The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-29
Mountain Climbing
BY Frederic J. HaskIn.


claims more lives than polar exploration
The eternal mystery of the pole exercises
a wonderful fascination over the minus OF
the adventurous sons of men, a lure
scarcely more compelling than that which
makes men, and women also, TO scale the
snOw-crested heights of the Alps the
Andes and the Himalayas. The Duke OF
the Abruzzi, the most distinguished mem
Der Of the royal family Of Italy, is also
one of the most distinguished mountain
climbers living, and is even now in Asa,
bent upon reaching hitherto unattalnable
heights of certain peaks Of the Hima-
layan range. Much secrecy has surround
ed preparations for his expedition, but 1t
is believed he and his party are headed
for the GOOdwen-Austen peak-"kZ, II
is sometimes called Its crest has never
been reached, although several attempts
have been made to scale its toroldolns
sides.
The Duke OF the AbruZzi won fame as
a mountain climber when he conquered
St. Elias in Alaska in 1897 For forty
days the duke and his party were above
the snow-line, tOiling towards Elias dome,
and in constant danger from storms, ava
lanches, and those terrible crevasses, into
the depths OF which the explorer otten
plunges. his body to remain forever locked
In the arms of the eternal ice, unless,
perchance, the ever-creeping glacier may
yield 1t up in years to come. But AbfuZ2i
conquered, and won the applause OF the
scientific world by his achievement.
Since climbing Elias, the Duke OF the
Abruzzi has scaled and measured Rowan
zOTi, demonstrating that it is not Africa S
highest peak. He is now in the neighbor-
hood of the Hottest mountains on the
globe-"The Roof Of the World AS the
Himalayan range is called, Mt. Everest,
Gaurisankur of the old geograp hies, the
highest peak of the range, is more than
% 900 feet. and GoOdwen-Austen or X,
which Abruzzi will challenge, is 2S.ZiS feet
high. KagenChunga is the most inacces-
sible peak of the Himalayas, but Good
wen-Austin, with its unbroken mass OF Ice
and snow extending down for more tnan
three miles from its summit, has defled
every attempt of man to scale its forbid
ding sides. A few years ago a party OF
Englishmen spent eight weeks on the face
of "K2" Drawing constant dangers from
storms, ayalanches and crevasses, while
they tOiled in vain to reach its crest.
Should the Duke of the Abruzzi reach IT'S
summit he will be acclaimed the world
greatest mountain climber.
The history Of mountain climbing IS
made up Of stories of hardships, perils,
tragedies and. frequently enough, of I'M
flinching courage in the face of death IT.
self A story illustrating all these, as
well as a self-secrifice so rare as TO re-
ViVe the Cynics tagging faith in human
kind. is that of Edward and Louis Nor
risOn. who attempted some years ago TO
20 to the crest of Mount Blanc. The
brothers were connected by a rope after
the fashion of mountain climbers. Cross
slipped over the brink Of a CreVasse, where
he hung suspended, his brother bracing
himself to hold his own footing. Edward.
who was the older, was able to hold his
brother. but was not able to draw him
back. For several hours he put forth
superhuman efforts, while Louis prayed
him to cut the rope. But Edward declared
he would save his brother or plunge to
death with him in the yawning chasm.
Finally when his strength was almost
gone, Edward wrote in the ice on which
Re was lying. the story Of the tragedy
save the last chapter, and then went over
the brink with the brother whom he
would not desert to save his own life.
Climbers crossing the field that after
noon read the ice manuscript and learned
the story of the brothers devotion.
The tragedy which beteu a large num-
Der Of gOldseekers in Dyea Pass, Alaska,
in the summer of 1897, is still fresh In the
memories of denizens of the gold country
of the arctic. The route to the Klondike
then led through Dyea Pass. Near the
summit of the pass is a glacier, from IN
derneath which runs a torrentiai river.
One night a large number Of men on their
way to the KlOndike pitched their tents
by the river and beneath the glacier. while
further down the river were tents of still
other argonauts who would not risk camp
| ing beneath the glaciers shelter the
latter were awakened by a roar thou
sand times louder than any they had ever
heard, and they knew that the OVeThang-
Il
rushing down upon the camp. and doom
/ had sounded for every soul who had
risked such a dangerous resting place
Days were spent in digging away tons of
1 ice and rock in search of those buried be-
meath. No bodies were ever recovered.
In the summer of 1&S a party of two
men and a woman going through Dyea,
were overtaken by a snOwstorm. They
I burrOWed into the snow, and cut out a
/ hut. and then pulled in their dogs and
/ sled and supplies. They burned the sled,
/ all their surplus clothing, and finally
I killed their dogs for food and fuel They
came out alive after the storm passed,
none the worse for their experience.
I Only d short time ago four French tour
Z lists were killed and two Italian climbers
were fatally hurt while trying to ascend
| Grand Dent, one of the most difficult Of
the virgin peaks of the Alps. A rope
broke at a critical point in the ascent, and
| the four French and six Italian tourists
plunged over a precipice. The guides
saved themselves by clingipg to projecting
rocks The four Frenchmen were killed
outright, and two Of the Italians were
dying when assistance reached them.
Some years ago a celebrated guide
named COuttet IN charge Of party de-
! scending Mount Blanc. lost his footing,
and not being roped, pitched into a ere
vase. Every effort was made to recover
| his body, but I'm vain. A party of guides
went up the same evening, and one Of
their number was let down into the crew
ninety feet, and though he called at the
| top of his voice only echoes replied. They
| then let down a bottle a hundred feet fur
| Their. and when they drew it up it had on
| it blood and human hair. They construed
/ this to mean that their cOmrade was
crushed TO death.
In 1888, a party Of three tourists and
eight guides reached the crest of Mount
Blame but on their return were overtaken
/ by one of the furious snowstorms which
/ constantly sweep over the face Of the
mountain. A crowd of their friends in
/ Chamouni in the plain below saw them
huddled together as If for warmth. when
/ the snowclouds again shut them from
view Ten days later five bodies were
I found. The other six were left to rest
/ forever in the bosom of the snow. One of
/ those whose bodies were recovered was
an American who left a diary contain
| ing a record Of the suffeTings Of the
party. continuing TO write until the cold
numbed his body and paralyzed his fac
ulties.
/ Americans have made some wonderful
records as mountain climbers. Dr. and
Mrs. Workman and Miss Anna Peck are
/ among the most celebrated. Miss Peck
/ has scaled mountains in all parts of the
world but is prOudest of having con-
/ quered Serato. of the Andean range. DIT.
and Mrs. Workman only this year reached
an altitude Of p $50 feet in the mountains
Of Turkestan. She dared one peak her
/ husband would not attempt. He stood in