ASCENT OF MONT BLANC BY A BLIND MAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5997, 5 February 1881, Page 7

ASCENT OF MONT BLANC BY A BLIND MAN.

Ik the Times, of a recent date, appears the following letter from Mr. F. J. Campbell, of the Royal Normal College and Academy of Music for the Blind, Upper Norwood, giving a description of his extraordinary ascent of Mont Blanc :—Sir, —My ascent of Mont Blanc was not a sudden, reckless undertaking. It was the result of a fixed purpose, and only undertaken after a long and careful preparation. I thoroughly understood and fully appreciated all the difficulties. In order to carry on my work on behalf of the blind, it is necessary to keep up my pluck, enerjy, and determination. Skating, swimming, rowing, riding, have all contributed their share to this end, but last year I went to Switzerland to try mountain climbing. The experiment was highly successful. Tins year I went again, accompanied by my wife, son, and his Highness Prince Alexander George of Hesse. After four weeks' continuous work on the glaciers and in various mountain ascents I went to Chamounix, and without difficulty achieved the object of my summer's excursion. In company with my son, with Benoit as my leading guide, I attacked Mont Blanc. At first the guides expected to drag me up, but I gave them their choice to leave me to climb in my own way or give up the undertaking. I was resolved to make an honest climb or give up the ascent. I took my place on the rope in the ordinary way, except that the distance between my son and myself was only a few feet. Tin's enabled me to follow liis footsteps closely, and in such places as the very dangerous crevasse near the grand plateau we moved in immediate succession. For instance, before lie would take the fingers of his right hand out of the hole which had been cut in the ice wall for the purpose, my left hand would touch his right hand and be ready to occupy the hole as soon as he relinquished it. With the exception of cutting very excellent steps for me, the guides during the .ascent did not assist me in any way. I was glad to find that the ascent of such steep places as the Bosse was much easier than I had anticipated. The cutting of steps required considerable time, and allowed me my leisure to prepare for each difficult and dangerous step. Besides carrying a strong alpenstock, I always take with me in difficult climbs a short walkingstck, which I often use in my right hand as an indicator, and to show the skill .vhieh it is possible to attain m this way, I may mention that I did not miss a single step in the entire ascent. When I reached the summit, Benoit exclaimed, " Welcome to the summit of Mont Blanc. You are the first and last blind gentleman who will ever stand upon this the highest point in Europe." But my mind was busy. Passing from peak to peak, I went round the entire circle, dwelling on many favourite summits. They had all been carefully studied, and each in its turn brought some new winged hope for the future. It was very cold, and the guides soon reminded us that we must bciin the descent. Before doing so, however," I consecrated my life anew to the blind, and have now returned to England to prosecute this one purpose of my life. In difficult climbs I rely entirely upon my own careful stc;vs and the strength of my own arm, but in making descents it is otherwise, especially over snowslopes. Here I take the guide's arm and my alpenstock in the other hand, and bound down with great rapidity. We made; the descent from the summit to the Grand Mrdeta in three hours and thirty minutes.