Evening star., 1925-08-16


extended down the slopes far below
our camp. Ice stood in the cooking
utensils, and the thermometer, hang
ing within a few feet of the fire, reg
istered the freezing point. 1t must
have been we'll below zero on the
summit.
We packed our effects and hurried
down through the newly fallen snow
to more hospitable regions.
When we got back to civilization we
found that the gale which had swept
eastern Oregon and Washington on
that memorable Fourth of July was
the worst that had been known in
many years. Imagination alone can
picture its violence on the great noun
tain.
Some time later the Mazamas, Ore
CONS great Notwithstanding club,
undertook to climb Mount Adams.
Our party included four loggers and
II. S. Goddard, L. H. Loomis, ". P.
Flanary. W. ]. White. T. J. Devine, c.
NJ. Ryman o. B. Frisbie, Mr.. and Mrs.
o. o. Carroll, j. *. Buchanan, Lydia
Grove, Effie Byrkett, r. A. Byrkett.
Fred Morer, Frank Egan. Mrs. Rachel
n. Rusk. G. l.. Rusk and Miss Blank.
Miss Blank had once walked up
Pixies Peak, and as Pixies Peak is
about 1000 feet higher than Mount
Adams. during the first part OF our
climb she was somewhat inclined to
speak sneeringly OF our Washington
mountain. / told her she might find
before the day was over that climbing
Mount Adams and walking up Pixies
Peak were two different propositions.
l hardly expected at the time, how
ever, that my position would be so dra-
matically vindicated, and Miss Blank
refused to be convinced.
MI
to make the climb and to arrive at the
summit in much better shape than
some OF the men in the party.
We were about ready to begin the
| descent when Miss Blank suddenly
crumpled down and lay unconscious in
the snow. DIR. Goddard. skillful ply
sician though he was. tried in vain to
revive the stricken woman.
The situation was serious. The
afternoon was well advanced and it
| was growing colder as the day waned
1t was imperative that we get Miss
Blank down the mountain before dark
ness set in, for to leave her on those
frigid heights throughout the night
would mean her chilling to death. But
we were a mile in height above the
nearest timber, and this meant that
we must traverse more than four miles
of broken lava and compact snowtields
before we could hope for enough fuel
to kindle even the tiniest fire.
But we lost no time in inactivity.
AS soon as it was found that Miss
Blank could not be restored to con-
sciousness we picked her up and car
ried her bodily down the gradual snow
slope to the record box. From here
to the vast snowtields of the first sum-
NIT, vertical distance of about 500
feet, the slope is very steep, and for
tunately it was now well covered with
soft snow.
WHEN we reached the record box
w Mr.. Loomis generously proposed
that we use him a human toboggan.
This expedient had been used once be-
fore on Mount Hood, and it has been
resorted to elsewhere. The human to-
bogean is brought into requisition only
when the need is very great, and it is
available only under peculiarly desper-
ate conditions.
One or two of the other men, now
that they understood the plan, volun-
teered to act as the toboggan, but
since Mr.. Loomis had been first to
offer himself, to him was accorded the
honor of the sacrifice.
He lay down on his back in the
snow. We placed the form of the un-
conscious woman upon him and
strapped their ankles together. With
his arms he held her firmly to him, so
there was no danger of her injury
through contact with the frozen snow
We dragged them swiftly down the
steep slope.
But when we reached the level
stretch at the foot of the summit dome
our troubles had but begun. There
was now nearly half mile to the
point of the first summit over which
we could not drag our toboggan. TAX
ing two gunnysacks, we stretched
them on alpenstocks and thus made
rude litter. In this we carried Miss
Blank. 1t was an extremely difficult
task, for the snow was soft and the
two-mile altitude made any extra ex-
ertion painful. But at last we got our
burden to the point of the first sum-
nit, and were confronted by tre-
mendous slope leading down to the
saddle, $500 feet beneath.
To get this far had been a relatively
easy part of our problem. The job
before us was herculean. 1t was
necessary now to make systematic
plans for what we had to do.
Miss Blank was still unconscious.
DR.. Goddard's repeated efforts at re-
suscitation had been without avail.
The four loggerS, although by reason
Of their outdoor labors probably in the
best physical condition of any of the
men in the party, made no offer to
| help. They went their way down the
mountain and we saw them no more.
The other men were willing to do
all they could. Some of them, of
course, were needed to help the other
| women get down. Others were scarce
| ly able to look after themselves. The
stronger ones stood stanchly by to do
| all that could be done.
Standing at the upper point of the
| great snow slope which leads down
from the II 500 to the 5000 foot level,
we faced the situation with many mis-
givings The human toboggan was
our only recourse, yet there was dan
ger in the plan. If the two PROSTATE
forms should once get beyond our con-
troll in the swift descent. tragedy would
be inevitable. The way was fianked
on either side by jagged rocks. In
many places patches of hard ice lay
beneath the soft upper layer of snow.