The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1865-09-05
Am Alpiue 9isastcr,
FATAL RESULT OF AN ADVENTURE
In TIE ALPS.
Thrilling Sketch by a Survivor.

During the month of July several Eng
lish gentlemen, members of an Alpine Club
came to Iermatt with the intention of
climbing the colossal cliffs of Mount Cervin,
hitherto pronounced imsurmountabc. These
were Edward Whympcr, Charles Hudson,
Mr.. lladow, and Lord Francis Douglas. Mr.
Hudson had brought with him caLles Of
iron wire to facilitate the ascent, but left
them behind at his hotel. lie and his com
panions procured three guides from Ter
matt, and with seven bottles of wine began
the ascent. Having passed through the
snow at the foot of Cervin, Lord Francis
Douglas, who was only nineteen years old,
took som, rest from sleep, while the others
remained awake. This was on the night of
July 1914. On the morning they resumed
their march, and found the ascent more
easy than they had expected. By two
o'clock p, NJ. they reached the summit; and
after a short rest they began to retrace
their course. Croz, one of the guides, went
ahead; after him came Douglas, Haddo,
Hudson, and Whymper then came the 9TH
er two guides, Taugwalder and his son. All
of them were attached to a single cord
and were proceeding down the Jagged way,
with great exultation over their success,
when Douglas slipped and gave the cord a
and the whole company over the side of
the cliff. Taugwalder, the father, who was
last in the line, did not lose his presence of
mind. lie passed his end of tie cord through
crack in the rock, and believed for mo-
ment that he had arrested the fall OF his
fellOw-travellers, bCt suddenly the rope
broke between Whymper and Hudson, and
Croz, Lord Douglas, lladow, and Hudson
bounded down from rock to rock for -four
thousand feet. The next morning their
bodies were found where they fell.
Mr.. Edward Whymper, the loader and
one Of the survivors of the ill-fatcd party,
has addressed to the London Times very
! interesting narrative of that eventfu and
tragic journey. The incidents of the first
part OF the journey did not differ from the
usual course of Alpine travel. They pur-
sued their way leisurcly enough, and at
IL O'Clock, having found good position
for their tent at a hight OF III 900 feet,
they surrendered themselves foi~the re-
mainder Of the day to enjoyment and sci
entic recreation. Long after dusk the
cliffs above echoed with our laughter, and
with the songs of the guides, for we were
happy that night in camp, and did not
dream of calamity"
Very early the next morning the party
started lor the summit, and they went on
smoothly until they had reached AN altitude
of fourteen thousand feet. Owing to the
perpendicularity of the rocks they were
compelled to make a detour at this point,
and they then proceeded to climb up the
only part of the mountain which presented
considerable iliiculties-'lificultie occa-
stoned, as MIR. Whymper explains, by the
Irregularities of the face of the rock having
been filed mp by snow and partially glazed
by ice but still it was place over
which aly fair mountaineer might pass in
safety" and only some three hundred feet
high, All the party, with the exception of
Mr. lladow, who lacked not courage but
experience, aud had therefore TO be contn-
ually assisted, completed the ascent ia
safety and with comparative ease. The
only suggestive remark was made by poor
CrOz, who, in answer to an observation
which Mr. Whympsr made on reaching the
summit, that they had come up very slow.