Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-03-17
/ TERRIBLE FIFTY MINUTES.

In August, 1859, | arrived at ChamouniS
with one Of my friends, traveller like
myself For about five weeks we had
been exploring Switzerland, so that we
had plenty Of time TO get used to snow
and glaciers We had made several ascents,
one of l4000 feet. / well remember the
sensation felt when first saw one Of those
crevaSscs which seam the surface of the
glaciers. Holding firmly by my guides
hand. leaned over that yawning gulf, and
tried 10 gaze down into It's terrible depth.
The two perpendicular walls Of ice appeared
to meet some 500 feet below, but believe
il was only the effect OF perspective, the
rent being probably prolonged as far as the
solid rock
a man who falls there is certain never
10 come out alive said one Of my
guides.
True replied the other; but knew
one who was rescued. A narrow escape in
deed il was be lives at Grindlewald. He
is a chamois hunter; he was returning
home; in descending the crevSSse. His
fall was broken by projecting blocks of
ice, which yielded, however, beneath his
weight when he clung 10 them. When he
reached the bottom. a distance Of some
hundred feet, he had n leg and an arm
broken. Between the earth and the ice he
fund hollow place into which a stream
was running; crawling along suffering
terrible pain, he followed the course Of the
water. and in three hours he was cut OF
the glacier
CrevasSes vary in breadth from two TO
six feet Mt the mouth, but the sides ap-
proach rapidly as they descend. so that a
man may find himself jammed in between
two walls of ice long time before he
reaches the bottom, and then, if ropes long
and strong enough are AZ hand. il Is pOssi-
BILE to save him from a dreadful death.
But generally the ropes are not long
enough, and the traveller perishes Of cold,
or falls lower down into the crevasse dur
ing the hours which elapse while some Of
the party have gone to the nearest village
to fetch longer ropes. Thus an unfortu-
nate Russian noblernan perished in a ila-
cier near Zermatt some years ago.
We had assembled the Brevent, we now
had only the Mer de Glace and the Jardin
to visit. We slept mt the Montauvert in
the solitary little inn at the foot Of the
glacier. Next morning were up at dawn.
Furnished with some provisions and two
bottles Of wine we started with our guide.
1t was a splendid morning and augured
well for our excursion. For half an hour
we followed rough path which skirted
the Mer de Glaoe, which played below us
its surface riven with crevasses and covered
with rocks and fragments. Our road
ended ut the glacier, upon which we now
began TO descend, and to traverse in zig
zags in the midst Of numerous fssures.
The Mer de Glace IL not considered dan
gercus, and il is quite the exception TO
take axes and ropes, when crossing IT,.
Alert and cheerful we hastened ON with
out taking notice Of the guide, who some
way behind, cried out TO Us several times
to be cautious and wait for him. Wewere
obliged at last 10 halt before n vast Gre
vase which barred up our passage. IL
opened with length of some sixty yards,
and ended upon our left in slope Of ice,
somewhat steep, but which | thought
conld easily mount. Using the iron spike
Of my alpenstock as hatchet, ] began to
cut holes in the ice, large enough to put
nv feet in. At this moment our guide
rejoined us He looked at the slope and
at the yawning creyasse below il, and said
in grave tone, "It is dangerous let us
go round it."
With the aid of my alpenstock had al
ready got half way up this icy hillock, and
was now quite convinced that it was too
steep and slippery TO be crossed without
an axe. The guides warning confirmed
nv opinion. / was cautiously lowering
my right leg, seeking for the hole that
had made in the ice my foot passed it T;
| felt that / was sliding down; there was
nothing rough to stop me. not the least
projection by which could hold myself in.
The declivity became perpendicular, and
fell into the gulf
heard the cry Of despair Of my COM
panion and my guide. My own sensations
cannot be described. / was giddy and
half+tunned, sent backwards and forwards
from one wall Of ice to the other, felt
myself descending to a great depth, con-
demned to be dashed to pieces, to die by
a horrible depth. Suddenly something
stopped me, felt myself suspended. /
took breath again, and could cry out, " A
EUpcs TUpcs
By Gods mercy | had fallen upon a
narrow ledge of ice, which formed a sort of
bridge across the crevasse This frail sup
port as far as could judge, was about four
inches broad and eighteen thick, My
head hung from one side of it, my feet from
the other. Instinctively and Immediately
by what means know not, raised my
self up and stood upright ON this projec-
ton, ,Ewherc there was hollow just large
enough for me to plant one foot.
Then / heard my companion say above
me, We never hoped to hear your voice
again; trust in God and take courage. The
guide has run to Mantanyert to seek men
and ropes; he will come directly"
"lf he is long," / replied, "I shall not
come up alIye.n
My position was terrible one the thin
ledge of ice was SO narrow that could not
place both feet on it, could only support
my elf on one leg half resting against one
o the ice walls, smooth as a mirror, and
there was nothing to grasp. A stream OF
ice water flowed down upon my shoulders,
piercing me to the very bones above my