The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-22
NEVER DONE BEFORE.

| Hermann Delago, native and resi-
Hent of the little town of Brixen, in
The Tyrol. has accomplished the once
tupuosed to be impossi bic feat of as,
BENDING the last virgin peak of the
Dolomites, of the Rosengarten group
pf mountains, near BoSzen. He has
thereby made himself famous, given
his name to tte peak whose summit hs
alone has trod, and on which he has
erected a stone pyramid, which can be
teen through a telescope, as a witness
to the fact that man has assembled the
aizzy heights.
The peak, nowknown as the Della.
20" is the westerly of the five famous
oinuacles of rocks that mark the VAL
Toilet range, and so firm has been the
belief in its inaccessibility that for
centuries it has been common COM
parison among the natives, when wish
ing to suggest the impossible, to say:
"You might as well expect to climb
the west peak.
Young Delago, who is just twenty
years of age. the son of peasant, is a
tall, slight youth, with light hair and
blue eyes.
The Dolomites, with their adamant
teeth, needle points, vast precipices
Dverhanging the picturesque villages
which cling to the green slopes hat
way up their sides, and their peaks on
peaks, have been for centuries the
hlecca of climbers. Many is the sad
tale told by guides, as they point down
sheer distances of many hundreds of
feet and relate how some adventurous
climber has lost his slender hold and
been dashed TO death on the merciless
rocks below.
Tradition in and about Brixen ana
Botzen has it that the first attempt to
scale the peak that young DelagO has
now succeeded in ascending was made
by charcoal burner named Zermann
about the year 1850. He reached a mar
row ledge, in his fifth effort, about one
hundred feet below the. summit, but
his next step was on an insecure point
of rocks, which broke under his weight,
letting him fall to the ledge below
with sufficient force TO fracture his
left thigh For two days he toiled in
his effort to descend, and was received
by his anxious friends only to die from
his injury few weeks later.
Another notable unsuccessful at
tempt to climb this peak was made in
1850 by Andreas Hofer, who led his
people when they drove the Bavarians
from the Tvrol. Hofer planned his
ascent very carefully, and entered
hpon the undertaking with every as
surance OF success. but only to be
disappointed. His chosen path had to
he abandoned before he had gone one
half Of the necessary distance. The /
change of plan did not help him, for !
no matter which way he turned the |
path was closed. NO man viii ever |
reach the top .-ithout wings" he said. |
In 1858 the famous elm Der, DIR. !
Grahnl..nn, ascendci some o. the most 4
nificG.t peaks Of the Dolomites. but |
when he re1ched the westerly poin. OF /
The five noted ones he said. 1T is inn |
possible" II was reserved to Hermann /
D-.a"o 40 90 what the doctor thought |
WAS impossible. and 10 give his name |
10 the peak.
Hermann Deiaro. vino had won fame |
BS a>c.i:G cr. looked for new worlds to |
rorqrer in his mountain home, and |
saU the heretofore inaccessible west |
era peak, and determined to be the 1
firS: mortal 20 set foot on its crest .
Like u great tower it stands, nine !
thousand two hundred feet high. /
md in portions OF is distance /
offers no apparent resting place for
hand. foot, hook or roDe. BI, the am
l;itlUaS va1a- mouu;.,.ncer was un-
Glantc1 lie coniiaed MS plan to a
sin-ie friend under the pledge OF
secrecy, and together the two prepared
iur the effort, which hev entered uuou
two weeks ago. Thcy had no sooner
reacllei tdc peak than the natives and
S;S.tin tourists learned their purpose,
rad dozens of field glasses were leveled
rt them rs they began their perilous
CLIMB
Upward they went, sometimes ran
ably, but mostly an inch at time
yet fearles>lv they took
each step, as they mounted nearer and
nearer to the goal that 50 many had
sought in vain.
The foot Of the last needle was
reached, and the most dangerous part
of the journey was as yet above them.
After an unsuccessful attempt to as
cen2 the steep sides of the needle. Del.
ago's friend declared that further PROV
ress Was impossible and advised return
Deiago WAS determined TO succeed. If
success was possible. at any cost. 50
prepared Tor greater effort than he
iorc, while his friend began to descend
the tor;OoGS course and left him alone.
Those below who looked on the efforts
Of the young man momentariiv expect
e. TO see him hurled To his death. but
upward he went, clinging to the small
est hold. and taking every chance that
promised 10 lessen the distance be.
tween him and the summit one single
inch. rom below he appeared to
move only where a bird could sustain
itself Long re SITS he took. but after
them his direction was always M.
ward until at last his effort was
with success.
lie had reached the ton He Law
down to rest. and then. rising in tri,
omph, erected & monument in memory
OF the great feat be had ACCOMPLISHED.
The perilo-s descent was made in
safety and he was received as hero.
N. Y. Herald
Preserved Hsinats and Prunes