New-York tribune., 1905-11-17

Ea sse torty-six full page illustrations HON HON
photographs. svo pp- aiN' sOo- N
Company.
new field and as unlevel one as could
...;ras that Mr.. outram opens UP to the
e mountain climber in his new book
ss'Aa .ss,r af If and its possibilities is appar-
e0's .te -ranscontinental traveller who jour
e4l - or from the Pacific Coast on the Cana
~. L. pacific Railway. as he crosses the CONT
49, watershed through the heart OF the
.asssan Rocky Mountains. But 1t Is only TO
- s,,,naately revealed to one who, Ike the
80 with trained Alpine guides ana pack
= nsnetrates the Businesses OF TINS un1h
.s..ly unknown Switzerland Of America as
u.ss,,r its lofty. unclinbed peaks ana gazing
t.s deep untrodden valleys. Although 'he
ao.s+ ,n.s Individual peaks and the greatest mean
hishese are 70 be found south of the Canadian
Inc It is between the fftieth ana hKts
p0.e1. .-.llels that the tumultuous character OIL
INV i,-,,,-tains most closely reproduces ulose
u'e -. tAst ara so attractive to the slghtseet
49, s,,c,,-,fsir climber in the European alps
= a. xsrv centre Of this region hes 'he eieH.
-.,.-.hfs ice field containing an area Oh aoou'
~. h,,ared square miles Of solid ice anu sup
iMe -. bAaawaters OF streams that ma tneil
pp, ;n,o three oceans. the Pacific. the Arc'io
,ha Atlantic Cvia Hudson's Bay
-.ro conspicuous variations from the huio
- Aims however. are noted py Rli- o1'l 60
.-ta oper he observes. is that III TINS eOu.sis
- s,,,erlstves the ranges and PEAKS a. -
.. ...fo,5 The area is vastly larger ana lie
7HeN 7Ns-e are more closely packed together.
'''s''~..-. ..-,,ence the individual peaks WIN
40 ~.-r,e e1eeptions. are perhaps somewhat
t'4iN .-.,-.re,x- dominant than their f1eiVetiat
ie Tho second point Of dlTrerence' u
e =, the incouparably greater "l"liss9
= -. pockv Mountain region Inc sieSe'N s'-.
q ~ che climbing herd Of cattle the 1nusieai
C1'al'' -.osa hell chimes family through Tue
..'''-- NM. tora sre not Nature alone hoios s"eS,
- - ard wild and beautiful ne -.e,o~
,ie5 s,,unlits characteristic OF 'iiS
= ro1orado and Montana here give pa. ps
,a..,,,s,, TirnacIes; precipices rise III =
--.,as,,r enormous seas OF ice sweep - -.
.,.,,a heights into the VerdanI heal' y "a
.-,os clad valleys, geElned with erheIa,o
snu p,,,;.a lstelets and silvery water' Ais
- s,srkling rivulets unite IN piouUes
"Ne - obsoI,,telv perfect mountain pictures
o,1v with the pushing through OF lhe
"a .h.t this splendidly picturesque region
- .t all accessible or even geneIans
-, ard II at once began 10 attract 10 i''eiA
= - Increasing number Of pracuseo ~ hio
..,,a.-s The peaks are not Eimalayah ~ ''ie'
s,..,ra.s bpt they rise in great numbers ~
-hs,,bts of from, 10000 TO 1000 iee' dii0
- g obstacles and difficulties that can INTO
A.iu . ,-.vo4 s,ienee and most slSilful art OF
- -.o,,ntain climber Edward Whymper' ule
,,~ r7rel;sh traveller and mountafneer' fFo-
<esso- C z. Fay the president o. the apo
,,ebian Mountain Club and of the AIieii'S2N
Anime Club. and Professor ]. n come "eie
among the pioneers to explore the mountains
and to scale their heights. To the author, how
ever. belongs the credit of having made the rec
ord score of first sscents no fewer, indeed, than
twenty Of them having been of peaks OF over
ten thousand feet. and dozen or more OF points
slightly lower In addition Mr.. outram climbed
al the notable peaks that others had ascended
before him, and in his volume he sets down not
only the accounts of his own first aseents, but
Of those Of whynper. Fay Collie and the other
pioneers.
His book is thus extremely valuable as a rec
ord while il is also intensely interesting in its
revelations of the beauties and grandeur Of this
New World Switzerland. He writes with fine
appreciation of Nature in her most exalted
moods and at the same time with practical
attention to details that viii render the volume
Of eminent usefulness TO all who are ambitious
10 follow in his footsteps or TO strike out into
new and equally lofty paths for themselves
There are still many SUBMITS even within the
limits of Mr.. Outram's explorations that have
never vet DSells SCdIeu bs lAidl- hS booA
sbounds in incidents of highly exciting adven-
ure ana hairbreadth escapes. one of which Illus
irates forcibly "the peculiar need for caution
which is imposed by the friable nature of the
limestone of the Canadian Rockies. causing diff
culties and delays that would be unknown on
peaks Of more solid character" It occurred
while the author and the Swiss guide. Christian
Kaufman. were descending from Mount Alex
sndra, their path lying along the face of fine
preeipiee":
hut. when my fun weight was hanging from It's
sEper edge, and / groping For a lower ledge to
lowed by a distinct yielding. warned me Of danger.
instantly swinging TO the inner SIDE n cropped The
standing place, and Christians firm and ready
erashng 70 the base Of the precipice i5oS feet be-
low. leaving great Jagged hole above
Another nerve trying experience was the de-
scent at night from Mount Bryce. also down the
fses of precipice, TO a narrow arete. or ridge.
itself 5000 feet above The glacier at it's foot.
The steep cliff. which afforded the only way to
he coveted summit had been difficult enough
to negotiate in the ascent in the daytime, In the
descent In the darkness its difficulties and
terrors were immensely nagnitied.
ese seventy feet Of Cliff Drawn out for one long
hoa5 OF concentrated tension were the successive
xpsrfenoes Of helpless cropping in the dark depths
20! something 70 rest s. foot upon, of blind search
AZ over the chilled rocky surface for knob or
my crack where the nunlbed fingers might find
siothsr hold Of agonzing doubt 10 their stabiI-
~ when found OF eerie thrill and sickening SEN
salon when the long sought support crunbied
Dsnezth the stress and burted down into the black
asa Of space, whilst the hollow reverberations of
J. J. fan re-eehoed through ule silence Then the
ssil Of waiting on the best but very questionable
fIotaberances for several tense minutes of motion
sks snspense whilst the exiEencies Of the rope
osnreied Christian TO climb down fifteen or twenty
-1el ana could move again