The Washington herald., 1920-12-13

"JHAI happens when the top OF
M mountain falls off and
" crashes two miles to earth
Havoc was wrought not many days
ago by, Mont Blanc, the highest peak
in Europe. French. Swiss and Ital-
ian peasants In the tiny towns nes-
Ting at the ''Whitee Mounts foot
doubtless are offering prayers of
thanks to their patron saints this
week because ne one was Killed in
the catastrophe.
When Mont Blanc lest its summit
persons living in Chamonix, the lit
tie French town from which the as
cent of Mont Blanc starts, and
Pourtoud. on the Italian side. were
terrified by the sounds of a terrific
avalanche which rolled along the
Gorge of Brenta glacier down the
mountain into Italy. taking every
thing in its way with 1t.
They knew It must have started
high on the peaks because its at
tendant snowfields tore out rocks
by the tons and the great mass rum
bled down the mounts side for ten
miles. 1t plunged then along the
glacier bed, leaped the Valley Doire.
threw pine trees and boulders about
like corks in a torrent, and came to
rest within a few yards of the en-
trance of Pourtoud.
Mount Lost Height.
Houses which stood almost In the
avalanche's path were spared by a
yard here, a foot there. Several
square kilometers Of land hitherto
used for farming, were covered with
blocks of ice, tree trunks and mas
sive stones, and the pine forest of
Pourtoud. known. Throughout Europe
for the size of its trees and its an
tiauity. was carried away bodily.
For three days the dwellers at the
mountains foot had no idea of the
cause: of the terrific landslide. The
fog which circled the peaks top
finally lifted and powerful telescopes
were trained on the summit.
Mon Dfeu" the peasants .exclaim-
ed when the observations result
was made known, ,"the top of the
mountain fell off," That is exactly
what had happened and. besides
changing the appearance of Mont
Blanc's summit, the fall which
started the avalanche deprived the
king of the Alps, of fully a score
Of its 1881 feet, of altitude. g.
The landslide was caused by the
splitting of part of the limestone
pyramid which formed the culmi-
mating point Of the biggest noun
tain mass in Europe. The stone
crashed with terrific force. to the
snow and ice beds beneath and
then became like a gigantic snow
ball which had started rolling
downhilf 1t gathered everything
with it and kept rolling ~ =.
. Claims Many victims.
Despite the general impression.
Mont Blanc has claimed many, lives
by one or another of its caprices.
The total deaths which may be
ascribed to 1t probably are in the
thousands, but still 1t stands, white
and alluring, whispering, with the
voice of Lorelei, to the hardy ad-
venturer, TRY to climb me-"
Jacques Balmat, a sinewy, daring
mountaineer, was the. first person to
gain the peaks summit. He won
his great victory in 1886, after a
terrible night spent alone on the
mountains side amid the cracking
of glaciers and the shaking ava
lanches. "Baimat de Mont Blanc"
the exultant Chamonniards hailed
their hero, even as the Romans
shouted to Hannibal's conqueror,
'Scipio Africanus."
Meentain Got >Revenge.
But Balmat's victory over Mont
Blanc. was not a final one. Lying
In ambush for its victim. almost
like bearer of human vengeance,
Mont Blanc waited forty-eight long
years to get Balmat, and "eet"
him It did. in 1884. when the "white
peaks conqueror ), Climbed 1T on
age-tired and less sure legs and feiI-
from precipice-s Peasants who are
superstitious fear to be high on the
mountains side toward evening. A
misty, light on white snow gives
play to many illusions, and the ma
tives swear they often see aBsImat
de Mont Rlanc'sY spirit thse. nit
ting over the drifts. its Appearance
always presaging terrible .disastsr.
Guides beyoud number have met