The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-10-30
LONG CHAPTER OF
ALPINE ACCIDENTS
Record Of This Year Is by Far
the Longest in History
Of Climbing.
DUE TO
People Who Undertake Difficult Climbs
Without Experienced Guides and
Proper Clothing Are in
Great Danger.

been SO many accidents as this year, no
fewer han 400 having taken place, re-
sulting in the loss Of more than lO0
lives. Last year 119 people were killed
on the Alps, and, according to statis-
tics, from the year 1890 to the present
season 594 people have met with fatal
accidents while climbing.
1t Is a remarkable fact that the ma
jority Of fatalities occur to German
and Austrian climbers. The Swiss come
next, then follow Italians, afterwards
English and Americans, and, lastly, the
French. The reason SO many accidents
fall to the lot Of Germans and Aus
TRANS is that they very seldom en-
ploy guides.
A well known Alpinist, DR.. Kur-
steiner, gives some interesting figures
sowing hat 81 per. cent. of the acci-
dents occur in h central Alps, In
Guiding Switzerland, ~ per cent. in the
western Alps and nearly so per cent.
In the eastern Alps. He say that al
though SO many accidents have oc-
Cured, yet when 1t is considered that
at least 100000 expeditions are made
each year, the number Of deaths Is not
very great in comparison to the nun-
Der Of expeditions made, especially
when it is considered that quite 20 per
cent. Of the people who climb noun
tains are quite novices at the sport.
An Avalanche.
The accidents this year began early
In May, the first happening to a woman
and her children, who were swept away
by an avalanche near the hospice at
the SimpIon. Then Il Vienna merchant
was killed in the Tyrol, falling 1000
feet while attempting to climb without
q c1lf1aH So. FNun- do y offoruyo,1 n ia
neya Alpinist met his death on the
Saleve. He fell $50 feet on the rocks,
and then rebounded and fell another
800 feet below.
Several more accidents followed on
subsequent days to German tourists in
the Austrian Alps, II on May Is a
lieutenant of the French army, while
making a mountain trip near B~rinson,
fell over the cliffs and wa killed.
A strange death befell a German
lady, Miss Julia Dilman. who was
killed on Mont Pilatus. She practically
courted death, as she went up without
guides n Wore ordinary shoes without
nails and had not even a stick. On the
same day a German student was killed
near Feilach.
A very sad accident took place some
lays later on the Untersberg, two Ba-
varian tourists-twtn brothers-being
overtaken by q storm and killed by
lightning. On June 7 Charles Schmidt,
president of the Geneva Society of
Mountaineers, met his death on Mont
Blanc. Three days afterward a leading
member Of the Berne Alpine club was
killed by a fall when attempting to
make the ascent OF the Balmhorn with
out a guide.
Several more deaths tool place in the
Austrian Alps, and in each of these
cases the climbers were unaccompanied
by guides. Professor Holman of Berne
university was killed on June IL by
falling into a deep ravine not far from
Mont Preningard. near the Schwartz
see.
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 incautiously went too near
and fell into a gorge below. Perhaps
n of he saddest accidents that has
happened this year befell Professor
Groehli of the Zurich college, who, with
three students, was killed by an ava
lanche. The next accident of note took
place on he 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
stones and snow sweeping away three
guides who were repairing a road. Dur
Ing the next ten days no fewer thai
fourteen fatal accidents were reported
including n lady, who was killed on
Mont Reposoir.
claimed three more victims; and q
| lady from the Canton of Neuchatel was
killed In the Jura mountains.
Mont Blanc this year has been the
scene of several distressing accidents
especially during the month Of August
when a young Frenchman named Call.
lex was killed. He fell into q gorge
and when his body was found it wal
quite unrecognizable. A young German
lady also met her death on Mont Blanc
She started to explore the Mer de Glas
without guides. Another lady-Mlle
Klaeger-was killed on the Saentf.
while making an excursion with tw,
companions.
Fatal Edelweiss.
The craze for edelweiss has caused
many accidents. such as happened to
man named Custer, who was killed OF
the slopes Of the Herrenruetli Will,
trying to gather a bunch of these flow
ers. Quite seventeen deaths during thi.
/ year are attributed to the fo~olhardines.
of people in endeavoring to gather thi,
flower in nearly inaccessible places,
During the last fortnight of Angus
t~wenty-nine people lost their lives in
Guiding two ladies. The saddest acci
dent. however, of the year, took plac,
on the Goth of this month, when tn,
Rev. John Hartley, vicar of Exton, nea,
Oakham, lost his life near the Ref
Shelter, St. George in the Engadine
The clergyman was accompanied by tn,
pest guide OF the district, a man named
Sebastian Platz. Mr.. Hartley was q,
his honeymoon, and took his wife hal
way up the mountain with him. leav
ing her ct the Boval Shelter Hut. n,
then proceeded toward the summit HI,
on reaching The Crast Aguzza he Eel
over a precipice, dragging with hir, tn,
guide Platz.
Tokio's Public Baths.
The city of Toxic has Sn nuhlio ha4A.