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About The news-herald. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1909-1911 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 1909)
PRESIDENT AT GOLF last bivouac of their lost associates. Wooley succeeded in scaling the fateful summit. Il wPs In 1SS9 nnd 1S00 that Slgnor Sella made his visits, combining, like Deehy, photography wiih exploration, yet amending more peaks and securing that superb collection of views liter used In collaboration with Mr. Freshfield Doubtless the moat Impressive of nil the Caucasian giants iu Its aspiring grandeur it the double-towered rshbn, bo stationed on the watershed of two continent that one of Its peaks is in Europe and the other In Asia. The former was climbed In 1S88 by Mr. Cockln (A. C), who that same year vanquished Shkaia and .langa, and later, In 1S90. Adal Khokh and two other high peaks, In 1893 yet others, but in 1S05 was foiled In his attempt HOOK AN IIC exploration hits proved fa sclnating during the last halt e e n t u r y . Lofty mountains in the various quarters of our globe present a great Held. Modern inouii tnliicciing dates from the (list ascent of Mont Nunc, in 17SG and for more than half n century asecnla of importance were confined almost, exclu sively to the Alps. Another epoch making dale was 18.17, in which year wan founded the Knglish Alpine club, destined to become the prototype of tnore than eight score similar organ izations, represented in nearly every civilized land, societies whose lead ers generally turned to "the play ground of Europe" for the enjoyment of their (hot-en recreation. Hence it is not strange that in the next rpiarter of a century Switzerland and Tyrol had become hack neyed, with scarcely an Important peak left unclimhcd. In 18(18 Messrs. Freshfield, Tucker and Moore, of the English Alpine club, visited the Cnucnsiu and made the first ascent of Elbruz (18.317) at the westerly and of Kasbek (li,54r.) at the easterly end of the great cen tral chain. They may perhaps be regarded as the pioneers of a different type of moun tain exploration and certainly as the reveal ers, if not discoverers, of a new "playground" ion the confines of Europe and Asia, destined to witness in the last two decades of the cen tury the coming of experts of different na tionalities, who soon would leave, as In the Alps, n.i remote valley unvlalted nnd no proud summit unvnuqui.shcd. A glance at the map of the world shows upon the several continents vast systems of mountain ranges or striking Instances of iso lated peaks. To nolo only the principal ones, vo have here upon our western hemisphere that belt of varying width which, rising to markedly different altitudes, extends from the Arctic ocean to Cape Horn a distance of liardly less than lO.miO miles. In Alaska It attains 1 S.I oh feet in Mount St. Klins. about 19,00(1 in Mount T.ogan. a comparatively near neighbor, and over I'o.diio In Mount McKlnley, pome degrees nearer the Arctic circle. In South Americn, from the equator southward, it soars yet higher in such giants as Chlnibo ra.o,. Huascaran, Sorata and Aconcagua. It la here that the western continent reaches its culminating altitudes. In Asia a similarly Irregular and much In terrupted chain runs In a general southeast oily direction from near the black sea. He Kinning with the Caucasus and passing by way of the Klhurz mountains, several minor rangts and the Hindu Kush to the mighty Himalayas, which lor a distance of over 1.200 miles form the frontier of India, it ex tends to the sources of the Brahmaputra and the Irawadl; great spurs like the Kuen Lun mountains nnd the trans-Himalayan range, lately explored by Svcn Hedln, strike cast ward from It. This system has a reneh of perhaps 4.utm miles and In It (is it in Mount Everest, 29,002 feet, or some loftier peak, pos sibly caught sight of once or twice by men of the Occident?) we have the crown of the world. Yet farther north, iu central Asia, an other notable range, very recently explored, must nlso be mentioned, for In It rise peaks of truly Himalayan proportions the Tlnn Shan mountains, with Khan Tengrl, some 23, S0O feet in altitude Compared with these great systems "such limited region as the F.uropean Alps sink Into insignificance, and yet for inspiring gran deur and varictj and beauty of form, also as u school for the art of climbing on crag and snows, these readily accessible peaks will Always retain their prestige. The vast continent of Africa presents no corresponding mountain system. The Atlas range in the north Is -of minor importance; for, while its summits surpass 13,000 feet. they lire devoid of alpine features. Yet almost upon the equator, east of the median line f the continent and In the neighborhood of the t-Teat lakes at the sources of the Nile, a com plex of snowy peaks. Kuwenzori, and yet far ther east and south isolated giants like Kenia and Kilimanjaro rise to nltitudes far surpass ing Europe's long-boasted "monarch of moun tains." Mont lllanc measures 1 ."