Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-22

will often dislodge hanging cornice with
It's mantle OF snow. and even the clapping
OF the hands has been known to turn a
bed OF peacefully lying snow into the rag
ing and tempestuous avalanche. A step
too low on the mountain slope may likewise
disiodge movable bank and convert it
into swift-fying avalanche. In the pas
sage of the Piz Morteratsch by Prof. Tyn-
dali, an avalanche, carrying his party
dcwn the side of the mountain, seems to
have originated in the mere slipping of one
of the members.
The Glacial Crevasse.
Few there are. probably. among active
mcuntaineers who have net had expert
ences of one kind or another with glacial
crevasse. Slowly climbing descending Il
steep outer mountain face on the back of
a glacier. with glacial crevasses zigzag-
ging through it at near intervals. may be
anything but pleasant sensation, especial
ly to him who Is not adequately provided
with Alpine rope. AK and mob nails or
creepeIs as part of his footgear. fall,
slip, and away you are hurried, possibly
to eternity. Some of these crevasses are
hundreds of feet in depth. and their yerti-
cal sides of adamantine ice make escape
from their lower depths impossible. 1t has
rot infreQuently happened that human
bodies accidentally precipitated into these
riffs have been recovered only after inter-
walls OF years, when washed out from the
under surface of the extremity of a gla-
means of natural snow or ice bridges con-
stitutes one of the sources of chief danger
to the mountain climber Weakened by
melting through the suns heat, they are a
treacherouS pathway and lead the unwary
to steps that incline to ultimate destruc-
ton. 1t is in such crossings that the ex-
perience of good guides becomes neces-
sity. and many an ugly plunge that might
otherwise have resulted fatally has been
turned TO an adventure of hardly more than
laughable proportions.
The Imminent storm.
There are few, except those who have
themselves had the experience, who can
conceive of the extreme rapidity with which
mountain storms originate and discharge
themselves From "a perfectly clear sky and
surroundings an hour, even a mere frac-
ton of it, will frequently suffice to plunge
the traveller into darkness and into {, region
of the utmost turmoil. Angry clouds sweep
by in mad turmoil, an ice-cold wind bites
oeep into the marrow, and wee be to him
who IS caught on a dividing crest without
shelter or covering to properly withstand
the force of natures arms. A personal ex-
perience on the Grmsel where from an alb
soiutely clear and tranquil sky, August %
on one side of the pass we plunged into
the darkness of night and a tempest like
that of the ocean on the other has been
sufficient to convince me of the possibili-
ties that lie in this direction.
only through the timely assistance of a
Fair of ST. Bernard dogs. whose kindly
ministerings prevented that silent sleep
Which falls to him who lies deep buried in
snow, was on this occasion a rescue effect
ed Yet the possibility of the conditions
mat actually presented themselves was
emphatically pointed cut to us by friendly
guides, but We, presuming on superior
knowledge, discarded. nearly to the point
OF meeting death. the advice bought by
long years of experience. A lesson tins
taught is apt to be lasting in its effects.
ANGELO HEILPRIN