The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-11
PERILS OF THE ALPS.
How Ayalanches Sweep Away
the Mountain Climbers.
ssoFEssoR TYNpALL's ESCAPE
N slide Took Him to the Verge oY a
Precipice-The Fate of a
Noted Guide.

xhix Is the season when the n1o.ntasns.-
80 more takes down his Norfolk iacko,
~ nailed boots ard his ice-ax ans rre,
ans 70 face the periis that may surk for
- acoyc the snow line.
erictly speaking-from the point Of view
= the expert who knows and does every
1Sfnx that an expert ought to know AMI do
-.v,ouslfaineering has two dangers onIy
obers IS the danger OF had weather ara
mere Is the danger of the falling stone
MT every climber Is not an expert. and
erso Of experts ii may be said that usr1o
emnibas horIs sapit So that there are All
arts Of dangers 10 be reckoned with. ana
1orernost among them is the avalanche.
Everybcdy knows--vaguely. III not pre-
>,eIy--what an avalanche Is Masses of
enow accumulate IN winter on the mount
"a Slopes. In spring the warmth ioosens
fheir coherence. and they fail into the val
teys sweeplng away or buryIng every
hing in their track. IL is bad for the
nsuntaineer. IL he happens to be in the
gay Of one.
Saws the editor Of the volume devoted 10
mountaineering in the Badminton library.
AThe simple rule with regard To all forms
II avalanche is to avoid their track. and
II that Is necessary in the majority of
Instances is TO recognize the marks on the
enow surfaces that denote their cause. and
x steer clear OF them
undoubtedly an admirably rule III only
n could be always carried out But mis-
fnkes unhappiy. may be made even by ex-
eerts, as witness this story OF thrilling
adventure which befeli 4. Il. Tuckett
erenty-four years ago.
The season had been exceptionally cold
and wet. Snow lay thickiy everya here.
even on the Faulhorn, the Scheinige Platte
ard the Wengcrn Alp. But liz the early
days Of July an Improvement began to
show itself and Mr.. Tuckett, who for n
whole month had been able TO make no
bir expedition. resolved TO make an at
asmpt upon the Eiger.
The members of the PARTY were Mr.
Tuckett, Mr.. Whitwell. J. n Fox and the
guides. Christian and UIrich Lauener.
They got off between 3 and a. m. and
presently started to ascend the Eiger gla-
cier The surface of IL was entirely con-
eeaied with snow, but. for some reason,
they neglected TO put on the rope. High
Up In front of them We're the disordered
pillars and buttresses of the icafall, and
aboye the icefall rested an enormous
weight OF freshly fallen snow.
Instead of ascending the center of the
glacier the party. fortunately for them
selves. were keeping TO the left. towards
the rocks Of the Rothstock OF sudden
sort Of crack was heard high up above
their heads. and every eye was turned
upon the hanging ice cliff from which IL
came 4 large mass OF serac was seen TO
break away. mingled with a still larger
contingent of snow from the slopes above,
and the whole mass slid down like cata-
racf filling the coulter TO its brim and
dashng in clouds of frozen spray over the
rocky ridges in its path. towards the
travellers.
For moment they did not realize that
they were in its track. But then the
knowledge flashed upon them all, and they
shouted 10 each other: Run for your
lives" and struggled desperately through
the deep. soft snow 10 reach the rocks Of
the Rotl.stock. yet with their faces turned
to watch the swift oncoming OF the foe.
Let Mr.. Tuckett himself describe that
thrilling race for life:
Il remember" he writes, "being struck
with the idea that II seemed as though.
snfe of It's prey. IL wished TO play with us
for q while. at one moment letting us i'm
agine that we had gained upon IL and were
getting beyond tho line of it's FIRE. and the
next with mere wantonness OF vindictive
Jewer. suddenly rolling out on its right a