Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-09
CLIMBING THE ALPS.
Dan Freeman Writes About
the PerilOus Pursuit.
Yawning Abysses of the Dread
full Martinswand.
Crossing the Perilous Passes of the
Arleberg.
Dangers of Mountaineering-W Out
Alpen Stocks and Tvrolean Hats.
Regulations Gained at Great
Expense.
Correspondence to the HERALD. /

Correspondence to the HERALD.
RHINE FALLS, July Is, 1891.
In the railway station at Munich, a
few days ago, overheard two English
men debating as to whether they should
go to Constance via Lindau, or via Inn
spruck. As is the custom among Eng
lishmen, no time was lost in argument,
but the matter was decided by tossing
q penny" The Innspruck man won,
and to this circumstance am indebted
for the companionship OF two very cele-
brated Alpine. climbers. did not then
know that they were Alpine climbers
perhaps they did not then realize it
themselves. We were put into the same
compartment, and naturally fell into
conversation concerning the beauties OF
the Tyrol. 1t lis easy TO get the mountain
fever" when you, come into close prox-
unity to the Alps, and when my new
friends announced their intention OF
leaving the train at Kufstein and going
over the pass of the Arleberg, / deter
mined to join them. Together we scaled
the dizzy heights of Martinswand,
where the Emperor Maximilian so
nearly lost his life in 1893. Together
we clung to the almost perpendicular
sides of the terrible Laggensberg, and
Yazed down into the yawning chasms
hundreds and hundreds of feet below
us. Again and again we hung to the
very edge OF some dangerous cliff
as we passed down the fatal and
precipitous sides of the Arleberg-the
most terrible mountain range in the
Tyrol. Together we reached 1nnspruck
in safety. Three days later my friends
and companions reached London, each
with reputation as a celebrated and
daring Alpine climber, a reputation that
their well-worn Alpen stocks showed
had been hardly won. l, on the other
hand, had earned no reputation as a
climber of Alpine peaks, in fact had but
little reputation of any kind left. Why
this apparently unjust discrimination
1t was all owing to an oversight OF mine
in not buying an Alpen stock and Ty-
Iolean hat at Innspruck, and in not
wearing Knickerbockers and hob-nailed
shoes. Nearly all Englishmen wear
Knickerbockers and heavy hob-nailed
shoes when travelling, even by rail, in
mountainous country. My friends were
no exception to this general rule. But
I noticed when we boarded the train at
Innspruck for Constance, the next day,
that each had provided himself with a
new Alpen stock, and new green soft
felt Tyrolean hat, with conical crown
and cocks feather in the band. On
our way to Constance they got out at
every station where the train stopped,
and walked up and down the track be-
side the train, jabbing the ilon shoes OF
their Alpen stocks into the gravel.
They were the observed of all observers;
and soon heard il whispered that they
had been up Mont Blanc, the Matter
horn and all other dangerous peaks OF
the Alps.
strongly suspected that they were 60
ing direct to London, relying upon the
reputation that they had already made;
but it was barely possible that they
might go south from Bgle, and tackle
the Swiss mountains. So l commits
stoned friend from Chicago, who was
going on to London by the same train,
to have an eve upon these daring men,
and to report to me as to their future
proceedings. The following letter, just
received from him, explains itself:
''LoNDoN, Is July, 1891.
"MY DEAR CoLoNEL-It happened just
as you predicted. The daring Alpists
went straight on TO London They
prodded the earth with their Alpen
stocks, and banged the shafts against
stone and iron piers, at every oppor-
tunity, and by the time we reached
Calais they looked as if they had been
used up on the sides of old Matterhorn.
1 thought at one time that they were
going to climb the smoke stack OF the
steamer while we were crossing to
Dover, but l afterwards noticed that
they were only exposing their faces to
the sun and wind go as to obtain that
bronzed complexion that mountain
climbing gives. At Charing Cross they
were met by what seemed to be the
members of an Alpine club, and pre-
sumo by this time they have told lies
enough to sink steamer about their
mountain climbing, and their narrow
escapes from death. Yours truly.
4 NJ
Perhaps it is time for me to tell the
gentle and too-confiding reader that
when we left the train at Kufstein as
have stated we did, before attempting
the pass of the Arleberg, it was only to
get lunch, and that after lunch we
boarded the train, and went over the
paS6 Dy Tdil, anu DOb, al yOu udFC
enormously inferred, on foot. Nowords
of mine can do justice to the engineer
ing skill that carried line of rails along
the almost precipitous sides, and across
the deep and dangerous pass. The
dangers are as 1 have attempted to de-
scribe them. But do not, gentle reader,
think that / have peen deciving you.
What l have told you is fact. l saw
the tossing of the penny. and the pur-
chase of the Alpen stocks and Tyrolean
hats. It is thus that great regulations as
Alpine climbers are made. The astute
trout fisher loafs away the afternoon
drinking wine in the card room OF a
saloon, and buys his fish in the market,
taking them home and giving them to
his wife with tale that proves that if
he had devoted himself to writing works
of fiction he would have been great
success. And so it is with the Alpine
climber. 1t so much easier to climb
the Alps by rail than on foot, and the
risk of sudden and terrible death is
not SO great. Bringing home we'll
worn Alpen stock, and wearing the
feather of the black cock Of the Tyrol in
your hat will cover a multitude OF sins.
To the Public.
CADDO MILLS. Texas, June 5, 1S91.-