..7S 1 feet nbove the sea. Kenla is IS. OHO feet; Kiliman jaro 19.00, while nine of the chief summits of Riiwen.oii measure between 15,800 and 30,815 feet. The isles of the sea are not without their claimants for honor. If, In our extreme def erence for crowns of snow, we pass by the Hawaiian Volcano Manna Ken (13,95;t, pri mate of the peaks of the Pacific, and Fuji San (12.3Mi, the sacred mountain of Japan, and its compeers, wo shall find on the southern island of New Zealand, at a latitude of its hemisphere about that of our White Moun- Jg li-PlM M Ilk) ll IJrMcL Ill ' H(toKs Hitfri HY-'? ,jir Hnj VJutt VS " 'dg of the world's mys- 'V "efr-'fllW 1' teriou.-. heights, we must tUi-YyiX L IKWIAWtVJi IV consider not only the in- J Vt''& - 1 1 1 llnWJW lff I herein difllculties offered lX W$&vm4K w "X xWMiLMw r hy ,hP ,yp" nf mm,ntain , 5 jfoWW- Mm I,m WWZfrWrs. ascended, but ita remote- t jP i e - WP'f jl .h character of the com,. 'i! A ! ''''' 'V.JbVa w M il l ry to be traversed In 'A'm'mW , ,A r- &k ' Wmm fe reaching its base, the 'SMyfiMbW jf & W l Sll. M M of snow line, the ithmiy , f V .. 'AliW fc .'lunate, whether temper- WmmS'J ' r , ' &4 V' VA' If lM te or affording such htfti . f ; iAA V ,.' TUMI W las, half 1 V. I I iV 'Hi I SMt:tilso mV'-fl lil Wmmmmm JW0 W r-rv- MU'-"- tains of New Eng land, a a p 1 e ml id range of g I a e I e r b e a r I n g peaks, the Sunt h em Alps, cul minating in M o u n t Cook or Aora ngl (12,349), a mighty pin nacle of rook and lee. On the Island of New Guinea also there are mountains of even greater height, a peak of the Charles I.ou!b range, In the Dutch dominions, being credited with an elevation of 16,730 feet. In the Atlantic the Pico de Teyde, on the Island of Tonerifle, lifts the summit of its graceful volcanic cone 12,182 feet. Spitsbergen, in the Arctic, with its peaks rising 3,000 to 4.000 feet, one of which was climbed by Scoresby in 181 S, has invited several able climbers since 1.89(1.. Hut most recent geographical news presents the polar regions themselves as a field for alpinism. Peary, iu his last expedition ( 1905). ascended a low peak (2.050) and now among the interesting details of Lieut. Shnckleton's remarknble explorations in the Antarctic we hear of the discovery, in near proximity to the pole, of n lofty plateau upon which his party attained an altitude of 10,500 and in ferred that the southern end of the axis of our planet Is in this table land. To tho average reader, unfamiliar with the climber's craft, mere altitude is likely to bo the impressive fact in a comparative appreci ation of the difficulty nnd danger of mountain nscents; yet n table of heights by no means conveys adequate Information upon these points. Aside from the serious hardship oc casioned to nearly all persons at great alti tudes, apparently by the diminished quantity of oxygen, even the loftiest summits might prove of comparatively easy access, once the base were reached. Judging from Its outline and snows, as shown In Signer Sella's tele photographic view of the peak from the Chun jerma pass. Mount Everest Itself would be set down as an easy mountain; that Is. as offer ing no serious technical difllculties to the skilled climber. Mont lllanc was first climbed by nn untrained Cbamonlx peasant, alone, in a two days' trip. For difficulty and danger, this monarch of the Alps is far surpassed by many lesser peaks nay, by several of the "aiguilles" (needles) of its own neighborhood the Hlaitiere, Crands Chnrmoz, Dm, Grepon and Dames Anglaises; yet these crags are only from 11,300 to 12,300 feet high, with their bases high up on the outrenching spurs of the great white mountain. It was as late as 1901, seven years after his remarkable campaign In which he had accom plished in one month eight of the most ditll cult climbing feats of the Alps, four years after his conquest of Mount St. Kilns, nnd the year following his notable success In securing the "farthest north" for his polar expedition, that Prince Luigl of Savoy made the llrst as cent of the second In height of tho Dames Anglaises and christened it "Yolnudu Peak." Later he made the first ascent of the Aiguille Sans Nom., It was with climbs of this type in mind that tho historiographer of the Alas kan expedition could say concerning this as cent of Mount St. Ellas, whose conquest re quired nearly 40 days' Journey over glaciers nnd neve nearly the entire distance from tho shore of an Inhospitable