The Delta independent., 1905-12-08
DEATH ALWAYS NEAR
ARTIST TEILs or RISK IN Pho.
TooRAPhINo WAVES.
The esa Never - .0s Trusted fer
MsmsNt- -carsisss and TIrId A.
tsndants Add 70 the Excitement o.
the Undertaking.

There are plenty Of adventures to
be found in photographing the great
waves Of the sea. =. J. Mortimer. an
EnglishmaA. tells Of some rough ex-
periences In getting pictures OF this
kind on the stormy coast Of the Sciliy
Islands. He says: "One can never
trust the sea for Q moment. Once I
was standing with my back to .
cliR. on the top OF which was friend.
whose outstretched hands could Just
reach. After watching the sea for
some time. breaking At . safe dis
tance. I turned my back on It for one
moment TO reach up to ny friend for
q fresh dark-siide. Fatal movement
-as fatal as taking ones eyes from
crouching tiger-for NO sooner had
and crashed with terrific force On to
my hack. was absolutely Aattened
against the rock. all breath and feel
ing were knocked from my body. while
my camera was smashed to smither-
Gems. Bruised and gasping. I could
only totter home to bed. and two
days we're passed before was At
to venture out again.
Then there was another adven.
ture." says Mr.. Moruner. again.
caused By . rope maa Who WAS TOP
careless. He had lowered me down .
narrow crevics. chimney - It is
called. and having sssa Ne safely
come to ground At the bottom he
calmly threw the rops down TO me
Aad weat oR. never thinking that he
might be required to haul me up
again. One glance at the ssA told me
that was IN . most dangerous posi-.
ton: the tide was coming IN and
would soon Be yelling. up the chin
ney: and only BY way Of the chimney
could ! escape. All intentions OF tax.
Ing photographs I threw to the wind:
after shouting till ! was hoarse. !
began the upward climb unaided-
elbow work Of the stnest kind
The chimney was 100 feet high and
spent the rest OF the day in getting to
the top.
Another time the promptitude Of .
friend In trying to save my lie cost
me Q valuable OUTFIT. I vas photo
graphing from the base q . eli2. ON
the top OF which stood my friend. hold
ing the rope to which was attached.
Along cams . anal wave that would
have made . magnificent study.
While Il was yet far distant. . sud.
den distrust Of II entered my friends
soul. and while was STOPPING over
tuy thinka % sthe ground. without .
woe6 OF warning he gave . mlghty
Jerk to the Eope aad hauled me into
the cir. Dangling helplesaly. unable
TO cry out. was forced to watch that
hne ware roll quietly in. break with
great effect Of foam. and ~ quietly
20 on with all my apparatus.
II once had an awful fall when des
cendinG q steep bit Of clln on St
Agnes. was clambering down. very
much ineumbercd BY my camera.
which allowed me TO cling On with
one hand only. supported by toes.
knees and elbows. when suddenly q
rat ieaped from = hole In the rock.
brushed against my face and landed
on my hand. Now ! didn't know that
rats inhabited the rock: and my sur.
prise a, this unexpected discovery In
natural history. combined with the
start I gave when the rat touched my
hand. caused me to let go my hold
and to fall q distance OF thirty feet.
landed on my camera case. breaking
up my outfit as completely as the Sea
itself could have desired."