The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-02-06
AN ALPINE THRILL
Wild Slide Down the Snow Slope
of a Mountain Peak.
SWEPT INTO AN ICE FUNNEL.
PsriIous Experience Of an Explorer
Who Was imprisoned a Whole Night
In a Treaeherous Crevasse In a Gia-
eier on the Brink Of a Gaping chasn.

cier on the Brink Of a Gaping Chasn,.
Some thrilling experiences once be-
fell Frederick Chamberlin while he
was exploring the Alps. In the Wide
World Magazine be writes Of an nd.
venture that befell him on the after
noon of a September day when he we.
descending the. snow slope Of a noun
tain:
Suddenly l found myself in front ~
q particularly nasty serac. or ice ridge.
that gave very little fOOthold. The
surface was not broken and crumbIy,
but just smooth. treacherOus ice. Ho~-
ever. was not going to be daunted. ST
I wormed my way up and was about
to descend the other side when with
out warning my feet shot from under
me. and l started careering down the
slope at break neck speed.
Down slid. straight through fun
mel shaped hole into a partly formed
crevasse. | brought up sharply against
4 small bar of ice that only just pre-
vented me from continuing my head
long career into gaping chasm below
"FOr few seconds lay half stun
ned; then | carefully got on my feet
felt my body all over to see that no
bones had been broken and looked
round for my ice AK. but that had dis
appeared.
II saw Il slight crack in the surface
Of one Of the sides. and tried to draw
myself up. but my fingers could not
get u firm hold in the slippery ice. and
| was soon forced to give that up
Then | tried lying fat on my back In
the funnel through which had en-
tered my prison and. firmly planting
my knees against its sloping roof. en-
deavOred to work myself back. Here
too, failed.
Being by this time quite desperate
took out my little pocket knife to try
to cut steps in the slope. My still torn
fingers let the knife slip at the first
attempt. and. although CROPPED about
for long time. l failed to recover it.
my last chance had gone with the
knife. The darkness creeping ON and
envelOping everything, the dead 81
lence. the bitter cold. were all begin.
ming to take effect. and ! groaned al
the prospect of the long night In front
of me. l dared not lean too far back.
for that slender bar Office might give
way. ! called out loudly at intervals.
but the sound was stified by the over.
hanging walls.
Soon it was pitch dark, and to while
away the time and keep my spirits up
loudly sang a popular American song
But soon my thoughts became gloomy
again. There was no sound but an eerie
drip. drip. down below. and sometimes
the grinding. tearing. booming collapse
of whole serac would set my nerves
quivering. | shivered necessarily. for
was wet through from constant con,
tact with the ice. and the night seem
ed interminable.
Nhen was ON the point of utter col
lapse the first gray daylight mercifully
began to filter into my prison. Now ]
must make 10y last desperate attempt
To escape.
las "A fOrlorn hope | looked about
again for my knife. My eyes caught
CLINT on a fan shaped piece Of ice. and
there. just over the dark chasu. where
pr0videntially it had fallen the night
before. | spied IL. Determined not Ia
lose II again. | attached II 10 my wrist
by piece of string and started dig
ging at the steep lie slope.
Three and half hours shaved in
the ice cavern. and then was able to
crawl mp, digging my toes in at every
step. till could draw myself up into
comparative safety on the ledgelaboye.
lay there. gasping. for few seconds;
then. tuking the greatest precautions
all the while, ] passed bet wecn the re.
maining creyasses aud at last descend
I'd safely u the firm rocks"