The times., 1898-09-28
AN ALPINE CALAMITY.
Particulars of the Death of DIR. Hop
kinson and. HIS Children.

Vioih tue LONDON IinsS.J
DIR. John Hopkinson; the well-known
electrician and professor at Kings Col
lege, London, with a son and two daugh-
ters, perished together on Saturday
morning in one of the most terrible
mountain accidents of, recent times. DIR.
Hopkinson was braeticed mountaineer,
having quite lately assembled the Matter
horn and the Dent Blanche with his son
in tour through Zermatt He started
with his son and two daughters from
Arolla to ascend the Petite Dent de Vel
sivi, one of the striking points dominat-
ing Evolena, in the Val dHerens run
ming south from the Rhone Valley at
Sion. The ascent is not considered one
of first-rate Importance, and the party
went without guides. As they started as
late as half-past 7, they were not ex-
pected back TIL about in the evening.
The time for their return passed and as
they did not appear Mrs Hopkinson and
her friends became anxious. After dark
two search parties were dispatched, and
third party at o'clock yesterday morn
ing.
At daybreak one of the searching par
ties, consisting of guide and two gen
tlemen, discovered DIR. Hopkinson and his
children roped together, and all dead, on
moraine at the foot of the highest cliiis.
At this point the holding is difficult. One
OF the party must have slipped and all
four fallen from rock to rock several nun
dred feet to the moraine below.
A watch was kept over the bodies all
yesterday and last night till they could
be removed by the authority of the dis
trict judge. Early this morning a group
of guides could be seen by telescope from
the Arolla Hotel preparing for their re-
moval. The inquest was held at noon in
.l,1 he hpln nB
on four rough stretchers, decently COW
cred with sheets and wreaths and punches
of mountain flowers. A touching memo
rial service was conducted by Mr.. Thorn
son, the chaplain at Arolla, which was
attended by some thirty English. Twenty
guides then carried the bodies down 10
Evolena, to be taken TO England.
DR.. John Hopkinson f. r. D., D. Sc,
was the eldest son of Alderman Hopkin-
son. an ex-mayor of Manchester, and ne
was a brother of Prof. Alfred Hopkinson.
who lately resigned his seat in Parlia-
ment for the Cricklade Division of Wits
to become principal of Owens College.
DR.. Hopkinson was educated at Lindow
Grove School and Queenswood College,
and in his sixteenth year went TO Trinity
College Cambridge, and was senior
wrangler and first Smiths priZeman in
1871. being appointed fellow and tutor
of his collge. While at Cambridge he OBJ
tanned the D.Sc. of London University.
He paid special attention to lighthouse
machinery, in which he introduced many
improvements. particularly the group
flashing apparatus. After residing in Bir-
mingham for some years as engineer to
Messrs. Chance & Co, he removed 10
London and praetised as an engineer. He
took UP electrical engineering, and intro
duced the method now in common use of
depicting certain pheromena by means of
characteristic curvfs.ss Dr. Hopkinson al
so presented valuable papers TO the Roy
al Society on electrostatics and magnet
ism and he also read papers on technical
subjects before the Institution of Civil
Engineers and Electrical Engineer. In
1890 one of the Royal Societys medals
was awarded TO him, and he was also
elected president OF the Institution of
Electrical Engineers. He was professor
of electrical engineering at Kings Col
lege, London. He was extremely fond OF
Alpine climbing, and was accustomed to
contribute to the records of the Alpine
Club.