Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-09-23
Fearful Accident in Switzer.
land.
REMARKABLE DEATH OF TRAVELLER
IN THE GLACIERS

REMARKABLE DEATH OF TRAVELLER
\ IN THE GLACIERS
A correspondent of the London Times
writing from Zermatt, August Is, gives
the following thrilling narrative
at appears that on Friday morning,
August IL, a Russian gentleman named
Edouard de Grotte, left the Riffelberg
Hotel te cross the pass Of the Weissthor.
He was very fine, powerful man, about
six feet three inches high, and had a
somewhat wild and unsettled look on
his face. He had no Alpenstock, (Which
was indispensable for such an expedition
and sharply refused an offer on the part
of the landlord to supply him with one.
: "He started with two Zcrmatt guides,
and safely crossed both the Weissthor
and Monte Moro passes, arriving in the
evenidg at Matmark. village in the
valley OF Saas He appeared to be very
confident in his own physical powers e nd
to be inclined to despise tie difficulties
and dangers occasionally met with in the
higher regions of the Alps.
ION Saturday morning he left Mat
mark with his two guides still without
an AIpenstock. and carrying only a
walking stick in his hand, He retraced
his steps Of 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 Rifielberg, he de-
scended by the Findelen Glacier, which
slopes from the pass directly down into
the valley of Zcrmatt, and affords a
shorter, though much more pcrilous
route to the town than the Corner Gla-
cier.
"The three were fastened together by
a rope; the traveller being in the mid
die the rope was tied round his body,
but was not, as it should have been, tied
round the guides also it was only held
on the left arm, of each by large loose
loop. In tbs way thy passed safely
over the greater part of the glacier, and
were within few minutes of leaving it
altogether, wien they came to large
patch f snow, which the guides, accor.
ding to their own account, proposed to
D., pass round, but which the traveller in
sisted on crossing. Accordingly the first
guide crossed it in safety. The travel
Ter en- followed him, but when lie had
reached the middle the snow gave way
under his feet, and he sank into a hid
den crerdsSe. Having no A Alpenstock he
could not break his fall in the usual ay,
!, bot ha oh
whole weight was thrown with a sudden
jerk upon the rope, which broke Instant
/ Iy on both sides of the crerasse, do yn
which the unfortunate man consequently
fell. His voice WAS soon heard calling
Tor asst sistance, which the guides were not
skitul enough to render; the creraSse
was i peculiar one, being narrow at the
I top. and widening ownwards for some
distance, after which it narrowed again
! till its sides met depth of aoout 200
feet, This circumstance rendered it inn
possible to reach him without rope
he appeared to be about sixty feet from
the top, wed ,ed between the sides of
the crevassc and they had no rope ey.
ceptins the two ends that had remain
ed with them, of about a yard each. so
they determined that one of them should
go to the nearest chalet-a two hours
walk-fcr ropes. The idea of trying to
make rope, by cutting up their coats
and shirts, 'cially their leathern
knapsacks, t unaccountably
never to hay- red to them Thus
the unfortunate NJ de Grottc received
no assistance for four hours. during
which he frequently spoke to the guide
above; he was, he said, in sloping po
sition, with his head lower than his feet,
and with his right arm free, but he was
constantly sinkin. lower, After three
hours the flow of blood to his head and
the intense cold had very much weaken
ed Kim he spoke seldom, saying Only
that he was being froz.n to death.
AT last, after four hours, the guide
returned from the Findelen cha,et with
assistance the rope was lowered, but
was found to be twelve feet too short 70
reach him. Now, it will scarcely be
credited, but it is fact, that when the
rope was found to be too short nothing
more was done. but men were sent for
more ropes to Xermatt,a distance of four
hours, So that the unhappy man was
condemned by the helpless clowns a"ove
him to pass eight hours more IN his icy
prison. He had endured the most dread
full agony, Tor at first the warmth of his
body disSolying the ice next lin, caused
him to sink lower but As the vital heat
departed the cold gradually reg.ined its
superiority, SO that he was frozen in
/ tightly between the walls OF ice. which,
as their wettcd surfaces congealed and
slightly expanded towards each other,
crushed him between them with iiresi,ti-
/ ble force.
About the end of the fifth hour the
poor man died. He had fallen in b.
tween noon and P NJ, and he died
about 5 P. NJ. At midnis sht more ropes
came from Il rmatt, and his corpse was
pulled up; it was found at the depth OF
seycnty-two feet. 1t was handed over
to the authorities. by whom an inquest
was held on Tuesday last, and an exam
ina:ion instituted"
ANEcDoTE OF JEFFERSON. "A party,
/ Mr. I IptfprSpn than DroSi1 mt o,nonp