St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-07-02
HIS FooLHARDY FEAT.
a Nerve Trying Climb Up the Face Of
q Steep PrecipIce.

q Steep PrecipIce.
In his book. TRAILING aud Camping
In Alaska A VI. l'nw+Il a govern
ment surveyor. Tells now oIns VI his
party was led into most haz .rdous
predicament. He says:
We landed on grassy nook at the
foot of PERCEPTIONS mountain spur.
After supper one of the trio tried to
climb to ledge of white spar that
could be plainly seen from the camp
After an hours hard work he reached
the ledge. but it proved disappointing.
He then saw that ne could not de
scend without eyes in his toes. If be
could ascend a few hundred feet he
might lower himself down a draw by
the help of scattering alder brush. He
spent another hour In getting to that
place only to discover a precipice in
the path he had expected to descend.
There was another chance left: he
might climb to the top of the spur far
above No living man could have
chung to the face of that precipice
minute if it had not been for the moss
that was rooted in the small crevices
10 o'clock. when be paused to look
down on the campfire and the water.
more than a thousand feet below him.
He felt sickness come over him. so
he turned his gaze to the rock wall. a
foot from his face.
When near the summit he found him
self face to face with a perpendicular
wall about twelve feet high. There
appeared to be a small bench on top
of this wall. on which be might rest
if he could reach it. He sat for few
moments on a large rock that lay at
the foot of the wall: then with his
knife be cut inches for finger and toe
holds. Holding on by these he climbed
up and dug sort of trench through
the moss on the rim above. through
which he might draw his body Then
he descended to the rock for long
rest before making the final effort.
He finally nerved himself to the task,
put his fingers in the inches and drew
himself from the rock which. with the
pressure of the departing foot. said
goodby and went Dumping down. down.
down. The man was left clinging to
his niches-hope and life above sure
death below.
Big drops of sweat stood on his fore
head as he steadily worked mp. mp. and
held with one hand while he dug
the other into the moss above. Halt
of his body finally rested on the edge
while the other half hung in space
without a foothold. 1t seemed impOs-
sible to move from that position until
he saw an alder stem. an inch in diam
eter. that had grown on the little fat
bench. He tried its strength. 1t en-
abled him to phil himself up and lie
on the narrow he'd of moss. where he
thought of friends far away and his
own folly.
There was but one way out and that
was along a six inch shelf about 100
feet to the westward that ended on
the sloping ridge. Along this a man
could edge his body by holding OH to
the jagged places in the rock wall. He
took off his shoes and set off along
that slipping path. but he had to be
careful not to look down from his
dizzy height to the distant campfire
The feat was accomplished safely
and thankful mortal lay on the green. !
grassy ridge in complete collapse. His |
aneroid barometer recorded 2.140 feet |
above the sea. and his watch told him
that it was halfpast u in the morning.