ALIVE TEN DAYS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 21, 25 July 1934, Page 9

ALIVE TEN DAYS AGO

ON SLOPES OF NANGA PARBAT

LEADING GERMAN CLIMBER

;■-•" .' ■-~..'•.-.■ CALCUTTA, July,24. ■•'.- Sheltering in an ieo i cave nearly 25,000 ,feet up on the slopes pf Nanga Parbat, Merkyl, leader pf the German expedition, and a porter, Gaylay,' were 10 days ago still ; oUyc, although too exhausted by cold} liunger, and fatigue to proceed further. ' ': . ■ ■ ;.' ;■ This news has been brought down to the lower camps'by'(iiother Darjeeling porter, Still another ,■* porter; brought confirmation',. of* the': deaths of the Germans Wielaud,. and WcJzenbach. : Bad weather continues to hinder the 'rescue .'parity.; There :is hope thatfMerkyl and Gaylay are stiir alive, but they are-known to be without food and adequate clothing. A message dated July 17 stated that Mount Nanga Parbat, >kiiown to the.hill tribes as thjj"naked-ladv," one of the giants of tho western Himalayas, was feared to have claimed several victims from tho German: mountaineering expedition, according to the Calcutta "Statesman." Mcrkyl, the loader, Wieland, Welzenbach, Bornard, ; Muolritter, Aschnbrunner, j and1 Schneider, with several Indian porters, were missing. Two porters had died in a terrible blizzard that raged on thQ mountain for several days.- ■ News: received -front Astor, Kashmir, stated that on July 8 the climbers had roaehed 23,000 feet, almost to tho summit, when they encountered a. blizzard. Snow clouds miles long were blown off the.mountain top, and tents an"d sleeping bags carried away. The climbers hastily descended to lower altitudes, two porters dying on tho way, .. It was feared that Merky], AVieland, Welzenbach, and several porters perished in the: snowstorms at the camp. Seven others, four Germans • with porters, left immediately to attempt a rescue, but •thereafter they. , also had not been heard of and fears wore entertained for their safety.