Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-16

So steep was the incline. so heavy me
pack; that IL seemed almost lihpos9lD'0
TO raise ones feet. .......,
1--WE knew, too, that the huge cIeFd7tae3
I'm the ice were gaping everywhere ma
the white mantle OF snow covered 'lrn n
like Il shrOud. Each step We toOh W.
preceded by prOdding with a lghs Sun.
We felt as though we were Wdihihs ".
a powder mine, which might lshtS az s, nr,S
moment. IL was eight miles 70 the sum,
NIT from the KlUtena side. Nhen we heu
covered three miles. blizzard SCI III
without WARNING The cold wlnd peat
AGAINST our faces and the Whlrhhs sHV"
instructed our view We chung 10 me
mountain side. often climbing over the
rocks ON our hands and knees. But AT
last our route admitted no longer on even ,i,
this refuge, we were obhsed 10 Slilh0 Jul
over the glacier proper. -, to.oi,,
saved themselves from pitching INTO uH-
seen abysses, 1t came my turn 70 pl.aA
trail. Feeling certain that we coulu never
reach Valdes If every step had 10 ne
sounded. | threw away my SUN I 1l,s
struck boldly ahead. Suddenly the sno"
gave way and / felt myself solns "oN ~
Down The rome OF the thlckness OF
clothes.line which united fle VIII M
men behind. caught on ragged pee - y.
ice and was cut in two. After V-toot
descent nv blankets, which PROJECTED
over a foot on each Of my shoulders anu
which having been vet, were 10y
frozen solid caught On two leoses anu ~ 10
me hanging with only one arm Ilee' no
pack straps as soon 'n al 'I by he sudden
stopping of nearly 30 pounds began 70
tear Every motion ! made caused an , au
ditiOnal ripping. InOusands 81 leet pei9"
| heard the roaring OF the "at9l y. ~.
looked as blue as summer shy. ~
Ter the rome down 10 me. l iasleheu IL
round nv body with difficulty. tlnaily
;aving a coat on the edge OF the chasm
that the rope might not be seVereu. 'ne
four men hauled me up NS Inn
either side OF the spot where mao Ia ii'...
The crevice was wide enough u swallow
the New York posl-oillCe. ..,,,,o, u,bita
ION again. We saw something "Hlso
sticking out Of the snow II was Il HiaH >
hand. We uncovered MN anu i.,,I c,,rIad
frozen. 4 quarter Of a mile beyond CURED
M i'm a blanket. another man lay uyau'
Further ON. leaning against moralne;
we found a third. lie, too, was SUN ana
lifeless. ....,,,,., t,, .ha
con1nass as IL was impossible 10 see III
teen feet ahead. The sight OF these poor
men added a great gloom 10 our parlg.
The wind blew the snow so herceiy til't
the trail of "A few moments previous was
ohiiter@ted almost instantly. In spite or
The compass. after having lcft the thlId
deod hodv and pushed south, as We
thouqht for over an hOur, we came AZ
The end Of that time again I'm view or II.
Evidently we had been wandering III
'.yVe had hoped to traverse the thirty
,,,tas ~ Glacier and reach Naldes In the
Iafa afternoon. At IN the evening We
found we had made only eight mlles. II
eao,,ed TOO evident that furtner progress
Was impossible. The cold increased IN III
,onsitv we looked at the frozen ngure
~, Re moraine. now half covered with
~ D3 and shuddered The old man OF the
nartv insisted on lying down ana We
trrre forced 10 resort 10 blows 10 Keep
bin, ON his feet Hour after hour we
. IN about. endeavOrng 10 keep
warm. Unfortunately we mad taken no
thing to eat with US. Announcer u w
cnm6anv. who had left n wife and child
In Kansas. sat down in dritt ana crieu-
TgerV moment seemed an age. ana We en-
dured AN kinds of fearful Apprehension.
.tcnddenly. at in the morning, the fos
cieared as if swept off by an enormous
broom. We saw the hills wnich iofIneu
the sides of the valley. ana starter al q
doc riot. tired as We were, down the ga
cis7 At6 we had reached the september
..Further on we came suddenly upon a
heterogeneous collection or apanuoiiiSu
merchandise sack containing seventy
I've hotties of whiskey lay beside pds
holding at least a thousand letters du-
dressed 10 men in the INTERIOR rllles, a
camera moccasins and better tnan All,
= small lar OF beef tea. We dug TINS our
with "A knlfe-hlade, ate II as II was anu
washed il down with glacier, water. =,
"At . o'clock we descended the last IN
cline. purchased breakfast OF bacon
and beans. and tottered on TO Naldes over
1--WE miles of gravel fiat. For three days
- s,ar aur feet were SO swollen that we
were scarcely able to move.
such is the Valdes Pass, one or me
most terrible which it has ever been my
experience to cross. Imagine the despair
OF the poor soul who has lost MS way IN
~ 80 no sudden storms which prevail
IN those ATTITUDES. There are no reseulng
monks as I'm the Alps; no possibility OIL
ling saved. such as buoys up The snip
wrecked sailor: no chance OK coming 20
w o.sis as might happen 10 desert wan
M oa oothlng but miles and miles OF Ice,
ssared and torn by yawning crevasses'