The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-07-06
MT. WASHINGTON TRAGEDY.
How Two Men Perished in the
Storm of saturday.
Boston Transcript.)


the White Mountains occurred during the
terrible storm which ragged over the Presi-
Dental range during Saturday and Sun
day. Within the memory of the oldest
and most expert guides storm of equal
severity has never been experienced on Mt
Washington at this season of the year. In
attempting to climb the Crawford bride
path to the summit Mr.. w. B. Curtis,
sixty, the famous authority on amateur
athletics, and Mr.. Allan Ormsbee, thirty,
persisted. Both men were from New
York, 1t is believed they were overcome
by the frightful storm which enveloped
the upper part of the mountain last Sat-
urday. The bodies were discovered by
members of the Appalachian Mountain
Club, who are at the Summit House for
their annual field day. Curtis and Orms-
bee, with another New York man, spent
last week climbing various mountains in
the Presidential range, and were to have
joined the Appalachians on the summit
on Saturday, Curtis beings member of
the club.
Saturday morning they separated at the
Twin Mountain station, the weather then
being very tina. One climbed the Twin
Mountain and afterward went up Mt.
Washington by rail, while Curtis and
Ornsbee went to Crawford, intending
first to climb Mt, Willard, then go up
Mt. Washington by the bride path. They
did not stop at the Crawford House, and,
so far as known, were never seen again
alive. Yesterday morning Lewis F. CUT
ter of Winchester, Mass, while walking
down the bride path, found the body of
Curtis near the Lake of the Clouds, about
two miles from the summit. Not far
from the body was shelter made by the
cutting down of shrub, near which
were two cameras belonging to the miss
ing men. Further search was made by
the club members, and late in the after
noon H. 9. Parker of Brooklyn found the
body of Ormsbee one-eighth of mile
from the summit.
Last evening a special train took the
bodies down the mountain to the base,
where Colonel Barron of the Fabyan
House sent caskets in charge of two I'M
dertakers to receive them. The bodies
will be brought to Fabyan S, where they
will be viewed by the proper authorities.
No blame attaches to anyone for this IN
fortunate occurrence, as both men were
experienced mountain climbers and
trained athletes. Mr.. Curtis had been
over the Crawford path in previous years
and knew the vicinity. Had they called
at either the Crawford or the Fabyan
! House they would certainly have been
| advised not to attempt the climb.
| On Saturday evening a party of nearly
! twenty members of the Appalachian
! Mountain Club went to the summit of
Mt. Washington for their thirty fifth
annual field meeting. Among the party
was Mr.. IL. G. Parker, who was expect
ing the arrival of MeSSrs. +. b. Ilgen,
W. 3. Curtis and Allan Ormsbee Of
Brooklyn. who had started early in the
week to make the ascent of some of the
peaks near the White Mountains. They
made the ascent of Lafayette, Whiteface
passageway and Sandwich dome. Friday
night last they stopped at Pleasant View
Cottage, Twin Mountain, N. III. Mr.
IIgen wanted to make the ascent of the
Twin Mountains, and to this he doubt
/ less owes his existence.
The storm which began at the summit
Friday night, according to the testimony
| OF the expert guides accompanying the
party, surpassed in severity any within
the recollection Of local mountain climb
ers. Very early Saturday morning ice
began to form on every object about the
summit. Usually the storms prevailing
/ GJ Inc SulUlll1J QUIlUR In5 season
/ might be called frost storms, the rain
mist forming beautiful frost deposits in
this ice FORM from the beginning wher-
G yer the sleet strikes a glare of ice or
huge icicles FORM From projecting caves
icicles twelve inches in diameter hung
suspended, while the platform about the
/ Summit house was covered several inches
deep with ice and sleet. 1t was almost
impossible to move about on the plat
! form. So furious was the gale that t
would have been suicidal to have ven
tured more than dozen feet from the
| platform.
Some anxiety was felt Saturday night
| for Messrs Curtis and Orsmbee and
Thaddeus f. Lowe and Byron d. Lowe,
two expert guides who accompanied the
club, started out to see If they could find
any traces of the expected men. The
guides lanterns were extinguished almost
before leaving the platform about the
Summit House. No further attempt was
made to locate the parties. Sunday the
severity OF the storm prevented anyone
venturing from the summit of Mt. Wash
ingtOn.
Mr.. Curtis was the founder of the Fresh
Air Club, and he met his death upon one
OF its regular outings Every summer
members OF the club make three weeks
tour through the White Mountains. This
time they were to have been Joined at
Fabyan's by ten or twelve members of
b1l0 OluD VI DObUOn. IL Was
to be joint tour. He was an editor of
the Spirit of the Times. He was looked
upon as the father OF American athletics
He founded the New York Athletic Club
in 1868 and the Fresh Air Club in 1878.
In his youth he was a famous athlete.
Some of his records have never been brOk-
en-. His teats OF muscular strength were
remarkable. He was an active competi-
tor in athletic sports until 1882. He won
championships and established best rec
ords at go and 100 yards running, ham
mer throwing and 50-pound weight, tug
of-war, rowing in single souls a nd
double and four oars, lifting heavy
weight and putting up dumbbells. He
was referee of the New York Athletic
Club games from the foundation of the
club, and for twenty five years refereed
the games Of the Interscholastic Associa-
ton He was referee OF the Yale and
Harvard games for fifteen years. Mr..
@ urtis was born in Salisbury, VT, on