The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-11-21
Monday Morning, Nov. 81, 1864.
An Adventure in the Alps.
PROFESSOR TYNDALL DESCENDING A
GLACIER.


PROFESSOR TYNDALL DESCENDING A
GLACIER.
Professor Tyndall sends to the London Times
q narrative OF rather exciting adventure in
the Alps. On the Sd of July he and two
friends with a couple OF guides, Jenni and Wal
ter, assembled the Piz Mortoratsch. The as
cent was accomplished safely, bnt not the de-
scent, which was made along the Mortoratsch
glacier: ~
1--WE at length reached the point at which it
was necessary to quit our mornings track,
and Immediately afterwards got upon some
steep rocks which were rendered slippery here
and there by the water which trickled over
them. TO our right was broad couloir, which
was once filed with snow, but this had been
melted and refrozen; SO as to expose sloping
wall of ice. We we're all tied together at this
time in the following order; Jenni led, Il came
next, then my friend H., an nintrepid mountain
eer, then his friend L., and last OF all, the
guide Walter. After descending the rocks
for time Jenni turned and asked me wheth-
er thought it best to adhere to them or to try
the ice slope to our right. pronounced in
favor OF the rocks, but he seemed to misun-
derstand me, and turned towards the coulior.
He cut steps, reached the snow, and descend
ed carefully along it, all following him, appa-
rent, In good order.
After little time he stopped, turned and
looked upwards at the last three men. He
said something about keeping carefully in the
tracks, adding that false step might detach
an avalanche. The words were scarce utter
ed when heard a sound of fall behind me,
then rush, and iD a twinkling Of an eye my
two friends and their guide, all apparently en-
tangled together, Whirled past me. / sudden
ly planted myself to resist their shock, but in
an instant was In their wake, for their i'm
petus was irresistible. A moment afterwards,
Jenni was whirled away, and thus all five OF
us found ourselves riding downwards with un-
comfortable speed on the back of an avalanche
which single slip had originated. When
thrown down by the jerk of the rope, turned
promptly on my face and drove my baton
through the moving snow, seeking to anchor
it in the ice underneath. / had held it firmly
thus for few seconds, when l came into col
lisi0n with some obstacle, and was rudely toss
ed through the air, Jenni at the same time be-
ing shot down upon me. Both of us here lost
our batons. We had, in TACT been carried
over a crevasse, had hit its lower edge, our
great velocity causing US to be pitched be-
yond it.
was quite bewildered for moment, but
Immediately righted myself, and could see
those in front OF me half buried in the snow,
and jolted from side to side by the ruts
among which they were passing. Suddenly
saw them tumbled over by lurch Of the
avalanche, and Immediately after found my
self initiating their motion. This was caused
by second crevasse. Jenni knew OF its ex-
istence, and plunged right into tia brave
and manly act, but for the time unavaiing.
He is over thirteen stone In weight, and he
thought that by jumping into the chasm a
strain might be but upon the rope sufficient to
check the motion. f
He was, however, violently jerked out of
the assure, and almost squeezed to death by
the pressure of the rope. A long slope was
below US, which let directly downwards to a
brow where the glacier suddenly fell IN de-
cliyity OF ice. At the base OF this declivity
the glacier was cut by series of profound
chasms, and toward these we were now rapid
ly borne. The three foremost men rode upon
the forehead of the avalanche, and were, at
times, almost wholly immersed in the snow !;
but the moving laVer was thinner behind, and
Jenni rose incessantly, and, with desperate
energy, drove his feet into the frner sub.
stance underneath. His voice shouting Halt
Herr Jesus, haltp was the only one heard
during the descent.
A kind of condensed memory, such as that
described by people who have narrowly escap-
ed drowning, took possession Of me; and
thought and reasoned with preternatural
clearness as rushed along. Our start, more
over, was too sudden, and the excitement too
ETcdJ W pcIiulb Vi bllS ucN6l0pulSuL Vi DcIIUIs
The slope at one place became less steep, the
speed visibly slackened and we thought we
were coming to rest; the avalanche, however,
crossed the brow which terminated this gen.
tier slope and regained its motion. Here Il.
threw his arms around his friend, all hope for
the time being extinguished, while grasped
my belt and struggled for an instant to detach
myself. Finding this difficult, resumed the
pull upon the rope. My share in the work
was, fear inintesimal, but Jenni's power.
full strain made itself felt at last.
Aided probably by slight change of incli-
nation, he brought the whole to rest within 9
short distance Of the chasms over which, had
we preserved our speed, few seconds would
have carried us. aa Hdaa q
None of US suffered serious damage. 81
emerged from the snow with his forehead
bleeding, but the wound was superficial. Jen-
nj had bit of flesh removed from his hand by
collision against a stone; The pressure o
the rope had left black welts on my arms, and
we all experienced tingling sensation over
the hands, like shat produced by incipeni
frost bite, which continued for several days
] found portion of my watch chain hanging
round my neck, another portion In my poke
the watch itself was gone"
On the 10Th of August Professor Tyndal
made an expedition in quest of his watch
which was found after rather perilous search
SIT had remained eighteen days in the ava
lanche, but the application of its key at onc'
restored it to life, and it has gone with un
wavering regularity ever since"