The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-15
TRAGEDIES OF MT. BLANC.


The wear ISSO w AS tine ubnrkfSt III thf
Memory Of Man.
From the Boston Transcript.
IL Was about 4 o'clock In the afternoon,
after nine hours Of as interesting a. ride as
ever and ! have covered n good
deal Of European ground since thcn-that
1870. and halted M our hotel. As we did so
we noticed that something unusual had
uccurrssi. Groups of men and women
were standing around i'm the little square
i'm front ~ the village church. all earnestly
discussing some apparently important
matter. Many of the women were weep
all the faces that attracted our notice. At
first We attributed IL to the war that was
then raging only II few leagues away.
however, for we had hardly descended
from thed~ diligence before the terrible an
n~ounccmcnt was made that eleyen men
meant to the jewellers i'm that secluded
village we in tho great and busy city OF
Boston can scarcely realize. Ana even
upon us. strangers and sojo.riers for n
day, il left am impression which the lapse
of years has not yet effaccd. An intelli-
gent English gentleman, who had been at
Chamo,Ini some time, and was conversant
with the facts, told us the sad story. He
said that on the previous Monday nsorii-
three travellers, two of whom were Amcri-
cans, had started with three guides and
five porters for the top OF the mountain:
Baltimorc. Md. and &. NJ. Corkcndalc, a
The three guides were the hest and most
reliable i'm the village. namely, John Bal
mat, Joseph BRETON and August cottet-
f~essioual mountain climbers of that time.
The party had rtlchad the Grand Mulcts
and spent the night of Monday there, set
ting the usual signal To inform the dwell
ers below of their safe arrival. On Tues
day morning they completed the ascent
and reached the s,immit, spending the ms
ms fts.n.. Ntn.,r I'm sh., n . .f t1..t
day they were seen slowly descending the
upper part Of the mountain, They looked
like HES crawling over a white sheet. All
thrown over them, and they vanished from
his sight. never To Tx, seen again. AZ first
not m,Icn anxiety was felt in the valley,
at that season. But when night came on
and there were no signals set at the Grand
little INIT where they should have spent
tho second night, fears began to take
shape that some terrible catastrophe had
taken place.
As soon as the people had partially re-
covered from the shock occasioncd 10y al
realization OF what had occurred. the
Marie of the village. who was also the
chief guide, called for volunteers to go i'm
search of the missing men. How forlorn
a hope il was may bc Inferred from the
fact he would accept no married men,
neither any who were over N years of age.
Ii VAS about 3 o'clock when these volun-
teers, ~ in n,umiNer, with packs at cloth
ing and provisions on their backs. coils of
roIS<. and axes over their shoulders, and
alpenstocks in their hands, gathered i'm
front of the Mairc's office Ia get their
final instructions. They were tai go mp tn
u certain point that night, examine the
ground carefully as they went; then pro
csssl next morning tai the summit and sig
nal back what stIccess, IL any, they had
had i'm their search for the missing men.
That night there came on, about 4
O'clock. "A tempest or wind and rain, ac-
coinpsanied 10y thunder and lightning such
as ! have rarely listened to or Witnessed.
except i'm the Swiss Alps. The next
morning. looking from oar hotel windows,
We SAW that snow had fallen upon the
mountain sides far down toward the val
ley, and w, i~nstinctivcly felt that the
been fr,Iitless, ever IL they thcnlsslvcs
had not fallen "A sacrifice To the fury al
the elements. But about 10 o'clock tina,
forenoon they Were seen emerging from
the woods and wers. soon greeting their
friends. yet with saddcned faces. They
erablc height when tho storm suddenly
overlook thein-a storm not Of wind and
rain. AS we had had il, hut n fiers-. tenn
pest of wintry sleet and snow. They had
spent the night undcr the hest sheltel
they could find and small choice il was
cecded on their upward Journey. IL wa,
not far, however, that the. ccaIsl 20, foI
the snow had fallen in such %uunntitip.
that not only were all landmarks and
paths obliteratcd. but il was impossible "a
make any progress without m~iomcntar,
which could not bc avoided. becaus, hid
den under u treacherons covering of SNOW
They knew, also, too well. that no human
being could have survived such "a nigh
and such "a tempest at "a point above tina
which they had reached.
sI nU slna. ...l $500.