Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-09-07

work, e. A. Fitz
Gerald, F. R. G.. s.,
his guide, Zurbriggen, and Mr. Har-
per, were surprised by darkness in
position where it was impossible for
them to advance. AS it was equally
impossible for them to spend the night
where they were, hanging to narrow
lodges of rock covered with thin ice,
they were obliged to retrace their steps
"a slow and painful process. At last
they reached spot that might answer
their purpose--a ledge some fourteen
feet long and eighteen inches broad, or
which the three men could just manage
to sit.
1t seemed to us as sheltered a place
as any upon the slope, but should there
be any great fall of stones in the night,
l feared that We should have but a
small chance of escape. No sooner
had we seated ourselves than we
heard the omnibus whiz of fall
ing stones. This was but the
commencement of a cannonade that
was kept up at intervals through
so close that at times we could almost
feel the wind on our faces. We never
dared so much as to close an eye all
night for fear of slipping into the abyss
below.
The cold became intense, the Their
mometer dropping twenty-five degrees,
and as most Of our garments had been
soaked in wading through the melting
snow, they froze hard.
Harper took off his boots and placed
his feet in his knapsack, SO that, had
he fallen, he could not possibly have
recovered himself. Zurbriggen also
took off his boots and sat upon them to
keep them warm for the morning, lest
they should be frozen, and he should
find himself unable to get into them
again.
We did our best to keep up our
spirits by singing songs, the most ap-
propriate of which seemed to be, 1--WE
Won't Go Home Till Morning"
There was no moon, and the night
was intensely dark, though the
weather was clear, while the slight
breezes from the southwest seemed to
chill us to the bone. After midnight
We gradually fell silent, and did not
even talk, while Harper dozed for
moment CT two and nearly tumbled off.
l had to catch hold of him and retain
my grip till he could regain his bal
ance. 1t then occurred to us that If we
spread one OF the pieces of mackin-
tosh sheeting over our heads and light
ed some candles beneath it, We should
be warmer.
We found the plan successful, and
kept on lighting candles, so that we
could warm our fingers at them and
still remain seated in our cramped po-
sition. Luckily we had an ample sup
ply, and could continue to burn them
till the dawn began to appear. 1t SEEM
cd to us as if we had been seated for
weeks on this ridge; and when at last
it became light enough for us to move,
We were so stiff that it was with diff
Guilty that we gained our feet We
now began making preparations for
departure. The rope was like an iron
bar, and our frozen clothes would not
give to our motion. Harper's boots
were frozen so stiff that he was obliged
to cut them open and burn innumer-
able candle-ends inside of them before
he succeeded in getting them on. I
had kept mine on all night. as 1 knew
how much trouble l should have in
putting them on again in the morning
IL / took them off. Zurbriggen, how
ever, was the very best of us all, for
his scheme of sitting on his boots and
warming them had worked most ad-
mirably, though during the night he
complained several times that the
nails in them were rather hard.
We were extremely stiff, all Of us,
and for some distance literally limped
along. However. when the sun rose it
gradually thawed us, and We were able
to make better time.