ASCENT OF ACONCAGUA.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2357, 31 March 1897, Page 4

ASCENT OF ACONCAGUA.

The following telegram frcm a special correspondent appears m a Londop paper of February 17th :— Mendoza, February 25. Mr Vines, accompanied by a porter, has succeeded m emulating Zurbriggen's feat m reaching the summit of Aconcagua. Mr FitzGerald was again doomed to disappointment, being compelled to tarn back after reaching an altitude of 20,000 ft. This -was his sixth gallant but unsuccessful attempt to reach the summit, and fell short by 3,000 ft of what he accomplished a month ago. The expedition, before making its final attempt to scale Aconcagua, camped for fourteen Hays at an altitude of 19,0C0ft. Mr Vines reports that the summit of the mountain is porpnyritic, and that there is no existent trace of it having a volcanic origin. The barometer at the top fell to 12in., and the thermometer to 7deg. Fall. An hour was spent at the summit. On reaching the top the weather was fortunately fine, and the heliograph was used for the purpose of communicating with those below, b»t only with partial success, as the clouds that hung round the mountain continually obscured the sun, while all attempts were finally put a stop to by a gale which arose. Mr Vines and his companion measured the top, which formed a small plateau, and found ifc seventy yards square. Both, however, suffered intensely from the rareflcation of the air, which rendered respiration exceedingly difficult, otherwise a longer stay would have been made. The Napier Daily Telegraph reports that two residents of the Spit were poisoned last week by eating fish which had been exposed to the rays of the moon. Remedies were promptly applied, and the sufferers were soon out of danger. The Evening Post says : —The Wanganui Herald falls into an error when it states that Lieut.Colonel Hume is responsible for the inferior quality of the ammunition supplied to the volunteers who competed at the last meeting of the New Zealand Rifle Association. That gentleman ceased to be Under-Secretary foe Defence m June, 1895,, and has had&o more to do with the volunteers since that time Wm\ the editor of this paper. An. East- End parson asked his boys' school : " What is your duty towards your neighbour?" A likely boy was invited to speak. His answer was rPlease, air, watch -em.