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

The brief announcement came nom
Switzerland the other day that in all prob
ability the body Of Lord Francis Douglas
would be delivered up by the 2eFmatt
glacier within a few months. Among
the scores Of tragedies enacted on and
around the Matterhorn Of recent years,
that in which he figured, although dis
cussed In many countries and tongues 1t
the time, has been generally forgotten,
IL was forty years ago, Oh July ~, 1885,
and the FIRST time the Mattsrhon was ever
scaled.
Since then the glacier has withstood
every effort TO discover traces Of the body,
During the interval the glacier has been
descending at the rate Of about twelve
inches q day until the portion Of Il where
the body was buried 10 now in the valley
where the huge AREA Of ice Il accessible b
search Judging by one or two preeedents
IL 70 probable that the body when found
will be in a perfect Stats Of preservation.
In the Zermatt churchyard reoently
the writer saw the graves Of three Of the
men who met their death with Lord Francis
Also in 2ermAtt there is a guide named
Peter Taugwalder who, with his father
and brother, was a member OF the expedi-
ton, He is now past sixty, having been
a mere lad at the time Of the catastrophe
on the Matterhom.
This is the story substantially as he tells IL:
Prior TO what was known a. the Whymper-
Douglas expedition, no foot, except perhaps
that Of an eagle, had ever trodden the virgin
peak The best guide in the Alps had
vainly essayed to conquer it. Switzerland
was pitted against Italy In the rivalry
10 be frst at the summit. Among othera,
Prof. Tyndall. whose summer playground
was Switzerland. had more than once
made the attempt, but, recoiling from the
menace Of the final precipice, had at last
given it up.
We started from Zermatt on July -, on
a perfectly cloudlesS morning. the veteran
guide said. we we're eight in number
Lord Francis Douglas, Edward Whympey,
who planned the expedition after having
failed eight times TO scale the peak; the
Rev. Charles Hudson Of Kent, England;
Robert Hadow, a Cambridge oollegian;
Michael CroE, a guide; my father, brother
and myself. was with Herr Whymper.
AT the end OF the first day we made
camp about II, 900 feet above the sea level
The next morning we got an early start and
continued upward, leaving my brother
TO return 20 Zermatt with such baggage
as we did not feel like carrying to the top.
Before noon we had turned the nib, which
had int rcepted our view from the camp,
and found ourselves at the foot OF huge
natural staircase. Some parts were more
or less dificJlt. yet We were not onoe
brought 10 a halt by any serious inn
pedimsnt, for when an obstruction was
met in front II could always be turned 10
the right or TO the left.
sFor the greater part Of this stage there
was no reason for using the rope, and come
times Hudson led, sometimes Herr Whym-
per At $40 We were 1880 feet toward
the top and at s:S5, when We stopped for
an hour. we had reached q height OF 1900
feet.
we had arrived at the foot Of that section
which, seen from the Rifieberg, seems
perpendicular or overhAnRng. We could
no longer continue on the caste N side.
For some distance we assembled by snoW
up the ridge, then turned 10 the right, or
northern side, the other side being mac
oessible. The work became extremely
difficult and firing at that stage.
III - IllG HlaNIn hAuNp was hNNAo W ~ VI
10 and that little was loe We bore away
nearly horizontally for about 200 feet,
then assembled directly toward the sum
nit for about sixty feet, then doubled back
70 the ridge which deSoends toward Ter
matt.
a long detour round an awkward corner
brought US 10 snow onoe more. There
the last doubt vanished. The Matterhom
was ours. Nothing but 900 feet Of easy
snow remained between us and The top.
Tho higher We rose, the more intense
became the excitement, for It must be
remembe red that no man or men had ever
penetrated into those regions before. The
slope eased OF, 90 that presently We could
he detached. Soon after noon We were
on the very topl