The evening times., 1898-10-08
AN ALPINE TRAGEDY.

The Alps have claimed two more vic
tims-one well-known mountain
climber. and the other his guide. The
Chamounix correspondent of the London
Times relates the fatality as follows:
Mr. AstonBinns, member of the
Alpine Club, son of an English clergy
man, we'll known in Switzerland as fre-
quently taking summer chaplaincies, and
the guide, Imsen. of Saas Fee, persisted
TWO days since ON the Aiguilles des Char
moz Mr. Aston-Binns was just COM
pleting very successful season of noun
talneerlng, and on leaving the Hotel
| Couttet on Thursday evening" expressed
his satisfaction with Mile. Couttet with
the very considerable number of climbs
that the splendid Alpine weather that
we have had recently had enabled him
to effect He Intended returning to the
Motel on Friday night. and leaving the
next day for England.
At midday on Friday ! had asccaded
TO the Chalet Inn, which has just heen
built on the Plan des Aiguilles. 1900 feet
high, which is the new starting roint
Tor the Aiguilles of the Mont Blanc
range. and looking in the visitors Look
saw this entry: 'Aston-Binns, A c.. and
GUIDE, lmsen. This was the last writing
from the pen of Mr.. Aston-Binns.
While 1 was lunching the proprietor
came In to say that the two climbers had
reached the summit of one of the peaks.
ana went out, and saw through a teie-
scope the two men who We're in an hour or
two later to perish so sadly The summit
contains in all five peaks, and they were
attempting what is known as the trav-
eFsee Ihe highest peak is only II 59l feet
ana was first ascended in 1874 At that
time 1t was regarded as a difficult peak
and even in the last edition of his Guide
to Chamonix' Mr. Whimper says that the
Aiguilles, as a whole, are not suitable
for beginners in mountaineering though
the Aiguille du Grepon is much more diff
ficult than the Charmoz, and at one point
In the ascent, called after Mr. Mummery,
there Is very awkward section which
can only be done by guides and the best
mountaineers
Two hours after / had seen the climb
ers on the summit they had completed the
traversee. and were seen at the foot of
the Couloir only few minutes before the
accident occurred which has had so sad a
termination They were expected back in
ChamoniN on Friday night at D. m.
and when yesterday morning came and
they had not arrived. a searching party
was organized and the greatest anxiety
prevailed in the village. All day yester-
DAY groups We're to be seen around each
of the hotel telescopes waiting anxiousIy
for the signals of the search party, while
some had ascended to the Plan des Aig-
uiles in the hope of hearing that the ac-
cident was not so serious as was feared
The first intelligence on reaching the
Plan des Aiguilles was the recovery of
the drucksack, which the climbers had left
at the foot of the mountain before as
cendins This was. in itself a serious in
dication, and a little later the guides sig
nailed with flags that the accident was a
very serious one.
Last night they brought down the sad
news that. reaching the base OF the
COuloir, one or other of the two climbers
slipped on the hard black ice entirely
free from snow. with which the glacier
commences. He had dragged his compan-
ion with him. and the two had slid along
the surface Of the hard ice some fifty
or sixty feet TO q crevasse, the opposite
wall of which they had struck violently.
in all probability being instantly killed
thereby. and had then fallen to the bot
tom OF the crevasse
The glorious weather continues today
but sadness reigns over the whole village.
and as | write these words in the early
morning, the guides, who left a flag at a
point where the remains We're discovered
have returned to their work with ample
assistance, and a few minutes since We're
seen cutting steps and preparing to de-
scend into the crevasse for the recovering
of the bodies. The guide leaves wife
and five children"