sea to the altitude of 18,100 feet, that "if the winning of St. Ellas only meant the uscent of the terminal cone . . . It might be compared with many of the easier climbs in our own Alps." In determining, then, from a consideration of the hardship and sacrifice, what compara t ' WW y A. 1 't PSJW TTERMQBtl cd by Pr. nnd Mrs. Workman on the occasion of their recent climbing (I90fi) in the Nun Knn Himalayas, where, at an altitude of over 21,300 feet, the mercury In the tube of the solar thermometer fell from 193 F. to 4 de grees below zero within 15 hours, or amid such comfortless surroundings as those of Dr. Cook and his single companion, passing tho last night of their four days' ascent of Mount McKinley In n cavity stamped out In the deep snow slope, with a therniometric reading of 11 degrees below zero. Then there are such dangers as the risks from savage or ill-disposed natives, as in some of the valleys of the Caucasus and beyond the Kngllsh sphere of Influence In the Himalayas, or Insidious fever and the deadly "sleeping sickness" of the forests of equatorial Africa, to say noth ing ot the vexatious problems arising front the necessities of transportation of supplies by undisciplined porters. Some of the names of the victors recur sev eral times In the annnls of conquest. Wo have named the pioneers of 1SHS, members of the Alpine club. Moore, of that party, returned with F. C. Grove and others of the club In 1874 and scaled with them the western, slight ly higher, of the twin domes of Klbruz (18,470), like its fellow nn easy mountain. Dechy, a Hungarian alpinist and expert pho tographer, enine first In 1SS4, then In tho three following years, devoting his efforts ra ther to thn glaciers and passes than to the high summits nhd procuring the remarkable views that adorn his recently published vol umes. Dent came again with Monkln In 1SS0 nnd climbed Gestola (15,932). They both re turned in with Fox added to their party. A fortunate Indisposition detained Dent, while Fox nnd Don kin went on to climb Don gosorun (14.517) and (hen to attack tho stronghold of Ko: htntitnu. Here they and their guide perished Just how we shall never know. To Folve Ibe sad mystery Dent returned a year later with Freshfield. H. Wooley, tho present president of the Alpine club, and oth ers, and found high up on the grand peak the on the southern tower of Ushba. This was secured in 1903, after a repula that nearly cost him his life, by Hen A. Schul.e with others. Germany was also represented as early as 1891 -by llerren Purtschellei and Merzbacher, of whom the formet had climbed Kilimanjaro in 1SS7 anc the latter was to distinguish hlnisel! as a pioneer in the Tian-Shan moun tains. If the keen interest that had attend ed the continued revelations from this semi-adjacent region to the Caucasiif waj beginning to wane at the end ol the eighties, new matter came pouring In from various quarters to whet the appetite for alpine grandeurs. Th Rev. W. S. Green (A. C.) had visited New Zealand in 1882 and ascended Mount Cook (Aorangil, which attain an altitude of 12.349 feet. A pioneei there at the antipodes, stimulating the mnbltion of the young men of fhat new country snd exciting other emu latlon nearer home, he shortly direct ed his steps to the freshly opened mountain region of British Columbia nnd here, too, became the forerunnei of a new generation of alpinists, bring ing out the first mountaineering book for this new Switzerland. A New Zealand Alpine club was formed in 1R91. nnd not only Its owe peilodical but also the pages of the Alpine Journal have since brought out numerous articles descriptive of the noble scenery and stirring adventures among those Southern Alps. Of Itf. members one of the most active has been Mr. G. K. Mannerlng, author ol "With Axe and Hope In the New Zen land Alps" (Longmans, 1891). Doubt less the most exciting of the works that deal with this region is that of Mr. K.A.Fitzgerald, who in 1S95 made several brilliant ascents, Including tho Silver horn. Sefton and Cook. Among the episodes the story of his slip on Sefton nnd hanging in mid air supported only by the rope In the hands of Zurbriggen, himself hut Insecurely placed. Is one of the sort calculated to mnkc the heart even of the experienced climber stand still. Iletuining now to the western continent, It may bo In order to say a few words concern ing the development of mountaineering as a sport tin 'his aide of the Atlantic. The far west, and especially the Pacific slope of our continent, offers a much better held; yet even here, at least in the I'nlted States proper, distinctly alpine features are for the greater part absent. That vigorous societies have arisen here is not strange: the Sierra club in San Fram