The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-01-29

tuC oOltOinS VI Jul f"utS Sio"Siy wv '''
shoes.
1t was necessary for us to breathe
much more rapidly, and we had to use
much more exertion in speaking, in order
to make ourselves heard. One notices
the insuhiciency of the air when he has
ascended 10000 feet, and some even at
lower attitudes.
/ Here and there were to be seen the re.
mains of butterflies and insects which
had strayed from the genial valley below
and fallen On the snow.
The last 500 feet of our route was
quite fatiguing AS the mountain is too
steep for one to go straight up we must
ascend in a zig gag course. On this part
of the route also we passed over deep
fssures on bridges of ice and snow.
Sometime before we reached the sum-
NIT, as we stopped tVrest a moment and
stuck our sticks in the snow, the hat of
one of our party was blown of, striking
his stick with such force as to throw it
out of balance. Before he could seize the
stick it was gliding point foremost down
the mountain, and told us what would be
our fate if we all slipped here.
| The wind blew strongly in our faces and
almost took our breath from US, but we
were soon upon the summit.
Here I quote from Baedcker the
heights of some of the highest and best
known of the Alps to give the reader an
idea of our altitude: Mt. Blanc 1871
it,, Monte Rosa 1927 f., Matterhorn
14,705 it,, Wetterhorn u, 1861 it., Jungfrau
1851 it., Schreckhorn 1886 it.,
Finsteraarhorn (the highest of the Ber-
nese Alps). 14,O26 it., Grand Paradis
(Graian Alps) ls,7loft.)
Baedeker, in his guide book, says Of
The little village of Zermatt, from which
we had come, "In no other locality is the
traveller SO completely admitted into the
heart of the Alpine world-the very sane.
tuary of the Spirit of the Alps" and of
Corner Graf which we assembled two days
before, and which is just across the gla-
cier from the Breithorn, he says, "rhe
panorama from the Corner Grat, in par
ticular, though dc ute of the common
attributes of the picturesque, cannot fail
to impress the spectator with ills unparal
leled grandeur" But the view from
Corner Grat is limited by the giant peaks
which Surround Oh every side. We were
now upon one Of the giants Of the Alps
and in the "hearL" of this wonderful
region.
Wehad ascended from Zermatt, in little
more than six hours, $50 feet and stood
upon peak 1865 feet high. The day
was pc.i.s. No clouds were to be seen
exccp, few IN Italy. Nothing seemed
to obstruct our vision but its own limited
powers. Immediately near Us, toward
the West, the slender pyramid of the
Great Matterhorn pierced the blue dome
of the heavens and afforded a spectacle,
which, in point of solitary grandeur, is
unequaled among the Alps. About the
same distance toward the East rose Monte
Rosa in Italy. Even nearer to us were
the Little Matterhorn and Castor and
Pollux. The Gorncr Grat, which two
days before seemed to us so high, lay
over 5000 feet below us and looked quite
Insignificant.
To .hc North we saw the great noun.
tains of the Bernese Alps, with their i'm
mense snow. fields, and the deep cut val
ley OF the Rhone, whose glacial waters
flow 20 the lake of Geneva. Looking
more toward the East we saw the snowy
chain Of the Tyrolese Alps and the
Epgadine. Southwark we saw the Grand
Paradis, the pride of the Graian Alps,
ard Westward we viewed the great Mt.
Blanc, of Savoy. Countless peaks rose
subimely on every hand. a vast sea "f
ice and snow and glaciers greeted the
view. The deep rayinesaud gorges seemed
profoundly furrowed in their rocky beds.
The little villages and smiling valleys
were sheltered from view and the pictur.
esque had given place TO the awful and
the grand. Here it was more easy to
appreciate what Switzerland is. We
could see the great mountain walls of tie
ancient Hevetia, which had encouraged
spirit of liberty among its people and
were barrier against foreign enemies.
We could better appreciate the exploits
of Pompey and Cesar among the Alpine
heights and we could see the great natur-
al boundary, which had kept people and
governments and languages separate.
Thus these barren heights reveal many q
page of history and many picture OF
subllmity.
1t was, in word, view Of Switzer-
land.
The guide said we should stay but a
few moments, and the cod wind admon-
ished us that we should descend
The descent was quite rapid, but q
little fatiguing. When we arrived at
the base of the little Matterhorn, we
found the German and his guide descend
ing. He had "seen enough" without
going to the summit. But he saw it too
late. The fact was lie was getting nau-
seated. He had already come too high
and though his effort was TO get cIomn,
the effort of his breakfast was exactly the
contrary. The two had disagreed" and
a "falling out' was inevitable. lie had
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