The Elbert County tribune., 1905-10-05

illill II HIN VI the MaiierhofH was
Ss-z7agINS ~ made. Now, at The foot of
Sx":s0 the mountain, where the
Zermatt glacier disinte-
crates watch is being kept for the
body Of Lord Francis Douglas. ono Of
four men who lost their lives in that
feat. II the body is found. says the
New York Sun, it will be repetition
of history for In 1861 the bodies of
three men lost on Mont Blame forty
one Years before were thus recovered.
The catastrophe in which Lord
Francis lost his life was one of the
most terrible in the history OF Alpine
exploration. Until 1865 The Natter
horn had remained inaccessible. al
though the best guides in Switzerland
and Italy had sought.to scale the peak.
On July 13 of that year eight mon
started from Zermatt in n party 10 al
tempt the feat-Lord Francis Douglas.
Mr.. Whymper (who had failed eight
times in the same task, the Rev. Cbas.
Hudson. Robert Hadow, college
man; Michael Croz, guide, and three
other guides all named Taugwalder, a
father and two sons.
On that evening they camped 1000
feet above the sea The next morning
seven Of them started early. leaving
one Of the Taugwalder brothers with
the Luggage. 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 ana awkward seal
ing of ley precipiees, they at 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 an hours rest they started
down. carefully roped together Croz
went first. then Hadow. Hudson. Lord
Francis, the elder Taugwalder his son.
and Mr.. Whymper in the order named.
The way was so difficult that but
one man moved AZ n time. when he
lad found a resting place and was
firmly fixed. the next man cautiously
followed down 10 the post just vacated.
while the rest clung TO the face of the
rock or ice TO sustain the shock If he
slipped. Croz guided the feet of IIndow
into footholds. Having firmly fixed
them in place, he was in the act Of
turning TO find new post for himself
when Hadow slipped. struggled and
toppled over him. throwing him out
ward. In another moment Hudson
was torn from his grips and was fan
ing after them, and Lord Francis i'm
mediately 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. un-
able to find projection TO which TO
cling. They struggled desperately. but
could not stop themselves. and one by
one fell over a precipice and dropped
10 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 suppostion that he fell into a
crevasse, and so may have been borne
along with the glacier. has led 10 the
setting of a watch. But that fact Is
unestablished, and no very accurate
knowledge of the rate of movement of
the glacier is available. so that the
slender foundation.