isco (1892) and the Maamns (1894) in Portland, Ore. The for mer finds n grand field for rock climbing in the high Sierra, the latter makes exhilarating and Inspiring snow excursions to the summits of t'ie extinct volcanoes of the Cascade range These beautiful snow-covered domes, Shasta (14.410). Hood ( 1 1.225). St. Helena (10,000) Adams ( 12.470) nnd Rainier (14,394), present no serious technical difllculties, as may be Judge.l from the fact that large parties of 30 to 40 of both sexes not Infrequently make their summits This is not true of Mount Maker (I0.S27), which a selected party of Ma zamas found almost beyond their powers In 1907. Mount Hitter 1 1 3,1 5H) was ascended by John .Mt.tr In the early seventies; .Mount Whitney ( 1 1,499). the highest summit In the I'nlted States proper, by Itciigole, Lucas and Johnson In 1873, nnd Mount Abbott ( 13.7m)) . whoso "forbidding summit ... Is one of the only (wo great Sierra peaks which has not been ascended" (so wrote Prof. J. N. LeConte in 1907), was conquered In 1908 by that leading authority on the Sierra Nevada, to whose camera we owe our picture of Its precipitous upper slopes. Mr. Taft's Style Is Most Earnest When He Plays. His Drive la a Strenuous Performance A Laugh Invariable at the End of Each Stroke Hia Put ting Impressive. Washington. When President Taft playB golf his style is most earnest when making the play and most non chalant nnd deliberate between strokes. He walks from one drive to tho other as though he was on a saun tering tour. When the president is to drive off he makes his wn tee of sand He does not use the patent little rub ber tee, nor does he have a caddy build the little mound for him. Mr. Taft's theory on this subject is that it is good for the general exercise of his body and specifically good for what might be termed his mlddlo west to stoop down. So he does it. Hut the president stoops down In a way that never will reduce the waiat line. He stands on one foot and ele vates the other in the attitude of n man stretching across a billiard table for a long shot. Having placed the ball on the tee, the president takes a long, hard look at the course ahead. If there is conversation behind him he turns around and shouts "Fore!" in a tone that cannot be mistaken. The president's swing at the ball on a drive, with a brassle on the fair green, is a strenuous performance. All of thu Taft smile disappears, and the stern look he assumes would be a shock to the public that has an impres sion only of the "jolly" Taft. He sets his jaw as though about to veto a tariff A AJki t Sir Ft r 11 t rty-, ft President Taft as a Golfer. bill or defy Aldrich, nnd swings with all the force of something more than 300 pounds of active muscle and bono Immediately the stroke is made tho president nssumes invariably one atti tudethat of anxious expectancy. He always "follows through" on drives and brassle or iron shots so his club comes up over the left shoulder. It remains there while he watches the course of the ball, his lips slightly apart and his body bent forward. When the ball has settled ho straight ens up and laughs. No one who ever played with tho president missed that laugh at the end of his stroke. If the play Id a good one the president's laugh is a shout; but even if it is a drive Into a bunker or off the course, ho laughs. Senator Hourne, Gen. Edwards, Vice-President Sherman and others who play often with Mr. Taft have remarked on the fact that he refuses to lose his temper. It makes it hard for a man who does get angry and swear, and these threo feel that they have a grievance. No one of them hesitates to express his opinion of a ball that does not go where he Intended to drive It, except when ho Is playing with the president. Mr. Taft probably Is most impres sive in his golf game when putting. His putter Is a massive piece of wood, iron snd lead. The face that strikes the ball Is broad, corrugated and with weight behind It. The president does not smooth tho turf In front of tho ball before putting. He squares himself, carefully shifting ills feet until he is directly In line with the hole. Then he putts with care, and watches, again, anxiously the course of the ball. If it goes around the cup, Instead of Into It, the president says "Pshaw." Then he laughs, and tries again. That laugh is the most trying part of being a pat titer or opponent of the president at goir. It gets on the nerves of a ninn who wants to swear. young A Handy Man. 'Why so sad?" queried the man, looking at her fondly. "Oh, nothing special; only I have troubles of ,my own," said the frail young thing, sighing. "1 Insist on taking a hand In them," he said, seizing a dainty palm that woo wasting Its time ia Iter lap. Uoston Herald.