The Washington times., 1905-07-23
Fl Captain Looms Supreme.

FL Captain. rs everybody knows. tow
ers by the side OF the Three Brothers.
which are mirrored with It in the placid
Merced river. It is colored like a mug
get of dull gold, and from q distance
bears a faint resemblance to the head
of q big Chief" as its Indian name,
.'Tu- u-Tock-Ah-Nu-Lah." implies. Just
beyond is Eagle peak, from which one
may lock away TO the snowcapped Sier-
ra. To the southwest looms Buena
Vista peak. Close at hand are Pulpit
Rock and the Leaning Tower. and
Cathedral Spires are opposite Yet in
the midst of a wonderland in which
marvellous manifestations OF the force
which made the world are as common
place as daisies in q meadow, EI Cap
itan looms supreme and makes the
wOuid-be mountaineeT seem less than an
insect. / dwell upon these points to
give the reader some idea of the SEN
sations which thrilled me when I found
myself left alone upon a tiny ledge far
up the giants face. with little hope,
either of ascending or descending. and
burdened with the horrible knowledge
that he who had nerved and assisted
me to the place where I cIung, was
lying dead in some unsuessed crevice
OF the rock hundreds of feet below.
II was my first visit TO the Yosemite
and I had started cut with q general
determination 10 let no view escape on
account of the dificulty of climbing to
the best point OF vantage But the first
GLIMPSE of the valley from the gorge
of the Merced temporarily put all
thoughts of climbing out of my mind.
AS the stage rumbled along at the base
of FL Captain the idea of attempting
fc aqaIa saeroad siv T-{d{ryYJ9fsc
and l understood at once why nobody
had ever. up to that time, seriously en-
tertained it
We arrived at the hotel on the evening
Of June ., and as I listened to the stories
OF what others had done. my courage re
vived. Then somebody introduced me to
Charles A Bailey. and the spell of the
T,aountaineer was upon me Bailey told
US Of the peaks he had surmounted in
Asia ana in Europe. and as he spoke
with the vivid language Of a good recon-
teur climbing seemed easy. The next
day we spent enjoying the glories Of
the valley. which are within the reach
OF the most timid soul. and 1t was not
until the following Monday that he men
fioned E.I Captain. II was several hours
befere the sun had giIded the neighbor-
ing peaks and spires when we started
Gown the east bank OF the river. No
more lovely morning ever tingled with
the spirit OF springtime, Nowhere was
there q foreshadowing hint of the trage-
dy which was 20 end the dag.
We walked as far as Bridal Veil Falls
and sat down TO plan our campaign.
commenting at the same time on the
surprising loveliness of the scehe. We
had not yet fully determined 10 make III
Captain the objective, and arriving az
Cathedral Spires. debated whether II
would not be well 10 attempt the gorge
between them. Then we turned toward
the river and crossed the bridge which
leads 20 New Inspiration point-how I'M
fortunate nomenclature often is-and
there to the right rose El Captain itself,
steep and unconquered. Bailey at once
laid bare the plan he had been cherish
ing In his heart, and without much per
sua sion + agreed to help him make the
mad attempt. which. I was yet TO learn.
was 20 go where no human foot had
zone before.