Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-10
THE ALPINE DEATH ROLL.
Ehcfdcnts That Have Happened 80
FOOl.hardy Sightseers.

( Any one who visits the churchyards O
/ Chamounix, Zermatt, Grindelwald, anC
many other beautiful spots in the Alpine
regions, will see pathetic evidence that
| the great mountains in the neighborhood
have eXacted terrible penalty for the
| invasions of their solitudes. The tomb
stones testify that the Alpine death roll
is heavy one. And many of the prom
ising lives that have thus so tragically
ended might have been spared if only or
binary caution had bean taken and some
intelligent foresight exercised. 1t is safe
to say that nearly so per cent. of the ac-
cidents in the Alps are due to prevent
able causes.
Lieutenant Colonel Hill had been
spending the winter in Italy, and in COM
mon with other winter migrants to the
Sunny South he crossed the st. Gothard
when the Italian heat began to assert it.
self, and halted for brief sojourn in
beautiful Lucerne. For some time the
weather in Switzerland had been wild
and stormy, and on the slopes OF the
mountains an unsual quantity of snow
had fallen. On the 9TH of May, however,
there came slight change. The sky dis
played patches of blue, and the sun shone
down in fitful CLEANS. Tempted by the
partial ffneness of the morning, Lieuten-
ant-Colonel Hill started off toward Pila-
tus. He was not mountaineer. but is
said to be an excellent walker. Every
visitor to Lucerne is familiar with the i'm
posing and rugged mass of Pilatus, whose
ancient name FractuS Mons (broken
mountain) was singularly applicable It
has about eight distinct peaks. and there
are two hotels near the summit. To each
of these hotels is an excellent mule road,
and the ascent can thus be made in about
three and half hours from either of the
starting-points, which are Hergiswyle,
lpnach-Gestadt and Alpnach, respect
lively. Guides are quite unnecessary, and
children not yet in their teens might, I'M
der ordinary circumstances, be trusted to
find their way to the top without running
any risk. But when snow lies deep on
the mountain, and mist-wreaths cling to
its shattered sides, the condition of things
is entirely altered, and there is danger
even to the experienced mountaineer,
while to him who has no such experience
the risks are great. Colonel Hill went
from Lucerne to Hergiswyle, which is one
hours drive, and partaking of some re-
freshments at hotel there, he mentioned
his intention of going up the mountain
He was informed that it was decidedly
dangerous to attempt it in the unsettled
weather then prevailing, but probably
that the people who thus warned
him exaggerated the risks, Colonel Hill
would not be deferred, and when once he
had been lost sight of by turn in the
rising road, no human eye ever again be-
held him alive. It is not difficult to COM
prehend how the accident happened.
The pinnacles of Pilatus caught The storm
clouds floating over and down they swept
in eddying mists. The unfortunate gen
tleman becamed confused, lost his way,
and walked over stupendous precipice.
Three weeks later, after daily search, his
body was found lying on vast field of
snow that led away from the base of the
precipice.
This accident is type of many which
every season serve to cast gloom over
the tourist resorts. A few years ago Dr.
an American gentleman, in the
Use, had been spending his holidays in
-aineer, and had "done'' nearly all the
big peaks. As a windup to his excursion
be assembled the Matterhorn in company
with some friends. The summit was at
tanned without any unusual interest, but
during the descent Dr. Moseley felt the
rope to which he and his friends were at
tached to be irksome. He expressed him
self as quite capable of going down the
rocks without the precaution
Of the rope, and at last insisted on being
united. In little while a mass of pro-
ecting rock was gained. It was, or is,
usual to mount this rock by the simple
expedient Of leaning an ice ak against it
and using the head of the ak as a step.
By this means the rock is mountedly
easily, and with the minimum of risk.
DR.. Moseley attempted to leap on the
rock, missed his footing, shot over the
hideous precipice, and in few seconds
was shattered corpse many hundreds OF
feet below. Had he remained tied to the
rope such an accident would have been
almost impossible. Another sad case is
that of Sir George Young and his broth |
ers, James and Albert, who assembled
Mount Blanc without guides or porters.
They reached the summit and started to
return, but missing their track fell over
an ice precipice. Singularly enough, two
Of the brothers escaped with compare
lively little injury, but the youngest one |
was killed. Still more recently two cele-
brated guides, Peter Rubi and Roth of
together with & DR.. Halter,
perished on the Lauternarioch by falling
INTO crevasse. They were on their way
from the Grimsel Hospice to Grindel-
valid, and started off in bad weather, al
though advised to delay their journey.
Their bodies, l believe, were never re-
covered, and the only traces of the acct
dent were some blood-stains that the