THE AVALANCHE

Hokitika Guardian, 25 July 1925, Page 4

THE AVALANCHE

(Mountain Climber in the ” Daily Mail.”) The news from Switzerland and the Southern Alps is lull of accounts of destruction and death, resulting from the sudden descent of avalanches. The railway at St. Gotliard has suffered at various points, tourists have been overwhelmed, and in the \a) Maroiie some-workmen have been buried in their lints. The cause of these sudden descents is not far to seek. On the higher slopes there have been six or eight weeks of clear, almost uninterrupted frosts, which have caused the existing snow to become loose and powdery. Now, under pressure ol the recent heavy ialls of fresh snow, this loose iimlor-snow has given way, and vast masses of it, gathering volume every moment, are plunging down the mountain sides, overwhelming sheep and unfortunate tourists and burying all thai comes in their path. This type of powdery avalanche, serious enough to liie and limb, is as nothing compared with the real avalanche buill up of acvumulatmus of snow that may have commenced years ago. These vast accumulations occur on the plateaux or less steep inclines. The pressure of each succeeding seasun's snow turns the undersnow to ice. and winter after winter the mass increases in weight and volume. A moment arrives when, owing oitliei to pressure from higher levels or tiemass growing so immense, it overcomes any resistance that holds it. Or. due Lo an exceptionally mild slimmer. the lowest stratum against tin mountain side is incited and a sort o water cushion is lornted upon v.biel the whole glides forward. There are other causes, but lor .sum. reason such as these the colossal mascommences to move slowly downvan toward the vellcy. h the pace is shiv il is known a- a creeping avalamln and can be .... ut under constant ohsor ration. There is little immediate dan gor from it and peasants and farmer ran he warned of the approachiii; peril. Sometimes, however, an avalanche o this type will w.Lin a lew hours o having become loosened hurl itsel downward with the speed of an expres train and a noise exceeding all imagin ation. Nothing can withstand il Farms and homesteads are swept ana, or buried, lores, s ot fir and pine in crushed down or carried away like s much straw; cattle, rocks, railway are all carried belore it until it oitlie comes to rest in lower levels or burl itself over perpendicular walls ol roe into the valleys beneath. This is the real avalanche which i the terror of the Alps.