Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1913-10-10
LIVES IN ANY LAND MA7TERHORN FILMS
Climbers Risk Their Lives to Pm.
.l.... cure The n.
Victory Meant Fifteen Hundr.u
OF Thrilling Views fo' Europ.,,
acknowledgements DangIed
Over $500 Foot p,eeinio.

| -. "'' oPerato' OangIed
Over $500 Foot p -cIpie.,
The Matterhorn is ON, NJ tho A.,
giants that is treated with prea. pu'
spect by even the mo st exner,a.,
| climbers. '''eneed
When Whymper ma lie the e,s.
cent in 1866 Lord Fran els Douglas ~
three others of his p,.rty were s,' aua
by falling 1000 feet, and since ,beu
accident has succeeded accident A
The form Of the mountain in.,,...
awe. A steep pyramid in sham -
rises 14.795 feet in a series of trems.
dous precipices. On all sides it stana.
menacing, its overhanging crars detn
ing the amateur, writes the par,s ~.
respondent Of the Detroit Free, p,ss.
When l suggested cinematosranh,n.
the mountain there were smiles =, A.
rision. - 70
We made arrangeme nts to leave p,
matt on the morning of July ! ,na
sleep that night at the Matterho-r
cabin at 10000 feet. The news spre.d
through Zermatt like a prairie fire. sna
when we started early in the morn,n.
considerable crowd was out to sas
u of.
There were five OF us. Nv FRI,
guide was Gabriel 'Zumtaugwald WIN
has been in the Himalayas with Mn
Bullock Workman, who holds tha
worlds record for altitude for women.
and with Miss Annie Peck, the Amer
lean climber. on Mount Huascaran IN
Peru. The second guide was Heinrich
julien, a very capable man, while ths
task Of carrying the cinema camera
and tripod fell to the lot of David
Biner and Franziskus Tangwalder
who accomplished feat of enduranee
rare in Alpine history.
One may imagine US, ascending =
steep granite ridge with precipices on
either side falling almost sheer to the
glaciers below. In tn. gloom the ere.
vassed ice appeared a dull gray be-
meath, while above the mountain itself
now and then blotted out the stars. In
one place while paying close attention
to footholds nearly cracked my skull
on an overhanging ledge above.
Arriving at the shoulder" we found
wind in violence amounting almost to
a gale. From the expression on the
faces of the guides I could see they
thought the game was up. So strong
was the air current that we were In
imminent danger Of being blown of
the mountain and used every precau.
ton known to mountaineers to prevent
such an accident taking place.
Itrwas too cold to remain long still. I
so prepared to cinematograph the as. !.
cent of the shoulder, keeping one guide
with me and sending the Others be-
fore the camera. To do this was
roped "in safety" behind a projecting
rock. The guide helping me placed
himself below, where he could brace
the tripod and hold me by the knees I
1t was q delicate thing to remain
poised on such a slope and take pic 4
ture where slip would have pre- z
cipitated us both some $500 feet be. 4
low. The extreme concentration need. II
ed to get the picture wanted prevent
ed me from thinking of the abyss at 4
my feet. Il
Occasionally in the rocks one Is \
forced to turn, lie on his stomach and (
then descend clinging by the toes and
finger tips as best one can to the /
crags. Not knowing the mountain as 4
we'll as the guides, there was one \
place where the handholds were doubt
full, and after starting to negotiate \
the passage could find no foothold' n
search as I might. l was practically
dangling over precipice. called (
out to julien, who was above, to hold J
the rope tight, and simply dangled
down to where I could again get into fs
secure contact with the mountain. IN
these bad places the last guide down II
resorted 10 what is called the "corde N
de rappel," that is, doubling his re.
serve cord behind a rock above anu q
after using it to descend hauling II III n
by pulling on one end only. S
We passed over the difficult places
with considerable rapidity, but never n
once did any one take chances WIN !
the mountain. Had any one shppeo 4
he would have been held by the ON. n
ers-unless unfortunately the rope naa n
broken.
The Matterhorn was cinema'S ~
graphed from Zermatt to the summit 3
1900 feet of film taken-so what mar n q
tered it If we were half frozen and 100 &
tired to eat? #2