The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1901-07-25
THRILLING ADVENT URE
OF A GIRL ON Mt. HOOD
She Become Unconscious on the Sum-
nit and was Saved by Tobossan-
ing Down the Slope in the Arms Of
a Man Strapped 10 Plank.

SCS o1lO = ioO1CiS III Vic al iAo VI
companions, and finally, when
hope was almost gone. saved by
the daring invention and heroic
feat of one man who turned him
self into a human toboggan, Miss
Bethel Rawson of Demoss, Ore,
arrived below the snow line on
Mount Hood after a descent un-
paralleled in the history of
mountain climbing.
Miss Rawson was one of
party of twenty-five who started
to make the ascent of Mount
Hood in the morning. The climb
to the crater is a desperate one.
At noon, when the party had
reached a point three hundred
yards below the crater rock, a
blizzard swept over the peak.
Exhausted by the climb and
overcome by the intense cold
Miss Rawson became unconSci-
Gus.
The sleet and rain were so
thick the climbers could not see
the length of their guide line.
The men nearest Miss RawSOn
picked up her unconscious form
and dragged and carried her TO
sheltered spot thirty yards be-
low the crater.
Calls were sent for assistance
from those who had already
reached the summit, and the men
rushed down and carried Miss
Rawson and her companion, Miss
Julia Hall, who was still able to
walk, to more sheltered spot,
where effort was made to revive
the unconscious girl.
Stimulants and chatting failed.
1t became apparent to all that,
unless Miss Rawson was remov-
ed speedily from the high 'alti-
tude and the bitter cold, she
must perish.
The descent from the summit
is a perilous one even to party
bound together by the guide
lines, with spiked shoes and
alpenstocks, and the task of
carrying the girl down seemed
an almost impossible one
The girl was carried by two of
the strongest men, while the
others drove their alpenstocks
deep into the ice and braced
themselves to keep The entire
party from sliding to destruct-
: ion. The cold was growing
greater with every minute. The
slope was so treacherous and
PERCEPTIONS that the journey was
filled with almost incredible diff
fculty and hardship. The party
was forced to make frequent
stops.
Finally the great snow field
below the crater was reached.
By this time the men had begun
to fear that Miss Rawson would
never survive the. journey and
the need of getting her to shell
ter and warmth became every
minute more imperative.
The party halted in despair.
Then Professor McElfresh of
Corvallis, Ore, suggested that
a sled be built out of a rough
board on which Miss Rawson
had been carried for a time and
the heavy sacks in which she
had been wrapped to save her
from freezing. The suggestion
was adopted at once. Using
ropes and Irvine, handkerchiefs.
and cloth from clothes, a rude
sled was hastily improvised.
Professor McElfresh offered to
be strapped to the board and to
carry the girl while the other
men of the party propelled the
sled over the snow, Professor
McElfresh, In a sitting position,
chung to the girl while the others
tugged and pulled. The scheme
was tried for perhaps half an
hour, but it was seen The girl
could not stand the exposure
much longer and survive. The
party again halted, exhausted,
in the snow. Below them stretch-
cd over mile of unbroken SNOW,
sloping swiftly down to the tim
Der line, where safety lay.