The daily Alaskan., 1913-10-02
HIS FooLHARDY FEAT.
A Nerve Trying Climb Up the Face of
 A Steep Precipice.


 In his book, Trailing and Camping In Alaska" A. M. Powell. a govern mentSsurveyor. tells how one of lis party was led into d most hazardous preHGament. He snys:
 We landed on grassy nook at the foot of Il 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 rn hours hard work he reached the ledge, but 1t proved disappointing. He then saw that be could not de- scend without eyes in his toes. If he could ascend a few hundred feet he might lower Mmself down draw by the help of scattering alder brush. He spent another hour in getting to that place enly to discover a precipice i'll 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 clung to the face of that precipice minute if 1t 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 thousand feet below him. He felt a sickness c0nie over him. so he turned his gaze to the rock wall | foot from his face.
 When near the summit he found him. selffface to face with perpendicular wall about twelve feet high. There appeared to be q small bench on top of this wall, on which he might rest if he could reach it. He sat for few moments on n large rock that lay at the foot of the wall: then with his knife he cut niches for finger and toe holds. Holding on by these he climbed up and dug a sort of trench through the$moss on the rim above through which he might draw his body. Then he descended to the rock for a long rest beforeAmaking the final effort. He finally nerved himself to the task, put his fingers in the niches and drew himself from the rock which, with-the pressure of the departing foot. said goodby and went pumping 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 etherTi into the moss above. Half of his body finally rested on the edge while the other half hung in space Without q foothold. It seemed impos- sible to move from that position until he saw an alder stem, an inch iH diam eter, that had grown on the little flat bench. He tried it's strength. It en- abled him to pull fimselfhup 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 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 on to the Jagged places in the rock wall. He took of his shoes and set off along that .Eloplng 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 .skst !t was halfnast 12 in the morning.