The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-04
ACCIDENTS IN THE ALPS.
Fourteen Victims of Swiss Mountain
Climbing During the Year
of 1890,
Some Miraculous Escapes of Par
ties From the Rush Of
Avalanches.
The Heroic Selfsacrificc OF Carrei, the
Intrepid Guide-Eodies That are
Never Recovered.

Since Alpine climbing became a popular
amusement thers have never been so many
fatal accidents in any one year as have
marked the season of 1890.
The last number of the British Alpine
Journal says that fourteen persons, travel
ers and guides. have persisted in accidents
above tho snow line during the last sum-
mer. This does not include some very seri-
GUS accidents occurring, not to pleasure
tourists, but to people whose line of duty
requires them to travel i'll the high Alps.
For instance, about fourteen Italian sol
diers, required to march from fort to fort
in the Alps during the last summer have
been overtaken by storms or ~avalanches
which have cost them their lives. One
party of six men, swept from their feet,
were precipitated more than 1000 feet to
the bottom of a valley and four of them
we're killed, but two miraculously escaped.
The most astonishing escape of the
season is that of a few Italian
soldiers who were overtaken by an
enormous avalanche and rolled down the
mountain with the speed of an express
train, yet, strange to say, they were sud
denly stopped on a level space after a fall
of $50 feet, and were unhurt beyond a few
scratches. The avalanche swept on past
them, leaving the young soldiers staring at
one another, astonished to find that they
were still alive.
The accidents, however, which are here
described relate only to tourists and their
guides. June "a a German. Mr.. Pope, was
killed in the Oetathal. He fell from a ledge
and dragged with him his guide, who also
persisted. July 81 DIR. Mayer, of Vienna,
and his young son attempted to ascend a
mountain in the Kapruner Thai, under the
guidance of the experienced mountaineer,
Schernthaler. The usual search party was
organized 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 having
conducted a tourist in an excursion on the
Nenediger, set out to return alone to his
home. Some days later his tracks weie
found across a glacier, but his body has not
been discovered.
Two Italian gentlemen on August II as
cended the Col du Geant with a well-kuown
guide named Brunod. He left them to fill
a water bottle near the summit. IN return
lance of 1000 feet, aud when the others
reached him he was dead. six years later
Count Villanova, Of Turin. left the eanteen
of Viaaille to endeavor to make the ascent
of Mont Blanc by a new route. He hal
with him two w~etl-known guides, II OF
whom has long been regarded as among the
half-dozen most competent guides in the
Aims Not ma nf tho Ya rfv haE hoGn he arI
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 a few days
upon the upper portion of the Mirage glac-
Ter. The probability is that the party
camped at a great elevation on the evening
of Aug. Is and were lost in a great storm
that occurred on the 18th. The tourists
we're very wealthy, and the most extrsoldi-
nary efforts have been made to recover
their bodies, but without success.
Seven days later Carrel, an Alpine guide.
who is known among mountaineers 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 M%atterhorn from the italian
side and also accompanied Mr.. Whvuper
on MS dSCenb OK CLlluDofHL0 oN Ills last
fatal trip he led Sing Sinigaglia and a COM
rade from a cabin on the Italian side to the
foot Of the mountains in perhaps the worst
snow-storm that ever ragged on that famous
mountain. For fourteen hours the party
of three commended with the bitter cold,
during which they did no 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 a
place of safety at the foot of the mountain.
No sooner had they emerged from danger
than Carrel cried out: 81 know no longer
whore am. | have no strength left" I'VE
tried to lift him. writes Sig. Sinigaglia,
sbut it was impossible. He was getting
stiff. We stopped down and whispered in
his ear if he wished to commend his soul to
God. With a last effort he whispered faint
ly Yes and then fell on his back dead in
the Snow"
The accident was not due to any rashness
or carelessness. The party had chosen a
fine day for the journey, but a most sudden
and most unexpected change in the weather
occurred when the party had gained the
comparative safety and shelter of the hut
far up the mountain side. There they re-
manned one day and two nights, but were
finally driven out in the storm by the ne
cesBity 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 Goehrn
started for the Matterhorn on Sept. l8 witt
two guides. After considerable progress
had been made a furious gale arose anC
they at once commenced to retreat. No ONT
knows how the disaster occurred, but all
three fell, perhaps in consequence of a Sill
by one of them, which the others were uno-
bic to avert; perhaps from the force of ths
gale, but they were all found dead on a ola
cier hundreds of feet below the spot wher
the accident occurred. Such is the Alpin'
death roll for the year 1880, the creates
since Alpine climbing became a popular
amusement.
An Electric Typewriter.
DR.. J. r. Etter, of Charlottesville, Ind.