The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-07-17
WITHIN AN ACE OF DEATH
New York Woman Falls Down q
Crevasse in the Yosemite.
All Night Long She Lay on q Very
Narrow Ledge.
Rescued BY Means Of Ropes Lowered
Many Hundred Feet.
From Wednesdays Daily.

Yosemite Valley, CAL, July 15.-Mrs
johns of New York city, who has been
staying in the valley for few days, was
found yesterday morning in steep crew:
6sse back of Sen.lnel Dome. She was
RESCUED with great difficulty and she may
recover.
Monday Mrs. Johns started from
Glacier Point hotel to walk to Fissures,
located some two miles from the hotel
The manager of the hotel cautioned her
against going too far without a guide
and admonished her not to remain after
daylight began to fall, as there was
grave danger of losing the trail. Last
night Mrs. Johns did not return and Mrs.
Lewis realized that something had hap
pened.
Only a short time before Mr.. Garron
of San Francisco had missed his way
over the trails and nothing was heard
from him until the next afternoon. No
trace of the missing woman was found
Monday night. Early yesterday morn
ing the searching party started out again,
one part making discovery that filled
the spectators with horror. Far down one
of the sides of the Sentinel Fissure,
whose crevasses drop down in some
places for thousands of feet, suspended
OH a ledge that jutted out from the
steep side of the narrow canon, the al
most lifeless form of Mrs. Johns was
seen by Mr.. Potter, hotel clerk. She
was too weak to speak, but was able by
feeble signs to make Mr.. Potter know
that she still lived. After trying in
vain to work his way down the noun
tain side to her Mr.. Potter was forced
to return to the hotel for help. Provid-
ed with plenty of ropes and carrying
-stretcher, a party of eight made its
way back to the crevasse, where the
work was commenced of trying to extri-
cate Mrs. Johns from her dangerous
situation on the ledge. The relief party
found Mrs. Johns position to be criti-
cal in the extreme Her escape from a
frightful death had been nothing less
than a miracle. She had fallen a dis
lance of 300 feet from the crevasse walls
and had partly broken her fall by catch
ing juniper bushes and scrub trees
through whose branches she had plunged.
When rope had been lowered Mr.. Pot
ter descended to examine the ground and
determine the best course to pursue in
getting Mrs. Johns from her perilous po-
sition. There lodged upon a two-foot
ledge, with her clothing torn to frag-
ments and her flesh scratched and bruis-
ed, lay Mrs. Johns, weak from exhaus-
'tion and lack of food and benumbed by
the frosty chill of the night. With diff
ficulty the rope was securely tied around
Mrs. Johns waist and an effort was made
to help her to the rim above. This at
tempt proved futile because of her
weight.
By leaning over the abrupt precipice
Mr.. Potter could discern another and
larger ledge hunderd feet below, from
which was sheer drop of hundreds of
feet. He determined to try another plan
of rescue. Giving the order to those
above to lower the rope, Mr.. Potter
swung Mrs. Johns clear from the tiny
strip of ledge on which she had braced
herself for eighteen hours into the chasm
below. By swinging the rope Mr.. Potter
was able to land Mrs. Johns on the
broader ledge beneath. Then Mr.. Johns
and his companion descended to the
broader ledge beneath and Mrs. Johns
was carried around difficult places until
the upper level was reached. Mrs. Johns
is suffering from exposure, but as no
bones are broken she will recover.