Tragedy struck amid nature’s splendor.

The Chronicle’s front page from Nov. 18, 1980, covers a massive rock slide at Yosemite National Park that killed tourists and hikers.

“Rangers brought in dogs yesterday to help search for victims in the jumble of granite debris piled up by the huge rock slide near Yosemite Falls that killed at least three persons Sunday and injured six others,” the story read.

Boulders the size of buses broke loose from the mountainside and tumbled down toward the hiking trails. Giant trees were snapped in half, and the earth shook under the feet of a group of West Germans hiking below.

“‘In seconds two of us were dead,’ mourned Hartmut Rader, 36, of Munich in broken English. ‘It was no chance. First we think an airplane. We look to sky. What’s that? We can’t see anything, and at the last moment we saw stones coming down.’

Two of the Germans were crushed to death. Also killed was a teenager, Jason Pulis, a Concord High School junior.

The digging would take months.

Business corner: “Most United States banks raised their prime lending rate to 16.25 percent,” a story near the bottom of the page read, “a three-quarters of a percentage point rise that took the key rate to its highest level since mid-May.” We’ll take the 130-year mortgage. Thanks.

Top O’ the Top of the News: “Contra Costa County opened its new $24.5 million jail that is roomier and better furnished than most college dormitories. Page 6.” The food’s about the same, too, but the freedom in the dormitories is a tad better.

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspaper’s history.

Chronicle Covers highlights one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken and producers Kimberly Chua, Michelle Devera and Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim O’Rourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke

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