The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-07-24
DEATH IN THE ALPS.
Tourists Killed While Climbing
the Mountains.

Fourteen Lives Lost Among the Rugged
Heights During the Year 1890
- Some MIraculour
Escapes
Since Alpine climbing became popu-
lar amusement there have never been
so many fatal accidents in any one year
as have marked the season of 1890.
The last number of the British AL
pine Journal says that fourteen per-
sons, travellers and guides, have per-
ished in accidents above the snow line
during the last summer. This does not
include some very serious accidents oc-
curing, not to pleasure tourists, but to
people whose line of duty requires
them to travel in the high Alps. For
instance, about fifteen Italian soldiers,
required to march from fort to fort in
the Alps during the last summer, have
been overtaIen by storms or avalanches
which have cost them their lives. One
party of six men, swept from their feet,
were precipitated more than one thou
sand six hundred feet to the bottom of
a valley. and four of them were killed,
but two miraculously escaped. The
most astonishing escape of the season
is that of a few Italian soldiers who
We're overtaken by an enormous ava
lanchc and rolled down the mountain
with the speed of an express train, yet,
strange to say, they Were suddenly
stopped on a level space after fall of
six hundred and fifty feet, and We're un-
hurt beyond few scratches. The ava
lanche swept on past them, leaving the
young soldiers staring at one another,
aStonished to find that they We're still
alive.
The accidents. however, which are
here described relate only to tourists
and their guides. June "a n German,
Mr.. Poppe, was killed in the Oetathal.
He fell from ledge and dragged with
him his guide, who also perished. July
81 DIR. Mayer, of Vienna, and his young
son attempted to ascend mountain in
the Kapruner Thai. under the guidance
OF the experienced mountaineer, Schern-
thaler. The usual search party was or
ganized after the tourists had been sew
eral days missing, and the bodies of the
entire party were found at the foot of a
dangerous cliff. 1t was evident from
the appearance Of the guide that he had
made remarkable efforts to save the
lives of his comrades. On the same
day n guide named Untersteiner, after
cursion on the Fenediger, set out to
return alone to his home. Some days
later his tracks were found across a
glacier, but his body has not been dis
covered.
Two Italian gentlemen on August Il
ascended the Col du Gcant with Il we'll
known guide named Brmod. lie left
them to fill = water bottle near the
summit. on returning to the party he
slipped and fell a distance of one thou
sand feet, and when the others reached
him he was dead. Six years later
Count Nillanova of Turin left the can
teen of Niaaille to endeavor to make
the ascent of Mont Blanc by new
route. He had with him two we'll
known guides, one of whom has long
been regarded as among the half dozen
most competent guides in the Alps.
Not one of the party has been heard
from since. This is one of the very few
casualties which, in recent years, have
occurred on the slopes of Mont Blanc.
The tracks Of the party were discovered
after few days upon the upper pOr-
ton of the Mage glacier. The proba-
bility is that the party camped at a
great elevation on the evening of Au-
gust IS and were lost in great storm
that occurred on the 10Th. The tour
lists were very wealthy, and the most
extraordinary efforts have been made
to recover their bodies, but without
success.
Seven days later Carrel. an Alpine
guide who is known among mountain
GERS all over the world, whose name
appears in every Alpine book that has
been written within the last twenty
years, met an honorable and indeed a
glorious death ON his own mountain.
1t was he who made the first ascent of
the Matterhorn from the Italian side,
and also accompanied Mr.. Whymper on
his ascent of Chin borazo. On his last
fatal trip he led Sig. Sinigaglia and a
comrade from the cabin on the Italian
side to the foot of the mountains in
perhaps the worst snowstorm that ever
ragged on that famous mountain. For
fourteen hours the party of three con-
tended with the bitter cold. during
which they did not dare stop to take
food. Carrel, as usual, in spite of his
rather advanced years, took the lions
share OF the work. At length they
reached place of safety at the foot of
the mountain. No sooner had they
emerged from danger than Carrel cried
out: Il know no longer where | am. |
have no strength left" 1--WE tried to
lift him. writes Sig. Sinigaglia, but it
was impossible. He was getting stiff
We stopped down and whispered in his
ear If Ec wished to commend his soul to
God. With a last effort he answered
faintly Yes and then fell on his back
dead in the snow
The accident was not due to any rash
ness or careleSSneSS. The party had
chosen fine day for the journey, but
most sudden and most unexpected |
change in the weather occurred when |
the party had gained the comparative |
safety and shelter of the hut Ear up the |
mountain side. There they remained |
one day and two nights, but were final |
ly driven ont in the storm by the neces-
sity of procuring food, and it was not
till the brave Carrel had brought his
party to the foot of the mountain that
he died of cold and exposure.
A Strasburg gentleman named Goehrs
started for the Matterhorn ON Septem-
Der IS with two guides. After conside
cradle progress had been made furi.
Gus gale arose and they at once COM
menced TO retreat. No one knows now
the disaster occurred, but all three fell,
perhaps in consequence of a slip by one
Of them, which the others were unable
10 avert, perhaps from the force of the