Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-05
PERILS OF THE ALPS
RECORD DEATH ROLL DUE TO
TOURISTS FooLHARDINESs.
Long List of Fatalities in 1003-Many
German and Austrian Climb .-7
ers Perish.


Never in the history of Alpine climbing
have there been so many accidents this
year. no fewer than 4oo having taken place.
resulting in the loss of more than 100 lives.
Last year l19 people were killed on the
Alps and. according to statistics, from the
year 1880 to the present season 5S4 people
have met with fatal accidents while climb
ing.
Ii is a remarkable fact that the majority
OF fatalities occur to German and Austrian
climbers. The Swiss come next, then fol-
low Italians. afterward English and Ameri-
can. and. lastly. the French. The reason
so many accidents fail to the lot of Ger
mans and Austrians is that they very sell
dom employ guides.
A Unknown AlpiniSt, DIR. kursteiner.
gives some interesting figures showing that
81 per cent OF the accidents occur in the
central Alps including Switzerland, IL per
cent in the western Alps and nearly - per
cent in the eastern Alps. He says that al
though so many accidents have occurred,
yet when it is considered that at least leo.-
600 expeditions are made each year. the
number of deaths is not very great In COM
parison to the number of expeditions made.
especially when it is considered that quite
90 per cent of the people who climb noun
tains are quite novices at the sport.
Avalanche.
The accidents this year began early IN
May, the first happening to a woman and
her children, who We're swept away by an
avalanche near the hospice al the Simplon.
Then a Vienna merchant was killed in the
Tyrol falling 1000 feet while attempting to
climb without a guide. Two days after
ward Geneva Alpinist met his death on
the Saleve. He fell $50 feet on the rocks.
and then rebounded and fell another 300
feet below.
Several more accidents followed on sub
seauent days to German tourists in the
Austrian Alps. and on May Ii a lieutenant
of the French army. while making a noun
tain trip near Brincon, fell over the ellis
and was killed.
A strange death befell a German lady,
Miss Julia Dillman. who was killed on Mont
PilatuS. She practically courted death, as
she went up without guides and wore ordi-
nary shoes without nails and had not even
stick. On the same day German student
was killed near Felach.
A very sad accident took place some days
later on the Untersberg. two Bavarian tour
ists-twin brothers-being overtaken by a
storm and killed by lightning. On June
Charles Schmidt president of the Geneva
Society of Mountaineers. met his death on
Mont Blanc. Three days afterward lead
ing member of the Berne Alpine Club was
killed by fail when attempting to make
the ascent of the Balmhorn without g.
guide.
Several more deaths took place in the
Austrian Alps. and in each of these cases
the climbers We're unaccompanied by
guides. Prof. Hoffman of Berne University
was killed on June Il by falling into deep
ravine not far from Mont Preningard, near
the SchwartZsee.
A Curious Accident
A curious accident happened TO DR.. Bauer
on the Riser Kogel summit. He was with
a party of English tourists. and, wishing to
see over the edge of the rocks. he incau-
tiously went too near and fell into gorge
below Perhaps one of the saddest acct
dents that has happened this year befell
Prof. Groebl of the Zurich College who.
with three students, was killed by an ava
lanche. The next accident of note took
place on the PizZo near Airolo. where three
priests lost their lives; and on the following
day a youth was killed on Mont Pilatus.
July l saw an accident on the WeisshOru
an avalanche of stones and snow sweeping
away three guides who were repairing a
road. During the next ten days no fewer
than fourteen fatal accidents We're reported,
including one lady. who was killed on Mont
Reposoir.
The Canton of Grisons on August claim
ed three more victims: and lady from the
Canton of Neuchatel was killed in the Jurra
mountains.
Mont Blanc this year has been the scens
of several distressing accidents, especially
during the month of August, when'a young
Ere nchmdn named CallleX was Killed lie
fell into gorge, and when his body was
found it was quite unrecognizable. A
young German lady also met her death on
Mont Blanc She started to explore the
Mer de Glace without guides Another lady
Mile. Klaeger-waS killed ION the SaentiS
while making an excursion with two COM
paEions.
Fatal Edelweiss.
The craze for edelweiss has caused many
accidents, such as happened to a man
named Custer who was killed on the slopes
of the Herrenruetn while trying to gather
a bunch Of these flowers. Quite seventeen
deaths during this year are attributed to
the foolhardiness of people in endeavoring
to gather this flower in nearly inaccessible
places.
During the last fortnight of August
twenty-nine people lost their lives. includ-
ing two ladies. The SaddeSt accident. how
ever of the year took place on the Goth OF
this month, when the Rev. John Hartley.
vicar of Exton. near Oakham. lost his life
near the Red Shelter. st. George I'm the En-
gadine. The clergyman was accompanied
by the best guide of the district. man
named Sebastian Platz. Mr.. Hartley was
on his honeymoon. and took his wife half
way up the mountain with him, leaving her
at the Boval Shelter Hut. He then pro-
ceeded toward the summit but on reaching
the Crast AguZza he fell over a precipice,
dragging with him the guide Platz.