The New York herald., 1922-06-25

cradle burden: wore all the extra
clothing he could put on and slept
in his cloak and a blanket. He had
| no safeguard against sudden chills
or fever in either allopathic or ho-
meopathic air proof. handy remedies:
his clothing was lily woven to with
stand the rigors Of cold, his shoes
were shod with hobnails that were
conductors Of cold-pneumonia con-
ductors: he had no camera with
which to shoot the then virgin Mont
Blanc; he had no artificial light
equipment-he carried a few tallow
candles and a flint and steel-and
he had no idea that man could bot
the air to give him lung equipment.
The mountain climber of the Ma
poleonic days and the mountain
climber of these prewar tires were
totally different types. The old time
climber was an extraordinarily in
trepid explorer and adventurer. He
was stiil long jump from the goal
Of learning that acquainted the
climbers of half a century later that
an imperfect supply Of oxygen to
the brain cells diminished the win
power and was responsible for many
an Alpinist being unaocounted for
Neither did he know that the painful
efforts to breathe in rarefied air COM
bined with insufficient clothing made
exploration work above the 5000
foot level well nigh impossible. In
the matter Of food and water sup
plies he was totally deficient. Only
a small quantity could be carried
and IL the melted snow water was
drunk the climber was Immediately
stricken with painful Inflammation
of the throat. palate and tongue.
His equipment for fuel consisted
above the timber line OF tallow dips
and a flint and steel
Former Climbers Handicapped.
So the encumbered climber of the
past yesterdays was badly handi-
capped In almost every particular
save that OF his own idomitable will
which carried him through dangers
which modern climbers cannot feel,
particularly the comfort that Is af-
forded by clothing artificialiy heated
by insulated cloth lining connected
with diminutive pocket batteries and
which by quick turn prevents the
moisture OF the body condensing into
small hard crystals which as the
celestial gazer recalls made quite a
noise as he fought his way through
the lighter upper air TO reach his
goal.
The conditions experienced by
mountain climbers a century back
have sent students seeking a solu-
ton to the problem of how high up
in the air human beings can remain
and live for any considerable period
1t was the stated object of the Him
alayan expedition of the Duke Of
/ the Abruzzi in 1900 when he reached
the then highest point achieved by
a mountain climber, $4,000 feet, and
would have reached a higher point If
ne had been equipped with oxygen
tanks.
Three members of the Everest ex-
pedition already have with the aid Of
the oxygen tanks reached the height
OF 26.S00 feet. or within 2.2o0 feet OF
the summit. This. so far as is
known. is the highest altitude ever
attained by a mountain climber.
This height is almost 1000 feet
higher than Mont Blanc, Europe's
loftiest mountain. which the old time
mountain climber of Napoleonic
days strove to reach without oxy-
gen; $500 feet higher than the sum-
nit of Mount Mckinley. the highest
point in North America. and sue
cessfully negotiated by DIR. Hudson
Stuck. archdeacon of the Yukon. and
more than $500 feet higher than
Mount Aconcagua. :he loftiest peak
of the Western Hemisphere.
Oxygen Nav Not Do the Trick.
There has always been much spec
ulation among scientific men if oxy-
gen would furnish the mountaineers
/ any assistance at all or an assis-