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THE
ROY E. CHRISTENSEN
COLLECTION
OF VICTORIAN BOOKS
AT
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
Assembled by David Magee
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
3 1197 22888 8670
IK
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N
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s%sy
SCRAMBLES
AMONGST THE ALPS IN THE
YEARS 1860-6$
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F(
SEEN FROM THE MAHERHORN ON JULY 14, 1865.
'THE TAUGWALDERS THOUGHT THAT IT HAD SOME CONNECTION WITH THE ACCIDENT"
Sff. Chap. XXII.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/9]]==
SCRAMBLES
AMONGST THE ALPS IN THE
YEAES 1860-69
BY
EDWARD WHYMPER
v\\ .
WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
Toil and pleasure, in their natures opposite, are yet linked together in a kind
of necessary connection. — Livv.
LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET
1871
All rights arc reserved.
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UPB
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PEEFACE.
In the year 1860, shortly before leaving England for a long conti-
nental tour, a certain eminent London publisher requested me to
make for him some sketches of the great Alpine peaks. At this
time I had only a literary acquaintance with mountaineering, and
had even not seen — much less set foot upon — a mountain. Amongst
the peaks which were upon my list was Mont Pelvoux, in Dau-
phine. The sketches that were required of it were to celebrate the
triumph of some Englishmen who intended to make its ascent.
They came — they saw — but they did not conquer. By a mere
chance I fell in with a very agreeable Frenchman who accompanied
this party, and was pressed by him to return to the assault. In
1861 we did so, with my friend Macdonald — and we conquered.
This was the origin of my scrambles amongst the Alps.
The ascent of Mont Pelvoux (including the disagreeables) was a
very delightful scramble. The mountain air did not act as an
emetic ; the sky did not look black, instead of blue ; nor did I feel
tempted to throw myself over precipices. I hastened to enlarge
my experience, and went to the Matterhorn. I was urged towards
Mont Pelvoux by those mysterious impulses which cause men to
peer into the unknown. Not only was this mountain reputed to be
the highest in Prance, and on that account was worthy of attention,
but it was the dominating point of a most picturesque district of
the highest interest, which, to this day, remains almost unexplored !
The Matterhorn attracted • me simply by its grandeur. It was con-
sidered to be the most thoroughly inaccessible of all mountains,
even by those who ought to have known better. Stimulated to
make fresh exertions by one repulse after another, I returned, year
a
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/12]]==
vi PREFACE.
after year, as I had opportunity, more and more determined to find
a way up it, or to prove it to be really inaccessible.
A considerable portion of this volume is occupied by the his-
tory of these attacks on the Matterhorn, and the other excursions
that are described have all some connection, more or less remote,
with that mountain or with Mont Pelvoux. All are new excur-
sions (that is, excursions made for the first time), unless the con-
trary is pointed out. Some have been passed over very briefly, and
entire ascents or descents have been disposed of in a single line.
If they had been worked out at full length, three volumes, instead
of one, would have been required. Generally speaking, the salient
points alone have been dwelt upon, and the rest has been left to
the imagination. This treatment has spared the reader from much
useless repetition.
In endeavouring to make the book of some use to those who
may wish to go mountain-scrambling, whether in the Alps or else-
where, undue prominence, perhaps, has been given to our mistakes
and failures ; and it will doubtless be pointed out that our practice
must have been bad if the principles which are laid down are sound,
or that the principles must be unsound if the practice was good. It
is maintained in an early chapter that the positive, or unavoidable,
dangers of mountaineering are very small, yet from subsequent
pages it can be shown that very considerable risks were run. The
reason is obvious — we were not immaculate. Our blunders are not
held up to be admired, or to be imitated, but to be avoided.
These scrambles amongst the Alps were holiday excursions,
and as such they should be judged. They are spoken of as sport,
and nothing more. The pleasure that they gave me cannot, I fear,
be transferred to others. The ablest pens have failed, and must
always fail, to give a true idea of the grandeur of the Alps. The
most minute descriptions of the greatest writers do nothing more
than convey impressions that are entirely erroneous — the reader
conjures up visions, it may be magnificent ones, but they are infi-
nitely inferior to the reality. I have dealt sparingly in descrip-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/13]]==
PREFACE. vii
tions, and have employed illustrations freely, in the hope that the
pencil may perhaps succeed where the pen must inevitably have
failed.
The preparation of the illustrations has occupied a large part
of my time during the last six years. With the exception of the
views upon pp. 21, 23, and 33, the whole of the illustrations have
been engraved expressly for the book, and, unless it is otherwise
specified, all are from my own sketches. About fifty have been
drawn on the wood by Mr. James Mahoney, and I am much in-
debted to that artist for the care and fidelity with which he has
followed my slight memoranda, and for the spirit that he has put
into his admirable designs. Most of his drawings will be identified
by his monogram. Twenty of the remainder are the work of Mr.
Cyrus Johnston, and out of these I would draw especial attention
to the view of the Matterhorn facing p. 84, the striated rock upon
p. 141, and the bits from the Mer de Glace upon pp. 355-6. The
illustrations have been introduced as illustrations, and very rarely
for ornamental purposes. We have subordinated everything in
them to accuracy, and it is only fair to the artists who have
honoured me by their assistance to say that many of their designs
would have ranked higher as works of art if they had been subjected
to fewer restrictions. Most of the subjects have required very fine
and finished engraving, and this, in its turn, has compelled the use
of paper of unexceptionable quality. The whole of the paper in the
book has been made expressly for it by Messrs. Dickinson, who
assure me that it is the finest paper they have ever produced — it
is certainly the most perfectly manufactured paper that has come
under my notice. Mr. Clark's printing will speak for itself.
It is now my pleasant duty to acknowledge assistance that has
been rendered, directly or indirectly, by friends and strangers, at
home or abroad. First of all, my thanks are due to my com-
panions for having placed their journals and sketches freely at my
disposal. I am particularly obliged to Mr. J. Longridge, to Mr.
T. F. Mitchell, and to Mr. W. Cutbill, for the facilities that they
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/14]]==
viii PREFACE.
granted me when examining the Fell railway in 1869. From the
Eev. T. G. Bonney (of St. John's Coll., Cambridge), and Mr. Kob. H.
Scott, F.E.S., I have received many friendly hints and much
valued criticism ; and aid, in a variety of ways, from Mr. Budden,
Prof. Gastaldi and Sig. Giordano, in Italy ; from M. Emile
Templier and the Marechal Canrobert, in France ; and from Mr.
Gosset of Berne. I am indebted to Mr. William Longman for
being allowed to reproduce the Ascent of Mont Pelvoux "" and
three of its accompanying illustrations, and to the Messrs. Long-
man for the use of a portion of their map of the Western Alps ; to
the English Alpine Club for the use of a part of Mr. Eeilly's map
of the Valpellitie and Yal Tournanche ; and especially to the
Federal Council of Switzerland for having granted the unusual
favour of a transfer from two of the valuable plates of the Dufour
map. The two remaining maps are original. That of Mont Blanc
is based upon the Government maps of France and Switzerland,
and the survey of Mr. Eeilly ; and that of the Matterhorn and its
glaciers (excluding some corrections which I have taken the liberty
of making) is an enlargement of a portion of the Dufour map.
Haslemere, May 1871.
* From Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers, 2d series. With this exception, almost the
whole of the text is now published for the first time.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/15]]==
CONTENTS.
I860
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY.
BEACHY HEAD — DEVIL OF NOTRE DAME — MULES — SCRAMBLING ALONE — THE WEISS-
HORN — ST. BERNARD — RASCALLY GUIDE — A VILLAGE CONCERT — STORM ON THE
COL DE LAUTARET ....... Pages 1-13
1861
CHAPTEE II.
THE ASCENT OF MONT PELVOUX.
THE VALLEYS OF DAUPHINJ3 — THE PEAKS OF DAUPHIN^ — MISTAKES IN THEIR
IDENTIFICATION — EARLY ATTEMPTS TO ASCEND MONT PELVOUX— INTRODUCTION
TO MONSIEUR REYNAUD — THE "ASSOCIATION ALIMENTAIRE " OF GRENOBLE —
MEETING WITH MACDONALD — CROSS THE COL DE LAUTARET — NATIONAL SENTI-
MENTS — WE ENGAGE A GUIDE — START FOR PELVOUX — PASS THE CAVERN OF
THE VAUDOIS — MASSACRE OF THE VAUDOIS — FIRST NIGHT OUT — WE ARE RE-
PULSED — ARRIVAL OF MACDONALD — THIRD NIGHT OUT — TORRENTS ON FIRE —
FALLING ROCKS — ASCENT OF THE PELVOUX — THE PYRAMID — VIEW FROM THE
SUMMIT — WE DISCOVER THE POINTE DES ECRINS — SURPRISED BY NIGHT — ON
FLEAS — EN ROUTE FOR MONTE VISO — VALUE OF THE PASSPORT SYSTEM — DE-
SERTERS — CAMP ON AN ANT-HILL — ST. VERAN — PRIMITIVE MANNERS— NATURAL
PILLARS — ARRIVE AT BRIANCON . . . . . .14-45
CHAPTER III.
THE MONT CENIS PASS AND THE FELL RAILWAY— THE GREAT
TUNNEL THROUGH THE ALPS.
DILIGENCES — A STEEP RAILROAD — THE CENTRE RAIL — DESCRIPTION OF THE FELL
RAILROAD — CENTRE RAIL BREAK — ADVANTAGES AND DEFECTS — HISTORY OF THE
MONT CENIS TUNNEL — THE " PERFORATRICES " — TEMPERATURE OF THE TUNNEL —
THE ADVANCED GALLERY — SYSTEM OF ATTACK — THE COST — ANNUAL PROGRESS —
VENTILATION — COMPARISONS ...... 46-79
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/16]]==
x CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IV.
MY FIRST SCRAMBLE ON THE MATTERHORN.
INTRODUCTION TO JEAN-ANTOINE CARREL — SUPERSTITIONS OF THE NATIVES IN RE-
GARD TO THE MATTERHORN — RIDGES OF THE MATTERHORN — EARLIEST ATTEMPTS
TO ASCEND THE MOUNTAIN — ATTEMPT BY THE MESSRS. PARKER — ATTEMPT BY
MESSRS. HAWKINS AND TYNDALL — ARRIVE AT BREIL — UNWILLINGNESS OF THE
GUIDES TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE MATTERHORN — THE CARRELS EN-
DEAVOUR TO CUT US OUT — THE ' GREAT STAIRCASE ' — WE DECIDE TO CAMP ON
THE COL DU LION — GREAT EXCITEMENT FROM FALLING STONES — LIGHT AND
SHADE — THE ' CHIMNEY ' — DEFEATED — A COOL PROCEEDING . Pages 80-95
1862
CHAPTER V.
RENEWED ATTEMPTS TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN.
MR. KENNEDY'S WINTER ATTEMPT — BENNEN refuses to start AGAIN — THE THEO-
DULE PASS — MEYNET, THE HUNCHBACK OF BREIL — ON ALPINE TENTS — MACDONALD
AND I START FOR THE MATTERHORN — NARROW ESCAPE OF KRONIG — VIOLENT
WIND TURNS US BACK — ENGAGE CARREL AND PESSION AND START AGAIN — THE
' GREAT TOWER ' — PESSION BECOMES ILL AND WE ARE OBLIGED TO RETURN — BAD
WEATHER — SCRAMBLE ALONE ON THE MATTERHORN — PIONEERS OF VEGETATION —
VIEW FROM THE TENT — A SOLITARY BIVOUAC — MONTE VISO SEEN BY MOONLIGHT
AT NINETY-EIGHT MILES' DISTANCE — ON AIDS TO CLIMBERS — CLIMBING CLAW —
FIND A NEW PLACE FOR THE TENT — DIFFICULTY AND DANGER — ON FOOLHARDI-
NESS — I ATTAIN A GREATER ALTITUDE ALONE THAN HAD BEEN REACHED BEFORE,
AND NEARLY COME TO GRIEF — MY FOURTH ATTEMPT TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN
— DEFEATED AGAIN BY WEATHER — THE CARRELS GO MARMOT-HUNTING, AND WE
START FOR A FIFTH ATTEMPT — DEFEATED BY NATURAL DIFFICULTIES — TYNDALL
ARRIVES AND CARRIES OFF THE CARRELS — A CANNONADE ON THE MATTERHORN — ■
TYNDALL IS REPULSED — CONFLAGRATION IN DAUPHINE . . 96-130
1863
CHAPTER VI.
THE VAL TOURNANCHE— THE BREUILJOCH— ZERMATT— ASCENT
OF THE GRAND TOURNALIN.
THE DOUANE — "BUT WHAT IS THIS?" — DIFFICULTIES WITH MY LADDER — EXPLANATION
OF TYNDALL'S REPULSE — ROMAN (?) AQUEDUCT IN THE VAL TOURNANCHE — ASCEND
THE CIMES BLANCHES — WE DECEIVE A GOAT — NEW PASS TO ZERMATT (BREUILJOCH)
AQUEOUS AND GLACIER EROSION — GLACIER VERSUS ROCKS — RESULTING FORMS
(ROCHES MOUTONN1SES) — MOTION OF GLACIERS PREVENTS THE ICE FROM BEING
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/17]]==
CONTENTS. xi
FORCED INTO HOLLOWS — PROJECTIONS ALONE SUFFER — CONSEQUENT FLATTENING
OF ROCK-SURFACES — ROCHES NIVELEES — STRIATIONS AND THEIR MEANING —
VIOLENT GLACIAL ACTION IN ICELAND — ROTUNDITY OF ROCHES MOUTONNEES PROVES
A SMALL AMOUNT OF EROSION — ON LEE-SIDES — THE EROSIVE POWER OF A GLACIER
CONSTANTLY DIMINISHES — CONSERVATION OF ROCKS — SEILER's DISINTERESTEDNESS
— THE MATTERHORN CLIFFS — EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT TO A CHAMOIS — COL DE
VALPELLINE — THE MASTER OF PRERAYEN — ATTEMPT TO ASCEND DENT D'ERIN
(D'HERENS) — THE VA CORNERE PASS — ASCENT OF THE GRAND TOURNALIN — SPLEN-
DID VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT — ON PANORAMIC VIEWS — GOUFFRE DES BUSSERAILLES
— AN ENTERPRISING INNKEEPER ..... Pages 131-168
CHAPTER VII.
OUR SIXTH ATTEMPT TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN.
EXTREMES MEET — THUNDER AND LIGHTNING — ECHOES OF THUNDER — GREAT ROCK-
FALLS DURING THE NIGHT — DEFEATED BY THE WEATHER — MYSTERIOUS MISTS
169-178
1864
CHAPTER VIII.
