The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-09-03
ON TOP OF ST. ELIAS.
what the Luigi Party Saw and Felt.

What the Luigi Party Saw and Felt.
New York, Sept. 3.-Prince Luigi of
Savoy, Duke of Abruzzi and nephew of
the King of Italy, is at the Waldorf,
having reached this city after accomp-
fishing the feat hitherto regarded as
impossible, of climbing to the summit
of Mount ST. Elias.
Concerning his achievement Prince
Luigi is very modest. When he re-
turns to Italy he will prepare a mono
logue concerning his experiences, which
Will, it is said, be of great value to that
division of the scientific world interest
ed in the study of phenomena at great
attitudes.
The monologue will be accompanied
by phOtOgrap PMS of peculiar interest,
which We're taken by the party at vari-
Gus stages of the journey. Some of
these, most notably those which were
obtained a elevations of more than a.
600 feet, have no equals it is said, in
the world. Not only do they show the
effects of photographs a t such eleva-
tfOnS, but the actual appearance of what
has been regarded as an insurmounta-
bic peak. The negatives are in the per-
Sonal keeping of the prince, who prizes
them as valua bic results of his trip.
They will be developed in Italy, and
until then Prince Luigi declines even
to converse about them.
Chevalier Cagni was the princes
spokesman. He said: 1.-The greatest
difficulty was the question of the trans
portation of food. 1t was necessary
that we should take sufficient with US
to assure our safety 1t was of great
weight 1t was essential that, as
climbers, we should not be overburden-
ed. Yet every pound added to our
equipment increased our danger. We
were at last able to solve the difficulty,
and by good fortune we did not suffer
from hunger
What was the character of the as
cent?
You will be surprised to know that
it was not either very dangerous or
dlft1GI1lf "a
mountaineers, and we had all of US en-
countered dangers in climbing far more
perilOus heights than those with which
we were confronted. The notable fea-
ture of the long climb was the glaciers.
They seemed to be boundless. We had
never before witnessed such vast eX-
Thefe We're many creVaSSeS, some of
them very wide, but these were also
overcome, and we reached the top after
Is hours of hard climbing.
THE sensation we experienced when
we were at an altitude of more than
Ia, 600 feet was chiefly rapid and diff
cult respira ton. The rarity of the air
made the last steps of the journey diff
cult, but the WEAKNESS was more than
repaid by the view which we obtained
at the summit. There photographs
were taken which, L believe, will open
the eyes of mountain climbers Our
chief regret was that we were una BILE
to carry a really large camera on ac-
count of its weight. The one we had,
however, presented an excellent field
and from it's photographs we expect to
obtain admira bic results.
The most difficult part of the trip
was from the divide. From this point
it required eleven hours to gain the top.
We had lots of adventures, and every
one of the party, including the prince
and the guide, fell into crevasses, but
we were so well prepared against acci-
dents of that sort that one came to
harm. We came down the slope of
the mountain to the divide in little
more than two hours. There was some
danger, perhaps, in this. for the ice
bridges and snow bridges, under the in
huence of the afternoon sum- had melted
some what and we were not always able
to trust ourselves to them, but the haz-
ardousness of it all was forgotten in
the excitement, which was superb and
set the whole system tingling with the
exercise.
While it was cold at the summit it
was not excessively SO, our thermome-
terS indicating IL degrees below zero.
In returning it would have been to our
had the temperature remain
ed at that point"