Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1906-05-26
AN ALPINE TRAGEDY.
Thrilling story Of Fall Down The
MntterhOrn.

MnuerhOrn.
zone OF the most thrilling stories in
Alpine history Is that Of Mr.. Sloggetts
fall on the MatterlOrn,' writes Aubrey
lie Blond. with two Zermatt guides
-AlphOns Furrer and Augustin Cent?
netta-this young Englishman bad
made quick ascent Of the mountain
and was long way down on the re-
turn journey. At one spot 1t Is neces-
sary to cross a coulOir, or gully or
snow and ice, and down this channel
fall most Of the stones that .detach
themselves from the shattered face Of
the peak. The leading guide, Furrer,
was making his way over when
stone, dropping from a considerable
height, struck him full on the head
and instantly killed him. The two
others, attached by their rope to his
dead body, were unable in their pre-.
carious fOothOld to resist the shock and
were Immediately swept away down
the cOulolr at terrific speed. Their
axes were torn from their grasp, and
Gentinetta, who never lost conscious
ness. was convinced that death must
await them at the end Of that awful
journey, but this man OF iron nerve
kept his presence Of mind and showed
what a stout heart and keen intel
ligence can do even in the most DIES.
perate situation
About 800 feet below the spot where
the party were carried of small
bergschrund or Crcvasse ran across the
ice slope which forms the base Of the
MatterhOrn on It's eastern side. This
crevasse IL not always open-in fact,
In October, 1903, when went on to
the mountain TO photograph the scene
OF this accident, II did not exist at all.
Beneath II are Ice cliffs, and any one
shooting the creyasse and falling over
these would have sheer drop which
must Immediately be fatal. but In Mr..
Sloggctts case the crack was several
feet wide and into it the two still liv-
Ing men and their dead companion
were preclpitated. The chasm was
Mr. Sloggett fell face down. Cent
META, though terribly bruised. without
an instants delay seized the helpless
form OF his employer pulled him out
OF the position In which he lay, almost
suffOcating, and cleared the sand out
OF his throat and eyes.
Ills jaw was broken and his bruises
were even worse than those OF Cent
META but no other bones were broken.
The disaster was already bad enough,
but at any moment an even more ter
rIble catastrophe threatened the two
poor wounded men IN the crevasse.
The couloIr was. az | have said, a nat.
ura channel for falling stones and Il
was just the hottest hour OF the day,
when the snow was thnwing fast and
loOsenIng from It's letters the missiles
II had earlier held fast frozen 10 the
mountain. IL WAS imperative TO lose
no time In waiting for assistance from
the other parties who were Oh the Mat.
tcrhorn. So the guide and the English.
man, without axes, bruised, shaken
ana weak. stnrNd on the desperate
task OF climbing back up that CLASSY,
blood stained wall II task hard enough
even FOR an unjujured ana fully equip
ped party
How It was accomplished Gentne
IN declares he does not know. but by
an extraordinary display 81 pluck and
skin the two at length reached their
old tracks and gained place ~ safe.
~. Assistance VAS now az hand and
with the help Of ,hC other parties the
wounded men eventually arrived at
the Schwarz" hotel Though laid up
for many weeks litrF. both in the end
made an excellent recovery Poor Fur.
rers bodV Was with much difficulty
brought down next day FROM tue Gre
vase