FROM ST. MICHEL TO LA BiERARDE BY THE COL DES AIGS. D'ARVE,
COL DE MARTIGNARE, AND THE BR^CHE DE LA MEIJE.
MICHEL CROZ — COL DE VALLOIRES — THE AIGUILLES D'ARVE — WE MAKE A PASS
BETWEEN THEM — COL DE MARTIGNARE — ASCENT OF THE AIG. DE LA SAUSSE — THE
MEIJE — BRECHE DE LA MEIJE — MELCHIOR ANDEREGG — LA GRAVE — THE BRECHE
IS WON — THE VALLON DES ETANCONS * . . . . . 179-200
CHAPTER IX.
THE ASCENT OF THE POINTE DES ECRINS.
BIVOUAC ON THE GLACIER DE LA BONNE PIERRE — DISSOLVING VIEWS — DRYNESS OF
THE AIR — TOPOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL DAUPHINE ALPS — FIRST ATTEMPTS TO ASCEND
THE ECRINS — A MIGHTY AVALANCHE — OUR ASCENT OF THE FINAL PEAK — ON
SPLINTERS FROM SUMMITS — LE JEU NE VAUT PAS LA CHANDELLE — SHATTERED
RIDGE — ALMER'S LEAP — SURPRISED BY NIGHT — A WARNING . . 201-221
CHAPTER X.
FROM VAL LOUISE TO LA B&RARDE BY THE COL DE PILATTE.
CHALETS OF ENTRAIGUES — ARRIVAL OF REYNAUD — ON SNOW COULOIRS — SUMMIT OF
THE COL — EXCITING DESCENT — REYNAUD COMES OVER THE SCHRUND — THE LAST
OF DAUPHIN^ ........ 222-231
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/18]]==
xii CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XL
PASSAGE OF THE COL DE TRIOLET, AND ASCENTS OF MONT DOLENT,
AIGUILLE DE TRF,LATF,TE, AND AIGUILLE D'ARGENTlftRE.
MAPS OF MONT BLANC — MR. ADAMS-REILLY — OUR COMPACT — THE PEAKS OF THE MONT
BLANC RANGE — ACROSS THE COL DE TRIOLET — A MINIATURE ASCENT — REILLY
ADVOCATES PATIENCE — BIVOUAC ON MONT SUC— ASCENT OF AIG. DE TR^LATETE —
THE MORAINE OF THE MIAGE — ON MORAINES IN GENERAL — ERRONEOUS VIEWS
RESPECTING THEM—MORAINES IN GREENLAND — OUR FIRST ATTEMPT TO ASCEND
AIG. D'ARGENTIERE — A CONCEALED CAVERN — SUCCESS AT LAST — MR. RElLLY's
map ........ Pages 232-252
CHAPTEE XII.
THE MOMING PASS— ZERMATT.
SWISS MENDICANTS — NIGHT ON THE ARPITETTA ALP — A PERILOUS PATH — ICE-
AVALANCHE — SUMMIT OF THE MOMING PASS — CROZ DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF —
THE CLUB-ROOM OF ZERMATT ...... 253-262
1865
CHAPTEE XIII.
THE ASCENT OF THE GRAND CORNIER.
ON CHOICE OF ROUTES — REGRETS — ZINAL — ASCENT OF THE GRAND CORNIER — EFFECTS
OF SUN AND FROST — GREAT RIDGES SUFFER MOST — POINTS OF DIFFERENCE BE-
TWEEN ATMOSPHERIC AND GLACIER EROSION — ABRICOLLA . . 263-273
CHAPTEE XIV.
THE ASCENT OF THE DENT BLANCHE.
LESLIE STEPHEN — KENNEDY'S ASCENT — ON BERGSCHRUNDS — UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS
— A RACE FOR LIFE — BENIGHTED — A SURPRISE .... 274-280
CHAPTEE XV.
LOST ON THE COL D'HERENS— SEVENTH ATTEMPT TO ASCEND
THE MATTERHORN.
A LATE START AND THE RESULT — BEWILDERED — RETURN TO ABRICOLLA — CROSS COL
D'HERENS TO ZERMATT — ASCEND THE THEODULHORN — NEW IDEAS REGARDING THE
MATTERHORN — DECEPTIVENESS OF THE EAST FACE — STRATIFICATION — DIP OF THE
BEDS — TRY ANOTHER ROUTE — " SAUVE QUI PEUT " — BEATEN AGAIN . 281-294
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/19]]==
CONTENTS. xiii
CHAPTER XVI.
ON THE VALLEY OF AOSTA AND THE ASCENT OF THE
GRANDES JORASSES.
THE BOUQUETIN — ON CRETINISM AND GOITRE — CAUSES OF THEIR ORIGIN — POSSIBILITY
OF CHECKING PROGRESS OF CRETINISM — THE ANCIENT GLACIER OF AOSTA AND THE
MORAINES OF IVREA — RAMSAY'S EROSION THEORY — TYNDALL's THEORY — CONTRA-
DICTIONS — CRITICISM OF THE THEORIES — CONCLUSIONS — SUMMIT OF THE GRANDES
jorasses — we start an avalanche .... Pages 295-345
CHAPTER XVII.
THE COL DOLENT.
CONFUSION OF IDEAS — A MIDNIGHT START — SUMMIT OF THE PASS — EXTRAORDINARY
ICE-WALL — MANNER OF ITS DESCENT — ON ICE-AXES AND THEIR USE — ON ICE-
SLOPES AND THEIR SAFETY — CRAMPONS — ARRIVAL AT CHAMOUNIX . 346-352
CHAPTER XVIII.
ASCENT OF THE AIGUILLE VERTE.
croz leaves us — christian almer— sunset on the mer de glace — structure
of glaciers — the " veined structure" — origin of veins in glaciers —
ascent of the aiguille — advice to mountain walkers — view from the
summit — storms come on — a worthy porter — the noble attitude of
chamounix ........ 353-365
CHAPTER XIX.
THE COL DE TALEFRE.
the col du geant — the glacier de talefre — easy way from chamounix
to cormayeur — glissading — passes over the main chain of mont
blanc .... ..... 366-369
CHAPTER XX.
ASCENT OF THE RUINETTE— THE MATTERHORN.
FACILITY WITH WHICH THE- RUINETTE CAN BE ASCENDED — NOBLE PANORAMA— ON
CONCEALED CREVASSES — GUIDES' OBJECTION TO USE OF THE ROPE — ON THE USE
AND ABUSE OF THE ROPE — ALMER DECLINES THE MATTERHORN — ENGAGE THE
CARRELS — THEIR DEFECTION — THE ITALIANS STEAL A MARCH — ARRIVAL OF LORD
FRANCIS DOUGLAS — MEETING WITH CROZ AND HUDSON . . . 370-383
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/20]]==
XIV
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXL
THE ASCENT OF THE MATTERHORN.
CHARLES HUDSON — CAMP ON THE EAST FACE — CROZ REPORTS FAVOURABLY— ASCENT
OF THE EASTERN FACE — CROSS TO THE NORTHERN SIDE — ARRIVAL AT SUMMIT —
DISCOMFITURE OF THE ITALIANS — ASTONISHMENT AT BREIL — MARVELLOUS PANO-
RAMA ........ Pages 384-394
CHAPTER XXII.
THE DESCENT OF THE MATTERHORN.
ORDER OF THE DESCENT— A FRIGHTFUL AVALANCHE — HADOW SLIPS — DEATH OF CROZ,
HADOW, HUDSON, AND LORD F. DOUGLAS — TERROR OF THE TAUGWALDERS— THE
BROKEN ROPE — AN APPARITION — AN INFAMOUS PROPOSITION — SURPRISED BY NIGHT
— SEARCH FOR AND RECOVERY OF THE BODIES — OFFICIAL EXAMINATION — THE
END ......... 395-408
APPENDIX.
A. PROGRESS OF THE GREAT TUNNEL THROUGH THE ALPS .
B. THE DEATH OF BENNEN .....
C. STRUCK BY LIGHTNING UPON THE MATTERHORN
D. NOTE ON THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN FRANCE .
E. SUBSEQUENT HISTORY OF THE MATTERHORN
F. TABLE OF ATTEMPTS TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN
G. TABLE OF ASCENTS OF THE MATTERHORN
H. GEOLOGY OF THE MATTERHORN, BY SIG. F. GIORDANO .
I. ON STRATIFICATION OF SNOW AND FORMATION OF GLACIER
J. DENUDATION IN THE VALLEY OF THE DURANCE
PAGE
411
412
414
415
415
422
423
424
426
431
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/21]]==
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
The Drawings were made on the Wood by
H. J. Boot, C. Johnson, J. Mahoney, J. W. North, P. Skelton, W. G. Smith, and C. J. Staniland;
and were Engraved by J. W. and Edward Whymper.
From Photographs.
Designs.
1.
2.
* 3.
4.
To face page 35
52
■it*
10.
■M-*
11.
**
12.
**
13
14
15.
16
*
17
18
FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
Fog-bow, seen from the Matterhorn on July 14, 1865. Frontispiece
Mont Pelvoux and the Alefroide, from near Mont
Dauphin
The Mont Cenis Road and the Fell Railway, ox the
Italian side .
Outlines of the Matterhorn from the north-east and
from the Summit of the Theodule Pass (to show
Ridges, and Points attained on the different
attempts to ascend the mountain) ....
The Matterhorn, from near the Summit of the Theo-
dule Pass .
' The Chimney '
" In attempting to pass the corner I slipped and feli
A Cannonade on the Matterhorn (1862)
The Crags of the Matterhorn, during the Storm,
Midnight, Aug. 10, 1863
Descending Western Arete of the Pointe des Ecrins
" We saw a toe — it seemed to belong to Moore ; w
saw Reynaud a flying body "
The Summit of the Homing Pass in 1864
The Club-Room of Zermatt in 1864
The Bergschrund on the Dent Blanche in 1865
The Matterhorn from the Riffelberg .
Sections of the Matterhorn ....
The Gkandes Jorasses from the Val Ferret
The Summit of the Col Dolent ....
83
84
119
120
127
175
217
229
259
262
276
285
288
344
347
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/22]]==
XVI
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
19. Geological Section of the Matterhorn . . . To face page 425
20. Natural Pinnacles (formed out of an old Moraine)
in the Valley of the Durance .... ,, 431
21 . Vertical Section of the Snow on the Col de Valpelline,
August 1866 (Folding Plate) . .At the end of the Volume.
IN TH E TEXT.
1. Beachy Head .
2. The Devil of Notre Dame
1 3. Mules
* 4. A CiraiS in Difficulties
r 5. Which is the Brute ?
6. At the St. Bernard
* 7. "Garibaldi !"
1 8. Briancon
9. Mont Pelvoux from above La Bessie
10. In the Val d'Alefred ....
11. The Grand Pelvoux de Val Louise
12. Buttresses of Mont Pelvoux
13. Portrait of R. J. S. Macdonald
14. Outline to show Route up Mont Pelvoux
15. The Blanket Bag
16. Natural Pillar near Molines
17. Crossing Mont Cenis ....
18. The Little Postilion ....
19. The Centre Rail on a Curve
20. Section of the Fell Railway
21. The Covered "Ways of the Fell Railway
22. The Centre Rail Break
23. Tubes Conveying the Compressed Air to the Mont Cenis Tunn
and Joints of the Same ....
24. Transverse Section of the Mont Cenis Tunnel
25. Cross Section of the Advanced Gallery
26. Longitudinal Section of the End of the Advanced Gallery
27. Portrait of J. J. Bennen
28. Portrait of Jean-Antoine Carrel ....
29. The Col du Lion : looking towards the Tete du Lion
30. Diagram to show manner of fastening Tent-poles
31. Alpine Tent
32. Climbing Claw
33. Rope and Ring
34. At 8rf.il (Giomeinm
EL,
PAGE
1
2
3
7
8
9
12
14
21
23
24
28
31
33
42
44
46
47
49
49
52
53
64
65
70
71
86
89
91
100
100
110
111
122
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/23]]==
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
35. The Matterhorn from Breil
** 36. " But what is this ? " . .
37. An Arch of the Aqueduct in the Val Tournanche
* 38. Water-worn Rocks in the Gorge below the Gorner Glacier
39. Striatioms produced by Glacier-action .
40. Sections of Roches Moutonnees and Roches Nivelees
41. Diagram of Weathered Bock
** 42. "Carrel lowered me down"
* 43. Portrait of Monsieur Favre
* 44. Crossing the Channel
* 45. Portrait of Michel- Auguste Croz . .
46. Plan to show Route .
47. The Aiguilles d'Arve from above Chalets of Rieu Blanc .
* 48. Portrait of Melchior Anderegg .......
49. Map of the Breche de la Meije, etc
50. Diagram to show Angle of Summit of Meije, as seen from La Gray
* 51. The Vallon des Etancoxs
J
52. Map of the Central Dauphin^ Alps
53. The Pointe des Ecrins from the Col du Galibier
54. Outline to show Route up Pointe des Ecrtns
55. Fragment from the Summit of the Pointe des Ecrins
** 56. A Night with Croz
** 57. A Snow Couloir ....
** 58. Portraits of Mr. Reilly on a wet day
59. Our Camp on Mont Sue .
60. Ice- Avalanche on the Moming Pass
61. Facsimile of a Letter from Croz .
62. Part of the Southern Ridge of the Grand Cornier .
63. Part of the Northern Ridge of the Grand Cornier .
* 64. Portrait of Leslie Stephen . . . . . .
* 65. Portrait of T. S. Kennedy
66. Diagrams to show Dip of Strata on the Matterhorn .
* 67. My Tent-bearer — The Hunchback
* 68. The Bouquetin
69. A Cretin of Aosta .
70. Imaginary Section of a Glacier
71. Quartz-vein ....
72. My Ice-axe ....
73. Kennedy Ice-axe
74. Another form of Ice-axe
75. Crampon
xv n
PAGE
128
131
135
140
141
144
151
163
176
178
180
183
185
193
195
e 197
199
202
211
212
215
220
225
241
242
258
267
269
270
274
280
287
292
297
300
333
336
349
350
350
351
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/24]]==
XV111
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
*
76.
*
77.
*
78.
•*
79.
**
80.
**
81.
**•
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
*
87.
88.
89.
*-*
90.
Portrait of Christian Almer
On the Mer de Glace
Ice-Pinnacles on the Mer de Glace
Western Side of the Col de Talefre
Glissading .....
The Wrong Way to use a Rope on Glacier .
The Right Way to use a Rope on Glacier .
"Croz! Croz ! ! Come here "
The Summit of the Matterhorn
The Actual Summit of the Matterhorn in 1865
Rope broken on the Matterhorn .
