The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-15

mountain of Japan, far nearer the
heavens than the top of Mount Blanc /,
or any point in Europe, a thousand
feet higher than Pixies Peak or any
mountain in Colorado, above Mt Whit
ney, and, in fact, far higher than any
mountain In the United States outside
of Alaska.
AS looked at the grandeur about mo
l felt like tine expressive, but not ire
weren't, cowboy, who awoke one morn
ing in the midst Of the Alps. His meth
cd of showing his appreciation had al
ways been by hurrah, and when he
looked up at snow-capped peaks rising
one upon another as far as his eve
could reach he could contain himself
no longer and he threw his hat into
the abr, and with a cowboy yell, ex-
claimed: "Hurrah for God?'
The Terrors of SOrOche.
This was how felt. actsd far DIFF
ferently. My voice was so weak from
have whistled a dog. At about 10000
feet above the sea conversation began
to lag in our party. 1t was almost i'm
possible to talk to one another on the
outside platform of the Favorlta, and
found myself again and again weigh
ing my though's to decide whether they
were worth the breath 1t would take
to utter them. All sorts of exertions
took triple strength to perform them. I
found mY<boots grow suddenly heavy.
and I changed my step to that of an
old man. AT the eastern end of the
Galera tunnel we stopped amid banks
OF snow, and Mr.. Sherman and myself
had snow-balling fight away up tn re
IN the clouds. 1t was not an exciting
contest, however.
Every throw seLt our hearts into our
throats, and we had to stop and pant
for breath. When we walked at all aft
er this we had to go. very Slowly and
IN climbing up the hills we crawled.
AS the day went en- the uncomfortable
feeling from the extraordinary height
and our quick jump from the sea to
the tops Of the mountains increased.
We descended about 1000 feet and
stopped for the night at Casapalca.
where there Is big silver and copper
srnelter owned by Backus, johnson &
Co., an enterprising firm which / shall
describe In another letter treating Of
the mines of Peru. We were received
here by the vice president of the COM
pany, Capt. H. Guyer, an Idaho mining
engineer, who made US at home and
put us up for the night Before. we
got to the house the Frenchman and
Mr.. Pierson were attacked with soroche
or the mountain sickness, a disease
common to strangers in high attitudes
We're more or less affected. My attack
did not come until midnight.
awoke feeling as though the top
Of my head was rising into the air.
| had a TERRIBLE pain in the temples,
cramps in my legs and at the same
| time strong inclination to vonlt.
lay on my back all night to give my
lungs as full play as possible and hard
ly slept a wink. l managed to get up
at daybreak, and although there was
coat on my tongue as thick as the
| fur Of an Alaska seal, / drank some
coffee and by keeping out of doors was
| sufficiently recovered to take my hand
| car ride down the mountains. Mr..
| Sherman Jared even better than I, but
Secretary Neal said that between the
smell of the sulphur from the smelling
| furnaces and the soroche he thought
he was in hell, and dreamed all night
| that hundred devils were dancing on
his chest, while Mr.. Pierson looked as
though he had lost all his friends and
said he longed for home.
Capt. Guyer told US that almost every
| one VINO came up the mountains is
similarly affected, and that some Jared
! much worse A week or so ago Mr..
| Stuart, the former United States minis
| ter to Paraguay, came up to CaSapalca
with his wife The madame tainted be-
| fore she could get from the train to
| the house and was terribly sick all
| night. The minister got along very
| we'll till near dinner time, when he
was attacked with vomiting, diarrhoea
| and a fainting spell and he was also
/ sick for the night. The soroche is COM
mon throughout the Andes, and / fear
| 1 shall have more of it before my trip
is over. 1t usually begins at the slti-
| tude of 1000 feet With some it docs
not last more than a day or 50 and
! then passes. off.
| With others it is very serious The
| first symptoms are pains in the bead
and nausea. Then comes veriiZo, d m
ness of sight and hearing; falnting fits
follow and blood flows from the eyes,
nose and lips. Those who have weak
lungs are liable TO hemorrhages, and
those whose hearts are weak sometimes
drop dead. 1t is esp ctal1y hard on full
blocded and stout people and those adj
| dicted to liquor and high living.
Healthy, thin people of temperate haS-
! its soon get over it. and as I am OF
that class, weighing. all told, not more
| than 100 pounds, 1 expect to survive.
y