Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-09-03
Climbing Mt. Blanc.
Ascent Of this Monarch of the
Mountains is Fraught With
Great Danger.
a Fearful Journey in the Alps
A Glacier Breaks Loose,
Killing 200 People.
The Beautiful Valley Of Cha
mounix, a Celebrated Place
in the Alps.

ing place, with sulphur springs, sltuat-
ed in the wooded rayine Of ;Gt Bon
Naut stream, in Switzerland, was the
utner day the scene Of a terrible cata-
srophe. caused by a landslide, when
/ the Blonassy glacier broke loose from
( the side of Mont Blanc and swept down
| i'm the ravine. Some 200 people Were
killed. and out Of tifty-seyen employed
in the baths only nine We're saved, and
seven of these were severly injured
/ The bodies of those already recovered
are torn and mangled most horribly
/ In many cases the heads We're torn
4 from the bodies, while in others the
arms end legs had been cut of by
/ huge masses Of ice that mad passed
over them. Some bodies were found
/ that had been crushed out Of ali seur
+ blauce to humanity.
This beautiful spot has been turned
into large charnel-house ana . place
/ Of mourning. If one is enjoying good
health and has a robust constitution
there can be no greater pleasure than
/ that Of rambling among the wales and
mountains in Switzerland, but while
YOU thoroughly enjoy the magnificent
scenery and bracing air you neyerthe-
/ less become conscious at times Of an
/ all-oyershadowing fear of some unseen
danger. 1t is the fascination of this
danger that leads TO acts of rashnesS
which under any other circumstances
/ would seem absolutely stupid.
The valley OF ChamOuniX, near where
this dreadful calamity happened, IS
one of the most celebrated spots IN
/ the Alps Here is the headquarters
/ fog the very best guides to Mount
Blame. The ascent of this monarch o.
i European mountains was formerly con
sidered u wonderful undertaking. but
now ascents are made very frequent
( ~ and in tine weather it is attended
/ with no very serious difficulty OF dan
/ ger. However. nobody should ever at
/ tempt TO ascend in toggy or stormy
/ weather. A party OF eleven persons
/ persisted in "A storm during the ascen-
in 1870, and a young English lady and
a Elide were precipitated into a Cr,.''ice
near the Grand Mulets ,he same year
in consequence of having neglected the
I important preCaudou of attaching
/ themselves together by rope
| Americans are particularly anxious %
! distinguish themselves 10y very fool
ish kind of bravery in refusing to take
a guide, and there have been many
/ hairbreath escapes from death u on
sequence. The principal excursions
from ChamouniX is generally that TO
/ Mer-de Glaze. II is not at all difficult
and if you have fine weather it gives
you some OF the most sublime eN1eri-
ences of mountain scenery you can meet
with in all the regions of tho APPS
You cross the meadows in the vale Of
! ChamOuniX, step over the newborn
furionS Arve. and climb the mountain
precipices TO height of 1000 feet, by a
rough. cragGy paJh. sometimes winding
|amonE wood of frs, and sometimes
W ndering over green grasses. AT
/ AIouauverr YOU find yourself on tbs eN-
uemity Of a plateau SO situated chat
ON one side you may look down into
the dead sea, aui ON the other uy Il
few steps. into the lovely green vale
of Chamouuix Far beneath. smil-
iuE. yerdent valley, wayered by JBe
Arve. with hamletS, fields and -arll
the abode of life happiness ami tow
erS: far above. savage and inaccessible
/ cugs Of ice and granite, ana a cataract
LOT frozen pillows, stretching away be-
youd sight-the throne of dySoladou
and winter
From the bosom Of the umbHug sell
of ice enormous granite needles shoot
into the sky, objects of singular sub
Unity. one of them rising 10 the height
of 1900 feet, 700 above the poiur
where you are standing, This is more
than double the height Of Mount Wash
lngton. This amazing rock looks like
the Spire OF a colossal cathedral with
other pinnacles around il. No snow can
cling to the SUBMITS Of these jagged
spires; the lightning does not splinter
them: az their base those eternal drift
in ranges Of snow ara formed that
sweep down into the frozen sea and
feed the perpetual. immeasura ole
( masses Of the glacier Meanwhile .ha
( rich verdure. sprinkled with flowers
plays upon the edges Of the pn1unou,
I masses Of ice, 50 near that you almos,
touch the ice with one hand ana pluck
E violet with the other The ascent of
/ Mont Blanc is somewhat expensive.
4 A traveller requires one guido ana 2
I porter. whose combined services com.
To about 1850 francs. besides there ar.
/ etc.. So thar the ascent can seldom ue
other expenses for provisions wines
I made under 80 francs for each pe-San.
/ Having seen the Sublime wonders 4
the Ale- DC Gace we proceeded .u
I tae valley u Chamoun5g ana ar1e.H
at Ar-euuere. a miserable little hamlet
at The foot gf the glacier uf -aa s
name. We slept nit a very dirty la1 +,
very dirty room and raIlai an 4
6suev blankets after vgrv ua.-