The Ordway new era., 1905-10-06

WU n JuW or the MnttcrhOrn was
iYIs ,4lH made. Now. at the foot OF
UkA the mountain, where the
Zermatt glacier disintc-
CRATES. watch is being kept for the
body of Lord Francis Douglas. one Of
four men who lost their lives In that
feat. III the body is found. says the
New York Sun, 1t will be n repetition
OF history, for In 1861 the bodies OF
three men lost on Mont Blanc forty
one years before Were tlus recovered.
The catastrophe In which Lord
Francis lost his life was one OF the
/ most terrible in the history of Alpine
exploration. Until 1868 the Matter
horn had remained inaccessible. al
though the best guides In Switzerland
and Italy had sought to scale the peak.
On July IL of that year eight men
started from Zermatt in n party TO at-
tempt the feat-Lord Francis Douglas,
Mr.. Whympcr lwhO had failed eight
times in the same task, the Rev. Chas.
Hudson. Robert Iladow, n college
man; Michael Croz. guide, and three
other guides all named Taugwalder,
father and two sons.
On that evening they camped 11,o00
feet above the sea. The next morning
seven Of them started early, leaving
one of the Tamgwalder brothers with
the baggage. At 10 o'clock. when they
stopped for an hour. they were 1900
feet above tide water. From that
time their labors became excessively
arduous and their progress slow. but
after long detours and awkward seal
ing Of ley precipices. they ut last
reached the summit soon after noon.
and commanded one OF the finest views
IN the world, which no man had ever
seen till then. Their excitement was
intense, their triumph complete.
After nm hours rest they started
down. carefully ropcd together. croz
went first. then Hadow. Hudson. Lord
Francis. the elder Taugwalder. his son.
and Mr.. Whympcr In the order named.
The way was so difficult that hut
one man moved Ut n time. When he
had found resting place and was
firmly fixed. the next man cautiously
followed down TO the post just vacated.
while the rest clung TO the face of the
rock or ice 10 sustain the shock II he
slipped. Croz guided the feet OF Hniow
into footholds. Having firmly fixed
them in place, lie was in the act OF
turning 10 find new post for himself.
when Hadow slipped. struggled and
toppled over him. throwing him out.
ward. III another moment Hudson
was torn from his grips and was fall
ing after them. and Lord Francis I'M
mediatcly followed. The other three
leaned back and braced themselves.
The rope was taut between them and
all caught the shock at once. They
clung to the rock: but the rope between
Lord Francis and the elder Taugwaider
broke, and the four men went sliding
helplessly down over rock and ice. I'M
able to find projection TO whicl, 10
cling. They struggled desperately. hut
could not stop themselves. and one by
one fell over precipice aud dropped
TO the glacier. 1000 feet below.
Three of the bodies were soon recov-
cred, but that of Lord Francis Douglas
was never found. The glacier has
moved since then about one foot n day,
and the part on which he fell has al
most reached the point Of breaking up.
The supposltion that he fell into n
crevasse, and so may have been borne
along with the glacier. has led to the
setting of n watch. But that fact Is
rnestnblished. and no very accurate
knowledge of the rate Of movement Of
the glacier is available. SO that the
hope OF finding the body rests on a
slender foundation.