Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-03

everything considered. I'm the history of
mountain climbing Let us quote Whym-
pers own words:
"A few minutes later Chat is, just
after the descent was undertaken)
sharp-eyed lad ran into the Monte Rosa
Hotel tat Zermatt. saying that he mao
seen an avalanche fall from the summit
OF the Matterhorn on 20 the Matterhorn-
gletscher. The boy was reproved for tell
ing idle stories. He was right. neverthe-
less, and this was what he saw. Michel
Croz had laid aside his AK, and in order
to give Mr.. Hadow greater security was
absolutely taking hold of his legs ana
putting his feet one by one. into their
proper positions AS far as . know. no
one was actually descending. cannot
speak with certainty. because the Two
leading men We're partially hidden from
my sight by an intervening mass or rock,
but ii is my belief from the movements
OF their shoulders tina. CroZ, having
done as / have said, was in the act OF
turning round to go down a step or two
himself; at this moment Mr. Hadow
slipped, fell against him and Knocked him
over. L heard one startled exclamation
ow flying downward: in another moment
Hudson was dragged from his steps. and
Lord +. Douglas Immediately after him.
All this was the work of a moment. I'M
mediately we heard CroZs exclamation.
old Peter, and | planted ourselves as
firmly as the rocks would permit; the
rope was taut between us. and the jerk
came on us both as on one man. We
held, but the rope broke midway between
Taugwalder and Lord Frar els Douglas.
For few seconds we saw our unfortu-
nate companions sliding downward on
their backs, and spreading out their
hands, endeavoring to save themselves.
They passed from our sight uninjured.
rpd hx-n nd fa1 fHnt
precipice to precipice on to the Matter
horngletscher below. a distance of nearly
1900 feet in height. From the moment
the rope broke it was impossible to help
them So persisted our comrades"
Only Whymper and two of the guides
were saved by the breaking of the rope
For the space of half an hour We re-
manned on the spot without moving sin
gle step. The two men, paralyzed by ter
ror, cried like infants. Old Peter
rent the air with explanations of Cham
onix, Oh, what will ChamoniX say?' He
meant, Who would believe that CroZ
could fall?' The young man did nothing
but scream or sob. we are lost. We are
lost" Fixed between the two l could
neither move up nor down."
1t was hours afterward before they de-
scended the mountain and some days be-
fore the bodies of three of the unfortu-
mates were rescued: that of Lord Francis
Douglas was never found. Some day, per-
haps. it will come forth fresh and life
like from the foot of the glacier.
Such were the difficulties of Alpine
climbing in 1865. Scarcely can we realize
today what an achievement this was.
Says Javelle in his Souvenirs dun Al
piniste:"
After the first ascent of Mont Blanc
and until that of Everest the most beau
tiful conquest of the climbers is certain
ly the Matterhorn.
Besides his own trials, Whymper de-
scribes seven other well organized at
tempts to scale the mountain that had
been made during the half dozen years
preceding his achievement. The fearful
cold. snowstorms and almost cyclonic
winds of the upper reaches contributed
to the discontinue of these earlier par
ties. One might add that while these
other climbers were fine, bold mountain
GERS. they lacked the extraordinary pre-
paredness and resourcefulness, amount
ing almost to luck. of Edward Whymper.
Little Scientific Result.
1t may be said that this ascent made
little direct contribution to the sum
of knowledge. 1t did have the effect.
however, of awakening a widespread in
terest in the Alps. OF course. the terrible
accident contributed not a little to this
result. The next few years witnessed the
outburst of British energy, which brought
the subjugation of all the shigher Alps,
until the ascent of the Meije in 1877. This
was the last great Alpine peak to be con-
quered. From the pioneering of Whym-
per and his brethren came the widespread
efforts which have left only a few great
SUBMITS on the globe still unconquered.
These and other achievements of Mr..
Whymper in the Alps are set forth in
his famous book. .-Scrambles among the
Alps in the Years 1S6O-1S6o.'' The beau
tiful illustrations were engraved by the
author himself. aud they have been
copied numerous times in books of trave'.
This absorbingly interesting little vol
ume now commands a premium among
collectors. 1t is at once thrilling tale
for children about the family fireside: a
guidebook for the amateur: a style book
for the writer of travels. Forty years
have improved it's flavor, but have not
dimmed its charm or usefulness.
Whymper returned to England to find
himself grown famous in a night. The
sad fatalities Of his expedition did not
road again. this time visiting Greenland
on an important expedition in 1867. The
fine collection of fossil plants and Eskimo
relics which he made on this occasion
and upon later visit in 1872 are now
preserved in the British Museum. He
also proved. by the discovery of mag
nolia cones, that Greenland was once
covered by luxurious vegetation. His
able review of this work was published in
the report of the British association for
petition was not the success that Whym-
per hoped 1t would be. for he was ham,
pered by lack of financial backing and
by the prevalence of an epidemic among
the natives, yet he not only made inn
portant researches in the fauna and flora
of Greenland, but he proved that the in
terror could be explored by the use of
properly constructed sledges, and thus
contributed to the advance of arctic ex-
ploration and to the ultimate discovery
of the pole. The expedition of 1872 was
devoted to a survey of coast line. AL
though a busy artist, he found sufficient
vacation every year to do some valuable
climbing or exploration.
1t was in 1879 that Whymper under
took his notable journey to the Ecua-
dorian Andes. He had contemplated GO
ing to the Himalayas, and in 1874 had
projected scheme which would have
taken him to this, probably the most
difficult mountaineering ground on the
globe. He proposed to carry his explora-
ton and research up to the highest at
tainable limits. Just at the time it was
possible to start the British government
entered upon the construction of a "scien-
tific frontier for India, and rendered
that region unhealthy for any but sol
diers Whymper then turned to South