Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-27


1t is this difficulty of telling where the
firm ground ends and where the cornice
begins that constitutes the danger of the
Byskamm arete. More than once it has
led to mistakes on the part of guides, and
1t was such that caused one of the most
awful tragedies that ever occurred TO
mountaineers-the fatal accident to Messrs.
Lewis and Patterson's party in 1873. The
Lyskamm by this route is emphatically not
an ascent to be recommended
Franz was ever celebrated for his eau
ton, and ON this day he exercised even
more than his ordinary care. Not step
did he take without first testing the snow
in front with the point of his ice-ax, so as
to make sure of what was ahead, and he
never moved forward until quite convinced
that il was safe to do so.
Thus our progress was slow, and it was
not till nearly II o'clock that we topped
the final ridge and stood together upon the
summit of the Lyskamm,
The view exquisitely bright and clear as
the sky was that day, was u marveiously
beautiful one, but it is not within my prov
ince 10 describe II here, and, indeed, were l
to make the attempt, | should fail TO con-
vey an idea of the impression it made upon
me at the time. Besides, it was not for
long that we were permitted to enjoy IL,
for Franz was all eagerness to be down the
arete before it got much later.
We were soon on the rope again. Franz
led, then l came, then Burns, and the por-
ter-an admirable man for the purpose, on
account of his weight and strength
brought up the rear. 1t was in this order
that we commenced the descent.
All went well at first Each man was
careful to use the rope as the rope ought
to be used-that is, by keeping it taut be
tween himself and his man in front. Franz
moved downward carefully, and at each
step sounded the snow with his AK as he
had done on the way up. The position, in
fact, was one which needed care.
Upon our left the face of the mountain
fell sharply away to the glacier below, a
distance of over 5000 feet, and we dared
not leave the edge of the arete to pass on to
it; for upon this face there lay quantity
Of fresh snow III loose and dangerous
condition. On our right lay the dreaded
cornice.
Suddenly Franz halted. Something
seemed 10 trouble him, for more than once
he struck his AK into the snow in front of
and beside him without moving forward
He called to me to pay out the tull length
of rope between myself and him, which |
did, and again he advanced few steps
Then he stopped, and, turning round to
me, in slow tones said Herr, be very
careful how you tread here; take care only
to put your feet in the steps / make, for"
and this he added very inpressively-" we
are in great danger here"
He had hardly spoken-in fact the words
were still in his mouth-when l heard q
loud crack. 1t was a sound such as / have
never heard before or since, and can only
describe it as being like the CRATE of a heavy
wagon upon frozen snow. Then, without
further warning, the side of the mountain
seemed TO break away, and with it Franz
disappeared.
For one second l felt paralyzed The
next, scarcely knowing what | did, but
with the instinct of self-preseryation strong
within me, sprang to the left over the
precipice, on the opposite side to that on
which poor Franz had DISAPPEARED. The
rope ran out TO its full length, and then
found myself powerless to move anchored
tightly to the edge of the arete, and with a
strain upon my chest from the pressure of
the rope which was well-nigh intolerable.
Burns and the porter had seen what was
coming, and had thrown themselves fiat,
so that when the jerk caused by my leap
had come they were well prepared to
meet it.
For few seconds though, it was a dead
lock. Then l heard a faint voice, which
seemed to come from Franz, calling for
help. Somehow or other but how l
hardly know to this day, Burns. SO man
aged to slacken the rope that | was enabled
to scramble up on to the srete again, and
then the three of Us set TO work TO haul up
Franz. 1t was not an easy matter but
presently an ashen face appeared over the
edge, and with some help from himself
We succeeded in raising Franz to position
beside us.
He was badly shaken, and the horror of
the situation, as well it might, bad clearly
affected his nerves. Until rescued his life
literally hung upon a thread tor be had
remained suspended over an awful preci-
pice many thousand feet in hight, with
nothing but the rope round his waist be
tween him and certain destruction. His
face was very white, and a small wound on
his forehead from which the blood was
slowly trickling, gave him q CHASTITY ap-
pearance; but there was strange look in
his eyes as he grasped nay hands, and ex-
claimed. with all the energy of deep graft
tude-
Herr, YOU have saved nay life Think
not that I shall forget Mark this. You
will one day be in difficulty, in danger; but
fear not, Franz will be there, and he will
have come to save your life"
He was greatly excited, and il was to this
fact that ! felt inclined to attribute his
words; but there was q strange earnestness
in the manner he spoke which impressed
me deeply in spite Of myself, and with an
inward presentiment Il call it nothing else)
that some day or other they would inevita-
bly, come true.
From what we learned subsequently it
appeared that, in spite Of Franz precau-
tons, our upward track had in one place
passed over a portion of the cornice Franz
had become aware of this, but in trying to
avoid the danger in the descent had brought
about the very thing he feared, the touch of
his ak having started the great snow cor
nice, forty feet or so of which doubled up
and bounded down the mountain side car
rying Franz along with it. AS matter OF
tact il was 9 very narrow escape for all of
us; for, had any other member of the party
gone through the snow as well as Franz,
the others could not have held, and must
have been dragged down too. shuddered
inv0luntaTily as gaEed into the abyss into
which we should have fallen, and thought
that there would not have been much left
Of Us by the time we reached the bottom
No further incident occurred during the
descent, but, from having to go slow on
Franz's account, it was not till late III the
evening that we got into the RifIel
Two days later | said good-by to Franz,
who seemed to be getting well over his ac-
cident, and made my way back to England,
leaving Burns to carry on a career of CON
quest which the admirable weather up to
the close Of the season gave him every ia
cility for doing.
When took leave of Franz that time at
the Rifel did not think that l should
nevermore set eyes on him. Did / say
ne7ermoTe Yes, nevermore, at least in
this life.
1t was in December of that same year
that l heard of Francs death. He fell q
victim to his passion for chamois hunting.
It appeared that he had been out one day
after heavy fall Of snow, and had per
ished in an avalanche, his body being
swept away no one knew whittier Moth
ing but his hat and the shattered remains
Of his rife, indeed, were ever found of him
again, and it was only by their recovery
that IT was guessed what his fate had been.
To lose Franz was ike losing an old