The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-11-19
THE ALPINE TRAGEDY.
RECOVERY OF THE BODIES OF THE
TRAVELLERS LOST ON MONT BLANC
"A DIARY BI THE DEAD.

The Boston Transcript prints, under
date of October ID, !, letter from Glen
in Switzerland, dcscrll'-
tive of the recovery of the remains OF
Rev. Mr.. McCorkcnd;tle, and DIR. Beane,
Of Baltimore, who persisted on Mont
Blanc some weeks ago. The letter reads
thus:
"On the 10th Of Scptember, those
looking through the glass at ChamounlX
discerned some black points between
lies Petits Mulets' and the summit of
Mont. Blanc. Twenty-Five guides pre-
pared and started to ascend sLes Grands
Mulcts' before evening. The next morn
ing they found two bodies near where
was indicated by the glass, and three
higher up. Three guides explored the
whole summit of Mont Blanc for traces
of the other six, while nineteen des-
ccnded with the bodies found to the
Grand Plateau. Then the twenty-five
united again ut clos Gr;,ndS Mulcts'
for that Saturday night. But at Il sig
nal from them, tWenty-fOur more guides
started from ChamouniN that evening,
and the next morning, Sunday, pro-
ccclcd on to the Grand Plateau. The
day, the 18th, proved perfectly clear.
The whole summit was visible to the
wistful eyes of the watchers below.
Those using the telescope, of course,
distinguished perfectly and counted the
toiing men. How often during the
clear shining hours of the 18th had we
looked through that same telescope!
And every time we changed the field
we felt that we We're to count some Of
those stifencd forms on that summer
SNOW.
g You can imagine the intense emo
# natl hot III
Villagers when, ten days later, they
watched alone the slow funeral train in
its painful descent from 5000 feet above
them. l will quote from the words Of
one writing from the village ut 1870,
when tho guides bearing the bodies had
reached the descent of the sGrands
NIulcts,' and were about continuing the
descent toward the glacier: 'NOuS ne
pouvcr voIs imagincr lc lugubrc cffct
produit crar cS corps que tantot on volt
glisScr sur unc pcntc rslpide, tautot
traincS avcc poinc par ccttc masse dc
guides Religious services were again
held the next day, both Catholic and
Protestant. The bodies proved too
brittle to undreSs, and were inferred in
the same clothing in which they made
the ascent. DIR. Bcane was found in a
sitting posture, his forehead resting on
his hands. He was somewhat protected
by an unt:,llen projection Of show. Mr..
McCorLcndalc, sitting also, alpenstock
in hand, passed into his frozen sleep
with the calm lines of quiet peaceful
ness made enduring while his spirit
Hoatal restfully on to a bright awaken
ing. Now / come to the letter found
on the body of DR.. Beanc, Of which l
first heard last evening. Simple and
manly as it is, somewhat of its plain
force and directnesS has been undOubt-
edly lost by TRANSMITTING it into French.
l shall send to Geneva for an English
copy, if Mr.. Upton, our American Con-
sui, saved one before forwarding the
original to Baltimore. But to the fam
lily and friends of Mr.. Randall, in Quin-
cy and Boston, these last words of DIR.
Bcanc, written amid those darkening
Alpine SHOWS, must have almost as
deep and solemn an influence as though
they had been Mr.. Randall's own fare
well.
DIR. BEANE'S LETTER.
"'TUESD\I, Sept. 6.-I have made
the ascension of Mount Blanc with ten
other persons; eight guides, Mr.. Nc
Corkcnclalc and Mr.. Randall. We
reached the summit at ~ O'Clock. I'M
mcGiatcly after having quilted it, /
found myselfenveloped in Il whirlwind
of SNOW at $1,000 feet English height.
We have passed the night in a grOttO
dug i'll the snOw-an uncomfortable asy
lum, and l have been ill all the night.
"'Scpt. Gold very intense. Much
snow. 1t falls without cessation: the
guides are uneasy.
Sept. I've have been on Mont
Blanc for two days in Il terrible snow
storm. We are lost. We are i'll Il grOt-
to, dug in the snow, at a height of 49,
600 feet. I have no hope of descending.
Perhaps some one will find this book
and will send it to YOU (Then follow
relative to his private atf;airs.)
We have no provisions. My feet are
frozen, and I am already OK
hausted. 1 have only strength to write
these words. 1 die, believing in Jesus
Christ, with the sweet thought of my
that we shall meet IL heaven. Yours,
My effects are partly ut the
Hotel du Mont Blanc: Il part are with
me in my two portmantcaus. Send
them by post to the Hotel Schwictzcr-
hotf at Geneva. Pay my bills at the
hotel. Heaven will reward you for
your Kindness
"Thcn follow more instructions to
his family: then Il sudden close, as if
failed, and he bowed his head
to meet the great struggle,
clearly accepting the lonely gateway
that to the place beyond"
South Carolina Politics.