The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-08-21

gales, Not in vain have they lead their life of exposure. l found it almost im- possible to break twlg half an inch in diameter and when broken the wood was as dry as though it came from a dead tree instead of a live one,
 l had worked my way up to within forty or firty feet of the top without a great deal of concern, l had been as careful as I could, but hadn't been much excited over the climb. Above me the cliff seemed to rise without @ break to the top. became aware of something else at the same time, l had worn my coat and my clothes were wet through with precipitation. The sun struck almost vertically against the side of the rock and was reflected back in nearly full force. l had a sun on both sides of me, and not a breath of air. My head was already beginning to ache Very vigorously. An hour; a half an hour in that spot would bring sun stroke. I had been working up be- tween two parallel ridges of rock and had now reached a ledge about two feet wide and three or four feet long. To the left the great spar of basalt was cracked and splintered as though love had struck 1t with one of his might | fest thunder bolts. The slabs were | broken entirely loose from the rock and were leaning heavily on the edge on which l stood.
 | This would be the easiest ascent If 1t would hold; but would 1t? I climbed upon rock to try it. The rock started to slide off, but was caught by pro- jecting point of the cliff. I could feel that the slabs above me were loose and I concluded not to try that way. A little to the right was a small hitch on which 8 tall spar of loose rock was standing. If I could roll it off and climb into it's perch, thought I could reach another ledge and so gain the top l tried 1t with my hands. I could easily send it crashing down to the bottom. But there was the stone team just be- heath me; some one would be apt to get hurt if rolled off that rock, I thought I would wait until the team drove cn and sat down on the ledge. I could look out over the harbor with it's white sails, the lighthouse, the sound, and see the white sand cliffs off Long Island in She distance. I judge 1t must have been very beautiful, but I didn't enjoy 1t very much. My hitch was like an oven and I was slowly baking against the side of the rock. My headache was in- creasing. I might have sunstroke be fore that team drove on and 1t wouid not be likely that would keep my ledge in that event. 1 knew the way l had come up would be much harder, perhaps impossible, to descend. The seriousness of the position was beginning to dawn upon me. The words of Gonzalo flashed across my mind, Now would give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground" level ground, put in mentally.
 One thing seemed certain-I must get out of the clore in which I had ascended and try one of the ridges. It was about six feet from the ledge where I stood to the corner of the ridge of rock. There was only foothold for one foot between and that not over an inch wide. By kicking out some decayed rock I man aged to get a hold for one hand, swung out, caught the corner and drew myself up on narrow ledge It was no use No mortal man could climb that ridge of rock at least not in such a sun. Some of the laborers below shouted to me. I tried to shout back, but my throat was so parched could hardly make a sound. I must return to the old ledge and try the other but 1 tress. I descended about ten feet, gain ed the corner of the rock and climbed up easily to point about opposite ny former position, but here the rock was I smooth again for eight or ten feet. My | only chance seemed to be a little cedar not over an inch through, which was I growing almost horizontally out from a crevice. It was about four or five feet out from the ledge where l stood, so by putting out one foot and holding by a crack I could just reach 1t. I tried t with strong jerk. It seemed to hold Hike iron. I swung loose from the ledge and for moment hung from that little cedar over the precipice, but l almost immediately grasped slight ledge above with one hand and drew myself Iup. With one knee on the cedar I was able to grasp another ledge and in a few minutes I was on good footing st the top, just above the second iron rail- ing.
 l I lay down on a stone and rested thinking I might still have sunstroke But I didn't. I concluded to take an other course in going down, as one road gets monotonous if you travel it too of- ten. H. s. CURTIS. DIED IN NFW4RK.