Portrait of Monsieur Seiler .
Manilla Rope broken on the Matterhorn .
The 'Second' Rope broken on the Matterhorn
The End
PAGE
354
355
356
366
368
374
375
390
392
395
398
401
403
405'
408
MAPS.
To be placed at the end of the Volume.
1. General Route Map.
2. The Valley of Zermatt, and the Central Pennine Alps.
3. The Valpelline, the Valtournanche, and the Central Pennine Alps.
4. The Chain of Mont Blanc.
5. The Matterhorn and its Glaciers (In Colours).
The body of the Work is printed by R. Clark, Edinburgh ; the separate Plates
have been printed by the Author.
errata.
Page 20, line from top, " Col de Lantaret" to read " Col de Lautaret."
,, 29, „ 13-15 ,, " Pie des Archies" ,, " Pic de Arcines."
,, 45, note t "See Chap. 23" ,, " See Appendix."
,, 147, line 1 from top, " early and coarse" ,, " early, or a coarse."
,, 215, note, "referred to in Chapter xx." ,, " referred to in Chapter xxi.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/25]]==
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/26]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/27]]==
5EACHV HEAD.
CHAPTEE I.
On the 23d of July 1860, I started for my first tour in the Alps.
As we steamed out into the Channel, Beachy Head came into view,
and recalled a scramble of many years ago. With the impudence
of ignorance, my brother* and I, schoolboys both, had tried to scale
that great chalk cliff. Not the head itself — where sea-birds circle,
and where the flints are ranged so orderly in parallel lines — but at
a place more to the east, where the pinnacle called the Devil's
Chimney had fallen down. Since that time we have been often in
dangers of different kinds, but never have we more nearly broken
our necks than upon that occasion.
In Paris I made two ascents. The first to the seventh floor of
The author of Travels in Alaska.
B
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/28]]==
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. I.
a house in the Quartier Latin — to an artist friend, who was engaged,
at the moment of my entry, in combat with a little Jew. He
hurled him with great good-will, and with considerable force, into
some of his crockery, and then recommended me to go up the
towers of Notre Dame. Half-an-hour later I stood on the parapet
of the great west front, by the side of the leering fiend which for
centuries has looked down upon the great city. It looked over the
Hotel Dieu to a small and common-
place building, around which there was
always a moving crowd. To that build-
ing I descended. It was filled with
chattering women and eager children,
who were struggling to get a good
^s
sight of three corpses, which were ex-
posed to view. It was the Morgue.
I quitted the place disgusted, and
overheard two women discussing the
spectacle. One of them concluded with
" But that it is droll;" the other answered approvingly, " But that it
is droll," and the Devil of Notre Dame, looking down upon them,*
seemed to say, " Yes, your climax— the cancan, your end — not
uncommonly that building ; it is droll, but that it is droll."
I passed on to Switzerland ; saw the sunlight lingering on the
giants of the Oberland ; heard the echoes from the cow-horns in the
Lanterbrunnen valley and the avalanches rattling off the Jungfrau ;
and then crossed the Gemmi into the Yalais, resting for a time by
the beautiful Oeschinen See, and getting a forcible illustration of
glacier-motion in a neighbouring valley — the Gasteren Thai. The
upper end of this valley is crowned by the Tschingel glacier, which,
as it descends, passes over an abrupt cliff that is in the centre of its
course. On each side the continuity of the glacier is maintained,
but in the centre it is cleft in twain by the cliff. Lower down it is
consolidated again. I scrambled on to this lower portion, advanced
The position of the Morgue has been changed since 1860.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/29]]==
CHAP. I.
ON MULES.
towards the cliff, and then stopped to admire the contrast of the
brilliant pinnacles of ice with the blue sky. Without a warning, a
huge slice of the glacier broke away, and fell over the cliff on to
the lower portion with a thundering crash. Fragments rolled
beyond me ; although, fortunately, not in my direction. I fled, and
did not stop until off the glacier ; but before it was quitted learned
another lesson in glacial matters : the terminal moraine, which
seemed to be a solid mound, broke away underneath me, and
showed that it was only a superficial covering resting on a slope
of glassy ice.
On the steep path over the Gemmi there were opportunities
for observing the manners and customs of the Swiss mule. It is
not perhaps in revenge for gene-
rations of ill-treatment that the
mule grinds one's legs against
fences and stone walls, and pre-
tends to stumble in awkward
places, particularly when coming
round corners and on the brinks
of precipices ; but their evil habit
of walking on the outside edges of
paths (even in the most unguarded
positions) is one that is distinctly
the result of association with man.
The transport of wood from the
mountains into the valleys occu-
pies most of the mules during a
considerable portion of the year;
the faggots into which the wood
is made up project some distance on each side, and it is said that
they walk intuitively to the outside of paths having rocks on the
other side to avoid the collisions which would otherwise occur.
When they carry tourists they behave in a similar manner ; and,
no doubt, when the good time for mules arrives, and they no longer
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/30]]==
4 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. i.
carry burdens, they will still continue, by natural selection, to do
the same. This habit frequently gives rise to scenes ; two mules
meet ; each wishes to pass on the outside, and neither will give way.
It requires considerable persuasion, through the medium of the
tail, before such difficulties are arranged.
I visited the baths of Leuk, and saw the queer assemblage of
men, women, and children, attired in bathing-gowns, chatting,
drinking, and playing at chess in the water. The company did
not seem to be perfectly sure whether it was decorous in such a
situation and in such attire for elderly men to chase young females
from one corner to another, but it was unanimous in howling at
the advent of a stranger who remained covered, and literally yelled
when I departed without exhibiting my sketch.
I trudged up the Ehone valley, and turned aside at Visp to go
up the Visp Thai, where one would expect to see greater traces of
glacial action, if a glacier formerly filled it, as one is said to have
done.*
I was bound for the valley of Saas, and my work took me high
up the Alps on either side ; far beyond limit of trees and the tracks
of tourists. The view from the slopes of the Wiessmies, on the
eastern side of the valley, 5000 or 6000 feet above the village
of Saas, is perhaps the finest of its kind in the Alps. The full
height of the three-peaked Mischabel (the highest mountain in
Switzerland) is seen at one glance; 11,000 feet of dense forests,
green alps, pinnacles of rock, and glittering glaciers. The peaks
seemed to me then to be hopelessly inaccessible from this direction.
I descended the valley to the village of Stalden, and then went
up the Visp Thai to Zermatt, and stopped there several days.
Numerous traces of the formidable earthquake-shocks of five years
before still remained, particularly at St. Nicholas, where the in-
habitants had been terrified bevond measure at the destruction of
* And to have supplied from high up the valley of Saas " the well-known blocks of
gabbro, which arc recognised so extensively over the plains of Switzerland." J. I).
Forbes, Toiir of Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa, p. 295.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/31]]==
chap. i. SCRAMBLING ALONE. 5
their churches and houses. At this place, as well as at Visp, a
large part of the population was obliged to live under canvas for
several months. It is remarkable that there was hardly a life lost
on this occasion, although there were about fifty shocks, some of
which were very severe.
At Zermatt I wandered in many directions, but the weather
was bad, and my work was much retarded. One day, after spend-
ing a long time in attempts to sketch near the Hornli, and in futile
endeavours to seize the forms of the peaks as they for a few seconds
peered out from above the dense banks of woolly clouds, I deter-
mined not to return to Zermatt by the usual path, but to cross the
Gorner glacier to the Eiffel hotel. After a rapid scramble over the
polished rocks and snowbeds which skirt the base of the Theodule
glacier, and wading through some of the streams which flow from it,
at that time much swollen by the late rains, the first difficulty was
arrived at, in the shape of a precipice about three hundred feet
high. It seemed that there would be no difficulty in crossing the
glacier if the cliff could be descended ; but higher up, and lower
down, the ice appeared, to my inexperienced eyes, to be impassable
for a single person. The general contour of the cliff was nearly
perpendicular, but it was a good deal broken up, and there was little
difficulty in descending by zigzagging from one mass to another.
At length there was a long slab, nearly smooth, fixed at an angle of
about forty degrees between two wall-sided pieces of rock ; nothing,
except the glacier, could be seen below. It was an awkward place,
but being doubtful if return were possible, as I had been dropping
from one ledge to another, passed it at length by lying across the
slab, putting the shoulder stiffly against one side, and the feet
against the other, and gradually wriggling down, by first moving
the legs and then the back. When the bottom of the slab was
gained a friendly crack was seen, into which the point of the
baton could be stuck, and I dropped down to the next piece. It
took a long time coming down that little bit of cliff, and for a few
seconds it was satisfactory to see the ice close at hand. In another
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/32]]==
6 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. i.
moment a second difficulty presented itself. The glacier swept
round an angle of the cliff, and as the ice was not of the nature
of treacle or thin putty, it kept away from the little bay, on the
edge of which I stood. We were not widely separated, but the edge
of the ice was higher than the opposite edge of rock ; and worse, the
rock was covered with loose earth and stones which had fallen from
above. All along the side of the cliff, as far as could be seen in both
directions, the ice did not touch it, but there was this marginal
crevasse, seven feet wide, and of unknown depth.
All this was seen at a glance, and almost at once I concluded
that I could not jump the crevasse, and began to try along the cliff
lower down ; but without success, for the ice rose higher and higher,
until at last further progress was stopped by the cliffs becoming
perfectly smooth. With an axe it would have been possible to cut
up the side of the ice ; without one I saw there was no alternative
but to return and face the jump.
It was getting towards evening, and the solemn stillness of the
High Alps was broken only by the sound of rushing water or of
falling rocks. If the jump should be successful, — well ; if not, I fell
into that horrible chasm, to be frozen in, or drowned in that gurg-
ling, rushing water. Everything depended on that jump. Again 1
asked myself, " Can it be done ? " It must be. So, finding my stick was
useless, I threw it and the sketch-book to the ice, and first retreat-
ing as far as possible, ran forward with all my might, took the leap,
barely reached the other side, and fell awkwardly on my knees.*
Almost at the same moment a shower of stones fell on the spot
from which I had jumped.
The glacier was crossed without further trouble, but the Eiffel,t
* This would of course have been nothing to a practised gymnast in a room. The
difficulty lay chiefly in jumping from bad footing on to worse. The incident would
not have occurred if the cliffs had been descended a little more to the east.
+ The Riffel hotel (the starting-point for the ascent of Monte Rosa), a deservedly
popular inn, belonging to Monsieur Seiler, the proprietor of the hotels at Zermatt, is
situate at a height of 3100 feet above that village (8400 above the sea), and commands
a superb panoramic view.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/33]]==
chap. i. THE CHURCH IN DIFFICULTIES. 7
which was then a very small building, was crammed with tourists,
and could not take me in. As the way down was unknown to me,
some of the people obligingly suggested getting a man at the chalets,
otherwise the path would be certainly lost in the forest. On arriv-
ing at the chalets no man could be found, and the lights of Zermatt,
shining through the trees, seemed to say, " Never mind a guide, but
come along down ; I'll show you the way ;" so off I went through
the forest, going straight towards them. The path was lost in a
moment, and was never recovered ; I was tripped up by pine-roots,
tumbled over rhododendron bushes, fell over rocks. The night
was pitch dark, and after a time the lights of Zermatt became
obscure, or went out altogether. By a series of slides, or falls, or
evolutions more or less disagreeable, the descent through the forest
was at length accomplished ; but torrents of formidable character
had still to be passed before one could arrive at Zermatt. I felt
my way about for hours, almost hopelessly ; by an exhaustive pro-
cess at last discovering a bridge, and about midnight, covered with
dirt and scratches, re-entered the inn which I had quitted in the
morning.
Others besides tourists got into difficulties. A day or two after-
wards, when on the way to my old station,
near the Hornli, I met a stout cure who
had essayed to cross the Theodule pass.
His strength or his wind had failed, and
he was being carried down, a helpless
bundle and a ridiculous spectacle, on the
back of a lanky guide, while the peasants
stood by with folded hands, their reverence
for the church almost overcome by their
sense of the ludicrous.
I descended the valley, diverging from the path at Kanda to
mount the slopes of the Dom,* in order to see the Weisshorn face
to face. The latter mountain is the noblest in Switzerland, and
* The highest of the Mischabelhorner.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/34]]==
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP, T.
from this direction it looks especially magnificent. On its north
there is a large snowy plateau that feeds the glacier of which a
portion is seen from Eanda, and which on more than one occasion
has destroyed that village. From the direction of the Dom —
that is, immediately opposite, this Bies glacier* seems to descend
nearly vertically ; it does not do so, although it is very steep.
Its size is much less than formerly, and the lower portion, now
divided into three tails, clings in a strange, weird-like manner to
the cliffs, to which it seems scarcely possible that it can remain
attached.
Unwillingly I parted from the sight of this glorious mountain,
and went down to Yisp.
A party of English tour-
ists had passed up the
valley a short time be-
fore with a mule. The
party numbered nine —
eight young women and
a governess. The mule
carried their luggage, and
was ridden by each in
turn. The peasants —
themselves not unaccus-
tomed to overload their
beasts — were struck with
astonishment at the un-
wonted sight, and made
comments, more free than welcome to English ears, on the non-
chalance with which young miss sat, calm and collected, on the
miserable beast, while it was struggling under her weight, com-
bined with that of the luggage. The story was often repeated ;
and it tends to sustain some of the hard things which have been
* Ball's Jfyrine Guide speaks of this incorrectly as the small Bies glacier. It is
about half-a-mile wide,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/35]]==
CHAP. I.
AT THE ST. BERNARD.
said of late about young ladies from the ages of twelve or fourteen
to eighteen.
Arriving once more in the Rhone Valley, I proceeded to
Viesch, and from thence ascended the Eggischorn ; on which
unpleasant eminence I lost my way in a fog, and my temper
shortly afterwards. Then, after crossing the Grimsel in a severe
thunderstorm, passed on to Brienz, Interlachen, and Bern ; and
thence to Fribourg and Morat, Neuchatel, Martigny, and the St.
Bernard. The massive walls of the convent were a welcome sight
as I waded through the snow-beds near the summit of the pass,
and pleasant also was the courteous saluta-
tion of the brother who bade me enter. He
wondered at the weight of my knapsack, and
I at the hardness of their bread. The saying
that the monks make the toast in the winter
that they give to tourists in the following-
season is not founded on truth ; the winter
is their most busy time of the year. But it
is true they have exercised so much hospi-
tality, that at times they have not possessed
the means to furnish the fuel for heating their
chapel in the winter*
Instead of descending to Aosta, I turned aside into the Val
Pelline, in order to obtain views of the Dent d'Erin. The night
had come on before Biona was gained, and I had to knock long
and loud upon the door of the cure's house before it was opened.
