St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-23
THE AICUILLE DU DRU.
Seventeen Hours Without
Food on a SnoW-Covered
Ledge.
Trying to Communicate With
Friends Over 5000 Feet
Away
In the Valley Below---An
Ascent Filled With Peril
And
A Descent That Was More
Tho~ n, vo,av4,,a
A Descent That Was More
Than Dangerous "A
World of Ice.


Miss Rs party was already on the
top of the Petit Dru, which they had
gained five minutes earlier. Hearty
shouts of congratulation were ex-
changed, and then we sat down to en-
joy well-earned meal. 1t was glO-
rious day for such picnic. Scarce
cloud lay on any of the heights of snow
or rock that extended farther
than the eye could range; it
of snow and ice lay around
us. In the far distance we could ''hail
in each crag friends familiar face"
as we recognized the giants of the Ober-
land. We basked on the summit of the
Grand Dru till we were warned by
shouts from the other peak that the
most difficult part of our days work
was still before us. At 10:45 we began
to leave our respective positions and
advance towards each other. Descend
Ing few feet, our party proceeded
along narrow arrete towards the Petit
Dru. Meanwhile Miss R and her
guides made their way down to the
notch or cleft between the two peaks,
and thence climbed to the foot of a
precipice of rocks, upon the upper edge
of which our party now stood. These
rocks are so nearly vertical that, though
those above might lower themselves to
the little col, leaving their rope affixed
to the ridge above, the ascent could not
be made by party below without some
aid for the first man from the height
above.
Dangling over precipice at the end
of hundred feet of rope has novelty
to recommend it, but thought it an
overrated pastime and was not sorry
when l got sight of Rey, who had
anchored himself on ledge little
above Miss R and Bich. Using
Rey's head and shoulders as landing
place, 1 was drawn by him into recess
and placed beside Miss R, who was
on very narrow shelf, where an over
hsnging ledge gave some protection
from the pieces of ice that came rafting
down every moment from the rocks.
The first to be drawn up was Rey, and
he posted himself on the rocks a few
feet from the top, that he might help
the others in their ascent. Next W
came down. and it was Miss BIS
turn to ascend. The rope was securely
fastened round her and she went up
without any hesitation. Then Cuperin
and PayOt joined US below, and Bich
WAC tlO iUOt W 81 uPs 4NOetliy VII W
hours and half had been spent in get
ting from one peak to the other, though
they are only some three hundred feet
apart.
From the Little Dru we looked
straight down on the Montanvert, aud
could distinguish dark patch which
represented the little crowd round the
telescope in front of the hotel. In def
ance of all the laws of acoustics we
shouted till our threats ached. 1t is
needless to add that salute intended
for the ears of persons 5000 feet below
had result similar to that of the men,
orable appeal by the prophets of Baal.
A frantic waving Of hats and arms was,
it afterwards appeared, more effective.
At 2:2O we began our descent, hoping to
be back at the Montanvert before mid
night. We wasted no time in
the descent, but it was not possible to
gain any i'll what presently became a
in some places faster than seemed alto
gether prudent. and with serious con-
sequences to our raiment. Rocks
are naturally more destructive In
this respect than snow slopes,
and the Aiguilles must have destroyed
garments enough to stock the shops of
several secondhand dealers. The con-
dtion of my own clothes would have
given credit to a story which is trite at
the Montanvert. A climber is said to
have arrived on his descent just as the
bell was ringing for table d'hOte. whose
principal attire consisted of all Onter
Sheet of the Times, which ''his neither
bulk embraced in airy folds.
At Z o'clock the sun went down, and
in twenty minutes more darkness came
on. At 7.30 we could not see our way,
and Simond quietly informed US that we
must pass the night where we stood.
1t would obviously have been madness
to proceed without lantern OIL rocks
so difficult and with much creyassed
glacier befour us. There was
a new moon, but it gave no
light, and soon disappeared. The
situation was unpleasant; we
were on a snow-covered ledge on the
lower rocks, about an hour from tine
glacier; the last of the provisions we
carried had been consumed on the Petit
Dru, and we were very wet, our boots
in particular being full OF water. We
had to get through nine hours of dark
ness somehow. We sang songs
and discussed many subjects. 1t
sometimes dreamed, and the dream
would be of white cloth laid and
dinner served. The ledge of snow had
suggested the cloth; raging appetite
supplied the fancy of viands.
gave little occupation to crawl now
deaden ones hunger with a chill
draught. The operation of extracting
ard replacing the wooden stopper with
such numbed fingers took nearly three
minutes. and made that little
time pass. In the course of the
night we discovered fine treble echo
among the heights, and this was
awakened pretty frequently with a
Jodel to keep us company. We often
asked each other the time to prevent
any one sleeping too soundly. Once
drOwsinesS so far overcame me that |
resolved to sit down-just for ten min
utes, as assured myself, but the chill
contact of the snow with my hand, in
cropping for the best place, reused me,
aud recommended my former exercise.
The longest night passes, and at $3.50
the guides began to bestir themselves
and make preparations for resuming
the descent. Very welcome were these
movements after the long vigil. With
the first appearance of dawn we rOped
again and fumbled our way down the
rocks, so numbed at first that our move
mentS were about as clumsy as those of
a seal on sawdust. But warmth soon re-
turned, and in an hour we stood upon
the glacier. AT $50 we reached the
Cite and regained our provisions. Our
appetites came again as we ate; we had
been without food for nearly seventeen
hours, but had ceased to feel any par
ticular craving for it. Picking up the
packs, axes and lanterns we went down
with all speed to the lower glacier, and
arrived at the Montanvert at $50, hav-
ing been out altogether thirty-two and
half hours. We were all tired, more
from want of sleep than from hard
work, but no one was bit the worse
for the adventure. One lesson may be
learned from 1.-THE impru6ence of
forming so large party for the ascent
of a very difficult Aiguille. Had we
been only three OH the rope. we should
certainly have been spared our nighton
the rocks.