Evening star., 1898-05-14

world. Think of it, We were far above
| the height of the top of Fujiyama the
| snow-capped 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. Whitney, and, in
fact far higher than any mountain in the
United States outside of Alaska.
The Terrors of Sorochc.
Ny voice was so weak from the rarity of
the air that | could not have whistled a
deg At about ten thousand feet above the
! sea conversation began to lag In our
party. 1t was almost impossible to talk
to one another on the outside platform
of the Favorita. and l found myself again
end again weighing my thoughts to decide
whether they were worth the breath it
would take to utter them. All sorts Of
eXerticns took triple strength to perform
them. / found my boots grow suddenly
heavy, and l changed my step to that or
an old man. At the eastern end of the
Galera tunnel we stopped amid banks of
snow, and Mr.. Sherman and myself had
sncw-balling fight away up there In tho
clouds. 1t was not an executing contest.
however. Every throw sent our hearts
into our throats, and We had to stop and
pant for breath. When We walked at all
after this We had to go very slowly and In
climbing up the hills We crawled. AS the
day went on 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 smelter owned by Backus,
johnson and Company, an enterprisini,
firm which 1 shall describe in another
letter treating of the mines OF Peru. We
were received here by the vice president of
the company, Captain ii. Guyer an Idaho
mining engineer, who made at home
and put us up for the night. Before
got to the house the Frenchman and MIR.
Pierson were attacked with soroche, or
the mountain sickness, disease common
to strangers in high attitudes. and later
on the whole of the party were more or
less affected My attack did not come
until midnight. i awoke feeling though
the top OF my head was rising into the
air. 1 had terrible pain in the tenn
pies, cramps in my legs and at the same
time a strong inclination TO vomit. / lay
on my back all night to give my lungs as
full play as possible and hardly slept a
wink. / 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 l. but
Secretary Neal said that between the smell
the sulphur from the smelling furnaces
and the soroche he thought he was in hell,
and dreamed all night that an 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 Captain Guyer told us that almost
every one who comes up the mountains
Is similarly affected, and that some fare
much worse. A week so ago Mr.. Stuart,
the former United States minister. TO Para
quay. came up to Casapalca with his WIFE,
Mrs. Stuart tainted before she could get
from the train to the house and was ter
ribly sick all night. The minister got along
very well till near dinner time, when he
was attacked, and he vas also sick for
the night. The sodoche is common through
out the Andes. and I fear I shall have
more Of 1t before my trip is over 1t
It is very serious. 1t is especially hard on
full-blooded and stout people and those ad-
dicted to liquor and high living. Healthy
thin people of temperate habits soon get
over it. and as am of that class. weigh
Ing all told, not more than one hundred
pounds. expect to survive.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.