LANDSLIP IN NORWAY.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8491, 24 May 1893, Page 3

LANDSLIP IN NORWAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —In your paper of the 22nd inst. there appeared among the cablegrams, a short nobice of a serious landslip, attended with great loss of life, which occurred at Vaerdal, in Norway, a few days ago. As I happen to know the locality well, possibly a short notice of ib may be of inberest to some of your readers. Yaerdal is spoken of as a village, about forty-five miles norbh-easb of Trondhjem, bhe ancienb capital of Norway. Now this is no; quite cdrrect. Vaerdal is is nob-a village, bub a valley, which runs in a north-easterly direction from a small fishing sebblemenb, hardly bo be called a village, named Troaar, wich is situated nearly at the extreme north end of Trondhjem Fiord, the valley is in North Trondhjem Amb (or counby). Tronar is aboub bhirty miles north of Levanger, and aboub 120 miles norbh of Trondhjem. The lengbh of bhe Vaerdal is somebhing over four Norwegian miles, or about thirby English miles, in width it varies from half a mile to nearly three miles in places; on each side the granite rock rises perpendicularly, in places to from two to three thousand feet. A fine salmon river flows down the valley, the land is exceedingly rich and fertile, and the temperature wonderfully mild for the latitude, aboub 65deg. N.L., bhe valley being so well sheltered. The farm buildings all along the valley were about the best I have seen anywhere. The great norbh road from Levanger- to bhe Swedish fronbier runs through the greater part of the valley, and near to the northern end Sbands the carious old Norwegian church of Stickelstad. Nor is the localiby devoid of historical associations, for ib was at Sbickelstad that St. Olaf, bhe warrior sainb and bishop, who introduced Christianity to Norway about AD. 1000, fell fighting. Over the spot a huge conical mound has been raised at least a hundred feet in height. At the apex of the cone is placed an immense granite monolith covered with old Runic inscriptions. This monolith stands from 30ft to 40ft above the top of the mound, in which it is embedded. What the total length of the granite block really is I was very anxious to ascertain, but could not do so. . From the top of the mound a fine view is to be obtained of the rich valley and of the mountain desert which surrounds it, with innumerable peaks covered with perpetual snow, and quite devoid of any settled population, inhabited only by a few wandering tribes of Laps, who: follow their great herds of reindeer, camping for a lew weeks at a time where the deer happen to find moss, then moving on again whenever and wherever the herd see fit to lead them. —Yours, Ac R. G. Christchurch, 23rd May, 1893.