Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-08-25
Two Young Mountain Climbers Die
As Rescuers Reach Frozen Ledge

FRANCONlA, N. H., Aug, 30
(AP). Two young climbers,
trapped % hours on a ledge
halfway up the almost perpen-
dicular granite face of Profile
Mountain, died yesterday with
rescue almost in reach.
The White Mountains bitter
weather was too much for
them. Clad only in light, cot
ton trousers and shirts, they
had endured numbing 38-de-
gree cold overnight, the soaking
of a driving rain borne on So
mile winds. and thick fog.
A team of climbers reached
the bodies of the two victims
this morning and arranged to
lower them in tarpaulins and
sings. Today's climbers were
led by William Putnam Of
Springfield, Mass, chairman OF
the Mountain Safety Commit
tee of the Appalachian Noun
tain Club. They were not hand
icapped, as were yesterdays
rescue crews, by winds and al
most freezing water of the
rock-face.
School Friends
The victims were Alfred
Whipple, jr,. 20, of Gales Ferry,
Conn, a sophomore at Brown
University, and Sidney Crouch.
81, of Ledyard. Conn. a stu
dent at Export tPa.) Bible In
stitute. They had been friends
since elementary school. Young
Whipple was one of five chill
dren: Mr. Crouch one of seven.
John f. TAYLOR, 80. of Prince
ton, Mass, who led a seven
man team that climbed to the
ledge yesterday. said they found
one man slumped over, either
dead or dying. The other was
incoherent.
He could not understand
what I was saying. He yelled
at me. It appeared to be a
monotonous Hurry up
Il don't know which one it
was. 1t might have been the
older one. When I got within
IS feet of him, his head was
bobbing. He was standing
erect with his eyes closed"
Mr.. Taylor said that by the
time he got near the marooned
pair 81 would have to grip a
rock. then loosen one hand
with the other to move up"
He described the cold as fe-
rocious.
David Sanderson of Ports
mouth, N. H., climbed to the
ledge and lowered the youth
still on his feet to Robert Col
Inns of Brookline, Mass, stand
ing Is feet below. Mr.. Collins
dressed him in warm clothing.
But at that point he died.
With daylight waning and
the reScuers exhausted, plans
to bring the bodies down were
abandoned. Instead, the bodies
were secured with ropes and
the party went back down the
mountain. The descent took
another two hours.
The climbing ropes, tied to
pitons-iron spikes driven into
rock crevices ~ were left in
place to guide the climbers
who went back up the noun
tain today.
No Experience
The two victims acquired
most of their knowledge of
climbing from books. They
lacked mountaineering expert
ence and were not equipped for
the sudden changes of weather.
Experienced mounta in eers
have Stunned the route the
pair took Sunday. They con-
slider it treacherous because of
the steep climb and the danger
from falling rocks.
The ledge, ATS feet above
Route ga, is a short distance
south of the famed old Man
of the Mountain" an outcrop
of rock that from certain angles
looks like a craggy face.
The youths plight was dis
covered late Sunday. Since a
helicopter could not reach
them, State officials and the
Appalachian Mountain Club
summoned amateur climbers.
The rescue attempt began
at 7:30 am. yesterday-first
a mile trek from route ga.
then ATS feet almost straight
up, once heaps of shattered
rock had been Surmounted at
the base.
The CHM bers hammered
pitonS into cracks in the rock
and roped themselves to the
iron. The ascent, with hands
numbed on wet, slippery rock,
was agonizingly slow and firing
100 feet an hour, sometimes
less.