Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-02-05

Soihe lOrIler pllgflm. Jean told me that a
ladder is constantly kept here, to assist trave-
lers III crossing crevices, and found its service
was most important, after getting into the gla-
cer.
1t was still twenty minutes walk to the Dor.
der OF the ice. which we reached without diff
Guilty. We had here fine view of the Mon,
tagne de la Cote, on which the celebrated de
Saussure, the pioneer of this hazardous route,
proceeded, on his ascent in 1877. Beneath us
the valley SlOped away, and its chalets and
Sloping paSturages looked like q confused and
chequered surface far in the distance The
pine forests on the mountains looked like a
scar livery, while many of the chain of peaks,
rising behind the village, stood out bold and
lofty, their SUBMITS tipped with white Above
Us vast ridges OF snow rose on all sides, and
through them we could distinguish colossal
masses OF glltterlng ice, that looked as if they
had been split and torn aSunder by the fury of
tempest. Looking up the glacier, jutting
pnnaceS and frosted crags tierceiv broke the
gaze. These glstened in the sunlight so that
we could scarcely look at them The shatter-
ed surface OF the two ridges shutting in the
channel we were about to traverse, presented
lodges Of ice of incOnceiVable magnitude Had
we been nearer to them our wonder would
have been still more excited, as the yastness
Of the view, and the impossibity to calcu-
late distance, destroys all idea of proportionate
bulk
Jean Carrier now went ahead on the glacier,
and, the snow being firm, we found no Difficult
ty in proceeding while We kept in each Others
track. We all pat on glasses and wells, and
found them extremely useful in protecting our
ny-p = Ia Il Il. Il.
the ice. AS we advanced, we found the way
less practicable, and frequently encountered
chasms of terrific width, which caused us to
make detours of several hundred wards The
upper part OF the glacier as seen from the val
ley, presents no remarkable feature beyond
that o! score of glaciers met with in Switzer-
land bat, when on it, how startling the i'm
preston a million icecrags, rent and torn
aSunder in the most gIoteSque shapes, and
scattered about on all sides, forms scene
of the most splendid and overwhelming cha
racter
We found it necessary, as mutual protec-
tion, to tie ourselves together with cords, and
step with extreme caution. The assures were
every moment growing more numerous. and
small walls Of ice had to be clambered by means
OF foothoIdS cnt with hatchet by Jean, who
displayed wonderful nerve and skill i'm his one
raUOnS. Several Of these walls or arches were
steep and narrow, and after two of the guides
had reached the top the rest of us were half
drawn up, assisting ourselves as best we could
by clinging like flies to the foOthoids. | stood
more in awe OF trcacher0uS paths across the
crevices than any other of the various dangers,
as single block of the path giving way, the
whole would slide, and we should be hurried
mcrciessly down to chasm OF unknown depth.
was truly glad when we began the ascent Of
the Grand MuletS, the lofty rocks that rise from
the desert of Ice at the extremity Of the glacier
we had Just toiled over
We scrambled on to these rocks with no lit
tie trouble, and immediately set about arrang-
Ing the knapSacks and contents, which had
been violently knocked about by our troubles
on the glacier Jean arranged Il sort of tent
for me on a platform of rock, with batOns and
a couple of blankets, that looked excessively
inviting, considering we were two thousand
feet above the line of eternal frost. 1t was
the cold, though, that had annoyed us after we
had changed our garments, but the fierce heat
of the burning sun striking on the cornceS of
the rock. The tent so kindly thought of serv-
cd as protection against its rays and, after
covering the surface of the ledge with two or
three knapsacks, and blankets over these 7
assumed a ounginr position and rest from tha
fatigue lust UNDERGONE
Our bivouac on the cone-like rocks nresent-
ed a wild and sinrular asnect We saamnd to
he wrecked on a great barouo Of rork in an
immense ocean Of tenneSt. .drivon Zoo dosoIoto
and lost herond buman roach ThiS vas ,,,,[, n,,ro
" tbonyht howovnr for boro ,yo woro' ,,'I, ont
If tbo war Of tho ovoI I,nobar 0,I !, na Io',
Ger Of snnino down rravreS IN Tbn oi, tIinl
we had to look ont for was NOT 70 60 too
ncor tho odrc Of the naranots and III, oT
hnt this onIy wanted an exprcisa Of ordinar,,
canton.
The novelty of orr nosifion tbc nura mir and
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