The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-11
FELL A THOUSAND FEET.
Particulars of the Death of a Bowdoin
Professors Fellow Traveller.

a ieuler received by the family of Mr..
Fhliip ). Abbott. from a mem Der of the
eApeoltion of which the unfortunate
yo"hg man was member. gives the fol-
lowing particulars in regard to the recent
attempted ascent of Mt. LEROY in Alber-
Va' northwest territory, which had such
sad ending:
% J .l year previously, three members
~ ~ eiie same party with others, had made
u.oih AfsG reconnaissance Of the mount
an, ana mad attempted the ascent by
couiolr, but had been obliged to give it
up. Ibis year, after @ preliminary ak
ain!1aslon on Saturday. August /, 1t was
uaoiueo 20 make the attack from another
quarter, by a pass on the other side of,
ohe mountain. 1t was recognized that
vne Undertaking involved some danger,
ana IL was agreed that when the element
VI FISK seemed to any member of the
group too great, he should have the right
vi absolute veto.
On Monday, August 8, the party, con-
sistlng of Mr.. Abbott, Prof. @. e. Fay
OF O., Bowdoin college, and Mr.. Charles S.
thompson of Chicago set out from the
chalet at Lake Louise at o'clock in
une morning. They made unusully good
progress up over the high snow fields of
1ne pass, past crevaHsss and other ice
features which are here upon a grand
soaie,and excited their fullest enthusiasm.
!, soon after noon they reached the top of
6ne pass, from which the first view Of the
ground to be- trayersed to reach the peak
from this side was given. A feasible
ilhe OF ascent was discovered, and the
summit seemed already within reach.
After luncheon they set out to complete
the undertaking. Each special difficulty
was overcome with no great effort under
bbott's skilful leadership, and no one
found the element of danger great enough
OF the party made the returnin the man.
ner that they did (without ropes) proved
sha0 with proper appliances the way SO
Tar was not too dangerous.
1t was $50 p. m. when they found
themselves not far below the summit,
under precipitous crags, which seemed to
bar the way, unless long traverse was
made by QUITTING steps across very steep
Ice sloop But glance from a more adj
yanced point disclosed cleft in the great
buttress Of rock
Abbot declared that he considered 1t
passable, and invited Fay and Thompson
to unrope themselves (ths party was in a
safe standing place. while he and Little,
an excellent rock climber should go up
the cleft, and, on reaching the top, let
down the rope to aid the ascent OF the
other two. This they began to do. It
was now nearly g p. m. Abbot went
higher than Prof. Little, and had him
also cast off the rope, which had been
lengthened for rock work, and was now
made up OF the usual and the spare rope,
all they had.
If Mr.. Little had been upon the rope
he could not have saved Abbot; there
would have been two casualties, instead
of one; for, from a point at consider
ably higher level, Abbott evidently placed
hand or foot on an unsteady stone, which
gave way with him, and he fell, together
with the treacherous stone, striking the
side Of the mountain at the base Of the
crag, some ten feet distant from Fay and
Thompson. In another moment he was
sliding down the Ice slope.
At point about a thousand feet below
from some inexplioabls cause, consider
ing the steepness of the earlier slope, he
ceased rolling just above preoipice. If
he had passed over it, another descent of
two Thousand feet would have followed,
though not in one fall.
To descend to where he lay right in the
line of their necessary course, without
the aid of rope, was very slow pro-
cess, as the greatest care had to be taken
with every step.
1t was abOat nine O'Clock when they
reached him. Life was not extinct, but
he was evidently unconscious. The skull
had been fractured by the first fall, but
his person was not otherwise disfgured.
They tried to carry him down with them
"a mogt difficult and soon dangerous
task. After progressing some fifty feet it
came question OF saving the living for
the dead he had ceased to live.
They were therefore Obliged to leave
their burden, and from here on, with the
ropes, the way was comparatively SECURE.
The body was covered and brought
down to Laggan two days later. but no
particulars have yet been received.
Agr HN CHILD IN a a IL