WORLD'S HIGHEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 169, 20 July 1938, Page 14

WORLD'S HIGHEST.

SOVIET AZfIHB HOTEL

MOSCOW.

Cbastruction was resumed recently on the world's highest hotel, which is being built one mile from the summit of Mount Elbrus, ill the Caucasus.

Two and a half miles above sea-level, the new hotel will be a sturdily-built, convenient haven which, according to official plans, should be ready to accommodate Soviet and foreign mountain climbers early this summer, at the opening ef the Alpine season. Week on the hotel was abandoned last antoma, when heavy snows made it impossible to transport materals from nearby Nalchik, the capital of Kalbar-dino-Balkaria.

Already powerful trucks are slowly crawling ap the nearly-constructed ninemile road extending from the Elbrus foothills to the site of the future mountain hotel. Construction of this road, which was completed last year, was a considerable feat of engineering in itself. Passing through woods and valleys, circling waterfalls and tortuous gorges for the first six miles, the road traverses enormous glaciers in the final three-mile all etch. Fifteen bridges were flung across -wide cracks in the ice. Tom of explosives were employed to blast a path through the rocks along the route leading to the glaciers. The three-storey wooden structure will be streamlined- to lessen resistance to violent mountain storms. It will have 45 comfortable rooms.

Another important service to Elbrus climbers will be several powerful electric searchlights -which win operate from the hotel roof. They will be used for signalling and to light the way on the last difficult stretch upward. An electric siren will warn climbers of approaching storms.