The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1860-11-17
Select GturD.
An Alpine Adventure.

Ucen about I'VE weeks IN SWltIcfi land. and IN
that time had done everything considered
necessary by on, c"un'iytEcn. We had &C.
quired some expcr fence III glacier. work, hav-
ing assembled the A.itSch Horn. whose sum.
mi, had been reached for the first ,iue bv an
Engh>hman member Of the Alpine Club.
only two months h,forc. We made the as
cent successfully. and were proud Of having
been the second exploring party to stand on
its lofty peak. nearly f"'rt;cn thousand feet
high. On that occasion We passed two whole
DAYS on the snow and glacier
| remember we'll the first glimpse had
into one Of those teri lille crcvasscs which in-
tcrScc glaciers. G,tting guide to hold my
hand, leaned over its yawning brink and
gaZrd carefully INTO the falhnml,SS abyss.
The two perpendicular walls Of ice appeared
to join together about three hundred feet
down; an appearance resulting from the con-
vrxity of the crcvssse. Usually. believe.
the great spill, ends only where the glacier
touches beneath
NO one who falls into ono of these ever
comes out alive. SAID one of our guides -
Yes, SAID another. "a man once escaped
and lives still ut the Grndclwald lie was a
clamois hunter, aud when coming home alonc
over the glacier, his foot slipped, and he was
prciYiialtd into crcvaSsc. His fall was
broken by projecting lodges and blocks of
ice: which, however. gave way as he clung
to them. Afcr falling three hundred feet, lie
reached the bnlton Of the glacier, with a leg
and an arm broken. He found hollow
space between the gruund and the ice.
through which stttau, Of water ran. In.
stinclivtly he followed It's course. despite the
great pain he endured, and after crawling
alo'g for three hours, found hiu,svlf freed
from the glacier"
Ordinary crcvasScS are from three to eight
feet wide at top, bat the sides approach each
other rapidly. so that man would be wcdocd
in between the two walls of ice long byfulc he
could reach the bottcm. And then, unless
there should te ropes at hand long enough
and strong enough, what an awful dca til -
An unfortunate Russian gentleman persisted
thus III crevasSc only last year. half ruZrn
half-squctZrd TO death. the heat Of his body
ever melting the ice. he ever sinking deeper
and deeper into his dreadful grave
My companion and | ascend,d the
Brcvant, and, as few climbing travellers leave
Chamouny without visiting the Mcr de-
Glaze and the Jaidn, we arranged TO make
that excursion. 10 shorten our DAYS work
we left Chanouny in the evening and slept at
Montanvcrt. solitary little mountain inn on
the edge Of the Mer de Glance.
We wore up bc'lmes in the morning We
provided ourselves with some eatabes and
wine, and started with our guide, whom we
had brought FROM Cuurmaycur. 1t was a
Curious morning, and promised well for our
expedition. Our read, for aiout half IN iloar
was along an uneven path Skirling the glacier
which lay below US on our left hand, very
much cr,vassed aud covered with debris. The
patti then cane to an end aud the guide Sal
f,,l.. D..
Seconded ON TO it. and threaded our way
among the numerous crcvaSSeS.
The excursion to Mrr de Glacc not being
lacked upon as Il regular glacier expedition,
is not uadc with the attendant precautions of
axes or ropes. We had neither. We were
in high spirits, and went along at grea:
rate: so quickly, indeed. that our guide,
who had fallen behind, cautioned us once or
twice, and requested us to allow him to take,
and keep, the lead. Just then, our progress
was arrested by wide crcvasse Look ing
to the left. | perceived that it terminated,
some twenty feet from u.s. in a steep slope of
ice. which though, could easily climb
AS the cievasSe was about sixty yards long.
determined TO uy this slope rather than 90
round 10y the other end.
Using my Alp,nsiock instead of an AXE
Therefore began making foot holes in the
ice with II. The guide had now come up
with us. lie locked at the ice slope and the
wide c,eyasse and said, very seriously: alt
is dangerous: let us 90 round" BY this
time Ind. with the aid Of my Alpenstock.
climbed about halfway up the slope had
already come to the conclusion that it was
much too steep to scale without an axe, aud
had deter mined to rctrace my Steps So,
when the guide had spoken. | carefully
stretched back my right leg, feeling for the
last hole had made IN the ice My foot
went past the place, and felt that was slip.
ping. There was not the least projection that
could grasp. The slope became perpendic.
ular, and fell head foremost into the yawn-
ing crevaSse below.
heard loud cry of despair from my ftl-
low-traveler and the guide. My own sensa-
tions can no; I've described, or even distinctly
tina. Twas caught by something that hung
suspended. was able to take breath and to
call out for" A rope or an axe.
NV fall had been arrcsl,d on little ledge of
ice which spanncd the crevassc like a bridge.
On this frail structure, not moe than two
inches wide at the top, and las well as could
judee) about two feet deep. | had fallen SO
that my head hung down OH one side. my
my legs on the other Instinctively and i'm
mcdlutcly. by means which cannot at all
recall. raised myself from this dreadful 20.
sition TO standing one on the ledge, in
which there was little niche sufficiently
wide to admit one foot. WAS now so far
collected that could hear my fellow traveller
saying from above: 1--WE never hoped to
hear your voice again. For Gods sake, take
heart. The guide is running to Montanyert
for men and ropes, and will soon BE- back
IF he is not" answered, " shallnever
come up alive"
My position was an awful one. The little
ledge was so narrow, that | could not get
10th my feet upon it. / was, in fact, sup
porting myself on one leg, half-leann,ng
against one side of the crevasse and pressing
my hand against the opposite side. 1t was
perfectly smooth and there was nothing to
grasp. a stream tf water poured over my
shoulders, drenching me to the skin. and
freezing me with its icy GOODNESS. Overhead
could see the long narrow strip Of blue sky,
bounded by the mouth of the crevasse.--
There was a terribly stolid unrelcn,ing look
in the intensely Hue ice that surrounded me
on oil sides. The grim walls of the crevasse
looked as il they would unite to crush me
rather than rclinquish their victim. Numcr-
GUS rills Of water poured into the crevasse,
but in the whole sixty yards Of its length
could see no projection except the little ledge
on which had so mraculously CHANGED to
fall