New-York tribune., 1906-11-18
ALPINE DEATH ROLL
Some of the Many accidents Of
1906.

The remarkably fine weather in Switzerland
throughout the summer and autumn has been re-
sponsibe for the longest Alpine death roll ever re-
corded Climbing proper began in June, and some
| what later than usual. but between then ana no"
eS1 accidents of a serious character have been OH
ctally recorded by the Alpine Club Nearly % per
cent of these have been fatal and ~ per cent nave
heen due to the insane determination or the Ignorant
mountain scratcher" as he is termed IN Swltzer-
| land TO tackle peak or make some aiiIlC"ll
,scant without a guide. So common have these
guideless accidents become that the Italian ana
| Swiss Alpine clubs have laid the matter before
their governments. with the object OF securing
legislation that will prohibit all from making Ger
80, srac,ead ascents unless the climber shall have
nassed the examination laid down for professional
guides or shall bs accompanied by one OF these
trained and expert professionals. AhotleF nes
frnitfuI cause OF disaster is the desire TO climb
alone This is rarely done by the SWISS thousA an
accident due 10 this cause happened 10 wen
knovo voung Swiss climber named Eshoach; ne
tried the CYme de Fest single handed, missed his
footing. ard hung between life and death on a
ledge on the face OF precipice for thirty houfS
before he was discovered and rescued
ona of tbe MANY strange instances OF the Alps
giving up her dead after long years was recorded
early in August at Chamonix Three summers aso
Mile Ruchler, accompanied by friend Mic. NA'N%
laff and her brother-n-aw. Professor basher' ar-
rived at the Hotel des Alpes for brier stay 1'ee
davs later Mile Buchler started out alone Tor
walk and was never seen again TWO nohtnS aso
ner body was discovered in perfect slato VI
preservation among the ice near the ioo' y, %
Blossoms glacier. Many still hold to the opilio"
that was very general at the time. that Mile hucn-
-, Nos tba victim of a crime and that she had
baen lured away from the proper route anu tHio""
into one of the innumerabe crevasses near oy-
The death of the guide DevassouN ie" "eeNs
later on the Mer de Glace. at ChaInohiN, was uue
To the breaking of the hand rali OF oiiueo HoO''
hitch he was leading two young English excur-
stonists the Misses Cousins OF London. Inc un-
fortunate man fell distance of nearly one nun
dred feet into the Nant Blanc torrent III july
q marty OF six Swiss artillerymen. under sergeant
Major Mayer. after making a successrul ascent
os the GaIustock met with disaster on the way
down Nager ventured a pace TOO near the treach-
tor6,,s adee Of an abyss precipitated head
long on to the Tiefen glacier below ana was Killed
on the SPOT. A little later young Bernese named
Iehman lost his life on the Axalphorn' near Bri-
,y ubils making an excursion alone in the noun
to,ns above The lad appeared 10 have fallen
60, q considerable height. but how the fatality
can have happened has never been satisfactorily
explained.
The midsummer months have every year their
tale Of disaster the edelweiss gatherers. IN the
C.Iacis Canton at Saasberg, young Swiss.
ti ZOO near the edge of a sheer drop OF four
h,,rdTad feet In order to reach edelweiss
blooms lost his balance and went over. His body
NO. recovered horribly crushed the following day
So avs later an exactly similar accident hap
anea 70 an excursonist the Rigi Rotstock but
tbe victim had the good fortune to be caught by
a pine tree in his fall. and escaped with broken
niao An English tourist seriously injured about
the same time on the Oeschinen Ape by fall
tybue nicking edelweiss. The Swiss and Italian
press have opened the whole subject OF the edel
the number OF accidents directly due to the search
of this typeaI cIGse restYiciions ON tb danseTous
pursuit and to erect monuments at certain spots
i.as near by In hunting for edelweiss as a warn
ing TO visitors. over seventy minor sdeiwsiss