The Banner-Democrat., 1899-01-14
ALPINE ACCIDENTS.
SENSATIONAL FATALITIES WHICH At
TENDED A FASCINATING PASTlME.
The Fate Of Some Who Never Returned 10
Tell the Story Of Their Perilous sport
With Glacier. Peak and Pass.


The AIps are once more the theatre
of those sensational fatalities "nicn
have from time immemorial been asso-
c;atod with the dangerous Dut Iascl
mating pastime, or exercise, or wnhl
over Won choose to call it, OF Alpine
climbing. Within rev Weeks o.
nounces the New York SUM- nVe PEI
cons have lost their lives as sacrihce
n this diversion, and England anu
tho Continent are appropriately shock
cd. Within the last month LII. 1onn
Honkinson. one of the most distln-
puished of England's men OF sciences
President of the Institl ion OF Eiec-
trical Engineers, and fellow OF tne
Royal Society, together with MS sun
and two daughters, was killed WINE
ascending the Petite Dent de VelslVi,
peak of 10,463 feet in the val
d'Herens, one of the side valleys rui'
ming up from the central valley Oh tne
Rbone. and a few weeks later ProI.
Masse, a we'll known surgeon OF Der
lin. met his death while climbing Plz
Palu, a peak Of $4,000 feet.
The death of DR.. Hopkinson and ms
son and daughters were particularly
distressing. He was considered a goou
Alpine climber and was a member OF
the old Alpine Club, and his son. a
youth of %, had had some experience.
The two daughters, of 10 and IL, 1t IS
manifest, had practically no expert
ence in the Alps. The father haa
climbed this particular peak before,
and no doubt the sense of supremacy
over the hazards gof Alpine climbing
impelled him to undertake this task
with his family, but without the alu
of a guide. Leaving behind TINS alto
gether indispensable assistant Dr
Hopkinson made himself Directly re
snonsible for the lives of his party OF
four. No one survived to tell how
that dreadful accident happened whicf
plunged these four to a death as crue
as ingenuity could devise. 1t migh'
have been a fatal slip Of the younger
daughter that set in motion the awfu
machinery for the catastrophe. L
might have been a misstep of the fath
err. Just as the clumsy accident OF MI
, Hadow in 1865 was responsible for th'
death of himself, Lord Francis Doug
las, Mr.. Hudson and a guide on tn
Matterhorn. The exact cause OF tn
= Hopkinson tragedy will probably nev
a er be known, but it will remain as on
8 of the most sensational Of the fatal
}. ties associated with the Alps, eve
though the peak which they attempt
ed to surmount is not regarded as
4 particularly dangerous one.
:" The accident by which Prof. Mass
lost his life was different in is natur
and consequences. He was known as
q skilful climber, and in this ascent, WA
y accompanied by another physician,
b celebrated guide and Tyrolean. Ho'
the accident occurred is shown In tn
a description: sIn. crossing a crevass
d the ice by which it was bridged CAV
t way. with the result that Prof. Mass
a fell down perpendicularly into it, dra'
ging the guide after him, while ID
a Borchard was suspended on the brin
n and the Tyrolean had to support Il
n weight of the entire party. Eventua
n ly the guide, who was at the end
the rope, having discovered that II
g bottom of the crevasse was not far ol
e cut himself loose and scrambled o.
IA with the help Of his ice axe. But wht
't he came to the rescue Of Prof. Mass
It was found that the latters deat
had been caused by the rope, which
/" had himself insisted on being tied u
der his shoulders. The consequen
= = was that when the rope was pull
:. - taut the professors circulation w
:, suspended. But how an eminent su
:, geon could have made such blund
almost passes ones comprehension
>, In this tragic incident the guide G
a capped practically uninjured, while t
"a surgeon for whose relief he had pt
Is formed so brave an act was the victi
,e Of the passion for Alpine climbing.
ID is not the first time that guides ha
l. cut the rope in order to save the par
Id intrusted to their care and experient
That is one of the Accomplishments
this perilous sport. 1t is one of the e
an ments Of danger and one of the exl
be bitions to be expected when su
or great risks are taken.
en- No one is rash enough to expect tn
is these accidents, occurring within S
ms gle month, will have the slightest I
Dr.. terrent effect. The sport of Alpi
climbing will go on, as it has gone
= for SO many years. The Alpine cl
will still continue to do business
the same old peaks, and in the sal
old crevasses. Some will return to I
10 the story of their adventures agail
the obstacles of glacier, peak and pa
Others will never return. They v
er remain in their Alpine homes,
man sacrifice, and the mystery Of tn
In deaths will forever be a myste
x. Those who climb Alpine peaks spe
Oh in the language Of enthusiasm of
~ 10y, the exhilaration, the excitem'
-. and the risks of their journeys. Th
o language is the language of conten
u' for those who know nothing of
glory of scaling crags and crawl
:. over crevasses and the language
:, envy toward those who have 6
mounted some peak as yet unclim1
by their feet and untouched by til
alpenstock. These superior beings Il