Rocky Ford enterprise., 1901-10-25
A TASK SUGGESTED.
CHANCE FOR THOSE WHO DESIRE
SOMETHING NEW.
Ne Ess--sis.i.t iI>. Vet RsssssA the
rss ss Assas Everest. .ss shs
Reader NAP -. the ti~, rsssss To
Ctis4s to Ste s.sass.it.

Il you thirst TO- something really
new. II you want TO do something
which has never been done before.
here is a chance for you. Climb Mount
Everest. Its height is $500: feet. and
you will not md anything in the na-
ture OF paper bag on its snow-eapped
summit. for the sxcursionist has not
reached there yet The highest poin;
tn which man has 80 far climbed Is a.
$50 feet. This is the height OF Aeon
easna. the .iostiest summit Of the main
condiiiera of the Andes. This point
~ss reached by the guide Matthias Eur
hrissen and Mr. Vines. two members
OF the expedition that went out In isss
under Mr.. T. \. Fitzgerald. Before this
the record was held by Sir William
Martin con~ay's expedition. which In
lss. climbed mountain In the Kara
koran Himaiayas just an :..soo fe.t
high. Man having ascended to n height
of .i.,s5 feet. the question To be now
considered Is whether he will ever be
able to reach 5000 feet. We live q;
The bottom OF aa ocean OF air. and our
bodies are specially adapted for life
az low levels: consequently when We
arc placed in unusual conditions such
n cxis; at great hcixh,s. ne are affect
cd in various ways. Respiration be-
comes didacu... the circulation az the
blood is altered. the heart is fatisued.
mountain sickness" is experienced.
iaxaitaae and exhaustion follow. In
spite OF all this Il Is the opinion Of all
those who have given tho subject care
full consideration tina; the ascent of
Mount Everest u possible. As a wit
meas we shall call Si.nor Angelo Mos
80. one OF tho greatest authorities on
human physiology. who has devoted
years OF research to the effects OF high
attitudes on the human frame. and
who has been instrumental In sccur-
Ing the erection OF new observatory
and Alpine station on Monte Rosa 70.
the special study Of the iife OF man on
the high Alps. Sisnor Mosso's EVIL
dencc IL summed up In his remark: II
am convinced that man may reach the
summit of Everest without serious sur
scrinss." Even this docs not seem to
presaxc a pleasure trip. but then tho
ambitious climber must be prepared
for discomfort and difficulty. The rca-
son. Sisnor Mosso tells US. why 80 few
have attempted the ascent OF the high
est peaks on the face OF the earth. is
the conviction that man cannot with
stand the rarciicd air OF these .ait!-
tudcs. "Hcroism shrinks from such
prolonged sunerings as those due to
lack of health" HIS own experiments
and observations. however. give us the
assurance that man will be able slow
ly to accustom himself to the dimin-
ishcd barometric pressure OF the Hjm-
aiayas. III birds" he says. ny to
the height OF 10000 feet. man ought to
be able to reach the game altitude ut
slow rate of progress" The Fabian
policy-festina lente-seems to be Sig
nor Mosso's maxim for the mountain
climber. An individual would have to
be found who would acclimatize him.
self during slow rate OF progress. in
order to reach the top In conditions OF
health and strength. His victualing ar
rangements must be generously but
prudently made. More especially as the
last stages would have TO be performed
very slowly. Mountain expeditions
have hitherto been proved to adopt too
rapid n rate of ascent. The nervous
system consequently mas not time to
accustom itself to the action OF the
rarefed air. nor the organisms to the
cold: the fatigue OF the ascent con-
sumes the strength of the climber. and
leaves him no time to regain II. On
this subject Sir Martin Conway OBJ
serves: "On tho two occasions when
have been at $4,000 feet have felt that
I could have climbed further. and that
IL could have slept there. l might
have climbed much further. The prob
lem of climbing Mount Everest will be
conhicted by two main difficulties
politics and finance. II the govern
ment of India would persuade the Gov
ernment of Nepal to let the Alpine
Club try. and il about $4,000 were
forthcoming. and a good party. with
an ample supply of porters. could de-
vote two or three consecutive years to
the attempt. there would be some
chance OF conquering the peak
Pearson's Magazine
IA