The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-10-20
CHICAGO GIRLS EXPLOIT
Miss i. l.. Baker the First
Woman to Climb Mount
BrcithOrn.


clines where a single misstep meant
death. dangled by rope from preclpi
tous heights and hauled back almost
starved and bcset by strange delusions.
these are few Of The perils passed
through by Miss Edith Lee Baker OF
Chicago. who has conquered the Brett
horn. a 1871 foot peak in the Alps.
says the Chicago Inter ocean.
Miss Baker. who is the daughter OF
Dir. and Mrs. Edward T. Baker. has
accomplished what many women have
attempted TO do and failed She as
cended the Brethofn. a snow covered
mountain fifteen feet higher than the
world famed Jungfrau. and made the
return. All Ia twenty hours OF
heart breaking toll, fatigue and priya.
ton
Many women have tried the ascent
before. but no woman. with the single
exception of Miss Baker. can boast
that she enGed the adventure by tij-
umphant return inside OF twenty -fouf
! hours Ia a letter TO friends in Chicago
Miss Baker has described her feat.
Miss Baker Is just tive feet tail Her
father Is a retired real estate man and
former president or the Chicago Cold
Storage company. He and his wife
gave up their home IN Chicago to ac-
company their deughter 10 Europe
( Miss Baker spends her vacation pc
riod in mountain climbing The l}al5rrs
make their home in Neuilly. suburb
OF Paris. Leaving Zermatt. whore she
was stopping with her father and
mother on tie morning of Sept 10.
Miss Baker reached the rheodule Ca
bane IN the afternoon OF the same day.
tremendous rlimh for woman
With only short rest she STARTED at Q
p m. of the same dat TO climb g. the
summit by moonlight She reached The
top at II 30 and then ended tho journey
| by making the descent 20 Cabane
Miss Baker expects 10 climb the Mat.
terhorn. - 705 feet. another season
Emil Perren was her guide on tho
Breithorn climb.
1T was the prettiest little ascent i'm
agin bic" said Miss Baker In letter
You should see me hold on to a rock
with my teeth There was one place
though. where, regret to say, I dan.
gled. II was an absolutely smooth
slippery slab OF rock with tiny foot
hold. a crack. just four inches beyond
the very fartllest stretch Of MY toe
and hand hold one foot too high. so
swung in space-lt seemed an age 70
me until the guide hauled me up
The Breithorn is lifteen feet think
OF it higher dian the Iungfrau. which
] climbed last summer. but am sorry
20 say II Is less dificult. although with
lots of 40 and snow. test of andnr
amor. 90 mountain climbing at the
Cahnue | had boullon aud dab
of ameiet ina sea Of grease After this
magnificent meal went into the klich
en- 10 warm by the stove. the only dro
I'm thai frozen place Heaven deliver
; me from the remembrance Of thai
knchen
This cabane is sort OF an awful
inn five rooms 26 francs each. and
nothiug 10 eat
Il felt tine altitude ana suffered by
it, hut was determined Ia accomplish
the full ascent When well mp. SO far
~ IN the world OF ice II seemed re
turn might be impossible began 10
crave warm milk or course IL was
impossible 10 get il there, but the
thought the torturing thought kept
with me that ! must have warm milk
Not having this. I remembered roll
left over from my luncheon That
nOll-the best ever sted-with
llttle cold ten. had to last me from 10
O'Clock until 3 never had starved
before. aud ! never want 20 again
You get strange delusions when at
these high attitudes and without the
food you really need Every mountain
and every inciosed valley l saw on
the long descent became TO me huge
bowls OF crackers Ia which hot milk
bubbled. and yet | could not dip into
them and have my I'LL when l reach
ed zermatt at last my first words 10
papa were q cry for crackers ana hot
milk. and he said afterward there were
real tears in my voice. I drank gal
Ions Of water when could get H. They
wouldn't let me touch the snow But
the water actually didn't taste wet.
really and truly That hot milk was
wet. tasted 80 good, and made me feel
less hungry. Then l went to bed.
Every peak Of the southern Alps
and the dim chains OF the Oberland.
too, were visible III that wonderful uu-
earthly light aud the snow and the
deep shadows-lt was beyond this
world.
AFTER L was all over Il really made
me ashamed OF myself. l bad made
double ascension never accomplished
by any woman before, and l had sseE
such splendors and glOries OF the Al
pine world rs l hEd never dreamed ex-
isted, but the enly thing I could think
OF when | was safe at home was the
awful needs Of my stomach.
Nov that ] am myself again / can
hardly write Of what / saw on the
Breith0rn IN the wonderful moonlight
There are some memories that over
Wheln me aud are beyond expression
They are too near now. too sacred aud
divine 70 write freely or cannot
really say / saw these things with my
eyes. Rather my soul felt them"