The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-08-28
pe.k.Cli,sssins.

q -
eak-ClimAtng.
:, ,,o1r rec,rg OF AN ADVENTUROUS TRA VEL
: % 40 prss,s PEAK EE LOSES his WAY IN
nr,vn,se s,ysxgg sSow-sToRk.
u.,rv NJ. Morris nsrrowly escaped yi"-
,ent death on Pixies Peak ten days ago. Ias
circumstances are thus told BY the Deh'e'
fCol.) Ne,cs: ~ &c, boo
~ Norris. who, with bis Invalid wife, mas
,,.on stopnine at Manitou for lew dass,
,,,n,,nted his horse on Thursday ana stai.e.
a'omc To the ,,eak, expecting to re..fh 'ns'
nrnr;no. The ascent was MADE WHuou' az
c;aant and he reached the up.top ~ uoou'
and teecraphcd his wife an .'a,.-~ en., oo,.-
Tor taking In the sights, wh'cp, ,io.s In
mon report, are as marvellous ~ nuluau ;.,,
ever gszed upon, and castuns Nc.
1be observers for the Sena' ostN'Ce, III. ~
started to descend 10 wheEo nus no,so was
S:,as.d near the timber line Suddenly
LIZ hjark cloud, witch few minutes be.
So.e bod heen fum Ming about TO the west
'U ..a "' s.t,Ied down arousd the peak, aud
shn sn,w commeaced to fall. Morris, fear
DC n s,on lest he shozld be belated and
,,re,entetl from reaching Manitou that even
Ing and thinking he costd soon get below
the range OF the storm, quickened his foot
stens down the mountaln. But the fall OF
snou, increased. ard the wind, strong al
Grst became q tempest, with keen touch
Of winter ia it. Morris, blinded by tue
Snow which beat sgainst him In clouds,
nearly taking his breath, took the wrong
trail :he one ,eading TO the brink OF Toe
crater. chssm second only to that OF
Yosemite. Reaching a pile OF boWtders,
ryhe,e The trail seemed 10 be lost, he COM
menced to clamtser over them, when ne sip
ned. aud rolled and dropped twenty-five
feet, striking on a shelving rock three feet
wide and eight feet long. His head was
gssbed in two places, his body covered VIVID
bruises. and the blood poured freely irom
his wounds. lie was stunned by the iali,
huf- recovering his consciousness, and lear
ing 10 move. lie punched himself against the
rock at his back, and awaited the abatement
of the storm. When the wind lowered, and
the snow ceased falling, and the sun >hone
again. Morris saw at a glance the aWtulness
oil his situation. Above him. and on both
sides Of him, the rocks seemed almost per-
peudicular. Below him, just over the shelf
upon which be lay, was chasm two thou.
sand feet dct p, the sight OF which appalled,
his senses, and be chung to the rocks with
sickening dreud, as any human would.
MIR. Morris, however, is man of calm
Judgment, and as soon as he recovered from
the first shock he decided to make the best
OF the situation, come what would. He di-
yided bis luncheon, consisting OF sandwiches
and cake, into nine parts, calculating 10 eat
one part every day, and SO prolong life at
least nine days. He saw no one on The
mountain that afternoon. That night ter
rife wind and bail-storm occurred. The
wind chilled him 10 the marrow, and his
suffering was intense. After the storm the
haIstones were four inches deep against his
back. Taking from his pocket bottle, from
which the wbiskey had been spilled in the
fall, he filled it with hail, and thus secured q
small quantity Of water.
On Friday about noon he saw two men
climbing a trail, and called to them with all
his strength, but after listening moment
they passed on and disappeared behind 4
ledge CT rocks. Those were the only per.
sons he saw that day. That night the clouds
poured out torrent of rain. The rocks at
his back afforded him no shelter, and he was
wet TO the skin and very cool besides. He
feared that he might become deliriols and
jump of into that awful gorge. So all
through Friday night he rubbed bis legs and
swung bis arms about bis head. lie knew
that to fail asleep was death.
Saturday morning about o'clock three
men appeared on point of rocks short dis
lance nom where Morris was sitting. One
OF the men was Dick 1empleman, q famous
Pixies Peak Guide, and the others were
Spencer Harris and Reuben Healey, residents
OF Manitou, and well accustomed with mouth
tain trails. Dick TemplemaD, leader OF the
searching party, had left Mantou in the
conviction that Morris would be found, If
found at all, somew here about the brink ofthe
crater, as it is called. When Morris saw them
ecalled to them. hey heard him and answer
ed but his voice, instead of coming straight
to them, split in thousand echoes, and they
were at loss TO locate him. Finally, after
fruilless search with the eyes, Templeman
hallooed TO Morris TO wave his handkerchief
and to keep it in motion, and in this way
his exact v whereabouts was detected. Morris
asked il they had rope, and beinganswered
that they had not, he despairipgly threw up
his hands, and, in Il low voice, which was but
family conveyed to them in echoes, said:
"You can't save me without rope" But
they rescued him, nevertheless, and without
a rope, though only by the hardest work
The men, with Templeman in the lead,
worked their way down within few
feet OF Morris, and, by the aid Of
his long, linen coat, which he twisted and
fastened under his arms, they succeeded
in lifting and dragging him up over the
precipice. They helped him along to the
trail, and tied him to the back of q horse,
and started down the mountain. Four
times on the way down they lifted him off
and let him sleep awhile. When brought to
the Manitou Hotel, alive and as we'll as could
be expected, there was great commotion
among the people, for nobody dreamed that
be could survive TWO such nights as Thurs
day and Friday. Morris has been confined
to his bed since Saturday, but he is doing
nicely, and is expected soon in this city,
zxhete he il well and "a ynrahly known.