San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-05-29
PARTING AND MEETING.

Hammel, Russian, in 1854, came to the
Mississippi valley under instruction Of the
car to investigate various things in the
West, more especially the methods of tele-
graphy then in use He brought letters of
introduction to various people in Chicago
and st. Louis, among others to Col. j. j. S.
Wilson, who, although a mere boy at that
date, was already weli advanced in tele-
graphic theory and practice
Hammel was magnificent specimen of a
high physical development. He was far
above the average man in stature, with
shoulders of immense breadth, and figure
gigantic in all its dimensions He was nearly
50 years of age, with a heavy white beard
and a long, snowy covering of hair which
fell down his back. Despite his age, he had
all the activity, endurance, elasticity and
tirelessness Of man of 25 years.
Hefound much even in the crude improve
ments of telegraphy in that early day. The
| ability of an operator to read message by
the ear was something that particularly as
tonished him; and he was still more excited
when he saw communication carried on be-
tween two remote points by experts without
any instruments by simply holding the ends
of the wires in the fingers. These and other
things which he witnessed gave him an ex-
, allied idea Of the advance in art and the great
ingenuity of the Americans.
These points are not essential to the pur
poses of this narration, save to introduce one
of the characters. He had travelled every
where in the old world, and had encountered
no end of curious adventures, some of which
were romantic, thrilling and full of danger.
| One of them, in view of what occurred some
years later, will be given. He spoke English
with all the facility of a modern American,
and, it may be added, all the modern Ian
guages as if each were his vernacalar.
His story was what follows:
H.
Nearly fifty years ago my attention was
| called to the conditions of the St. Bernard
monastery, located, us everybody knows in
Great st. Bernard Pass in the Pennine chain
of the Alpine mountains The monastery is
situated on the highest point Of an elevation
| close to the line of perpetual snow.
The main purpose of the mission is for the
rescue of lost travellers who have become be-
wildered in the storms which frequently rage
through the pass, and are then easily and
swiftly benumbed by the cold, which often
falls TO so degS below zero. need not stop
to state the use of dogs in these searches, nor
that tho name st. Bernard comes from the
animals that are employed in the hOspice,
| nearly 10000 feet above the sea.
Owing to the great altitude of the refuge
and the consequent attenuation Of the air,
considerable difficulty existed in the applica-
| ton of certain forms of cooking, the more so
where boiling water was a necessity. | had
an invention which was sure would remedy
this and some other difficulties connected
with the cuisine of the monks and concluded
to apply it in person.
1t was i'll January that | commenced the
| ascent of the pass, accompanied by guide
| The young man was Swiss youth about 25
| years of age, strong, handsome and the pic
ture of perfect athlete. He had evidently
been married within a short time, for very
pretty girl, some five years his junior, accom-
| panied us for few hours and chung TO his
arm with pertinacity Now and then she
| wept convulsively as he wound his arm about
his shoulder sobbel as from a breaking
heart.
I'VE were only just married, -" he said in an
apologize manner, land she much fears her
self that viii have the bad fortune She
was uOI wi Il - W. OIuclS III ItlS IiOuuJSlilS,
| but down the PiedmonteSe valley"
His Name was Ellie Burchon, and he was
born in the mountains, and cragsman from
| birth He was regarded as one of the most
reliable guides on this side of the pass.
The parting came just beforen noon and was
painful one. She chung to him, murmur.
| ing, Il shall see thee more, never" till her
hands were released by friendly force, and
| she was left senselesS in the arms of some
companions who had accompanied her to the
| foOthiu Again and again Elio gazed back
over his shoulder till, rounding q spur, tho
| forms below were shut from view
The snow WINS from six to ten feet in depth
in the depressiOns and on the slighter declivi-
| ties. We moved with extreme difficulty, the
more so that the route began to rise rapidly
on a narrow shelf which jutted out from the
side of tho mountain To our right was the
wall of rock and below to the left was a
chasm, which grew deop2r as we climbed the
ascending path.
! l scarcely remember when it happened or
! just how. E.ie was a few yards in advance,
when suddenly al about me became black.
There was a tremendous roaring thunder in
the air, and above my head there was the
swift rush Of snow, which Dew into the abyss
with the swiftncss Of light. The solid noun
tain against which / stood shuddered us the
awful burden Numbered into me ahyss. 1t is
! caOugh to say that when the avalanche passed
| | found myself alone. There was a slight
| projection Of the rock Just above NV head