An old woman, with querulous voice, and with a large goitre,
answered the summons, and demanded rather sharply what was
wanted ; but became pacific — almost good-natured — when a five-
franc piece was held in her face, and she heard that lodging and
supper were requested in exchange.
* The temperature at the St. Bernard in the winter is frequently 40° Fahr. below-
freezing point. January is their coldest month. See Dollfus-Ausset's Materiaux
2>our V etude des Glaciers, vols. vi. and vii.
C
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/36]]==
10 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, l
My directions asserted that a passage existed from Prerayen, at
the head of this valley, to Breuil,* in the Val Tournanche, and the
old woman, now convinced of my respectability, busied herself to
find a guide. Presently she introduced a native, picturesquely
attired in high-peaked hat, braided jacket, scarlet waistcoat, and
indigo pantaloons, who agreed to take me to the village of Val
Tournanche. We set off early on the next morning, and got to the
summit of the pass without difficulty. It gave me my first experi-
ence of considerable slopes of hard steep snow, and, like all begin-
ners, I endeavoured to prop myself up with my stick, and kept it
outside, instead of holding it between myself and the slope, and
leaning upon it, as should have been done. The man enlightened
me ; but he had, properly, a very small opinion of his employer, and
it is probably on that account that, a few minutes after we had
passed the summit, he said he would not go any further and would
return to Biona. All argument was useless ; he stood still, and to
everything that was said answered nothing but that he would go
back. Being rather nervous about descending some long snow-
slopes, which still intervened between us and the head of the val-
ley, I offered more pay, and he went on a little way. Presently
there were some cliffs down which we had to scramble. He called
to me to stop, then shouted that he would go back, and beckoned
to me to come up. On the contrary, I waited for him to come
down ; but instead of doing so, in a second or two he turned round,
clambered deliberately up the cliff, and vanished. I supposed it
was only a ruse to extort offers of more money, and waited for half-
an-hour, but lie did not appear again. This was rather embarrassing,
for he carried off my knapsack. The choice of action lay between
chasing him and going on to Breuil, risking the loss of my knap-
sack. I chose the latter course, and got to Breuil the same even-
ing. The landlord of the inn, suspicious of a person entirely
innocent of luggage, was doubtful if he could admit me, and
eventually thrust me into a kind of loft, which was already oc-
* There was not a pass between Prerayen and Brenil. See note to chap. vi.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/37]]==
chap.l A VILLAGE CONCERT. 11
cupied by guides and by bay. In later years we became good
friends, and be did not hesitate to give credit and even to advance
considerable sums.
My sketches from Breuil were made under difficulties ; my
materials had been carried off — nothing better than line sugar-
paper could be obtained, and the pencils seemed to contain more
silica than plumbago. However, they were made, and the pass*
was again crossed, this time alone. By the following evening the
old woman of Biona again produced the faithless guide. The
knapsack was recovered after the lapse of several hours, and then
I poured forth all the terms of abuse and reproach of which I was
master. The man smiled when called a liar, and shrugged his
shoulders when referred to as a thief, but drew his knife when
spoken of as a pig.
The following night was spent at Cormayeur, and the day after
I crossed the Col Ferrex to Orsieres, and on the next the Tete
Noir to Chamounix. The Emperor Napoleon arrived the same
day, and access to the Mer de Glace was refused to tourists ; but,
by scrambling along the Plan des Aiguilles, I managed to outwit
the guards, and to arrive at the Montanvert as the Imperial party
was leaving : the same afternoon failing to get to the Jardin, but
very nearly succeeding in breaking a leg by dislodging great rocks
on the moraine of the glacier.
From Chamounix I went to Geneva, and thence by the Mont
Cenis to Turin and to the Vaudois valleys. A long and weary day
had ended when Paesana was reached. The inn was full, and I
was tired, and about to go to bed, when some village stragglers
entered and began to sing. They sang to Garibaldi ! The tenor,
a ragged fellow, whose clothes were not worth a shilling, took the
lead with wonderful expression and feeling. The others kept their
This pass is called usually the Va Cornere. It is also known as the Gra
Cornere ; which is, I believe, patois for Grand Cornier. It is mentioned in the first
volume of the second series of Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers, and in chapters six and
twenty of this volume.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/38]]==
LI
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. I.
places, and sang in admirable time. For hours I sat enchanted ;
and, long after I retired, the sound of their melody could be
heard, relieved at times by the treble of the girl who belonged to
the inn.
GARIBALDI !
The next morning I passed the little lakes, which are the
sources of the Po, on my way into France. The weather was
stormy, and misinterpreting the patois of some natives — who in
reality pointed out the right way — I missed the track, and found
myself under the cliffs of Monte Viso. A gap that was occa-
sionally seen, in the ridge connecting it with the mountains to the
east, tempted me up ; and, after a battle with a snow-slope of
excessive steepness, I reached the summit. The scene was extra-
ordinary, and, in my experience, unique. To the north there was
not a particle of mist, and the violent wind coming from that
direction blew one back staggering. But on the side of Italy, the
valleys were completely filled with dense masses of cloud to a
certain level ; and there — where they felt the influence of the
wind — they were cut off as level as the top of a table, the ridges
appearing above them.
I raced down to Abries, and went on through the gorge of the
Guil to Mont Dauphin. The next day found me at La Lessee, at
the junction of the Val Louise with the Valley of the Durance,
in full view of Mont Pelvoux ; and by chance I walked into a
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/39]]==
chap. I. STORM ON THE OOL DE LAUTARET. 13
cabaret where a Frenchman was breakfasting, who, a few days
before, had made an unsuccessful attempt to ascend that mountain
with three Englishmen and the guide Michel Croz of Chamounix ; *
a right good fellow, by name Jean Eeynaud.
The same night I slept at Briancon, intending to take the
courier on the following day to Grenoble ; but all places had been
secured several days beforehand, so I set out at two p.m. on the
next day for a seventy-mile walk. The weather was again bad ;
and on the summit of the Col de Lautaret I was forced to seek
shelter in the wretched little hospice. It was filled with work-
men who were employed on the road, and with noxious vapours
which proceeded from them. The inclemency of the weather was
preferable to the inhospitality of the interior. Outside, it was
disagreeable, but grand ; inside, it was disagreeable and mean.")*
The walk was continued under a deluge of rain, and I felt the
way down — so intense was the darkness — to the village of La
Grave, where the people of the inn detained me forcibly. It was
perhaps fortunate that they did so ; for, during that night, blocks
of rock fell at several places from the cliffs on to the road with
such force that they made large holes in the macadam, which
looked as if there had been explosions of gunpowder. I resumed
the walk at half-past five the next morning, and proceeded, under
steady rain, through Bourg d'Oysans to Grenoble, arriving at the
latter place soon after seven p.m., having accomplished the entire
distance from Briancon in about eighteen hours of actual walking.
This was the end of the Alpine portion of my tour of 1860, on
which I was introduced to the great peaks, and acquired the passion
for mountain-scrambling, the development of which is described in
the following chapters.
* It was to illustrate this ascent that I had been sent to the Val Louise.
f Since that time a decent house has been built on the summit of this pass. The
old vaulted hospice was erected for the benefit of the pilgrims who formerly crossed
the pass en route for Rome. — Joanne's Rineraire clu Dauphine.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/40]]==
BRlANgON.
CHAPTEE II.
THE ASCENT OF MONT PELVOUX.
"Thus fortune on our first endeavour smiles."
Virgil.
The district of which Mont Pelvoux and the neighbouring summits
are the culminating points,* is, both historically and topographi-
cally, one of the most interesting in the Alps. As the nursery and
the home of the Vaudois, it has claims to permanent attention:
the names of Waldo and of Neff will be remembered when men
* See the map in chap. ix. , and the general map.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/41]]==
chap. II. THE VALLEYS OF DAUPHINE. 15
more famous in their time will be forgotten; and the memory of
the heroic courage and the simple piety of their disciples will
endure as long as history lasts.
This district contains the highest summits in France, and some
of its finest scenery. It has not perhaps the beauties of Switzer-
land, but has charms of its own; its cliffs, its torrents, and its
gorges are unsurpassed ; its deep and savage valleys present pictures
of grandeur, and even sublimity, and it is second to none in the
boldness of its mountain forms.
The district includes a mass of valleys which vie with each
other in singularity of character and dissimilarity of climate. Some
the rays of the sun can never reach, they are so deep and narrow*
In others the very antipodes may be found ; the temperature more
like that of the plains of Italy than of Alpine France. This great
range of climate has a marked effect on the flora of these valleys :
sterility reigns in some ; stones take the place of trees ; debris and
mud replace plants and flowers: in others, in the space of a few
miles, one passes vines, apple, pear, and cherry trees, the birch,
alder, walnut, ash, larch, and pine, alternating with fields of rye,
barley, oats, beans, and potatoes.
The valleys are for the most part short and erratic. They are
not, apparently, arranged on any definite plan ; they are not disposed,
as is frequently the case elsewhere, either at right angles to, or
parallel with, the highest summits; but they wander hither and
thither, taking one direction for a few miles, then doubling back,
and then perhaps resuming their original course. Thus, long per-
spectives are rarely to be seen, and it is difficult to form a general
idea of the disposition of the peaks.
The highest summits are arranged almost in a horse-shoe form.
The highest of all, which occupies a central position, is the Pointe
* The depth of the valleys is so great that the sun not only is not seen for more
than a few hours per day during the greatest portion of the year, but in some places
— at Villard d'Arene and at Andrieux for example — it is not seen at all for one
hundred days. — Ladoucette's Hautcs-Alpcs, p. 599.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/42]]==
16 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ir.
des Ecrins ; the second in height, the Meije,* is on the north ; and
the Mont Pelvoux, which gives its name to the entire block, stands
almost detached by itself on the outside.
The district is still very imperfectly known ; there are probably
many valleys, and there are certainly many summits which have
never been trodden by the feet of tourists or travellers ; but in 1861
it was even less known. Until quite recently there was, practi-
cally, no map of it ; f General Bourcet's, which was the best that
was published, was completely wrong in its delineation of the
mountains, and was frequently incorrect in regard to paths or roads.
The mountainous regions of Dauphine, moreover, are not sup-
plied, like Switzerland, the Tyrol, or even the Italian valleys, with
accommodation for travellers. The inns, when they exist, are filthy
to an indescribable extent ; rest is seldom obtained in their beds,
or decent food found in their kitchens, and guides there are none.
The tourist is thrown very much on his own resources, and it is not
therefore surprising that these districts are less visited and less
known than the rest of the Alps.
Most of the statements current in 1861 respecting these moun-
tains had been derived from two authors J — M. Elie de Beaumont
* Sometimes called the Aiguille du Midi de la Grave, or the Aiguille de la Medje.
t The maps of the Dauphine Alps to Ball's Guide to the Western Alps, and to
Joanne's Itineraire du Dauphine (both engraved from the unpublished sheets of the
map of France) must be excepted. These maps are, however, on too small a scale
for travelling purposes.
X " Faits pour servir a l'Histoire des Montagues de l'Oisans," by Elie de Beaumont,
in the Annales des Mines.
Norway and its Glaciers ; followed by Excursions in the High Alps of Dauphine.
By J. D. Forbes.
The following works also treat more or less of the districts referred to in this
chapter : —
Histoirc des Hautcs-Alps, by J. C. F. Ladoucette.
Itineraire du Dauphine, by Adolphe Joanne (2d part).
Tour du Monde, 1860, edited by Ed. Charton.
The Israel of the Alps, by Alexis Muston.
A Memoir of Felix Neff, by W. S. Gilly.
Good pictures of Dauphine scenery are to be found in Voyages Pittoresques dans
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/43]]==
chap. ii. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS ON PELVOUX. 17
and the late Principal J. D. Forbes. Their works, however, con-
tained numerous errors in regard to the identification of the peaks,
and, amongst others, they referred the supremacy to the Mont
Peivoux, the highest point of which they termed the Pointe des
Arcines, or des Ecrins. Principal Forbes erroneously identified the
high peak seen from the valley of. St. Christophe, with that seen
from the valley of the Durance, and spoke of both as the Mont
Pelvoux, and M. de Beaumont committed similar mistakes. In
point of fact, at the time when M. de Beaumont and Forbes wrote
their respective memoirs, the proper relation of the Mont Pelvoux
to the neighbouring summits had been determined by the engineers
employed on the survey for the map of France, bat their observa-
tions were not then accessible to the public, although they
had evidently been seen by M. de Beaumont. This party of
surveyors, led by Captain Durand, made the ascent of Mont
Pelvoux from the side of the Yal d'Ailefroide — that is, from
the direction of Val Louise — in 1828. According to the natives
of the Yal Louise, they got to the top of the second peak in
height, and remained upon it, lodged in a tent for several days,
at a height of 12,904 feet. They took numerous porters to
carry wood for fires, and erected a large cairn on the summit,
which has caused the name of Pic de la Pyramide to be given to
their summit.
In 1848, M. Puiseux made the ascent from the same direction,
but his Yal Louisan guide stoiDped short of the summit, and allowed
this courageous astronomer to proceed by himself.
In the middle of August 1860, Messrs. Bonney, Hawkshaw,
and Mathews, with Michel Croz of Chamounix, tried to ascend the
Pelvoux, likewise from the same direction. These gentlemen spent
Vancienne France, by Ch. ISTodier, J. Taylor, and A. de Cailleux, and in Lord Mon-
son's Views in the Departments of the Isere and the High Alps.
* M. Puiseux took for guide a man named Pierre Borneoud, of Claux in the
Val Louise ; who had accompanied Captain Durand in 1828. In 1861, the expedition
of M. Puiseux was quite forgotten in the Val Louise. 1 am indebted to M. Puiseux
for the above and other details.
D
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/44]]==
18 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, il
several days and nights upon the mountain; and, encountering bad
weather, only attained a height of 10,430 feet.
M. Jean Eeynaud, of whom mention has been made in the pre-
ceding chapter, accompanied the party of Mr. Mathews, and he
was of opinion that the attempt had been made too late in the
season. He said that the weather was usually good enough for
high mountain ascents only during the last few days of July, and
the first ones of August,* and suggested that we should attempt to
ascend the mountain in the following year at that time. The pro-
position was a tempting one, and Eeynaud's cordial and modest
manner made it irresistible, although there seemed small chance
that we should succeed where a party such as that of Mr. Mathews
had been beaten.
