Show fatal norwegian tragedy was not first of kind bother other avalanches have tak en beav heavy y toll of lives Tas washington hington D C with a terrifying roar an avalanche sva lanche plunged from rocky cliffs nearly a mile high into the still waters of loen lake western norway recently the wave that followed was reported to be as high as the capitol building at washington it tool too a toll of more than 70 lives and nearly wiped out two villages near the nead head 01 of the lake loen lake an extension of a series of waterways leading in inland from nord fjord is no stranger to disaster says the national geographic society many inhabitants of the region recall a soar sheer rocky heights topped by snow clad peaks ana glaciers the scenery is is grand and impressive and scores of beetling precipices dashing waterfalls and islets seem to pass in review as the lake steamer plows along leaving rippling furrows on the pale green surface of the water the lake itself is about ten miles long except for a few knifelike knife like ravines it is entirely surrounded by huge precipices nearly feet high with mountain peaks towering another 1000 to 1500 feet above the clifftops cliff tops between many 0 of the peaks huge glaciers descend but all of them are transformed into waterfalls before they reach the lake when clouds hang low in the region these falls seem to drop out of the mist one of the m most 0 s t spectacular si sights gats in western norway is a glacier which periodically breaks off from the brow of a cliff on the western shore of the lake in summer large masses of ice are detached plunging a sheer shee r feet with a rumble like thunder to dash to pieces among the rocks at the waters edge often accumulated ice fragments are spread out in a great fan shaped pile below most impressive of the lakes rock walls is the steep serrated face of source of the avalanches that caused both the 1905 and recent disasters seldom see sun near the southeast end of the lake this stern foot cliff faces three of the principal hamlets of the region and a number of scattered guards or homesteads whose inhabitants sometimes do not see the sun at all during the winter months scars of the 1905 avalanche when a stupendous crag detached 1 itself and plunged into the lake can s till still be seen this slide was recalled by a memorial stone on a low rock by the lake the villages of and biedal which were reported virtually destroyed by the recent wave hug the shore across the lake from the they again felt the full force of the giant waves set up by the tons of rock hurled into the water many of the houses had been moved up the shore since the 1905 catastrophe but still not far enough the principal industries of the region are fishing and catering to summer visitors the villages are ideal headquarters for mountain climbers who wish guides for the ascent of the many peaks and glaciers above the lake trout and salmon are abundant |