The sun., 1908-05-10
RCNiWir SWISS LAKE.
MarJclen Has again Broken Its Way
Through the AIetsch Glacier.

Visitors to the Alps know the magniRcen
! panorama that IL unfolded from the top o
the Eggishorn, the highest summit on tho
rocky ridge between the great glacier o
Aletsch and the valley Of the Rhone.
There is a splendid view over the Bernesc
| Alps TO the north, and the jumble Of snow
| peaks to the south are revealed in all theil
grandeur But the sight that first Of all
attracts attention is the Aetsch glacier
tho largest in Europe and little Lake Mar.
ielen, half a mile north Of the Eggishorn
with its dark green waters and the tiny
icebergs on its surface.
This is not the sight tourists would see
from the top Of Eggishorn to-day. A little
while ago Lake Marjelen disappeared in a
night. The deep chasm it fills was dry the
next morning. The great chunks Of ice
we're stranded on its floor.
In its peculiar way Marjelen is the most
famous Of the Swiss lakes, 1t stands !, ,zGi
feet above the sea. On three sides steep
rock slopes wall il in. On the west side il
is bordered by the Aletsch glacier.
A singular phenomenon has long attracted
attention, From time to time the lake
suddenly disappears Its basin was COM
pletely emptied eleven times from 1913 to
1887. In 1873 all the water left the lake in
eight hours. In 1873 il was empted in
thirty and a half hours, and in 1897 in ten
hours,
This is a wonderful fact in view Of the
prodigious quantity OF water that is sent
laundering down to the lower valleys in 80
short time. The lake is 1920 feet or
nearly a mile long. Its width is about
9s4 feet; ts depth is from 30 10 $50 feet and
its water content has been estimated TO he
TO- 10000 cubic meters. This immense
volume escapes in channels under the
glacier and as II pours along a sound like
the rumble Of thunder Ia heard.
Naturally the food does great damage
below, and the little lake has an evil repu-
tation among the inhabitants Of the MAssa
Valley, through which the waters OF the
Aetsch glacier reach the Rhone. The
farmers there are very poor and wrest
with difficulty a slender livelihood from the
meagre fields But these fields have again
been destroyed, and much damage has
been done to property along the Rhone
far TO the west.
Rarely have the people received any
warning OF the approach Of the torrent.
But since 1887 they have slept securely,
believing that tho treacherous lake would
never harm them again.
Engineers studied the problem Of safe
guarding them from the constant danger.
They found the cause Of the trouble 10 be
the opening Of deep crevassee on the side
OF the glacier, against which the lake abuts.
In 1887 a stone wall was built along the
glacier edge while the lake was empty.
The work was we'll done and pronounced
TO be an adequate remedy. Marjelen for
all the years since, until the present occur
renee, has kept within bounds, and it's
overflow has been carried OF 10 the east
in the valley OF the little Fiesch River.
But the day was approaching when the
people were TO be rudely awakened from
their dream OF safety.
II appears that the foundation OF the
wall became undermined and through the
opening the lake drained away into deep
orevasse that split the side Of the glacier
from top 10 bottom. More adequate means
Of protection must now be sought
The lake derives Its waters from the
melting SHOWS Of the surrounding noun
tains. When the crevasse that opens a
door Of escape TO the waters passes beyond
the western limit Of the lake the basin
begins 10 AL again.
The lake was drained in January, 1888,
and on July IS II was full again. II Is not
unlikely that In the last weeks Of the coming
tourist season the deep bowl will be brin-
ming again win ths dArk grOed wstsTa