At the beginning of July 1861, I despatched to Eeynaud from
Havre, blankets (which were taxed as "prohibited fabrics"), rope,
and other things desirable for the excursion, and set out on the
tour of France ; but, four weeks later, at Nimes, found myself com-
pletely collapsed by the heat, then 94° Faht. in the shade, so I took
a nicdit train at once to Grenoble.
Grenoble is a town upon which a volume might be written. Its
situation is probably the finest of any in France, and the views
from its high forts are superb. The most noteworthy institution
of the town is one which has acquired a deserved celebrity]- — the
Association Alimentaire. This institution, which was started nearly
twenty years ago by some of the well-to-do inhabitants, was founded
with the express object of giving to the working or needy popula-
tion better food, better cooked and at a lower price, than could be
* This is a common saying in Dauphine. It means that there is usually less
snow on the mountains during these days than at any other time of the year. The
natives have an almost childish dread of venturing upon snow or glaciers, and hence
the period of minimum snow seems to them to be the most favourable time for ex-
cursions.
f "The model institution of the kind in France is admitted to be the 'Associa-
tion A^mentaire ' of Grenoble." — Ten years of Imperialism in France; Blackwood,
1862.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/45]]==
chap. ii. DINNERS FOB THE MILLION. 19
obtained at restaurants or at their own homes. Here the inhabitant
of Grenoble can obtain a dinner of a quart of soup, meat or fish,
vegetables, dessert, bread, and a quarter of a litre of sound wine,
for the sum of sixpence halfpenny. Membership is acquired by
the payment of a small sum — I believe two francs ; but dinner-
tickets must be bought in advance, and no credit is given. The
lower orders have not been slow in recognising the advantages to
be derived from connection with the Association Alimentaire, which
is said to have produced the happiest results among them. It is
creditable to the management that this institution not only pays its
expenses, but yields a small profit.
Although Grenoble may fairly be proud of this association, in
other matters it has cause to be ashamed. Its streets are narrow,
ill-paved, and tortuous ; and its smells, and the improprieties to be
seen in its houses, must be known to be appreciated .*
I lost my way in the streets of this picturesque but noisesome
town, and having but a half-hour left in which to get a dinner and
take a place in the diligence, was not well pleased to hear that an
Englishman wished to see me. It turned out to be my friend Mac-
donald, who confided to me that he was going to try to ascend a
mountain called Pelvoux in the course of ten days ; but, on hear-
ing of my intentions, agreed to join us at La Bessee on the 3d of
August. In a few moments more I was perched in the banquette
en route for Bourg d'Oysans, in a miserable vehicle which took
nearly eight hours to accomplish less than 30 miles.
At five on a lovely morning I shouldered my knapsack and
started for Brian^on. Gauzy mists clung to the mountains, but
melted away when touched by the sun, and disappeared by jerks
(in the manner of views when focussed in a magic lantern), re-
* " Les maisons sont beaucoup plus malpropres que les rues. La plupart des
allees et des escaliers ressemblent a des depots publics d'immondices. Dans la vieille
ville, les maisons n'ont pas de concierge. Les habitants de la ville, affliges de deplor-
ables habitudes, y entrent incessament sans scruple et sans pudeur, et rarement les
propietaires ou les locataires s'associent entre eux pour feire disparaitre les ordures
qui deshonorent leur demeure." — Joanne's Itinercn'rc die Dauphine, vol. i. p. 118.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/46]]==
20 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ii.
vealing the wonderfully bent and folded strata in the limestone
cliffs behind the town. Then I entered the Combe de Malval, and
heard the Komanehe eating its way through that wonderful gorge,
and passed on to Le Dauphin, where the first glacier came into
view, tailing over the mountain side on the right. From this place
until the summit of the Col de Lantaret was passed, every gap in
the mountains showed a glittering glacier or a soaring peak ; the
finest view was at La Grave, where the Meije rises by a series of
tremendous precipices 8000 feet above the road.* The finest dis-
tant view of the pass is seen after crossing the Col, near Monetier.
A mountain, commonly supposed to be Monte Yiso, appears at the
end of the vista, shooting into the sky ;~f" in the middle distance,
but still ten miles off, is Briancon with its interminable forts, and
in the foreground, leading down to the Guisane, and rising high
up the neighbouring slopes, are fertile fields, studded with villages
and church spires. The next day I walked over from Briancon to
La Bessee, to my worthy friend Jean Eeynaud, the surveyor of
roads of his district.
All the peaks of Mont Pelvoux are well seen from La Bessee,
the highest point, as well as that upon which the engineers erected
their cairn. Neither Beynaud nor any one else knew this. The
natives knew only that the engineers had ascended one peak, and
had seen from that a still higher point, which they called the
Pointe des Arcines or des Ecrins. They could not say whether this
latter could be seen from La Bessee, nor could they tell the peak
upon which the cairn had been erected. We were under the im-
pression that the highest point was concealed by the peaks we saw,
and would be gained by passing over them. They knew nothing
of the ascent of Monsieur Puiseux, and they confidently asserted
that the highest point of Mont Pelvoux had not been attained by
any one ; it was this point we wished to reach.
* See chapter viii.
f Monte Viso is not seen from the Lantaret Road. That this is so is seen when
one crosses the Col ilu Galibier, on the south side of which pass the Monte Viso is
visible for a short time.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/47]]==
CHAP. II.
NATIONAL SENTIMENTS.
21
Nothing prevented our starting at once but the absence of Mac-
donald and the want of a baton. Keynaud suggested a visit to the
postmaster, who possessed a baton of local celebrity. Down we
went to the bureau ; but it was closed : we halloed through the
slits, but no answer. At last the postmaster was discovered en-
deavouring (with very fair success) to make himself intoxicated.
He was just able to ejaculate, " France ! 'tis the first nation in the
MONT PELVOUX FROM ABOVE LA BESSEE.
world ! " which is a phrase used by a Frenchman when in the state
that a Briton begins to shout, " We won't go home till morning " —
national glory being uppermost in the thoughts of one, and home
in those of the other. The baton was produced ; it was a branch
of a young oak, about five feet long, gnarled and twisted in several
directions. " Sir," said the postmaster, as he presented it, "France !
'tis the first — the first nation in the world, by its" — he stuck.
"Batons?" I suggested. "Yes, yes, sir; by its batons, by its —
its," and here he could not tret on at all. As I looked at this
and here he could not get on at all.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/48]]==
22 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, il
young limb, I thought of my own ; but Eeynaud, who knew
everything about everybody in the village, said there was not a
better one, so off we went with it, leaving the official staggering
in the road and muttering, " Prance ! 'tis the first nation in the
world ! "
The 3d of August came, but Macdonald did not appear, so we
started for the Val Louise ; our party consisting of Eeynaud, my-
self, and a porter, Jean Casimir Giraud, nicknamed " little nails,"
the shoemaker of the place. An hour and a half's smart walking
took us to La Ville de Yal Louise, our hearts gladdened by the
glorious peaks of Pelvoux shining out without a cloud around
them. I renewed acquaintance with the mayor of "La Ville."
His aspect was original, and his manners were gracious, but the
odour which proceeded from him was dreadful. The same may be
said of most of the inhabitants of these valleys.*
Eeynaud kindly undertook to look after the commissariat, and
I found to my annoyance, when we were about to leave, that I had
given tacit consent to a small wine-cask being carried with us,
which was a great nuisance from the commencement. It was ex-
cessively awkward to handle ; one man tried to carry it, and then
another, and at last it was slung from one of our batons, and was
carried by two, which gave our party the appearance of a mechani-
cal diagram to illustrate the uses of levers.
* Their late prefet shall tell why. "The men and women dress in sheepskins,
— which have been dried and scoured with salt, of which the feet are used as clasps,
the fore feet going round the neck, and the hinder ones round the loins. Their arms
are naked, and the men are only distinguished from the women by the former wear-
ing wretched drawers, and the latter a sort of gown, which only covers them to just
below the knees. They sleep without undressing upon straw, and have only sheep-
skins for coverings. . . . The nature of their food, combined with their dirtiness,
makes them exhale a strong odour from their bodies, which is smelt from afar, and
which is almost insupportable to strangers. . . . They live in a most indifferent
manner, or rather they linger in dreadful misery ; their filthy and hideous coun-
tenances announce their slovenliness and their stink." — Ladoucette's Histoire dcs
Hautes-Alpcs, pp. 656-7. The sheepskins are now worn only by the poorest of the
natives, but the rest of the description is sufficiently accurate.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/49]]==
CHAP. II.
WE ENGAGE A GUIDE.
23
At " La Ville " the Val Louise splits into two branches — the Val
d'Entraigues on the left and the Vallon d'Alefred (or Ailefroide) on
the right ; our route was up the latter, and we moved steadily for-
wards to the village of La Pisse, where Pierre Semiond lived, who
was reputed to know more about the Pelvoux than any other man.
He looked an honest fellow, but unfortunately he was ill and could
not come. He recommended his brother, an aged
creature, whose furrowed and wrinkled face hardly
seemed to announce the man we wanted ; but
having no choice, we engaged him and again
set forth.
Walnut and a great variety of other trees
gave shadow to our path and fresh vigour
to our limbs ; while below, in a sublime
gorge, thundered the torrent,
whose waters
took their
rise from
the snows
we hoped
to tread on
the mor-
row.
The
mountain
could not
be seen at
La Ville,
A r,
owing
to
IN THE VAL D ALEFRED.
a high intervening ridge
we were now moving along the foot
of this to get to the chalets of Alefred, or, as they are some-
times called, Alefroide, where the mountain actually commences.
From this direction the subordinate, but more proximate peaks
appear considerably higher than the loftier ones behind, and
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/50]]==
24
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. II.
sometimes completely conceal them. But the whole height of the
peak, which in these valleys goes under the name of the " Grand
Pelvoux," is seen at one glance from its summit to its base, six
or seven thousand feet of nearly perpendicular cliffs.
THE GRAND PELVOUX DE VAL LOUISE.
The chalets of Alefred are a cluster of miserable wooden huts
at the foot of the Grand Pelvoux, and are close to the junction of
the streams which descend from the glacier de Sapeniere (or du
Sele) on the left, and the glaciers Blanc and Noir on the right.
We rested a minute to purchase some butter and milk, and Semiond
picked up a disreputable looking lad to assist in carrying, pushing,
and otherwise moving the wine-cask.
Our route now turned sharply to the left, and all were glad that
the day was drawing to a close, so that we had the shadows from
the mountains. A more frightful and desolate valley it is scarcely
possible to imagine ; it contains miles of boulders, debris, stones,
sand, and mud ; few trees, and they placed so high as to be almost
out of sight ; not a soul inhabits it ; no birds are in the air, no fish
in its waters ; the mountain is too steep for the chamois, its slopes
too inhospitable for the marmot, the whole too repulsive for the
eagle. Not a living thing did we see in this sterile and savage valley
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/51]]==
chap. ii. MASSACRE OF THE VAUDOIS. 25
during four days, except some few poor goats which had been
driven there against their will.
It was a scene in keeping with the diabolical deed perpetrated
here about four hundred years ago — the murder of the Vaudois of
Val Louise, in the cavern which was now in sight, though high
above us. Their story is very sad. Peaceful and industrious, for
more than three centuries they had inhabited these retired valleys
in tranquil obscurity. The Archbishops of Embrun endeavoured,
but with little success, to get them within the pale of their church ;
their efforts were aided by others, who commenced by imprison-
ments and torture,* and at last adopted the method of burning them
by hundreds at the stakcf"
In the year 1488, Albert Cattanee, Archdeacon of Cremona and
legate of Pope Innocent VIII., would have anticipated the barbari-
ties which at a later date roused the indignation of Milton and the
fears of Cromwell ; \ but, driven everywhere back by the Waldenses
of Piedmont, he left their valleys and crossed the Mont Genevre to
attack the weaker and more thinly populated valleys of the Vau-
dois in Dauphine. At the head of an army which is said to have
been composed of vagabonds, robbers, and assassins (who had been
tempted to his banner by promises of absolution beforehand, of
being set free from the obligation of vows which they might have
made, and by the confirmation of property to them which they
might have wrongfully acquired), as well as regular troops, Cattanee
poured down the valley of the Durance. The inhabitants of the
Val Louise fled before a host that was ten times their number, and
took up their abode in this cavern, where they had collected pro-
* It became a regular business. " We find amongst the current accounts of the
Bailiff of Embrun this singular article — ' Item, for persecuting the Vaudois, eight sols
and thirty denier s of gold.'' " — Muston, vol. i. p. 38.
t On the 22d of May 1393, eighty persons of the valleys of Freissinieres "and
Argentiere, and one hundred and fifty persons of the Val Louise, were burnt at
Embrun. — Muston, vol. i. p. 41.
+ See Morland's History of the Evangelical Churches of Piedmont, 1658 ; Crom-
well's Acts, 1658 ; and Burton's Diary, 1828.
E
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/52]]==
26 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ii.
visions sufficient for two years. But intolerance is ever pains-
taking ; their retreat was discovered. Cattanee had a captain who
combined the resources of a Herod to the cruelty of a Pelissier, and,
lowering his men by ropes, fired piles of brushwood at the entrance
to the cavern, suffocated the majority, and slew the remainder.
The Vaudois were relentlessly exterminated, without distinction of
age or sex. More than three thousand persons, it is said, perished
in this frightful massacre ; the growth of three hundred and fifty
years was destroyed at one blow, and the valley was completely
depopulated. Louis XII. caused it to be re-peopled, and after
another three centuries and a half, behold the result — a race of
monkeys.*
We rested a little at a small spring, and then hastened onwards
till we nearly arrived at the foot of the Sapeniere glacier, when
Semiond said we must turn to the right, up the slopes. This we
did, and clambered for half-an-hour through scattered pines and
fallen boulders. Then evening began to close in rapidly, and it
was time to look for a resting-place. There was no difficulty in
getting one, for all around it was a chaotic assemblage of rocks.
We selected the under side of one, which was more than fifty feet
long by twenty high, cleared it of rubbish, and then collected wood
for a fire.
That camp-fire is a pleasant reminiscence. The wine-cask had
got through all its troubles ; it was tapped, and the Frenchmen
seemed to derive some consolation from its execrable contents.
Eeynaud chanted scraps of French songs, and each contributed his
* The commune of the Val Louise contains at the present time about 3400 inhabi-
tants. This cretin population has been aptly described by M. Elisee Eeclus in the
Tour du Monde, 1860. He says — "They attain the highest possible development of
their intelligence in their infancy, and — abundantly provided with majestic goitres,
which are lengthened and swollen by age — are in this respect like to the ourang-outaiigs,
who have nothing more to acquire after the age of three years. At the age of five
years the little cretins have already the placid and mature expression which they
ought to keep all their lives. . . . They wear trousers, and coats with tails, and
a, larsrc black hat."
