The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1905-05-12
FELL -FOUR THOUSAND FEET,
Tragic Fate of Man Recalled
After Forty Years.
Body has Lain Buried in Glacier
at Base of Mt. Matterh0n
During That Time.
Washington Postl

Inc DfleI announcement CAME
from Switzerland the other day that
in all probability the body of LOld
Francis Douglass would be delivered
up by the Zermatt glacier within a
few months. Among the scores of
tragedies enacted on and around the
Matterhorn of recent years. that in
he figures, although discussed in many
countries and tongue at the time
has been generally forgotten. 1t
was forty years ago, on July Is, 1865,
and the first time the Matterhorn
was ever scaled.
Since then the glacier hasl.with-
stood every effort to discover traces
of the body. During thexinterval
the glacier has been descending at the
rate of about II inches day, until
the portion of it where the body was
buried is now in the valley where
the huge area of ice is accessible of
search, Judging by one or two pre-
cedents, it is probable thatithe body
when found will be in perfect state
of preservation.
In Zermatt there is a guide named
Peter Taugwalder who, with his faith
err and brother, was a member of
the expedition. He is now past go,
having been a mere lad at the time of
the catastrope on the MatterhOrn.
1--WE started from Zermatt on July
II, on perfectly cloudless morning"
the veteran guide said:' I'VE were
eight in number-Lord Francis
Douglas, Edward Whymper, who
planned the expedition after having
failed eight times TO scale the peak,
the Rev. Charles Hudson, of Kent.
England; Robert Hadow, a Camb-
ridge collegian; Michael Croz, a
guide; my father, brother and my
self. | was with Herr Whymper.
The higher we rtse the more ir-
tense because the excitement, for it
must be remembered that no man or
men had ever penetrated into those
regions before. The slope eased off
so that presently we could be detacE-
ed. Soon afternoon on July Is we
were on the very top.
"Croz had discarded his AK and in
order to give Hadow more security
was taking hold Of his leg and plant
ing his feet, one after another, in the
proper inches. AS far as | know, no
one was actually descending. cam
not speak with certainly, because the
two leaders were partly. hidden by a
ledge Of rock, but it is my belief,
from the movements Of the should
ers, that Croz was in the act Ct
turning around to descend as step or
two himself, whenl Hadow slipped,
fell against him and toppled him
over.
81 heard one startled exclamation
from Croz, then saw him and Hadow |
flying downward. In another mo-
ment Hudson was dragged from his
step, and Lord Francis Immediately |
after him. Everything was dore in
a twinkling.
"As soon as we heard Croz cry out
Herr Whymper,.m father, and |
braced ourselves as firmly as tie
rocks would permit. The rore
was taut between US and the jerk
came on all three at once. We held
on. but the rope broke midway be-
tween my father and Lord Francis.
For a few seconds we saw Il e
four men sliding downward on the ir
backs downward asithough they
were on the roof Of a gigantic cath
edral such as the one in Cologne.
They were spreading out their hands
in a desperate effort to clutch some
thing and save themselves. But
nothing they grasped held.
They passed from sight uninjured
disappeared one by one. and fell from
Drecipice to precipice to the Zerma,t
glacier below, a distance Of about
900 feet.
Hoping against hope that they
might have been saved by some mir
acle, we proceeded 70 Zeamatt and
he next morning found three of
he bodice on the lower side Of the
glacier