The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-05
COURTING DEATH
SOUTH ORANGE MAN TELLS
OF NARROW ESCAPES.
Benjamin s. Comstock Describes Dan.
gers He Encountered Climbing
Canadian Rockies.

Personal experiences in mountain climb
ing in the Canadian Rockies were recount
ed by Benjamin s. Comstock, of Comstock
place. South Orange. in a lecture on
Camping and Climbing the Canadian
Rockies delivered by him in the South
Orange High School assembly hall before
a large audience Inst night.
1t was illustrated by fifty photographs
taken by Mr.. Comstock. He has spent six
summers Of mountain climbing with
friends, and last night described some of
his climbs. which often brought him and
his friends near death.
"A somewhat trying experience occurred
to me some years ago while attempting
the ascent of Mt. Sir Donald. the most
celebrated peak of the Selkirks,', said he.
AT that time the top had never been
reached. 1t rises like an isolated eye
tooth several thousand feet above the
rocky gum. BY hard muscle work of arms
and legs, often <~straddling the narrow
ridge. we finally reached perhaps two
thirds of the way up when the nerves Of
my two companions gave out, and one
yelled he was going to fall. At that time
I was some twenty feet above him, roped.
Only one Of us three moved at q time,
the others watching and holding the rope.
| told him to lie on his stomach on the
small, MAJ projection of the ledge to
WHICH hC wac CAnBiuSsL dliu " SHul las
eyes. I steadied him with the taut rope.
After lying in this way for perhaps ten
minutes he was sufficiently recovered to
MAKE the descent safely with US.
THE wise precaution Of roping up upon
a glacier is illustrated in the experience
OF an ,acquaintance. Mr.. Collie. on the
snow, plateau of Mt; Gordon, b.. c., even
of temperance. 1t happened in this way:
MIR. Thompson, with a party of four
unroped friends, fell through an unsus-
pected crack and disappeared. Though
too far down to be seen he could be heard
calling for help, and was in an extremely
awkward position. for he could not move
and was almost upside down, jammed be-
tween the two opposing sides of the crew
ices. Every second was of Importance;
a stirrup was made in the rope and the
lightest member of the party, and withal,
unmarried, was told to put his foot into
it, while he was also carefully roped
around the waist as well. Then he was
pushed over the edge of the abyss and
swung in midair.
ITO quote his description in part:
"I was lowered into the gaping hole.
Or one side the ice fell sheer, on the
other 1t was rather undercut, but again
bulged outward about eighteen feet below
the surface, making the crevice at that
point not much more than two feet wide.
Then 1t widened again, and went down
descended sixty feet. almost the whole
available length of an e~ighty-foot rope.
that at last | became tightly wedged be-
tween two walls of the creVasse, and was
absolutely incapable of moving my body.
My feet were close to Thompson's, but his
head was further way, and about three
feet lower than his heels. Face downward.
and covered with fallen snow, he could not
see me. At the moment l must say I
hardly expected to be able to accomplish
anything. For, damned between two slip
perry walls of ice, and only able to move
my arms, cudgel my brains as / would, /
could not think~ what was to be done. /
shouted for another rope. When 1t came
down, / managed to throw one end to
Thompson's left hand, which was waved
about, till he caught it. But, when pulled,
1t merely dragged out OF his hand. Then
with some difficulty, i managed to tie =
moose on the rope by putting both my
hands above my head. With this l las
seed that poor pathetic arm, which was
seen. Slowly the rope frightened, as 1t was
cautiously pulled by those above. I could
hear my heart humping in the CHASTITY
stiffness of the place, but at last Thompson
began to shift, and after some short time
he was pulled on my own rope; ! so shifted
that by straining one arm over my lead ]
could get my two hands together, and then
tied the tightest jamming knot / could
think of round his arm. just above the
elbow. A shout to the rest of the party
and Thompson went rapidly upwards till
he disappeared around the bulge of ice
forty feet or more above. Most marvel
ously no bones had been broken, but how
anyone could have fallen as he did without
being instantaneously killed will always
remain a mysterV.'o