The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-03-03
CLIMBING CHIMBORAZO.

EIOTafO Wnympef'S Account OF His Ascent
10000 Feet Above the Sea Level.
From the Pail Mall Gazette
Mr.. Edward Whymper, in his lecture last
night to the members of the Alpine Club on
the ascents of Chimborazo and Cotopaxi,.
stated that he took with him from home two
we'll known Swiss guides, Jean Antoine
Carrel and Louis Carrel, from the Vue
Tournanche. The hight of Chimborazo,
which he assembled first, was about 20, 900
feet, and up to that time no one, so far as
he could learn, had assembled higher than
from II 900 to IS, 900 feet. He had to pro-
vide his own food, about. two tons Of the
most portable condensed provisions being
sent out IN tins for the expedition. His
ascent of the mountain began on the Odd of
December, 1879. The first camp being
pitched about Is 900 feet above the level Of
the sea, they afterward assembled to hight
of 1G,500 feet, where they placed
provisions enough for three weeks, and
fuel enough for several days, water being
obtained by melting snow. At that
height he became feeble and feverish,
and was unable to satisfy the crav-
ing for drink, added to which he had a
bad headache and a gasping when he was
stances he used with great benefit chlorate of
potash, which he had obtained by the ad-
vice of DR.. Marcel before starting. The
camp was near a rock Of Trachyte, which
rose to about Is, 900 feet, there being on the
east side Of the ridge conspicuous glacier,
entirely fed by the ice which fell from above.
When they occupied a new camping place,
about 7 400 feet high, his health improved.
On the I'd of January: 1880, an attempt
was made to reach the summit, but owing
to an intensely cold wind they were obliged
to fly back to the camp. Afterward encour-
aged by the fine weather and continuous
sunshine, they made another attempt. Hav-
ing at length reached what seemed to be
the top, about 3:45 in the afternoon, they
had the modification of finding that it was
lower than another elevation. There was
no help for it but to make for the highest
point, and they arrived upon it standing up
like men, instead IF groveling, as they had
been doing for five hours before like beasts.
The wind was blowing at the rate of fifty
miles al hour. from the northeast,
and driving the snow before it, and
they were all cold. wet, and hungry. The
temperature was there 81 degrees Fahren-
heit, which, on being worked out, gave a
height at the summit of Chimborazo of TO-
545 feet. They descended as hastily as
they could to the camp before darkness
made the descent impossible, and they got
back at 9 p. M, having been out sixteen
hours, and on foot the whole time. Alto
gether he spent seventeen days on CHM
borazo, at $4,000 feet of altitude, $500
feet, and II 800 feet, and went up three
times as high as 10, 500, and when he quit
ted the mountain all trace of mountain sick
ness had disappeared. Mr.. Whymper also
described the ascent of Cotopaxi, and said
that it was impossible to conceive a more
dramatic spectacle than that vast crater
presented, illuminated as it was below with
rudy subterranean fires and above by a
brilliant moon. The height of it was 49,
$50 feet, and the camp was 100 feet
below. They remained there twenty six
consecutive hours. He also described a
second ascent which he made at Chimbor-
azo nearly five months latter, and the height
as tested in the same manner as befole, was
in this instance found to be %, 489 feet, be-
ing fifty-six feet less than on the previous
occasion, the mean height Of the two being
20,517 feet.