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/53]]==
chap. ii. FIRST NIGHT OUT. 27
share of joke, story, or verse. The weather was perfect, and our
prospects for the morrow were good. My companions' joy culmi-
nated when a packet of red fire was thrown into the flames. It
hissed and bubbled for a moment or two, and then broke out into
a grand flare. The effect of the momentary light was magnificent ;
all around the mountains were illuminated for a second, and then
relapsed into their solemn gloom. One by one our party dropped
off to sleep, and at last I got into my blanket-bag. It was hardly
necessary, for, although we were at a height of at least 7000 feet,
the minimum temperature was above 40° Fahrenheit.
We roused at three, but did not start till half-past four.
Giraud had been engaged as far as this rock only, but as he
wished to go on, we allowed him to accompany us. We mounted
the slopes and quickly got above the trees, then had a couple of
hours' clambering over bits of precipitous rock and banks of debris,
and, at a quarter to seven, got to a narrow glacier — Clos de
1' Homme — which streamed out of the plateau on the summit, and
nearly reached the glacier de Sapeniere. We worked as much as
possible to the right, in hopes that we should not have to cross it,
but were continually driven back, and at last we found that it was
necessary to do so. Old Semiond had a strong objection to the
ice, and made explorations on his own account to endeavour to
avoid it ; but Eeynaud and I preferred to cross it, and Giraud
stuck to us. It was narrow — in fact, one could throw a stone
across it — and was easily mounted on the side ; but in the centre
swelled into a steep dome, up which we were obliged to cut.
Giraud stepped forward and said he should like to try his hand,
and having got hold of the axe, would not give it up ; and here, as
well as afterwards when it was necessary to cross the gullies filled
with hard snow, which abound on the higher part of the mountain,
he did all the work, and did it admirably.
Old Semiond of course came after us when we got across. We
then zigzagged up some snow-slopes, and shortly afterwards
commenced to ascend the interminable array of buttresses which
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/54]]==
28 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. 11
are the great peculiarity of the Pelvoux.* They were very steep
in many places, but on the whole afforded good hold, and no
climbing should be called difficult which does that. Gullies
abounded among them, sometimes of great length and depth.
They were frequently rotten, and would have been difficult for a
single man to pass. The uppermost men were continually abused
for dislodging rocks and for harpooning those below with their
batons. However, without these incidents the climbing would
have been dull — they helped to break the monotony.
We went up chimneys and gullies by the hour together, and
always seemed to be coming to something, although we never got
to it. The outline sketch will help to explain tb<
situation. We stood at the foot of a
tress — perhaps about 200 feet high — :
looked up. It did not go to a point as
in the diagram, because we could not
see the top ; although we felt
convinced that behind the
fringe of pinnacles we
did see there was a
top, and that it was the buttresses of mont pelvoux.
edge of the plateau we so much desired to attain. Up we mounted,
and reached the pinnacles ; but, lo ! another set was seen,— and
another,— and yet more— till at last we reached the top, and found
it was only a buttress, and that we had to descend 40 or 50 feet
before we could commence to mount again. When this operation
had been performed a few dozen times it began to be wearisome,
especially as we were in the dark as to our whereabouts. Semiond,
however, encouraged us, and said he knew we were on the right
route, — so away we went once more.
It was now nearly mid-day, and we seemed no nearer the sum-
mit of the Pelvoux than when we started. At last we all joined
* "The nucleus of the 'massif is a fine protogine, divided by nearly vertical
cracks." — Dollfus-Ausset.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/55]]==
chap. ii. AN ARRIVAL. 29
together and held a council. " Semiond, old friend, do yon know
where we are now?" "Oh yes, perfectly, to a yard and a half."
" Well, then, how much are we below this platean ?" He affirmed
we were not half-an-honr from the edge of the snow. " Very good ;
let us proceed." Half-an-honr passed, and then another, bnt we
were still in the same state, — pinnacles, buttresses, and gullies were
in profusion, but the plateau was not in sight. So we called him
again — for he had been staring about latterly, as if in doubt — and
repeated the question. "How far below are we now?" Well, he
thought it might be half-an-hour more. " But you said that just
now; are you sure we are going right?" "Yes, he believed we
were." Believed ! that would not do. " Are you sure we are going
right for the Pie des Archies ?" " Pie des Arcines !" he ejaculated
in astonishment, as if he had heard the words for the first time.
" Pie des Arcines ; no ! but for the pyramid, the celebrated pyra-
mid he had helped the great Capitaine Durand," etc.
Here was a fix ; — we had been talking about it to him for a
whole day, and now he confessed he knew nothing about it. I
turned to Eeynaud, who seemed thunderstruck. " What did he
suggest?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Well," we said, after ex-
plaining our minds pretty freely to Semiond, " the sooner we turn
back the better, for we have no wish to see your pyramid."
We halted for an hour, and then commenced the descent. It
took us nearly seven hours to come down to our rock : but I paid no
heed to the distance, and do not remember anything about it.
When we got down we made a discovery which affected us as much
as the footprint in the sand did Kobinson Crusoe : a blue silk veil
lay by our fireside. There was but one solution, — Macdonald had
arrived ; but where was he ? We soon packed our baggage, and
tramped in the dusk, through the stony desert, to Alefred, where
we arrived about half-past nine. "Where is the Englishman?"
was the first question. He was gone to sleep at La Ville.
We passed that night in a hay-loft, and in the morning, after
settling with Semiond, we posted down to catch Macdonald. We
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/56]]==
30 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ii.
had already determined on the plan of operation, which was to get him
to join us, return, and be independent of all guides, simply taking
the best man we could get as a porter. I set my heart on Giraud, —
a good fellow, with no pretence, although in every respect up to the
work. But we were disappointed ; he was obliged to go to Briancon.
The walk soon became exciting. The natives inquired the
result of our expedition, and common civility obliged us to stop.
But I was afraid of losing my man, for it was said he would wait
only till ten o'clock, and that time was near at hand. At last I
dashed over the bridge, — time from Alefred an hour and a quarter ;
but a cantonnier stopped me, saying that the Englishman had just
started for La Bessee. I rushed after him, turned angle after angle
of the road, but could not see him ; at last, as I came round a cor-
ner, he was also just turning another, going very fast. I shouted,
and luckily he heard me. We returned, re-provisioned ourselves
at La Ville, and the same evening saw us passing our first rock, en
route for another. I have said we determined to take no guide ;
but, on passing La Pisse, old Semiond turned out and offered his
services. He went well, in spite of his years and disregard of
truth. "Why not take him?" said my friend. So we offered him
a fifth of his previous pay, and in a few seconds he closed with the
offer ; but this time came in an inferior position, — we were to lead,
he to follow. Our second follower was a youth of twenty-seven
years, who was not all that could be desired. He drank Eeynaud's
wine, smoked our cigars, and quietly secreted the provisions when
we were nearly starving. Discovery of his proceedings did not at
all disconcert him, and he finished up by getting several items
added to our bill at La Ville, which, not a little to his disgust, we
disallowed.
This night we fixed our camp high above the tree line, and
indulged ourselves in the healthy employment of carrying our fuel
up to it. The present rock was not so comfortable as the first, and,
before we could settle down, we were obliged to turn out a large
mass which was in the way. It was very obstinate, but moved at
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/57]]==
CHAP. II.
TORRENTS ON FIRE.
31
length ; slowly and gently at first, then faster and faster, at last
taking great jumps in the air, striking a stream of fire at every
touch, which shone out brightly as it entered the gloomy valley
below, and long after it was out of sight we heard it bounding
downwards, and then settle with a subdued crash on the glacier
beneath. As we turned back from this curious sight, Eeynaud
asked if we had ever seen a torrent on fire, and told us that in the
spring, the Durance, swollen by the melting of the snow, sometimes
brings down so many rocks, that, where it passes through a narrow
gorge at La Bessee, no water whatever is seen, but only boulders
rolling over and over, grinding each other into powder, and striking
so many sparks that the stream looks as if it were on fire.
We had another merry evening with nothing to mar it ; the
weather was perfect, and we lay backward in luxurious repose,
looking at the sky spangled with its ten thousand brilliant lights.
' ' The ranges stood
Transfigured in the silver flood,
Their snows were flashing cold and keen,
Dead white, save where some sharp ravine
Took shadow, or the sombre green
Of hemlocks turned to pitchy black,
Against the whiteness at their back."*
Macdonalcl related his experiences
over the cafe noir. He had travelled
day and night for several days in order
to join us, but had failed to find our
first bivouac, and had camped a few hun-
dred yards from us under another rock,
higher up the mountain. The next
morning he discerned us going along a
ridge at a great height above him, and
as it was useless to endeavour to over-
take us, he lay down and watched with a heavy heart until we
had turned the corner of a buttress, and vanished out of sight.
* J. G. Whittier, "Snow-Bound."
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/58]]==
32 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. 11.
Nothing but the heavy breathing of our already sound asleep
comrades broke the solemn stillness of the night. It was a silence
to be felt. Nothing ? Hark ! what is that dull booming sound
above us ? Is that nothing ? There it is again, plainer — on it
comes, nearer, clearer ; 'tis a crag escaped from the heights above !
What a fearful crash ! We jump to our feet. Down it comes with
awful fury ; what power can withstand its violence ? Dancing,
leaping, flying ; dashing against others ; roaring as it descends.
Ah, it has passed ! No ; there it is again, and we hold our breath,
as, with resistless force and explosions like artillery, it darts past,
with an avalanche of shattered fragments trailing in its rear ! 'Tis
gone, and we breathe more freely as we hear the finale on the
glacier below.'"'
We retired at last, but I was too excited to sleep. At a quarter-
past four every man once more shouldered his pack and started.
This time we agreed to keep more to the right, to see if it were not
possible to get to the plateau without losing any time by crossing
the glacier. To describe our route would be to repeat what has been
said before. We mounted steadily for an hour and a half, sometimes
walking, but more frequently climbing, and then found, after all, that
it was necessary to cross the glacier. The part on which we struck
came down a very steep slope, and was much crevassed. The word
crevassed hardly expresses its appearance — it was a mass of formid-
able seracs. We found, however, more difficulty in getting on than
across it ; but, thanks to the rope, it was passed somehow ; then the
interminable buttresses began again. Hour after hour we proceeded
upwards, frequently at fault, and obliged to descend. The ridge
behind us had sunk long ago, and we looked over it, and all others,
till our eyes rested on the majestic Viso. Hour after hour passed,
and monotony was the order of the day ; when twelve o'clock came
we lunched, and contemplated the scene with satisfaction ; all the
* M. Puiseux, on his expedition of 1848, was surprised, when at breakfast on
the side of the mountain, by a mass of rock of more than a cubic yard falling like a
bomb at his side, which threw up splinters in ;ill directions.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/59]]==
CHAP. II.
WE ARRIVE AT THE PLATEAU.
33
summits in sight, with the single exception of the Viso, had given
in, and we looked over an immense expanse — a perfect sea of peaks
and snow-fields. Still the pinnacles rose above us, and opinions
were freely uttered that we should see no summit of Pelvoux that
day. Old Semiond had become a perfect bore to all ; whenever
one rested for a moment to look about, he would say, with a com-
placent chuckle, " Don't be afraid, follow me." We came at last to
MONT PELVOUX
f >
PIC DE LA PYRAMIDS
HIGHEST POINT 12,920
12,973
4-5
GRAND PELVOUX
DE VAL LOUISE
12,343
a very bad piece, rotten and steep, and no hold. Here Eeynaud
and Macdonald confessed to being tired, and talked of going to
sleep. A way was discovered out of the difficulty ; then some one
called out, " Look at the Viso," and we saw that we almost looked
over it. We worked away with redoubled energy, and at length
caught sight of the head of the glacier as it streamed out of the
plateau. This gave us fresh hopes ; we were not deceived ; and
with a simultaneous shout we greeted the appearance of our long-
wished-for snows. A large crevasse separated us from them ; but
a bridge was found ; we tied ourselves in line, and moved safely
over it. Directly we got across there rose before us a fine snow-
F
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/60]]==
34 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ii.
capped peak. Old Semiond cried, " The pyramid ! I see trie pyra-
mid !" "Where, Semiond, where?" "There; on the top of that
peak."
There, sure enough, was the cairn he had helped to erect more
than thirty years before. But where was the Pic des Arcines which
we were to see ? It was nowhere visible, but only a great expanse
of snow, bordered by three lower peaks. Somewhat sadly we
moved towards the pyramid, sighing that there was no other to
conquer ; but hardly had we gone two hundred paces, before there
rose a superb white cone on the left, which had been hidden before
by a slope of snow. We shouted — "The Pic des Arcines!" and
inquired of Semiond if he knew whether that peak had been
ascended. As for him, he knew nothing, except that the peak
before us was called the pyramid, from the cairn he had, etc.
etc., and that it had not been ascended since. • " All right then —
face about," and we immediately turned at right angles for the cone,
the porter making faint struggles for his beloved pyramid. Our
progress was stopped, in the sixth of a mile, by the edge of the
ridge connecting the two peaks, and we perceived that it curled
over in a lovely volute. We involuntarily retreated. Semiond,
who was last in the line, took the opportunity to untie himself, and
refused to come on ; said we were running dangerous risks, and
talked vaguely of crevasses. We tied him up again, and proceeded.
The snow was very soft ; we were always knee-deep, and sometimes
floundered in up to the waist ; but a simultaneous jerk before and
behind always released one. By this time we had arrived at the
foot of the final peak. The left-hand ridge seemed easier than that
upon which we stood, so we curved round to get to it. Some rocks
peeped out 150 feet below the summit, and up these we crawled,
leaving our porter behind, as he said he was afraid. I could not
resist the temptation, as we went off, to turn round and beckon him
onwards, saying, "Don't be afraid — follow me," but he did not
answer to the appeal, and never went to the top. The rocks led to
a short ridge of ice — our plateau on one side, and a nearly vertical
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/61]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/62]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/63]]==
chap. ii. VIEW FROM MONT PELVOUX. 35
precipice on trie other. Macdonald cut up it, and at a quarter to
two we stood shaking hands on the loftiest summit of the con-
quered Pelvoux.
The day still continued everything that could be desired, and,
far and near, countless peaks burst into sight, without a cloud to
hide them. The mighty Mont Blanc, full seventy miles away, first
caught our eyes, and then, still farther off, the Monte Eosa group ;
while, roiling away to the east, one unknown range after another
succeeded in unveiled splendour ; fainter and fainter in tone, but
still perfectly defined, till at last the eye was unable to distinguish
sky from mountain, and they died away in the far-off horizon.
