The Portland daily press., 1896-09-12
DEATH OF MOUNTAIN CLIMBER.
The Dying Man Stopped by the Rope ON
the Brink of Precipice 1000 Feet
High.
(Erom the Milwaukee Sentinel }

(Erom the Milwaukee Sentinel.
DR.. William E. Becker, who was one
Of the party that left Milwaukee week
Rgo to bring back the body of Philip
Abbot from Bantf, Alberta, arrived home
few days ago, while Howard Morris,
7. H. Gill and r. B. Tweedy went on
to Boston with the remains. The story
of young Abbot's death, as told by the
surviving mem bers of the party, is very
tragic, and its sad details emphasize the
dangers of mountain climbing. DR..
Becker tells the story as follows:
"Profa Fay and Little and Mr..
Thompson. who accompanied Philip
Abbot, had attempted to climb Mount
LEROY year ago. but failed. 1t is q
very steep mountain covered with great
fields of snow and ice. and is looked up
ON as almost inaccessible. The attempt
of the three professors had been written
up In the paper of their society, the Ap-
palaohia, and while it was a failure,
they decided to make another atueInpt,
for they believed that they had dis
covered an accessible way to the summit.
II was upon this second trip that Mr..
Abbot lost his life.
The party see out from Laggan early
Monday morning, q week ago, and at
& ID O'Clock in the evening had reached
point only few hundre feet below the
summit Of the mountain, and far above
any point which had hitherto been
reached on Mount LEROY. Here the
party stood upon narrow ledge, with
Q mountain chimney before them and a
sIoping field of ice and snow, stretching
away to preoipice, nearly 1000 feet be-
o them. A chimney is a perpendicular
furrOw or re-entrant angle of rock, ard
the ascent is made by holding against
the sides with hands and feet. Abbot,
who was the leader and by for the best
climber in the party, started up the OHM
ney to fasten the ropes, that the others
might have assistance in the steep climb.
Mr. Thompson and Prof. Fay unroped,
and Prof. Little, who was still roped to
Mr.. Abbot, followed him. When Prof.
Little had ascended about twenty feet
and Mr.. Abbot was some distance above
him, q piece of rock was detached BY
the saving of the rope and struck Prof.
Little upon the head. 1t dazed him for
few Sc onds, and then he called out
to Mr.. Abbots
Shall unropep'
''Mr. Abbot answered that he had bet
ter do so. and when the ropes were loosed
continued upward through the chimney,
carrying the rope alone. Prof. Little
was standing upon a narrow projection
Of rock, braced against one face OF the
chimney. while the other two explorers
huddled close to the cliff to escape the
piercing wind, upon the ledge at the base
of the chimney. A few minutes after
Prot. Little hal unroped, Mr.. Abbot,
who was more than forty feet up the
chimney now, cried out:
I have found very good lead.
"6mall pieces of detached ice, snow
and dirt were falling down the chimney
from where Abbot was climbing. and
none Of the party could look up to follow
the movements Of their leader. Sudden
ly dark object rushed past Prof. Little
and striking the base ledge rolled down
the 10y slope toward the brink OF the
precipice. which descended 1900 feet
sheer. Instantly the truth flashed upon
the three men who were perohed upon
the barren rocks II, 600 feet above the sea,
but they could do nothing save watch
their companion az he tumbled down the
edge Of the great cliff far below them.
At the very edge of the terrible descent
which would have broken the body be-
yond recognition, his course was stayed.
The ropes had gone with Mr.. Abbot
and the Others now had nothing to assist
them in their descent to where he lay. |
Prot. Little slowly wormed his way
low to hasten to Mr.. Abbot's assistance
without waiting for him. Prof. Fay
And Mr.. Thomp6on started down with |
Prof. Little some distance behind. With |
cut ropes the trio scrambled down the |
steep mountain side, and it Is doubtful |
Ii they would ever have succeeded were it |
not for tbe.excellent work of their injured
bad handled the ice axe and had left |
very fine series of steps. for his expert
enoe In mountain climbing had made |
him very cautious about providing |
means for an easy descent. They ,toiled |
downward for three hours, part Of the |
way over untried paths, before th9y
the side Of ME-. Abbot. He was
still braathipg, but unconscious, and
they started hack along the brink Of the
abyss with their burden, to regain the
pathway by which they had assembled. |
They had gone only q hundred yards
when Mf Abbot died. He had made
no outory when he plunged from the
dizzy chimney, and bis last words were
the e4ultant shout of the explorer. II
have found a very good lead.'
when life was extinct the party halt
ID beside the mountain chasm and, hol-
I0wing ont a temporary grave in the
hard snow, left the body Of their oom-
paniop until they could return with aid.
they bad regained the ropes now, and
lurtheg descent became comparatively
aasy. But the late twilight of the
mountain region came on, and, de-
scending with all possible haste, they
succeeded In reaching a point only a
little more than ], 600 feet below the SUM-
NIT by 10 O'Clock. Here they spent the
night In wind-swept mountain pass
with no shelter except a cairn of stones
which previous explorer had erected. 1t
was intensely onld, and during the night
q fierce snow storm began to rage. There
was no timber with which to build I.
DIRE. for they were still high above the
timber line, and they were without food.