The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-30


sTbs view ranged over Switzerland and
northern Italy a. far as TIE Apennines
Most OF the plain OF Lombardy was buried
In mist and a very remarkable spectacle
was produced by the pouring Of white
clouds from Italy over the mountain wall
joining the base OF the Matterhorn with The
| TheodulhoTn.
"Thousands Of rect beneath us tbs clouds
| rose nom tho Tournanchs Valley, climbing
tho high wall and tu,nS.ing IN q cataract
down into Switzerland WhiTling and
tossing. they swept Il short distance across
the FlrGgen and Th' odul glaciers, and then
vanished
Although that was nearly forty years
ago, and the only time ever stood % The
MatteThoTn pear, can recall the mag
ndhOont view a. II It were yesterday.
Then We took the tent pole and naAnu-
factured . rag out Of a blue blouss. II
made poor enough Gag and there va no
breeze to make IL fi1tbeT, yet, az We hard
afterward 1t was seen al around. They
saw IL at Zsrmatt, at the Rihel IN the
ToWnanche Valley.
we remained on the summit for, an
| hour. "
For the descent II was decided that
Croz should 60 first, HAdow second and
| Hudson third Lord Francis was placed
next, with my father following him. I
came next and Herr Whymper brought
up the rear.
He was busy sketchInE the summit
| and remember, went back once 10 put q
paper bearing our names in bottle. Herr
! Whymper rsjoined W. just az vee were
commencing the descent OF the dificult
part.
y 'Great care Was being taken. and only
one man was moving at a time. When
he was firmly planted the next advanced,
and 90 on down the line. -
We had not, however. attached the
additional rope to rocks, and nothing vas
said about il. For some distance Herr
Wbymper and I followed the others, de-
tached from them, and should have con
! tinued 20 had not Lord Francis asked Herr
Whymper to tie on TO my father, as he
! feared, he said. that the latter would not
be able to hold II a slip occurred.
a few minutes later a keen eyed lad
ran into the Monte Rosa Hotel at zermstt
declaring that he had seen an avalanche
fall from the summit OF the MatteIhorI or
| Zermatt glacier. He was soolded for in
venting Idle tales but he was right. never
theless, To- what he saw was this
'Croz bad discarded his az and in o, der
10 give Hadow more security wes taking
hold Of his legs and planting his feet, one
after the other, In the proper inches. AZ
far az know, no one was actually d second-
ing. cannot speak with certainty, be-
SS edge 81 rock but L Il nav bsiisi frsm
the movements Of their shoulders, that
Croz was In the act Of turning round 20
descend step ~ two hinself, when nscoN
slipped, fell against him and toppltd HIM
I heard one startled exclamation from
| Croz, then saw him and Hadow hYing
| downward. In another moment Hudson
was drGgged from his steps. and Lord
Francis imgmediately after him. Every
| thing was done In q twnhnR,
AS soon as We heard CroE cry out, Herr
| Whymper, my father and braced ourselves
"a hrmly as the rocks would permit Inc
ropa was taut between us and the jerk
| came on all three at once We held on,
but the rope broke midway bstween my
father and Lord Francis.
For q few seconds we saw the four
men Gliding downward on their baokt-
! downward as though they were on the
roof Of a gigantic cathedral such as the
one In Cologne. They we're spreading
out their hands In a desperate snort 70
clutch consisting and save themselves.
But nothing they grasPed held.
They passed from sight unipjgrsd,
precipice 20 precipioe 20 the zernAtt
! glacier below, distance OF about 1000
feet.
During the two hours that immediately
! followed we thought every moment would
! be our last. have never quite recovered
! from my fright during those moments.
but after a time we were able to DO
! what should have been done In the begin
ning-hx ropes TO firm rocks, We out
the ropes from time TO time as We pain
| fully and slowly descended. Several
! times my father turned TO us with Ashen
face and declared that he could 90 no
further. ,.,-...,--.--.-
| upon the giant ridge descending toward
! ZermAtt, and all peril was ended for us.
| We frequently look d. but in vain. for
traces OF our companions. Several times
We bent over the ledge and hallooed 60
them, but no sound returned -. -.
| have been saved by some miracle, We
! proceeded TO Zermatt, and the next morn
| ing found three OF the bodies on the lower
side OF the glacier.
| are found II will be a case Of history. re-
| peatlng itself In 1870 the ascent Of Mont
| Blanc was attempted by q Russian and
| two EnRlishmen, with seven guides. they
were approaching the summit when
down a sharp slope Of two hundred feet
and tossed Ave Of them all guides into one
| Of the glacier crevasses.
One OF the Ave was saved by long
barometer strapped TO his back in euoh a
way as to bridge the crevasse and bold
him suspended until assistance arrived.
The alpenstook Of another saved ite owner
IN the same way. Three men were lost
In the depths Of the great glacier,
DR.. Forbes, the English geologist, made
several excursions TO the Mont Blsnc
region and infinitely studied the move
ments Of glaciers about that time. During
one visit be completed his estimates Of the
velooit e. Of several Swiss glaciers and ex-
pressed the belief that the glacier which
had swallowed the three men would deliver
lie dead at the foot Of the mountain within
thirty-hve OF possibly forty Year,.
His prediction came oloes TO the truth.
Forty-one years after Che catastrophe
the remains were cast forth at the foot OF
the glacier