Monte Viso rose up grandly, but it was less than forty miles away,
and we looked over it to a hazy mass we knew must be the plains
of Piedmont. Southwards a blue mist seemed to indicate the
existence of the distant Mediterranean ; to the west we looked over
to the mountains of Auvergne. Such was the panorama ; a view
extending in nearly every direction for more than one hundred
miles. It was with some difficulty we wrenched our eyes from the
more distant objects to contemplate the nearer ones. Mont
Dauphin was very conspicuous, but La Bessee was not readily
perceived. Besides these not a human habitation could be seen ;
all was rock, snow, or ice ; and, large as we knew were the snow-
fields of Dauphine, we were surprised to find that they very far
surpassed our most ardent imagination. Nearly in a line between
us and the Viso, immediately to the south of Chateau Queyras, was
a splendid group of mountains of great height. More to the south
an unknown peak seemed still higher ; while close to us we were
astonished to discover that there was a mountain which appeared
even higher than that on which we stood. At least this was my
opinion ; Macdonald thought it not so high, and Eeynaud much
about the same as our own.
This mountain was distant a couple of miles or so, and was
separated from us by a tremendous abyss, the bottom of which we
could not see. On the other side rose this mighty wall-sided peak,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/64]]==
36 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ii.
too steep for snow, black as night, with sharp ridges and pointed
summit. We were in complete ignorance of its whereabouts, for
none of us had been on the other side ; we imagined that La
Berarde was in the abyss at our feet, but it was in reality beyond
the other mountain*
We left the summit at last, and descended to the rocks and to
our porter, where I boiled some water, obtained by melting snow.
After we had fed, and smoked our cigars (lighted without difficulty
from a common match), we found it was ten minutes past three,
and high time to be off. We dashed, wacled, and tumbled for
twenty-five minutes through the snow, and then began the long
descent of the rocks. It was nearly four o'clock, and, as it would
be dark at eight, it was evident that there was no time to be lost,
and we pushed on to the utmost. Nothing remarkable occurred
going down. We kept rather closer to the glacier, and crossed at
the same point as in the morning. Getting off it was like getting
on it — rather awkward. Old Semiond had got over — so had
Eeynaud ; Macdonald came next, but, as he made a long stretch to
get on to a higher mass, he slipped, and would have been in the
bowels of a crevasse in a moment had he not been tied.
It was nearly dark by the time we had crossed, but I still hoped
that we should be able to pass the night at our rock. Macdonald
was not so sanguine, and he was right ; for at last we found our-
selves quite at fault, and wandered helplessly up and down for an
hour, while Eeynaud and the porter indulged in a little mutual
abuse. The dreary fact that, as we could not get down, we must
stay where we were, was now quite apparent.
* This mountain is the culminating point of the group, and is named on the
French map Pointe des Ecrins. It is seen from the Val Christophe, and from that direc-
tion its ridges completely conceal Mont Pelvoux. But on the other side — that is, from
the direction of La Bessee or the Val Louise — the reverse is the case : the Pelvoux
completely conceals it.
Unaware that this name was going to be applied to it, we gave the name Pic des
Archies, or des Ecrins, to our summit, in accordance with the traditions of the
natives.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/65]]==
chap. ii. SURPRISED BY NIGHT. 37
We were at least 10,500 feet high, and if it commenced to rain
or snow, as the gathering clouds and rising wind seemed to threaten,
we might be in a sore plight. We were hungry, having eaten
little since 3 a.m., and a torrent we heard close at hand, but could
not discover, aggravated our thirst. Semiond endeavoured to get
some water from it; but, although he succeeded in doing so, he
was wholly unable to return, and we had to solace him by shouting
at intervals through the night.
A more detestable locality for a night out of doors it is difficult
to imagine. There was not shelter of any kind ; it was perfectly
exposed to the chilly wind which began to rise, and it was too
steep to promenade. Loose rubbly stones covered the ground, and
had to be removed before we could sit with any comfort. This was
an advantage, although we hardly thought so at the time, as it gave
us some employment, and, after an hour's active exercise of that in-
teresting kind, I obtained a small strip about nine feet long, on
which it was possible to walk. Reynaud was furious at first, and
soundly abused the porter, whose opinion as to the route down had
been followed rather than that of our friend, and at last settled
down to a deep dramatic despair, and wrung his hands with frantic
gesture, as he exclaimed, "Oh, malheur, malheur! Oh miserables!"
Thunder commenced to growl, and lightning to play among the
peaks above, and the wind, which had brought the temperature
down to nearly freezing-point, began to chill us to the bones. We
examined our resources. They were six and a half cigars, two
boxes of vesuvians, one-third of a pint of brandy-and-water, and
half-a-pint of spirits of wine: rather scant fare for three fellows
who had to get through seven hours before daylight. The spirit-
lamp was lighted, and the remaining spirits of wine, the brandy
and some snow was heated by it. It made a strong liquor, but we
only wished for more of it. When that was over, Macdonald en-
deavoured to dry his socks by the lamp, and then the three lay down
under my plaid to pretend to sleep. Eeynaud's woes were aggravated
by toothache ; Macdonald somehow managed to close his eyes.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/66]]==
38 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. it.
The longest night must end, and ours did at last. We got
down to our rock in an hour and a quarter, and found the lad not a
little surprised at our absence. He said he had made a gigantic fire
to light us down, and shouted with all his might ; we neither saw
the fire nor heard his shouts. He said we looked a ghastly crew,
and no wonder ; it was our fourth night out.
We feasted at our cave, and performed some very necessary ablu-
tions. The persons of the natives are infested by certain agile
creatures, whose rapidity of motion is only equalled by their num-
bers and voracity. It is dangerous to approach too near them, and
one has to study the wind, so as to get on their weather-side : in
spite of all such precautions my unfortunate companion and myself
were being rapidly devoured alive. We only expected a temporary
lull of our tortures, for the interiors of the inns are like the ex-
teriors of the natives, swarming with this species of animated
creation.
It is said that once, when these tormentors were filled with an
unanimous desire, an unsuspecting traveller was dragged bodily
from his bed ! This needs confirmation. One word more, and I
have done with this vile subject. We returned from our ablutions,
and found the Frenchmen engaged in conversation. " Ah ! " said
old Semiond, "as to fleas, I don't pretend to be different to anyone
else, — I have them" This time he certainly spoke the truth.
We got down to La Yille in good time, and luxuriated there for
several days ; played many games of bowls with the natives, and
were invariably beaten by them. At last it was necessary to part,
and I walked southwards to the Yiso, while Macdonald went to
Briancon.
I have not attempted to conceal that the ascent of Mont Pel-
voux is of a rather monotonous character ; the view from its summit
can, however, be confidently recommended. A glance at the map
will show that with the single exception of the Viso, whose position
is unrivalled, it is better situated than any other mountain of con-
siderable height for viewing the whole of the Western Alps.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/67]]==
chap. ii. EN ROUTE FOB MONTE VISO. 39
Our discovery that the peak which is to be called the Pointe
des Ecrins was a separate and distinct mountain from Mont Pel-
voux — and not its highest point — gave us satisfaction, although it
was also rather of the nature of a disappointment *
On our return to La Bessee we wrongly identified it with the
peak which is seen from thence to the left of the Pelvoux. The
two mountains bear a considerable resemblance to each other, so
the mistake is not, perhaps, unpardonable. Although the latter
mountain is one that is considerably higher than the Wetterhorn
or Monte Viso, it has no name ; we called it the Pic Sans ISTom.
It has been observed by others that it is improbable the French
surveyors should have remained for several days upon the Pic de
la Pyramide without visiting the other and loftier summit. If
they did, it is strange that they did not leave some memorial of
their visit. The natives who accompanied them asserted that they
did not pass from one to the other ; we therefore claimed to have
made the ascent of the loftiest point for the first time. The
claim, however, cannot be sustained, on account of the ascent of
M. Puiseux. It is a matter of little moment ; the excursion had
for us all the interest of a first ascent ; and I look back upon this,
my first serious mountain scramble, with more satisfaction, and
with as much pleasure as upon any that is recorded in this volume.
After parting from my agreeable companions; I walked by the
gorge of the Guil to Abides, and made the acquaintance at that
place of an ex-harbour-master of Marseilles, — a genial man, who
spoke English well. Besides the ex-harbour-master and some fine
trout in the neighbouring streams, there was little to invite a stay
at Abries. The inn — l'Etoile, chez Eichard — is a place to be
avoided. Eichard, it may be observed, possessed the instincts of a
robber. At a later date, when forced to seek shelter in his house,
* We afterwards learned that Mr, M'Culloch had announced the fact a long time
before in his Geographical Dictionary .
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/68]]==
40 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ii.
lie desired to see my passport, and, catching sight of the words
John Bussell, he entered that name instead of my own in a report
to the gendarmerie, uttering an exclamation of joyful surprise at
the same time. I foolishly allowed the mistake to pass, and had to
pay dearly for it ; for he made out a lordly bill, against which all
protest was unavailing.
His innocent and not unnatural mistake was eclipsed by a
gendarme of Bourg d'Oysans, who took the passport, gravely held
it upside down for several minutes, pretended to read it, and handed
it back, saying it was all right.
Bound about Abries the patois of the district is more or less
Italian in character, and the pronunciation of the natives reminds
one of a cockney who attempts to speak French for the first time,
Here bread is pronounced pane, and cheese, fromargee. There are
a considerable number of dialects in use in this corner of France ;
and sometimes in the space of only a few miles one can find several,
all of which are as unintelligible to the natives of the surrounding
districts as they are to the traveller. In some districts the spelling
of the patois is the same ; but the pronunciation is different — in this
resembling the Chinese. It is not easy for the stranger to under-
stand the dialects, either written or spoken ; and this will be
readily perceived from the samples given below, which are different
versions of the parable of the prodigal son*
I quitted the abominations of Abries to seek a quiet bundle of
hay at Le Chalp — a village some miles nearer to the Viso. On
* " Un sarten homme aie clous garcous ; lou pus jouve dissec a soun paire : —
' Moun paire, beila nie la pourtiou d'ou ben que me reven. ' Et lou paire fee en
chascu sa part. Et paou de tens apres, lou cadet, quant aguec fachs sa pacoutilla,
se mettec en routo et s'en anec dine un pais eiloigna, ounte mangec tout ce qu'aie enbe
les fumelles. Et quant aguec tout fricassa l'y aguec dine aqueou pais-acqui une
grande famine, et coumensec a averfamp."
The above is a specimen of the patois of the neighbourhood of Gap ; the following
is that of Monetier : —
" Un home avas dou bos. Lou plus giouve de isou disse a son pere : — ' Moun pere,
moun pere, douna-me soque me duou reveni de vatre be. ' Et lou pere lour faze ou por-
tage de soun be. Paouc de giours apres, lou plus giouve deiquelou dou bos, apres aveira
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/69]]==
chap. El. DESERTERS. 41
approaching the place the odour of sanctity* became distinctly
perceptible ; and on turning a corner the cause was manifested ;
there was the priest of the place, surrounded by some of his flock.
I advanced humbly, hat in hand, but almost before a word could be
said, he broke out with, "Who are you ?" " What are you?" "What do
you want ?" I endeavoured to explain. "You are a deserter ; I know
you are a deserter ; go away, you can't stay here ; go to Le Monta,
down there ; I won't have you here," and he literally drove me away.
The explanation of his strange behaviour was that Piedmontese
soldiers who were tired of the service had not unfrequently crossed
the Col de la Traversette into the valley, and trouble had arisen
from harbouring them. However, I did not know this at the time,
and was not a little indignant that I, who was marching to the
attack, should be taken for a deserter.
So I walked away, and shortly afterwards, as it was getting
dark, encamped in a lovely hole — a cavity or kind of basin in the
earth, with a stream on one side, a rock to windward, and some
broken pine branches close at hand. Nothing could be more per-
fect : rock, hole, wood, and water. After making a roaring fire, I
nestled in my blanket bag (an ordinary blanket sewn up, double
round the legs, with a piece of elastic riband round the open end),
and slept, but not for long. I was troubled with dreams of the In-
quisition ; the tortures were being applied — priests were forcing fleas
down my nostrils and into my eyes — and with red-hot pincers were
taking out bits of flesh, and then cutting off my ears and tickling
the soles of my feet. This was too much ; I yelled a great yell and
awoke, to find myself covered with innumerable crawling bodies ;
they were ants ; I had camped by an ant-hill, and, after making its
inhabitants mad with the fire, had coolly lain down in their midst.
The night was fine, and as I settled down in more comfortable
amassa tout so que aou lavie, sen ane diens un pais etraugie ben leigu, aount aous
clissipe tout soun be diens la grande deipensa et en deibaucha. Apres qu'aou lague
tout deipensa, larribe una grand fainina diens iquaou pais ilai, et aou cheique diens
lou besoign." — Ladoucette's Histoire des Hautes-Alpes, pp. 613, 618.
* See p. 22.
G
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/70]]==
42
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. II.
quarters, a brilliant meteor sailed across full 60° of the cloudless
sky, leaving a trail of light behind which lasted for several seconds.
Tt was the herald of a splendid spectacle. Stars fell by hundreds ;
THE BLANKET BAG.
and not dimmed by intervening vapours, they sparkled with greater
brightness than Sirius in our damp climate.
The next morning, after walking up the valley to examine the
Yiso, I returned to Abries, and engaged a man from a neighbouring
hamlet, for whom the ex-harbour-master had sent ; an inveterate
smoker, and thirsty in proportion, whose pipe never left his mouth
except to allow him to drink. We returned up the valley together
and slept in a hut of a shepherd, whose yearly wage was almost as
small as that of the herdsman spoken of in Hyperion by Long-
fellow ; and the next morning, in his company, proceeded to the
summit of the pass which I had crossed in 1860 ; but we were
bathed in our attempt to get near the mountain ; a deep notch *
* There are three cols or passes close to Monte Viso on its northern side, which
lead from the valley of the Po into that of the Gnil. The deep notch spoken of above
is the nearest to the mountain, and although it is by far the lowest gap in that part
of the chain, and would seem to be the true Col Viso, it does not appear to be used as
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/71]]==
chap. n. DEFEATED. 43
with precipitous cliffs cut us off from it ; the snow slope, too, which
existed in the preceding year on the Piedmontese side of the pass,
was now wanting, and we were unable to descend the rocks which
lay beneath. A fortnight afterwards the mountain was ascended
for the first time by Messrs. Mathews and Jacomb, with the two
Croz's of Chamounix. Their attempt was made from the southern
side, and the ascent, which was formerly considered a thing totally
impossible, has become one of the most common and favourite
excursions of the district.
