FROZEN TO DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 250, 19 October 1907, Page 13

FROZEN TO DEATH.

SWISS OFFICER'S AWFUL FATE OK THE .MATTERHORN. Major Henri Sporri, of the Swiss army, has been frozen .to death In a terrible adventure on the Matterhorn,: a companion, Karl Imfeld, being" .only .saved by the desperate energy of Dr. Robert BCelbing.The three .started from. Zermatt the last week in August, and passed the first night .in the open on.Jhe £"p_Udu Lipn^.haying To>t .their way .in,, the darkness... ascent, co.nrinued ;a.t .daybreak, but as they climbed the weather grew steadilyworsel .Dr. Helbing, telling the s.tpjr from ,thia time, says:--"At two p.m. we reached the dangerous portion of the journey, .where ropes' are attached to rocks overhanging .deep precipices. Then the storm broke. The hail and snow forced us to seek shelter under a ledge of -rock, and there we crouched -all night long. We were .being gradually buried by the-drifting snow and frozen by the icy, wind. . ~..-.. "Thunder .and lightning added, to ..tha horror .ot. o.ur- situation towards morning, and although we were not- actually struck by lightning we received many electric .shocks. .One was so violent that Major Sporri lost consciousness.. "About eleven a.m., realising that if w.eremained longer under, the ledge we would be frozen to death, I persuaded my companions to risk .the descent Major Sporri was In a state of exhaustion bordering on collapse, and after taking a few feebla steps he fell face downward in the snow. "Herr Imfeld and I 'worked for several hours trying to revive him 'with brandy: and massage, but he died without regaining consciousness. "Both Herr Imfeld and myself were so weakened that we' could only walk very slowly. We hoped that we might meet a rescuing .party, .but we did not see a living creature, and ; so we plodded on until nightfall. We walked as in a dream. "Finally we threw ourselves under a ledge on the Epaule, • utterly worn out and disheartened, and hardly caring whether we lived or died. I worked, hard throughout the night trying to .keep Imfeld from freezing to death. His feet and hands were gradually freezing, and he begged mc to let him die in peace. "At the first streak of dawn we again started the descent which under ordinary circumstances, .should be accomplished in a few hours. Bnt poor Imfeld,' whose legs had been badly frozen, could scarcely one foot after the other. "He finally Insisted that I should go on ahead to the "little, hotel at the Lac Noir ,and send up guides to assist him and to recover the body of Major Sporri. "There were no guides .at the. hotel, and just as I was about to rstart -for Zermatt Imfeld stumbled into the hotel more dead than .alive. .1 Jeft him sin good hands, and went .on to 'Zermatt A party of .guides returned immediately, .and Major Spoxti'a hody was, .recovered." . . Herr Imfeld Is now -in .a Zermatt hospital in a critical condition. Both legs hail -to be amputated in order to save hia UK****