The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-06-13
.HO! FOR THE ALPINES
But the Swiss Cemeteries De-
ter Ambitious Climbers.
TOMBSTONES UNMAN THEM.
Give Aroniainr Particular OF the
Tragic Fate Of Amateur Noun
eafneerr-some Recent Eeats-

This promises to be a great year for
Alpine climbing, particularly among TOUR
fnz Americans who are catching the noun
tain fever more numerously each year.
Some people define mountain eerlng as a
form Of madness which attacks people 10
the summer months, melting them TO CLIMB
impossible mountains ait the risk or LnelE
lives for the single object OF reaching lns
top ana coming down again
When the fever he's once taken hold OF a
person the germs Of the disease last as
long as life. If the novice makes sue
cessful ascent OF a moderately dangerous
mountain. he or she at once begins to lay
plans fer climbing a still more dangerous
one. And so it goes until the fever reaches
the matterhorn OF iungfrau point Wneu
these have been safely gone over the sum
NIT Of the mountaineers attainments are
supposed to have been reached
This has always been the case heretofore
but Id the late summer Of last year young
peasant performed a feat which had always
been considered impossible. But as he ac-
compiished it. the Elore adventurous OF
the Swiss tourists Of '96 VIII doubtless try 10
equal the feat and IL they do u Is a GER
tainty that the death roll OF the Alpine
climbers will be considerably sWelled before
the season closes.
This peasant is a twenty-year-old native
Of the little town Of Brixen in the Iyrol'
named Herman Delag0- There is slen-
der peak OF the D0Iomites Of the ROsengar-
ten group Of mountains near Botzen over
g 900 feet high. Until the summer of 1898
mortal man Dau never SET LU4L UL the A@E
OF 1T. Now a pyramid OF stones adorns the
pinnacle of the peak. They were erected
By the peasant Delago to commemorate
his feat and it may be centuries before
other human hands disturb them
A DANGEROUS PEAK.
This peak, now known as the Delago, ts
the most westerly of the five famous PIN
nacIes in that particular range Of noun
tains When any of the natives of the
valley wished to describe with emphasis
the impossibility Of doing a certain thing
they said. you might just as well try to
climb the West Peak Long experience
had taught them what that meant.
Tradition in and about Brixen and BotZen
has It that the first attempt to scale the
peak that young Deiago succeeded ia as
oending was made by charcoal burner
named Zermann, about the year 1880. He
reached narrow ledge in his hfth effort,
about a hundred feet below the summit but
his next step was on an insecure point Of
rock that broke under his weight letting
him fail to the ledge below with sufficient
force to fracture his left thigh For two
days he toiied in his effort to descend. and
was received by his anxious friends only to
die from his injury few weeks later.
Another notable unsuccessful attempt to
climb this peak was made in 1880 by An
dreas Eofer. who led his people when they
drove the Bavarians from the TyrOl. Hofer
planned his ascent very carefully, and en-
tered upon the undertaking with every as
eurance OF success. but only to be disap-
pointed HIS chosen path had to be aban-
d1ned before he had gone one-half Of tne
necessary distance. The change of plan did
not help him. for no matter which way he
turned the path was closed mo man viii
ever rea b the TOP without wings he said
In 1853 the famous climber DIT. Grammar
ascended some Of the most difficult peaks OF
the Dolomites, but when he reached the
westerly point of the five noted ones he
said. SIT Is impossible
LIKE WALLS OF GLASS
From the valley the west peak looks like
q great tower, and its walls for the most
many hundreds Of feet the strongest field
glass does not bring into view the tiniest
crevice or ledge to sustain the climber.
Young Delago said that in his ascent he