The Coolidge examiner., 1934-05-25
Norway's Worst Disaster
in Half a Century.

- Ae-aAAl Ass&- 1bht haf+as 80 az
motion By tons of falling rock.
washed away two fishing hamlets
and drowned nearly % persons IN
Taflord. western Norway. recently.
II vas one Of Sorways worst dlsas
ters in half a century. recalling the
similar Loen lake tragedy In 1905.
when OF persons lost their uves
~TafJord is narrow. stone
riBged finger Of water branching on
from stoortjord. one Of the dozen
great arms os the sen that pcne-
tra,e the heart OF the Scandinavian
peninsula says a bulletin from the
National Geographic society.
Wildly picturesque. with bare red
and brown cliffs rising almost sheer
from black water. Tafjord Is a typl-
cal example OF those deep-water ra-
vines around the edge Of which are
generally thin fringes % pebbly
beach. Along the beaches a few
pine. birch. and elder trees and the
t0y-like sod rooted cottages OF sturdy
fishermen end precarious footing.
Unusual Scenery.
Tourists seldom visit these deep.
winding waterways. although they
would De rewarded with some Of
the worlds most unusual scenic
spectacles II they did From snow
clad mountain tops and Ice helds of
the plateau. torrents rush 90 the
cllT-tops. bursting over the rims
and plunglng headlong into the
fJords Ike long ribbons Of silver.
when low-hanglng fog banks ob.
scurc the brink n the cliffs. these
dashlug waterfalls, Ike rayeled
clouds. seem TO be dropping from
the SKY Itself.
~Tagord possesses three high wa
terfalls. two of which come into
view as the steamer enters the
ford. The largest. Muldalsfos. drops
almost GOO feet (three times the
height of Niagara. and Is consld-
cred one Of the finest waterfalls In
Norway.
"one reason why Tafjord has few
contacts with the outside world Is
that II Is practically inaccessible
except by water. Only narrow
bride paths twist up the rocky
walls of the ford and over the
plateau 10 nelghborlng villages. and
these trails can be used only during
the midsummer months The rest
of the year they are blankeied In
heavy snow.
The villages OF Tafjord and
FlOera. where the greatest number
% the fatalities occurred during the
recent wave disaster, nestle In
a cove at the head OF the ford
SmaG steamers reach them only
once or twice a week with mail and
supplies. although many of the M
tives own fishing boats In which
they sail some 30 miles down adjoln-
Ing fj0ris 20 Aalesund, one OF Nor.
ways chief cod fishing ceuters and
the nearest large city. Aalesund oc-
cuples a few OF the 10000 islands
known as the Sl;jaergaard (Skerry
Guard). which fringe the mainland
and Increase Norways coast line
1900 miles.
Mining and Fishing.
Practically the only other indus
try OF the region. In addition 70 fish
Ing. is mining High on the face OF
a cliff above Tafjord a British com.
pany operates a mine which pours
red ore down ehutes 10 vessels wait
ing 10 take ii 10 smelters. In the
nearby highlands. a little south OF
Tafjord. however. farmers ind pas
turase for small herds ~ cows and
goats. In the summer months they
drive live stock to these upland
meadows and settle down In huts
for two or three months OF butter.
and-cheese making. Flowers and
bright green grass often spring up
az the very edge Of glaciers and
snow fields.
"Only a few miles southeast OF
Tafjord Is another narrow finger OF
salt water that Is sometimes visited
Oy big cruiser steamers. This Is
Gieranger Fjord. an S-shaped basin
festOoned with scores Of leaplng wa
terfalls. The inlet is only II miles
long and from 90 to 400 yards wide,
hut the mountains soar perpendicu-
larry TO heights ot 5000 and 5000