The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-08-07 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF AN ALPINE PARTY.

The Time: has published the following letter :
Sir,—The reports that appear to have reached Eng-
land concerning the less of a party near Grindelwald
are so far inaccurate that I have thought it advisable
to send you what details are known here.

On the morning of Sunday (the 18th of July), a
Swiss gentleman, Dr. Haller, and two guides, Peter
Rubi and F. Roth, left the Grimsel to cross to
Grindelwald by a glacier pass known as the
Lauteraarjoch. As they did not arrive as expected,
and as nothing was heard of them on the two follow-
ing days, it began to be feared that an accident had
happened, more especially as a telegram from the
Grimsel in answer to one from Herr Boss, the land-
lord of the "Hotel de l'Ours," Grindelwald, stated that
they had left there on Sunday morning, taking one
day's provisions with them, with the full intention of
reaching Grindelwald the same evening, and that
nothing had been since seen of them. Accordingly, a
number of guides were despatched from Grindelwald
to explore the glacier, but on Saturday they returned
again without having found any traces whatever of
the missing party.
The search was continued next day by Mr. W. W.
Richmond Powell (a fellow-member of the Alpine
Club) and myself, with our guides, and we were more
successful, inasmuch as we obtained a possible clue to
the mystery. We found on the wall of the "berg-
schrund " on the Grimsel side of the path a large
crimson patch, and in the dAris of ice and snow
beneath the broken neck of a bottle. The
snow that had acted as a bridge over this
bergschruncl " had the appearance of having lately
fallen in, and it had, in falling, completely filled up the
mouth of the "crevasse." It seems only too probable
that the ill-fated party were making their way over
this bridge towards the summit of thg pass, when it
broke beneath their weight, precipitating them into
the chasm, which immediately became choked up with
the falling clthris of the broken bridge.
If this should be the case, it is extremely improbable
that anything further will be learnt of their fate, as the
crevasse, as far as we were able to examine, seemed of
enormous depth. As it is, the search has now been
practically abandoned as hopeless.
A melancholy fact in connexion with the accident
is that all three members of the lost party leave
widows and families, those of the guides being in some-
what adverse circumstances. —I am, Sir, your obedient
servant, PERCY W. THOMAS.
Grindelwald, July 29.

TURKISH WAR PREPARATIONS.

A Reuter's telegram from Constantinople says :
A Turkish ironclad, accompanied by another war
vessel, has left Constantinople to cruise off the coast of
Albania.

According to a despatch from Constantinople, the
Porte has determined, on the advice of Osman Pasha:,
to increase the number of the troops in Thessaly and
Epirus to 50,000 men. Of these 26,000 will serve in
Thessaly, and 24,000 in Epirus. The whole force, how-
ever, will not be composed entirely of regulars, for it
is estimated that 20,000 of the men will be Albanian
volunteers.

The SpecLll Correspondent of the Daily News at
Athens telegraphs that since the last hint of the
Powers to Greece not to call out her reserves, the
Greeks have been puzzled to understand the situation.
The Turks have a strong force in Thessaly and
Epirus, and increase it daily. Greece, even if all
energy were shown, could not occupy the provinces
for at least a month.