The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-23 00:00:00

AN ALPINE ACCIDENT.

_______
2'wne.r• of Tuesday published the following letter :
li
Nth"—You will learn, with the most unfeigned re-
at a season marked by an unusual number of w'ea'sfol asct3nts has now a far sadder characteristic.
114,aellears, from the particulars subjoined, and which
ttott 'WI gathered from the surviving but sorrowing
Pardon of a first-rate oragsman, that Mr. Alfred
)I.o6,,raven, of London, and Mr. IAT. O. Moseley, of
h,"t,rranged to make the ascent of the Matter-
-44 ' 4:11(33? had as guides Peter Ruby and Chris.
%xi Inabinit, both of Grindelwald, and both of
iftrerarothninatiloompanied them on several arduous, but
.".exPeditions. The party left the Monte Rosa
edneaday night (August 13) at half-past ten
itt It'll*. intending to make the ascent without sleeping
tbli 6 cabin, Which is about seven hours' walk from
1411 Place. The ascent was accomplished success-
1, and after a few minutes' at the descent began.
' apPeare that when about an hour Irdm the cabin,

1=

both gentlemen took off the rope, as they had passed
from a precipitous snow field to the roctks. Mr.
Moseley, unroped, was etanding on a narrow ledge of
rock, when, owing, in all probability, to a thin
coating of ice which covered it, he slipped, and Mr.
Craven had the horror of seeing his companion whirling
through the air for some thousands of feet and then dis-
appear, he believes, among the rocks at the base of the
Matterhorn and which also skirt its glacier. Mr.
Seiler, the proprietor of the Zermatt Hotels, ever
ready to render assistance when required, is most
anxious to send out a searching party to go over the
Furggen and Matterhorn glaciers; but to-morrow
(Friday, August 15) is a high testa, and as all the
guides attend mass at half-past five a.m., they are not
at liberty until after that hour, which is too late to
undertake the search, in consequence of the avalanches
of falling stones from the Matterhorn after sunrise. It
is therefore arranged that a body of guides leave this
to-morrow evening, sleep !it the Hirnli, and by day-
break on Saturday morning the melancholy search
will be begun. It is fearful to think how fruitless
it may be. Mr. Craven will accompany the party. It
is but right to add that some say the body has been
seen en the Furggen glacier from the Riffel Hotel by
the aid of the large telescope. This however, is very
unlikely. Will you allow me to say that both gentle-
men are members of the Alpine Club; both, like
many other experienced climbers, have frequently
removed the rope when engaged in rock work; both
understood each other's powers perfectly, having
climbed together for the last three seasons. The
ascent of the Matterhorn was Mr. Moseley's 31st peak
this year. Mr. Moseley was unmarried, but he was
an only son.
Mr. H. D. Gardner, of Eltham-road, London,
accompanied by his guides, Joseph and Gabriel Tang-
welder, met Messrs. Craven and Moseley on the
Matterhorn, and spoke to Mr. Moseley but ten
minutes before the latter fell.
I need not say that the utmost sympathy is felt here
for the bereaved parents and friends of one who is
spoken of in the warmest terms as an amiable and a
brave man.—Most truly yours,
Wrimem LxrnoT, M.A., Incumbent of St. Andrew's,
Liverpool, English Chaplain, Zermatt.
HOtel du Mont Cervin, Zermatt, Aug. 14.

Another correspondent writes :—" On the day
following the above disaster, a great misfortune befell
the Pays de Gem and the country between Nyon and
the Jura. About six o'clock in the evening, after a
day of intense heat, an enormous thundercloud burst
over the valley. In less than five minutes the villages
of Cressy, Borrex, and Amex were literally over-
whelmed; the roads were converted into rivers; the
Boiron, in ordinary times little more than a brook,
became a raging torrent and swept over the great mills
of Amex, on its way towards the lake. The utmost
difficulty was experienced in saving the horses and
cattle, and peasants and agriculturists have suffered
grievouslosses. At Divonne, which is situated in French
territory, the effects of the flood seem to have been
even more disastrous. The Divonne, a tranquil stream
of crystal water which here springs fullgrown from the
earth, overflowed its banks, spread over the adjacent
country, and rushed madly towards the lake, carrying
with it trees, crops, and cattle, strewing the meadows
with mud and stones, flooding buildings, and destroy-
ing all the bridges in its course. The water rose in the
houses to a height of If t., the inmates had to escape by
the windows and take refuge in upper stories, and a
daughter of a former mayor of Divonne, Mdlle.
Roland, was drowned in the street. The damage done
by the flood in Divonne alone is estimated at 100,000
francs."