thirty taken from the ruins OF houses, brings the
deathroll up l9O. 1t IS not believed that this VIII
cover tho entire loss OF life, there undoubtedly
many bodies buried under the OF debris thot
will never be recovered. The whole surface OF the
river 1, srewp with the wTcclage Of houses and Win
trees,
SA Gy-vai.4le-vilIage is distnnt about twenty
minuteS' walk from ST. va,s, les Bans ana the nam
let lie Fayct Is two miles from 81 Gervd Village
ST. Gerval les Bains lies COOS feet above The level Cd
the sea while ~. Gervals-le-Nllage IS 2'oo1 fect
obove the Sea level Lc Fayct Is at abort the same
height. 1t can readily be seen that the ascent Is
very steep and rs the masses came tmnder1ng down
tho r,vine tbcy carried everything before them with
irres ,tlblc force.
Many Of The victims were awakened By Che souha
OF the descending avalanche but Il was too ate Tor
them TO escape II IS believed that not n anfs
person I'm the line Of thc descending glaciers escaped
with his life.
II is impossible as yet TO learn the names on the
dead Many of them arc manglcd beyond rccoGlltion
Many visitors were at the place and a large number
OF tlrm are among the victims.
The baths Of It. GervaIs were In five separate
buldlnes Joined by a stone wall erected In narrow
eorrc The glacier which became detached rom
Mont Blanc fell into the mountain torrent, carrying
AWAY the hamlet OF Bionuay and filling the torrent
with masses Of lee The ice and the wrcckase o the
village formed q dam which c'Icclually rrsran'd the
waters for some time. Finally the dam broke ana
water burs; Ike cataract into the stream OF Bon
Nant The torrent continued into the valley, de-
,troying everything In It's course. The village OF bc
Fayct living I'm the valley, was almost en'irey fe
nllshcd. The wrcckage OF houses WINS swept on
6,r miles into the Arvc Down that sti'am cprIscs
and wrcckage have been seen floating all day long,