The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-20
AVALANCHE
ON jUNGFRAU
Visitors See the
Wonder in the
Alps.
GREAT SLIDE
OF SNOW AND ICE
Henry Waterhouse Tells of Some
OF the Sights Which He
Saw Abroad.

/ Watching the descent of an ava
d lanche from the summit of the renown
ed Jungfrau. Switzerland's deatl
I mountain, was one of the exciting in
II cidents of Henry Warehouses; recent
ktour of Europe The spectacle wa:
viewed also by Mrs Waterhouse, who
assembled the mountain as far as it is
safe for women to go.
Mr.. and Mrs. Waterhouse toured
Switzerland in July, undertaking the
sights with courier who remained
with them until their departure from
Italy. They decided to visit Jungfrau,
the most magnificent of the chain
of craggy heights in the Alps, in the
attempt to scale which hundreds OF
lives have been lost. At Interlachen
they occupied apartments in hotel
whose windows looked out directly up
on the summit of the mountain.
/ 1T was a magnificent spectacle, y
sair Mr.. Waterhouse, in recounting lis
! tour. There is magnificence and
splendor about the Alps which one
rarely sees in other mountains of the
/ world. From Interlaehen we went by
! the odd little train far up the noun
tain, winding and crossing, until We
came to the terminus The intention
is to carry the railroad to the summit
| We disembarked and walked ahead
quite distance until we came to the
snow belt. From this point on it is
| dangerous to essay the trip, and we
decided to remain on terra firma
Suddenly we heard a low rumbling
as of thunder far up the mountain in
the clouds. Deeper and deeper the
noise came to our ears We saw peo-
pie below us looking upward toward
the summit, and then our guide called
out: '.Looki Look! The avalanche,"
We did look, and beheld scene which
was indelibly impressed upon our
memories. Thousands of tons of snow
and iceblocks were crashing down the
side of the mountain just across the
chasm from where we stood. Then
came cracking noise as of thousands
of pains of glass being broken On, |
on, came the constantly accommodating
mass until it seemed that the entire |
side Of the mountain was sliding |
down to the depths. 1t was wonder |
full sight, and we stood speechless until |
it was over. Two days afterward an |
avalanche occurred just onthe opposite |
slope and village with its entire pop |
ulation, excepting one man, was de- |
stroyed. While these avalanches are |
terrible things, yet they are wonderful |
to behold.
1T is foolhardy to attempt to scale |
Jungfrau. While we were at the hotel |
three men were dashed to their deaths |
while on the road just beyond where |
We stood watching the avalanche Had |
the tragedy occurred that day we could !
have seen it, and it was place where |
we would have ventured upon had we
decided to go upon the snow and ice
belt. While at the hotel we were
constantly using the telescope to view |
parties making the attempt. We could |
easily make them out, laboriously
moving upward towards the goal
Jungfrau's summit A young man at
that time thought he would go alone.
They found his body where he had
died, almost in the track.
Then l had the pleasure of looking
into Vesuvius's crater. The railroad /
carried me part of the way up. and
three men literally carried me the rest
OF the distance. peered over the rim
into the depthes 1t was a splendid
scene, so unlike what we are used to
at Kilauea, but the fumes cut my in
spection short for l told them to take
me away. The view of the Bay of Ma
pies from Vesuvius is grand At night,
from our hotel on the hillslopes, the /
bay presented a scene of dazzling +
splendor. a dozen war ships were in /
port, and all used their searchlights.
1t seemed Almost like a carnival
I'VE went to Pompeii, and saw the
latest excavations. There was a large
residence almost as it was the day the
city was destroyed. The mosaic floor
was beautiful and the mural pictures
were as fresh as if painted yesterday. /
The Appian Way, with its monuments,
arches and tombs, was interesting, too.
We reached Venice just three days af-
ter the fall of the famous Campanile.
1t was mass of pulverized mortar and
sand 1t was really sad to contem
of the days when Venice was in her
glory. The apex of the Campanile, on
which was a craven dove, fell just at
/
stitious Venitians looked upon this as
a sort of miracle. Just that portion
is screened off at the portico of the
church, and visitors are allowed to gaze
upon it.
Venice is sinking. The city. built
upon 10000 islands and upon countless
piles. is being undermined. The great
historical buildings and residences,
once the glory of Venice, are all be-
coming Leaning Towers of Pisa.
The piles are giving way. The Doge's
palace is out of plumb, and there is
need of much engineering work 10
put them in place again.
I'VE were disappointed, Of course,
not to see the coronation. We saw the
decorations and all the preparations. J
We were not in London when the cor
onation did take place.