The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31
PERILS OF THE AVALANCHE
Dangers That Ever Menace Travel
ers on Alpine Heights.
The slightest Cause Sometimes
Brings About Disaster Expert
cnces of the Late Prof. TyndaI1.
Rrsi-tIess Force of sliding snow.

According to the experts. Alpine acct
dents ought never to happen, because
rules have been laid down for avoiding
them. This is true. just as il would be
true to say that if a chessplayer never
made bad move he would never lose a
game. But bad moves are made in the
mountains no less than ON the chessboard.
On the whole Alpine accidents are very
real things. They mainly happen, first.
when the climber falls off the mountains;
second, when the mountain or some por-
ton OF it falls on the climber; third,
when the climber loses his way or is
weatherbound.
The simple fall, of course, is mainly an
incident Of rock-climbing. 1t is particu-
larry frequent in the Dolnmites. where
many Of the peaks that are assembled look
rather more difficult to climb than prison
walls. Sometimes it happens because
foothold or handhold which seems secure
gives way beneath the climbers weight,
as was The case in the last terrible acct
dent ON the Dent Blanche.
The classical example of this sort of
accident is the famous accident to Mr..
Whympers party on the Matterhorn. 1t
Is an old and well-known story, hut one
may venture to repeat it in the briefest
possible outline.
1t happened on the way down. at the
point where the angle of inclination al
tiers, and the mountain suddenly becomes
sleeper. so that the leaders of the party
were hidden from those above them.
Michel Croz, the guide, was in front. Then
followed Mr.. Hadow. Rev. Chas. Hudson.
Lord Francis Douglas, the old and young
Tangwalder, and Mr.. Whymper himself.
The lame duck of the party was Mr..
HadOw. lie was tired out and could hard
~ move. Croz was Obliged TO keep close
20 him in order to join his feet into the
proper footholds. He slipped, fell against
Croz, and knocked him. too. from his
foothold CroZ fell ten or twelve feet
through the air and then the shock came.
Instantly Hudson and Lord Francis
Douglas were dragged from their places,
and the weight of the four falling men
came upon the other three, who planted
themselves firmly and chung to the rocks,
the jerk coming on them as one man.
Even then nothing could have saved them
II the rope had held. But the rope broke,
and its parted strands separated the iiv-
ing and the dead. There were four dead
bodies on the glacier, 1900 feet below, and
three terror-stricken men clinging to the
Mattcrhorn crags.
Lord Francis Douglas before his death
ON the Matterhorn had fallen off such an
aretc or the dangerous Ober GabelhOrn
Happily his guide, seeing him fall. did
the only thing possible to save both their
lives He lcaped over the arete on the
opposite side to that on which Lord
Francis Douglas had fallen. The two
men balanced each other as they lay
slung across the ridge by the rope; they
had not let go of their ice axes, and were
presently able to scramble tip on to it
again. Other guides have been known to
do the same thing on the arete OF Monte
Rosa and on certain aretes in the Enga-
dine. 1t is the only thing to be done I'M
der the circumstances, but it is not easy
while sitting at home to realize how much
presence of mind is needed to do it.
Turning to the second group of acci-
dents-the cases in which the accident
occurs because something has fallen upon