A TRAGEDY OF THE MATTER HORN.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 7783, 22 November 1890, Page 1

A TRAGEDY OF THE MATTER HORN.

Notovon tho records of Alpino advonturo, in which thoro havo beon gloomy pages enough, effer anything moro ghastly than tho detailed aooounts which wo now havo of tho Sinigaglia -acoidont on tho Mattorhorn, Threo unfortunato men wero ovortakeu by a terrific storm, battered with hail and ico, and boloaguosed undor a rook; At last thoy attempted to strugglo forward, but tho veteran Carrol, aftor fruitless endeavors to keop up with hi* companions, suddonly sank dead at their fcot from exhaustion. t Tho ropo had at this timo become a solid bar of ice, and when Gorrott attempted to got at hia knifo in ordor to out it his jacket v> as so completely frozen that he could do nothing, Wo aro thus presented with tho dreadful spectacle of the two halfliving men compelled to drag after them aa thoy ataggored along tho body of thoir dead companion, until at length » friendly rook thrust itself aoross their path, and enabled Gorrcat to sever tho ropo with hia axo upon its surface. So ended this torriblo revival of tho medieval torture of binding tho dead with tho living. Thoro waa do time for *o much aa tho funoral rite of threo handfuls of snow, Smigaglig and hia guido pressed on onco moro and esoapod— but escaped to carry for no short space tho mark* printed on thorn of their battlo with tho elements, and to bear about with them tho memory of tho tragedy in which they played a part probably until their dying day.