Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-09-22
6be Aasb6iIEt Tlnion am Amrritan.

W.T. 2taSDBlle gtlllUll anu cSllfIIldN.
FsarFul AccTdcnt in svitzerIasd - Re-
lnarkabIe Death of Traveller in the
Glaciers.
A correspondent Of % e London Times, Wi ing
from zsrmsti, August - lises eae following thrill
ing narrative:
g Il appears that on Friday morning, August 70,
Russian gentleman. named Edousrd de Groite. lett
the BihelbeFg Hotel to the pass Of the Weiss
thor He was very Zoe powerful man. about SIX
feet three inches bign aud had somewhat mild and
unsettled lock on BIS face. He had no Alpenstock,
(which was Indispensable for such an expedition
and sharply refused offer the part Of the land
lord to supply him WIN eue.
- lie stsrtet With two Zsrmatt guides, and safely
crossed both the Weissthor and Moete Moro passes,
arriving in The evening ct Matmark, 8 village in
the valley Of Saas. He appeared TO be very cor
hdent in his physical powers and to be incIir-
ed to despise the difficulties and dangers OCCASIONAL
ly met with in the higher regions of the Alps.
s'On Saturday evening he Jeff the MstmsTk with
his two guides (stin without Alpenstock, and
earring only walking stick in his hand.) He re-
traced his STEPS on the previous day, as far as the
top Of the Weissthor Pass; from there, instead Of
turning to the Left and descending by the usual
route along the Corner Glacier to the Rfelberg ne
descended by the Findelen Glacier, which slopes
from the pass directly down into the valley Of Ter
matt and affords q short, though much more per-
iiOus route 10 the town than the Corner Glacier.
''The three were fastened together by rope; the
traveller being in the middle; the rope was tisd
round his body, but not, it should have been,
tied round the guides also; it only held the
left srm Of each by large loose loop. In this way
they passed safely the greater part Of the gs
cier, and within few minutes Of leaving il al
together, when they came to large patch of snow,
which the guides, according to their own account,
- IL,
sisted on crossing Accordingly the first guide
crossed It in s4feiy
"The travelsr then followed him, but when he had
reached the middle the snow gave way under his
feet and he sank into hidden cTeVdsse Having no
Alpenstock he could not break his fall in the usual
way, by holding it cross the chasm end so his whole
weight was thrown with sudden jerk upon the
rope, which broke instantly on both sides Of the
eregIsSe down which the unfortunate man conse-
quenuy fell. His voice was soon heard calling for
assistance, which the guides not skiful enough
to render; the creUGsSe was peculiar one, being
marrow at the top and widening down Wards for
distsnee after which it narrowed again till its sides
met at depth of about 200feet. This circumstance
rendered it impossible to reach him without rope;
he appeared TO be about sixty feet from the top,
Wedged between the sides Of the crevssse and they
had rope excepting the two ends that had re-
manned with them, Of about yard each, 60 they
determined that Of them should 20 TO the nearest
ShaIet-s two hours Walk-for ropes. The idea Of
trying to make rope, by cutting up their coats and
shirts, and especially the leathern knapsacks seems
most unaccountably never to have occurred to Them
"Thus the unfortunate NJ. de Grotte received no
assistance for four hours during which he frequent
ly spoke TO the guide above; he was, he said, in
soping position with his head lower than his feet
and with his right arm free, but be was constaRtIy
sinking lower. After three hours the flow of blood
to his head and the intense cold had very much
weakened him; he spoke seldom, saying only that
he was being frozen TO death.
fAt last, after four hours the guide returned from
the Findelet chalet with assistance; the rope was
lowered, but found be twelve feet too short 10
reach him. Now it will scarcely be credited bet Il
is fact, that when the rope found to be too
short nothing more done, but men were sent
for more rope TO Zermatt, distance Of four bours
travel, so that the unhappy man was Condemned by
the helpless clowns shove him to pass eight hou.s
more In mis- icy prison He had endured The mott
dreadful Bg0ny FOR at first the warmth Of his bod,
diss0lvmg the ice next TO him caused him 10 sink
lower; but the vital heat departed the cold grad
uslly regaued ITS superiority, that he was srozen
tightly between the walls Of ice which, as their
weited surfaces cOngea'ed ami slightly expanded to-
wards each other, crushed him between. them with
Irresistible force
"Ahout the end Of the fifth hour The moor man
died. He had fallen in between noon and 1 p n
and be died about P. NJ. At midnight mere svpes
came from Ze-mat ard his corpse was pullsd m:
II was found sc the depth OF seventy-two fret II
was handed over TO the an Aorities, by whsn an in
quest was held Tuesday last anGs 80 examine
tIon Instituted