The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-10-02
HIS F0OLHARDY FEAT.
A Nerve Trying Climb Up the Face Oh
Steep Precipice.

a Steep Preclpice.
In his book. Trailing and Camping
In Alaska" A. NJ. Powell. a govern
ment surveyor, tells how one of his
party was led into a most hazardous
predicnment He says:
We landed on IL grassy nook at the
foot of precipitous 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 he could not de
scend without eyes in his toes. If he
could ascend few hundred feet he
might lower himself down 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 pracipice a
minute If it had not been for the moss
that was rooted In the small crevices.
He continued climbing until about
10 o'clock. when he 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 small bench on top
of this wall, on which he 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 he cut inches for finger and toe
holds. Holding on by these he climbed
up and dug q 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 humping 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 up, up. and
held with one hand while he dug
the other into the moss above. Half
or his body finally rested on the edge.
while the other half hung In space
without a foothoid. 1t seemed impos-
sibie 10 move from that position until
be 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 pull himself up and lie
on the narrow bed of moss. where he
thought of friends far away and his
own folly.
There was but one way out and that
was along q 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 on to
the jagged places in the rock wall. He
took Off his shoes and set off along
that sloping 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 1t was halfpast IL in the morning