The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-02

Body of Capt. Henry ArkvrigiIt,
Killed in 1866, just Recovered.

LONDON, Aug. 3O-Capt. Henry Arkwright,
who was aid-de-camp to the lord lieutenant
of Ireland, guide named Michael Simond,
and two pOrters, Francois and Joseph Tour
nier, were killed by avalanche on the
grand plateau of Mont Blanc in October, 1865
The bodies of the guide and the porters We're
found after a week, but Capt. Arkwright S
body was only recovered from the ice on
Sunday last, $1,000 feet below where he died
All except the feet and head were recovered
The right hand was marvelously lifeike
The ice had preserved in it the red tint of
blood From the pocket of his gray waist
coat was drawn white, blue bordered hand
kerchief as good new, with his name on it,
The deceased officers collar had in it a
gold stud and IN his shirt front was larger
one set with a diamond star. The debris of
a silver cigarette case were in his pocket
and his gold watch and chain were on the
ice near where the body was found The
and the local gendarmes held an inquest over
the remains, found after lapse of about
thirty years in the shadow of Mont Blanc.
They will probably be buried at Chamounix.
The story of Capt. Arkwright's death is
one of the most thrilling in the annals Of
Mont Blanc adventure. He had been an
aid-de-camp to the lord lieutenant for Ire
land, was scholar and also traveller.
But he was quite unused to ALI. climbing.
At $50 o'clock the morning of Oct. 49, 1856
he, with his guide, Michael Simond, two
porters named Francois and Joseph Tour
nier, and accompanied by Silvan Couttet, of
the Pierre Pointue. and a servant-the latter
two apparently being voluntary additions to
party already formed-left the Grand Mulets
for the ascent of Mont Blanc. They took the
route of the ancient passage" and had
gone but little way. probably less than five
miles, when an avalanche descended upon
them. Such visitations have always been
peculiarly common on this route. and it is,
and always has been, regarded especially
dangerous.
Couttet heard the rumbling and knew in
an instant what was the matter. He gave
the alarm and with his servant succeeded
in getting away. Capt Arkwright and his
guides, either because they did not under
stand or became confused, turned in the wrong
direction and were overwhelmed in a ire
mendous avalanche of rocks ice and snow.
The Alpine Journal, vol. 2, page 3S3, says
not trace of the men could be discovered
by the survivors. But this is plainly an
error, for Vename Payott, writing in 1879,
proves that the body of Francois Tournier
was discovered by VI. Couttet before he
abandoned the search. He found the crushed
body among the blocks of loosened ice on
the Grand Plateau. Later, according to the
author of Oscillations des Quatre Grandes
Glaciers" he discovered the bodies of two
of the others and gave them burial While
he was still pursuing his search another ava
lanche descended and the last trace of the
missing Englishman was lost.
Michael Payott, one of the porters who
still lived last year, was awarded the
"medaille d'honneur' and a diploma by the
ministry of the interior for his conduct on
the occasion. But every book or traveller
gives bad guiding as the cause of the
lamentable accident.