The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-27
AN ALPINE Ta AGEDY.
How Gallant aud SLiIIful Mountain
GERS Died and Their Bodies We're
Recovered.

From the London Chronicle.
owen Jones was but g. lie was
born at yarmouth. aud was science mas
ter at the city Of London School. But
| climbing had become with him devouring
passion He climbed through all his poll
| days; he went where no other men would
go. lie had become easily the best rock
climber in England. His feats in the lakes
and North Wales are known to every
member of The Alpine club. / have severed
| times had the pleasure of climbing with
| him. and never was there a surer foot or
| hand-noVer a Drawer cooler head on the
| mountain SIDE.
As there will be many versions of the
| accident, l will give here the account viii
| l have received from the sole witness and
| surVivor-Mr. Hll. He was al the funeral
! In spite of the terrible experience through
which he had passed-three days without
! food on the Dent Blanche. The accident
| was no fault of Jones'. The party had
! reached the west edge, and We're making
| their way along the rocks. They had reach
| ed a "gensdarme," or tower OF rock which
/ had to be surmounted. Furrcr was lead
| ing, and In order 10 reach hand-hOld had
! been pushed up on 10 an Ice AK, which
was being he'd steady by Jones and Eur
| briggen. Mr.. Hill watched Furrer search
]
saw him collapse backward. He fell on 10
the two men below him ana swept them
| off the ridge at once, without sound or
cry Mr.. hin frightened his grip and looked
| away for a moment Nuignier was about
thirty feet from him, and he heard him
| go. He waited for the inevitable end, when.
! with amazemcnt, he found that he was still
there. The rope had broken just beyond
! Vuignier, and was dangling down the
mountain side. Far below him he cou,d see
| the bodies falling from rock TO rock with
outspread, motionless hands until he torn
ed away that he might see no more.
| Mr. Hin kept his nerve and saved his
| life. Perhaps il was the thought of his
\ wife that nerved him TO the tremendous
| task through which he passed. All alone he
| climbed the west ridge-ciimbed but twice
! before by fully equipped parties-and
reached the summit. Then he began 20
descend. but was caught In q suowstOrm
! before he left the rocks. There he re-
manned all Monday night and until mid
day Tuesday-roped TO the rocks, and
| damned in with an ice AK. Then the mist
suddenly lifted, and he climbed down AL
! the afternoon and night of Tuesday with
out food, half delirious win exhaustion
| now sleeping as he stood, then shouting
| Come on, you fellows - to the compan-
ions whose loss had become a dream 20
him-until on Wednesday, ne staggered in
| to the Staffel hut, aud at last broke his
| fast. Then he descended to Zermatt. and
there Herr Seller gave him Of his best lie
! is still rather dazed, but seems to have
suffered no permanent harm.
There Is nothing to be said except that
it was an accident The finest climbers fail
sometimes: Furrer gTlpped that hand-hold
beforeshe was quite sure of II. There is this
margin of accident In all sports and the
| best are liable TO II. And these four were
all Of the best
When / arrived here at 3 O'Clock on
Wednesday night, / certainly had intended
TO take few days rest before even think
ing of mountaineering. But at o'c!ock
a telegram arrived making IT certain that
nv friend Mr.. owen Glynne Jones had
| been killed, along with three guides On
the Dent Blanche II seemed to me rignt
that an English friend should throw in his
lot with the gallant band OF guides wno
| Immediately determined on search tor
! the bodies And, so il was that AT IL
| O'CLOCK | found myself tramping through
the pitch darkness, one of long column
! of some thirty guides.
The night was clouded, and there were
very few stars visible. For hours the
! gloom was profound and only few Ian
! terms lent light to the long line OF figures
! tramp.ing forward in silence and winding
/ in Indian file along the mountain pains
| No one had had any sleep, and some OF
| the guides had spent all the day hunting
| for the body oil the lyFoltse Eulnt Nom
! siadler Oh the glacier below the Pigne
| d'Arolla Poor fellow, he had come far
| from that quiet Tyrolese valley, ony to
/ perish in an obscure and trivial accident!
| we passed the lighted church where his
| poor body lay, and every man removed
| his hat This sad incident behind seemed
70 add to the melancholy OF the taciturn
procession moving through the night. The
| Il rknese hid all landmarks. We passed
| Hauderes without seeing the houses; them
| as we turned eastward and climbed the
Valley of Ferpecle, the torrent shouted at
us out Of the darkness on our right, an
| Invisible enemy. The dim lanterns just
III the narrow path which skirts the tor
rent but one slip, one moment OF Sleep
mess, would have hurried any one to GER
| tain destruction
| At Ferpecle the column halted and scat
| tered 10 collect wood and nails 10 fashion
| trestles. on which to place the bodies. With
| admirable dizziness the guides tore down
| fences and even took beams from the
| chalets Thus laden, they resumed their
march to the high Bricolla hut, each one
| with a great beam on his shoulder like
| Giants on the warpath. As we climbed
| inward, the glacier on our Ignt began 10
| grow more clear, and above it the circle
| ~ snow peaks, glimmering through the
| balf light. We reached the hut-a little
shepherds cottage-at o'clock, and the
weary guides lit fire and ate.
At the column resumed its way Rain
had begun to fail. and dense mist was
closing down upon US. But il was soon
| light enough to put out our lanterns. ami
courage came with the dawn. We round
| "a tta Ain and thaf1 baRan To, climb tho