The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-09-14
A RECENT ALPINE CALAMITY.

Dr. John Hopkinson, the well known
electrician and professor at Kings Col
lege, London, with a son and two daught'
ers, persisted together on Saturday morn
ing in one of the most terrible mountain
accidents of recent times. Dr. Hopkin-
son was practiced mountaineer, having
quite lately assembled the Matterhorn and
the Dent Blanche with his son In tour
through Zermatt. He started with his
son and two daughters from Arolla to as
cend the Petit Dent de Veisivi, one of the
striking points dominating Evolena, In
the Val d Herens, rum ing south from
the Rhone valley at Sion. The ascent is
not considered one of frst-rate import
anoe, and the party went without guides.
As they started as late as half-past seven,
they were not expected back till about
seven in tn evening.
The time for their return passed, and
as they did not appear Mrs. Hopklnson
and her friends became anxious. After
dark two search parties were despatched,
and a third party at four O'Clock yester-
day morning.
At daybreak one of the search parties,
consisting of a guide and two gentlemen,
discovered DR.. Hopkinson and his chill
dren roped together and all dead on a
moraine at the foot of the highest cliffs.
At this point the holding is difficult. One
of the party must have slipped and all
four fallen from rock to rock several hun
dred feet to the moraine below.
A watch was kept over the bodies az
yesterday and last night till they could
be removed BY the authority Of the dis
trict Judge. EARLY this morning group
of guides could be seen by telescope from
the Arolla Hotel preparing for their re-.
moval. The inquest was held at noon In
the valley at Satarma, the bodies being
on four rough stretohers, decsntly covered
with sheets and wreaths and punches of
mountain flowers. A touching memorial
service was conducted by Mr.. Thomson,
tho chaplain at Arolia, which was at
tended by some thirty English. Twenty
guides then carried the bodies down to
EvoIena, to be taken to England.
Dr.. John Hepkinson, E. r D., D. So,
wGs the eldest son of Alderman Hppkin-
son. an ex-Mayor Of Manchester, and was
a brother of Prof. Alfred Hopkinson, who
lately resigned his seat in Parliament for
the Crick1ade Division of Willis to become
principal of Owens College. DIR. Hopkin-
and Greenwood College, and in his six
tenth year went to Ovens College. He
afterwards went up to Trinity College,
Cambridge, and was senior wrangler and
first Smiths prizeman in 1871, being ap-
pointed fellow and tutor Of his college.
While at Cambridge he obtained the-D.
Sc. Of London University. He paid
special attention to lighthouse machinery,
ia which he introduced many improve
ments. pal ticulaply the group-fashing ap-
parattis After residing in Birmingham
for some years as engineer to Messrs
Chance & Co., he removed to London
and praotised as an engineer. He took up
electrical engineering, and introduced
the method now in common use of de-
plotting certain phenomena by means of
characteristic curves. DR., Hopk1nson
also presented valuable papers to the
Royai Society on eleotrostatics and mag
netism, and he also read papers on tech
nicaI subjects before the Institutions of
Civil Engineers and Electrical Engineers.
In 1890 one of the Royal Society's medals
was awarded to him. and he was also
elected President of the Institution of
Electrical Engineers lie was professor
of electrical engineering at Kings Col
lege, London He was extremely fond Oh
Alpine climbing, and was accustomed to
contribute to the records OF the Alpln
Club. -Arolla Despatch IN LONDON
Times August Both.