The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-11-10
CASTLE ON
MATTERAORN
Uncle OF Honolulu Bow
Describes the
Ascent.

Harold Castle, son of James B. Cas-
tie, Punahou graduate and a dash
ing member of the Oahu polo team.
made three daring ascents of peaks in
Switzerland this summer, and luckily
escaped participation in the many dis
asters reported from those dizzy
heights.
w r. Castle, who returned home last
week from a European and mainland
tour. states that while in Switzerland
his party was Joined by Harold. While
in the glacier region Harold got the
climbing fever and his first attempt
was on the Zermatt. He surmounted
this great peak successfully. He went
to the summit of the Zenal Rothhorn
$4,000 feet above sea level, and was ac-
companied by two guides on that oc-
thought this one experience was enough
for the daring young man, but when
they reached Chamouni, Harold had
the same desire to climb Mr.. Castle
describes his first view of the needle
points of the mountains. 1t caused
Dore's pictures accompanying Dante's
Inferno to enter his thoughts. The
peaks were tragic in their grandeur.
Mr.. Castle and his party advised
against climbing any of these needles,
but after surveying them Harold de
cided he could make the trip. He Sc
lected two guides and started in the
afternoon. The next morning they
We're at the commencement of the final
ascent.
Just then they met file of guides,
roped together as usual, descending the
mountain. They had a bundle swung
between two of them and this proved
to be the body of one of their number.
who had slipped and been killed only
the night before. Nothing daunted by
this tragedy, Harold continued the
ascent.
To reach the summit proved a haz-
ardous undertaking.. According to w.
r. Castle, it was "a frightful climb"
On that trip Harold had taken Bea-
trice Castles little camera along with
him. Reaching a perilous stage of the
ascent, Harold wished to take a photo |
graph of the two guides, and he I'M
roped himself from his companions and |
climbed to a dizzy perch from which |
he could take an admirable picture. |
With his teeth sunk into the straps !
ne held the camera. Suddenly his |
loot slipped. and in endeavoring to
latch himself he lost hold of the cam
FRA, which went crashing down 500 feet
nto a crevasse and was presumably
smashed to smithereens.
After that experience young Castle |
lecided that he must crown his
achievements by climbing the Matter
lorn. At the time the party went to
he little town from which all travel
rs start, it was past he season and
he snow was falling. Efforts were
made to dissuade Castle from max ng
he attempt but he persisted and made
he ascent, returning in safety. This I
14000-foot mountain. There were
lready recorded eight deaths on the {
Nearly every day, says
1r. Castle, there were reports of ac- I
idents on one or another of the Swiss
eaks.
w. r. Castle and family first went e
, England passing thence to France. t
elgium, down the Rhine and into {
and Italy. They made a e
ow trip from Liverpool to London t
nd stopped for a long time at Oxford. v
which place Mr. Castle found. much I
his surprise. that no daily newspaper o
as published. The groupings of the
xford college buildings interested him 2
I'D he found much opportunity for p
the system of groupings L
it'll that prevailing in the United S
-ates- He was unable to learn any
ling about a Rhodes scholarship for e
avail, as it was then the summer a
JASON and he did not find the proper t
ficial to present his inquiries on the &
inject. He learned later. however D
Il