National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-09-08
A Narrow Escape.

A few years ago Y party, having as-
cenled the Morteratsch, u mountain in
the center OF the Grisons, had an expert.
ence with un avalanche that came ncai
ending fatally. In descending they left
the track by which they Ind gone up,
and crossing piece Of ice, 10y steps cut
in il with hatchet, struck a slope OF
snow that yielded just enough to give
thcr thold. To hold each other in
case 'cident, they were all five tied
together Nv rope. Jenny, an expert
enced guide, took the lead. They had
proceeded some distance in this way,
the one behind carefully stepping in
the tracks Of the one preceding him,
when Jenny turned, around, and eau
toned them not to miss step, for the
shock of the fall might bring down an
avalanche. The words were scarcely
out of his mouth when one of the men
slipped and fell. In an instant an ava
lanche, l6osened from its resting-place,
thundered down upon them. The three
in the rear were whirled in a tangled
mass past the two in advance. These
instinctively braced themselves to re-
sist the shock, when the rope should be-
come taut. But it was all in vain the
impetus of the three descending men
jerked them from their foothold and
away all went together on the "back of
the avalanche" Hatchets driven into
the ice as they rolled over, to arrest
their progress, and their alpenstocks
thrust wildly out for the same purpose,
were jerked from their hands, and now
sliding, now rolling over and over, they
shot rapidly downwards towards fearful
chasms "The three foremost men
rode upon the forehead of the avalanche
and were at times almost immersed in
the snow" They were carried with
such velocity that the whole FIVE were
borne bodily across a crevasse, barely
hitting the farther edge. This, however,
checked their speed "A little, and Jenny,
partly recovering himself on the edge
of another fissure, jumped boldly into
it. He knew the rope attached to those
who had been carried overi it would keep
him from going to the botto n, while
the weight of his body, he being heavy
man. hanging in the crack, he hoped
would arrest the downward progress of
the rest 1t was quick, heroic thought,
and bravely carried out. But it was of
no avail-the momentum of the decend-
ing bodies jerEed him out as though he
had been an india rubber ball--the sud
den terrible tightening of the rope al
most taking the breath out of his body.
He however struggled desperately to his
feet Being last of ALL the snow of the
avalanche in which the others were
ON hp, rcrad o. -, frAnk Af hin,
and he endeavored to drive his heels at
every plunge into the hard crust, shout
ing all the time at the top of his voice
Before the slope down which they
were driving reached the brow of the
precipice, beyond which was death, it
became less steep, and the, avalanche
slackened its speed Hope revived in
all. The mighty mass, however, did
not halt, but crossing this partially level
spot, began again to accelerate its mo-
ton. Seeing this, the two forward
friends threw their arms around each
other, and resigned themselves to their
terrible fate. Tyndall struggled des-
perately to unbnckle his belt to which
the rope was attached, hut finding it
he braced himself with all
his might. Jenny, however, with W n
ierfu. self-possession and coolness, had
in this short lull of their de-
scent, in getting a firm foothold, and
bearing on the rope with his great
weight, he brought the whole to stand
still just on the verge of the precipice,
'ver which few seconds more would
nave carried them. They arose stunned
md bruised, but not seriously wounded,
md reached the bottom in safety, after
one Of the most extraordinary
lides on record. d.-Sc,'ibner's Monthly.