The daily sentinel., 1903-12-15
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An ENGLIsHMAN's CLIMB.

-&oE> REMARKABLE noun
Z taiueering feat has been
6 n o accomplished by an Eng
II 4 u hshman named BIr ).
IGSSS Turner, OF London. vino
has Just returned from an
attempt to climb Beluka, in the .Altai
Mountains. Siberia.
Tie Allah Mountains stretch from
Tomsll, the capital of Siberia, to the
Chinese border. Southwest Siberia
They are very low at Tomsk. but after
Biisk they are fairly high. To reach
the highest, one leaves the Great ST
berian Railway at Obi station. and
travels through Barnoul and Bijsk 10
Haunda. Obi station is 260O miles
beyond AIoscow on the Great Siberian
Railway, and Ratunda is G40 miles
direct south from the Obi
From the great difficulty Of reaching
there 1t is not surprising to find that
no European has tried to explore these
mountains. and there is no literature on
The subject in English saye a short
translation of about twenty lines from
q paper read before the Imperial Rus
sian Geographical Society. Professor
SapozinollOf, OF the Tomsk University.
with four companions climbed 1890
feet from the south side of BelulSa dur
ing the summer OF 1900. and then It
was estimated that the mountain was
1880 feet high. Mr.. Turner intended
to try to confirm Professor Sapo-
zmokof's measurements.
II was in the late winter and though
the Russian authorities were helpfnl,
fhaU Hap1o nH ns
sible." but Mr.. Turner engaged hunt
ers and crossed the steppes in intensely
cold weather. riding on sledges for
three days and two nights. there being
snowdrifts everywhere. Katunda was
thus reached and the journey was CON
tinued on horses past the settlements
of friendly kalmucks, who had never
seen an Englishman. and through
dense forest to the Aiken Valley.
II was first of all necessary to OK
anime Belula. Accordingly Mr. Turner
climbed one mountain II 800 feet high.
and did so alone, for the hunter he took
with him refused to run amy risk. and
stopped Mt lower altitude The fol-
lowing day Mr.. Turner climbed an
other mountain, and then commenced
10 scale the object of his visit.
The party moved Off at II o'clock,
and after going over very difficult
moraine for two hours. it commenced
TO snow, with the result that it fright
ened the hunters. and they left Mr..
Turner alone on the mountain, on the
distinct understanding that they would
be up at his tent by 4 O'Clock the next
morning.
II a tnOaty Of NJ nj
but the next morning. the hunters not
being visible, Mr.. Turner started off at
= n. m. The snow had stopped. and in
four hours he reached the base OF the
actual peaks of Beluka There are
two peaks and saddle between them.
but he could only gain those ridges by
one very difficult way 1t had also
begun to snow again, but he decided to
push on. AT the top of the second
ridge he measured 49, 500 feet, and left
his name in Russian and English under
n large stone, and then continued until
he came to an ice slope descending
from near the summit Owing to the
hardness of the ice. it took half an
honr to cut one step, and as thirty
were necessary, the climber was com
PEELED to pause and remodel his plans.
ETe tried to go down the south side
of the mountain. but the fresh-fallen
snow on the ice slope slipped with
him for about sixty feet. and be was
glad to get back to the ridge again.
Then north wind sprang up with all
It's bitterness. obliging him to beat a
hasty retreat to his tent
Soon afterwards Mr. Turner felt i'll.
and he attributed 1t to having poisoned
himself by drinking soup out of tin.
and n diet Of snow water. with black
bread, dry rusks, and timed articles.
His hands and face were swollen and
it was hopeless to 20 on. Mr.. Turner
had intended going to find some ther
mometers which Professor Sapozlnokof
had placed on the south side of the
mountain. but in addition to the slight
poisoning he had sustained severe in
fiammation of the eyes through the in
tensely cold wind
The expedition had come to an alb
rupt close. Mr. Turner adds: The
view l shall never forget. Our third
camp was on the side of lake that
had apparently frozen to the very bot
tom. as we dug down the ice to about
six feet and came to earth. and this
Nvas about twelve feet from the edge
or the !. re. The mountains all round
stood out like huge sentinels, but We're
scarcely ms bold as the most massive
group OF the Alps. s."-Lonjon Mall.