The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-06-19
feet upon our Industrial system Ana
that's just what the democratic tariff
law did.
HARp CLIMB.

A HARD CLIMB.
.rThe heart thumps irregularly. the
pulse goes up to 100, your knees
knock together, and your poor lsgs
seem unwilling to carry you. Your
throat is parcheG, you feel suffocateo.
your chest seems loaded down with
great weight, and such a feeling OIL
utter exhaustion!"
This is not patent medicine ad-
yertisement It is Walter Woodhurn
Hyde's description of ones condition
on reaching the summit Of Mont Blanc
Switzerland, as written to the Nation
al Geographic society, at Washington,
D. C.
"The air has now become so rare
that even the stoutest guide is com
PEELED to take breath every few steps,
hs continues. IF you ever saw an
asthmatic man trying to walk up hill
while a paroxysm was on him, you
can form some idea of the last part
of the ascent. And what do you think
is the first use made OF the glorious
view after all these hours OF toll? Do
you open your eyes wide in astonfsh-
ment at the wonderful sight? By no
means! You shut them as tight as
you can and throw yourself down on
the snow in utter weariness of mind
and body. resenting the impertin snce
of your guides, who urge you to look
about. But 1t Is too cold to sleep,
and soon you are UP trying to keep
warm.
1.-THE view if you have any desire
to see it, is indeed Incompatible. The
panorama before you is immense; but
everything is on such grand scale,
great agglomerations OF plains and
mountains, that all details escape
you. Most OF Switzerland, great por-
lions OF France as far south as Lyons,
and the plains of Pi sdmont and 1>om-
hardy, in Italy. are spread out before
you. The cold was 30 intense that five
minutes after arriving at the summit
we were all ready to begin the de-
scent.
Although the ascent of Mont Blanc
offers no greater dangers than that OF
some other Swiss mountains, 1t has
the name of being thu longest and
most exhausting climb in the Alps.
While such peaks as the Matterhorn
and the Chamonix Augilles are so
formed that no great quantities OF
snow can cling to their sides, and
consequently present for the most
part merely dangers incident to rock
climbing, Mont Blanc, from its pecuE
lar formation, is almost wholly buried
in its upper reaches in snow and
glacier so that crevasses and ava
lanches and all other dangers peculiar
to snow-climbing are constant men
ace to the climber. The extreme cold
and rarity Of the air as you approach
the summit are also serious obstacles.
The equipment for the two-days' jour-
ney consists of ice-axes, hob-naied
boots. wooden leggins and gloves,
mountain caps which cover the face
and protect it from blistcring, dark
glasses with wire sides to protect the
eyes completely from the glare OF the
sun, and good'y supply OF provis-
ions-for you would be surprised at
an Alpine appetite. The guide him
self brings a long coil Of rope, almost
100 feet in length, slung over his
shoulder.
Ten thousand feet above the sea
is an island OF rock projecting from
the snow. A tiny chatlet has been
built here, where the climber can
spend the night sleeping in good
b 3D. The little chatlet is leased to
man and his wife. a most woebe-
gone couple, whose detected looks elo-
auently bespeak the solitude OF their
lives amid these eternal SHOWS, where
the thermometer each night stands at
zero. Tri-weekly two hardy porters
alternate in bringing up supplies from
Chamonix. and they certainly earn
their few francs day No wonder
glass of water costs 20 confines.
even If it be melted snow, for every
billet OF wood has to be brought from
Chamonfx. seven hours below"