The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-05-13
r,ost An Alpine SHOWS.
pyRuous ADVENTURES or FOUR YOUNG PER-

SONS.
vienna Letter q tpc London Daily Sews.l
The telegraph has already informed you
that three tourists-two young men and a
lady--who endeayored TO climb the RaX-
Alp in snow-storm on Sunday, April 3th.
were believed lost during four days, and
returned 10 Vienna on Thursday night,
with frost-bltten limbs, II is true, put
still i'm pcrfec; health Their wander
ings are quite unique, and may be OF IN
fercst TO English momtaineers. They
Ind left Vienna on Saturday night, four In
ajl--two brothers Friedrich, the bride OF
the Younger brother, and friend named
Noyak. When they rose at O'Clock on
Sunday morning at Payerbach, on the
Southern Railway, the mountains were COW
cred with snow, and a slight snowfall was
still continuing. Young Novak advised
his friends to desist from their plan, as
there could he no possible amusement in
store for them, and possibly great hard
ships for the girl. But the others were
afraid OF being laughed at II they returned
10 Vienna without having "done" the
mountain, and so young Novak, not TO
seem unfriendly, went with them.
After four hours tedious march in the
snow they reached small mountain inn,
where they intended stopping until the
weather should clear up. But very soon
some tourists came i'm and told OF large
party who were climbing upward and were
now on their way to the "Gaisloch,"
deep fissure on the mountain side, in which
more than one careless Viennesc has found
an untimely death, il being the fashion to
climb this mountain without guide. The
four young people hoped to find their way
by following in the steps Of those who had
gone before. After several hours difficult
walking they reached the neighborhood
of the assure, and found that II
would be utterly impossible to advance
farther without the help OF a guide. 1t
was 8 O'Clock in the afternoon by this
time, and the party hoped TO getas far as
the Karl-Ludwig House OF shelter, where
they could have spent the night. Novak,
who was the nimblest, jumped across the
gap. and called TO them that they should
not attempt to follow him at that place, the
gap being too wide for the girl to pass. He
continued 10 speak, telling them to find
some other track TO advance upon,
but dense fog settled upon the
mountain at this moment, and after
few minutes they could neither see
nor hear each other. The three imagined
Novak must have slipped and fallen into
the abyss, and they attempted descent to
look for him. But after about an hours
climbing over snow and ice they saw that
they had reached the other side of the
assure by long detOur. The fog pre-
vented them from seeing more than square
of three feet at time, and the snow uni
formly covered the ground at their feet.
They hoped that by climbing straight up
ward they would reach place from
which they could reconnoitre their
position. Creeping along with hand
and feet, they made slow progress up
ward, and late on Sunday evening they
reached the shepherds hut, the door of
which was locked. The men burst itopen,
and all three stretched themselves upon
the straw to rest from their fatiguing
Journey. They had only one piece OF
bread on a slice OF ham, which they di-
yided among the three-the last nOurish-
ment afforded them until Thursday morn
ing. They lighted fire, but they dared
not speak of their prospects, because they
knew that the dense fogs OF spring and au-
tumn very often envelope these mountains
in mist for weeks together.
The whole OF the next day they wander
ed about in all directions, and when to-
wards evening they found another hut they
were glad to seek shelter in ii without at
tempting TO go further. That was Monday
night. Hunger made them all very weak
and miserable, and, fearing not TO have the
force to rise and walk on the morrow, they
made up their minds to eat what they
could. They boiled some OF the straw,
cut into small bits, i'll snow, and this was
all their dinner on Monday. In the mid
Gle of the night one of the brothers remem-
bered that he had some tallow candles in
his pocket. These were cut into small bits
Tuesday were of as little avail as those of
Sunday and Monday had been, only they
all rot tired so much sooner, and were
forced to return to their port of safety be-
fore the night set in.
On "Wednesday morning the young girl
declared that she felt unable to walk, and
the brothers decided that they must set out
alone in search OF help and nourishment
for their companion. But the fog had
grown worse, and the snow-StoIm was so
violent that after an hour they turned
back. They found the girl in IA trance,
brought about by hunger and fiost, and
they rubbed her with ice and snow
& revive her. During her trance
she sometimes spoke, and once she
said "Oh, how delicious after
such long FAST" She was happy
in her dreams-she was eating. When
day changed 10 night on Wednesday the
three unhappy creatures gave up all hope,
and they decided 10 shoot themselves with
a revolver one Of the brothers had brought
with him in hopes of firing from the top OF
the mountain. They all three agreed that
they preferred dying in this manner to be-
ing slowly starved TO death. The three
tourists give heTtrending accounts OF their
suffering from hunger, andthc young girls
eyes filed with tears at sight OF warm
supper prepared ior her return.
On Thursday morning at ! O'Clock one Ct
the young men OpeneG the door of the hut
TO look olIi, and with a cry OF delight he
welcomed the clear Sky and the stars that
shone upon it Their courage revived
wonderfully when they saw the mountains
before them. aud aftera breakfast Of straw
SOUP and taliow candles they set out At
O'Clock they reached tie shelter-house,
where a man and his servant kept a small
inn. Here they refreshed themselves,
after having spent four days and four
nights in the ice and snow ef the Rax-Alp.
Their hands and feet were 80 frost-biiten
tbaf they only walked as far as they we're
compelled, and long before they got to
Payerbach grest pumbers were following
In their rear, cheering them and shaking
hands with them. Atelegram To Vienna not
only summoned numerous frieBSs, but also
several newspaper reporters, Sho came
hack with them in the train and took netes
OF their wonderful adventures. Is Vienna
the station was crowded with persa,s eager
60 see something Of the heroes OF the
day. The three look very thin andyasted.
as IL they were just recovering from Sc
we're illness; TINT they do not eompis;n OF
anything being the matter with aem.
From pavprl,acb several perso,,. L,d o,,na