We returned crest-fallen to Abries. The shepherd, whose boots
were very much out of repair, slipped upon the steep snow-slopes
and performed wonderful, but alarming, gyrations, which took him
to the bottom of the valley, more quickly than he could otherwise
have descended. He was not much hurt, and was made happy by
a few needles and a little thread to repair his abraded garments ;
the other man, however, considered it wilful waste to give him
brandy to rub in his cuts, when it could be disposed of in a more
ordinary and pleasant manner.
The night of the 14th of August found me at St. Veran, a village
made famous by Neff, but in no other respect remarkable, saving
that it is supposed to be the highest in Europe* The Protestants
now form only a miserable minority ; in 1861 there were said to be
120 to 780 Eoman Catholics. The poor innt was kept by one of
the former, and it gave the impression of great poverty. There was
no meat, no bread, no butter or cheese ; almost the only things that
could be obtained were eggs. The manners of the natives were
primitive ; the woman of the inn, without the least sense of impro-
priety, staid in the room until I was fairly in bed, and her bill for
supper, bed, and breakfast, amounted to one and sevenpence.
a pass. The second, which I crossed in 1860, has the name Col del Color del Porco
given to it upon the Sardinian map ! The third is the Col de la Traversette ; and
this, although higher than at least one of those mentioned above, is that which is
used by the natives who pass from one valley to the other.
* Its height is about 6600 feet above the sea.
t Ball's Guide is in error in saying there is no inn.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/72]]==
44
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. II.
Ill this neighbourhood, and indeed all round about the Viso, the
chamois still remain in considerable numbers. They said at St.
Veran that six had been seen from the village on the day I was
there, and the innkeeper declared that he had seen fifty together in
the previous week ! I myself saw in this and in the previous sea-
son several small companies round about the Yiso. It is perhaps as
favourable a district as any in the Alps for a sportsman who wishes
to hunt the chamois, as the ground over which they wander is by
no means of excessive difficulty.
The next day I descended the valley to Ville Yieille, and passed
NATURAL PILLAR NEAR MOLINES ^WEATHER ACTION).
near the village of Molines, but on the opposite side of the valley, a
remarkable natural pillar, in form not unlike a champagne bottle,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/73]]==
chap. II. HARD FARE. 45
about seventy feet high, which had been produced by the action of
the weather, and, in all probability, chiefly by rain. In this case a
" block of euphotide or diallage rock protects a friable limestone ;" *
the contrast of this dark cap with the white base, and the singularity
of the form, made it a striking object. These natural pillars are
among the most remarkable examples of the potent effects produced
by the long-continued action of quiet-working forces. They are
found in several other places in the Alps,t as well as elsewhere.
The village of Yille Yieille boasts of an inn with the sign of the
Elephant ; which, in the opinion of local amateurs, is a proof that
Hannibal passed through the gorge of the Guil. I remember the
place, because its bread, being only a month old, j' was unusually
soft, and, for the first time during ten days, it was possible to eat
some, without first of all chopping it into small pieces and soaking
it in hot water, which produced a slimy paste on the outside, but
left a hard untouched kernel.
The same day I crossed the Col Isoard to Briancon. It was the
15th of August, and all the world was en fSte; sounds of revelry
proceeded from the houses of Servieres as I passed over the bridge
upon which the pyrrhic dance is annually performed, § and natives
in all degrees of inebriation staggered about the paths. It was late
before the lights of the great fortress came into sight ; but unchal-
lenged I passed through the gates, and once more sought shelter
under the roof of the Hotel de l'Ours.
* J. D. Forbes.
+ In the gorge of the Dard, near Aosta ; near Enseigne, in the Val d'Herens ;
near Stalden, in the Visp Thai ; near Ferden, in the Lotschen Thai ; and, on a grander
scale, near Botzen, in the Tyrol ; and in America on the Colorado river of the west. —
See chap. 23.
X "An ancient and solemn custom wills that each family makes its bread in
advance for a whole year, in order to show to the envious that corn is not wanting.
The poor only eat new bread now and then, and do so because they are unable to make
it at once for a whole year. But they are ashamed of their poverty, and when they
are making it, hide from the sight of their neighbours. " — Elisee Eeclus, Tour du Monde,
1860.
§ See Ladoucette's Hautcs-Alpes, p. 596.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/74]]==
"-.<:■
a v 4 ui
CROSSING MONT CENIS il86l)
& !
.,<-'
CHAPTEE III
THE MONT CENIS — THE FELL RAILWAY — THE GREAT
TUNNEL THROUGH THE ALPS.
Guide-books say that the pass of the Mont Cenis* is dull. It is
long, certainly, but it has a fair proportion of picturesque points,
and it is not easy to see how it can be dull to those who have eyes.
In the days when it was a rude mountain-track, crossed by trains
of mules, and when it was better known to smugglers than to
tourists, it may have been dull ; but when Napoleon's road changed
the rough path into one of the finest highways in Europe, mounting
in grand curves and by uniform grades, and rendered the trot
possible throughout its entire distance, the Mont Cenis became one
of the most interesting passes in the Alps. The diligence service 1
which was established was excellent, and there was little or nothing
* See the general map.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/75]]==
CHAP. III.
DILIGENCES.
47
to be gained by travelling in a more expensive manner. The
horses were changed as rapidly as on the best lines in the best
period of coaching in England, and the diligences themselves were
as comfortable as a " milord " conld desire. The most exciting
portion of the ronte was undoubtedly that between Lanslebourg and
Snsa. When the zig-zags began, teams of mules were hooked on,
and the driver and his helpers marched by their side with long
whips, which they handled skilfully. Passengers dismounted, and
stretched their legs by cutting the curves. The pace was slow but
steady, and scarcely a halt was made during the rise of 2000 feet.
Crack ! crack ! went the whips as the corners of the zig-zags were
turned. Great commotion among the mules ! They scrambled and
went round with a rush, tossing their heads and making music with
their bells. The summit was gained, the mules were detached and
trotted back merrily, while we, with fresh horses, were dragged at
the gallop over the plain to the other side. The little postilion
seated on the leader smacked his whip lustily
as he swept round the corners cut through the
rock, and threw his head back, as the echoes
returned, expectant of smiles and of future
centimes.
The air was keen and often chilly, but the
summit was soon passed, and one quickly de-
scended to warmth again. Once more there was a change. The
horses, reduced in number to three, or perhaps two, were the
sturdiest and most sure of foot, and they raced down with the pre-
cision of old stagers. Woe to the diligence if they stumbled ! So
thought the conductor, who screwed down the breaks as the corners
were approached. The horses, held well in hand, leant inwards as
the top-heavy vehicle, so suddenly checked, heeled almost over ; but
in another moment the break was released, and again they swept
down, urged onwards by whip, " hoi," and " ha " of the driver.
All this is changed. The Victor Emmanuel railway superseded
a considerable portion of Napoleon's road, and the " Fell " railway
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/76]]==
48 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, hi.
has the rest. In a few years more the great tunnel of the Alps
will be completed, and that will bring about another change.
The Fell railway, which has been open about eighteen months,
is a line that well deserves attention. Thirty-eight years ago Mr.
Charles Vignolles, the eminent engineer, and Mr. Ericsson, patented
the idea which is now an accomplished fact on the Mont Cenis.
Nothing was done with it until Mr. Fell, the projector of the rail-
way which bears his name, took it up, and to him much credit is
due for bringing an admirable principle into operation.
The Fell railway follows the great Cenis road very closely, and
diverges from it either to avoid villages or houses, or, as at the
summit of the pass on the Italian side, to ease the gradients. The
line runs from St. Michel to Susa. The distance between those
two places is, as the crow flies, almost exactly equivalent to the
distance from London to Chatham ; but by reason of the numerous
curves and detours the length of the line is nearly brought up to the
distance of London from Brighton. From St. Michel to the summit
of the pass it rises 4460 feet, or 900 feet more than the highest point
of Snowdon is above the level of the sea ; and from the summit of
the pass to Susa, a distance less than that from London to Kew, it
descends no less than 5211 feet !
The railway itself is a marvel. For fifteen miles and three-
quarters it has steeper gradients than one in fifteen. In some
places it is one in twelve and a half ! An incline at this angle,
starting from the base of the Nelson Column in Trafalgar Square,
would reach the top of St. Paul's Cathedral if it were placed at
Temple Bar ! A straight piece of railway constructed on such a
gradient seems to go up a steep hill. One in eighty, or even one in
a hundred, produces a very sensible diminution in the pace of a
light train drawn by an ordinary locomotive ; how then is a train
to be taken up an incline that is six times as steep ? It is accom-
plished by means of a third rail placed midway between the two
ordinary ones, and elevated above them * The engines are provided
* This third rail, or, as it is termed, " the centre rail," is laid on all the steep por-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/77]]==
CHAP. III.
THE CENTRE RAIL.
49
with two pairs of horizontal driving-wheels as well as with the
ordinary coupled vertical ones, and the power of the machine is thus
enormously increased ; the horizontal wheels gripping the centre
rail with great tenacity by being brought together, and being almost
incapable of slipping, like the ordinary wheels when on even a
moderate gradient.*
The third rail is
the ordinary double-
headed rail, and is
laid horizontally ; it
is bolted down to
wrought iron chairs,
three feet apart,
which are fixed by
common coach-
screws to a longitu-
dinal sleeper, laid
upon the usual transverse ones : the sleepers are attached to each
other by fang-bolts. The dimensions of the different parts will be
seen by reference to the annexed cross section : —
THE CENTRE RAIL ON A CURVE.
■w
SCALE OF FEET
1 ■ ' I
Let us now take a run on the railway, starting from St. Michel.
For some distance from that place the gradients are not of an ex-
tions of the line, and round all except the mildest curves. Thirty miles, in all, of
the road have the centre rail.
* These engines are described in the reports by Captain Tyler to the Board of
Trade.
H
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/78]]==
50 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
traordinary character, and a good pace is maintained. The first
severe piece is about two miles up, where there is an incline of one
in eighteen* for more than half-a-mile ; — that is to say, the line rises
at one step one hundred and sixty-four feet. From thence 'to
Modane the gradients are again moderate (for the Fell railway)
and the distance — about ten miles and a half from St. Michel —
is accomplished without difficulty in an hour. Modane station
is 1128 feet above St. Michel, so that on this easy portion of
the line there is an average rise of 110 feet per mile, which is equal
to a gradient of one in forty-eight ; an inclination sufficiently steep
to bring an ordinary locomotive very nearly to a halt.
Just after passing Modane station there is one of the steepest
inclines on the line, and it seems preposterous to suppose that any
train could ascend it. A stoppage of ten minutes is made at Modane,
and on leaving that station, the train goes off at the hill with a rush.
In a few yards its pace is reduced, and it comes down and down to
about four miles an hour, which speed is usually maintained until
the incline is passed, without a diminution of the steam-pressure.
I say usually, because, if it should happen that there is not suffi-
cient steam, or should the driver happen to make a slip, the train
would most likely come back to Modane ; for, although the break-
power on the train is much more than sufficient to prevent it
running back, the driver could hardly start with the breaks on, and
the train would inevitably run back if they were off.
After this incline is passed, the line mounts by comparatively
easy gradients towards Fort Lesseillon ; it is then at a great height
above the Arc, and as one winds round the faces of the cliff out of
which the Napoleon road was cut, looking down upon the foaming
stream below, without a suspicion of a parapet between the rail-
way and the edge of the precipice, one naturally thinks about
what would happen if the engine should leave the rails. The
speed, however, that is kept up at this part is very gentle, and
* The inclination of the steepest part of Old Holborn Hill. — Roney's Rambles
on Railways.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/79]]==
chap. m. A STEEP RAILWAY. 51
there is probably much less risk of an accident than there was in
the days of diligences.
The next remarkable point on this line is at Termignon. The
valley turns somewhat abruptly to the east, and the course of the
railway is not at first perceived. It makes a great bend to the left,
then doubles back, and rises in a little more than a mile no less than
three hundred and thirty-four feet. This is, perhaps, the most
striking piece of the whole line.
Lanslebourg station, 25 \ miles from, and 2220 feet above, St.
Michel, is arrived at in two hours and a quarter from the latter
place. The engines are now changed. Thus far we have been
traversing the easy portion of the route, but here the heavy section
begins. From Lanslebourg the line rises continuously to the sum-
mit of the Mont Cenis pass, and accomplishes an ascent of 2240
feet in six miles and a third of distance.
It is curious and interesting to watch the ascent of the trains
from Lanslebourg. The puffs of steam are seen rising above the
trees, sometimes going in one direction, and sometimes directly the
contrary, occasionally concealed by the covered ways — for over two
miles out of the six the line is enclosed by planked sides and a
corrugated iron roof to keep out the snow — and then coming out
again into daylight. A halt for water has to be made about half-
way up ; but the engines are able to start again, and to resume
their rate of seven miles an hour, although the gradient is no less
than one in fourteen and a half. The zigzags of the old Cenis road
are well known as one of the most remarkable pieces of road-
engineering in the Alps. The railway follows them, and runs
parallel to the road on the outside throughout its entire distance,
with the exception of the turns at the corners, where it is carried a
little further out, to render the curves less sharp. Nevertheless
they are sufficiently sharp (135 feet radius), and would be imprac-
ticable without the centre rail.
The run across the top of the pass, from the Summit station to
the Grande Croix station — a distance of about five miles — is soon
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/80]]==
52
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. III.
accomplished, and then the tremendous descent to Susa is com-
menced. This, as seen from the engine, is little less than terrific.
A large part of this section is covered in,* and the curves succeed
one another in a manner unknown on any other line. From the
outside the line looks more like a monstrous serpent than a railway.
THE COVERED WAYS ON THE '"FELL" RAILWAY (ITALIAN SIDE OF THE MONT CENIS).
Inside one can see but a few yards ahead, the curves are so sharp,
and the rails are nearly invisible. The engine vibrates, oscillates,
and bounds ; it is a matter of difficulty to hold on. Then, on
emerging into the open air, one looks down some three or four
thousand feet of precipice and steep mountain-side. The next
moment the engine turns suddenly to the left, and driver and
stoker have to grip firmly to avoid being left behind ; the next, it
turns as suddenly to the right ; the next there is an accession or
diminution of speed, from a change in the gradient. An ordinary
engine, moving at fifty miles an hour, with a train behind it, is not
usually very steady, but its motion is a trifle compared with that
of a Fell engine when running down hill.
It may be supposed from this that travelling over the Fell rail-
* On the Italian side there are about three-quarters of a mile of strongly-built
avalanche galleries, and more than three miles of covered way.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/81]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/82]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/83]]==
CHAP. III.
THE CENTRE RAIL BREAK,
53
way is disagreeable rather than pleasant. It is not so ; the train
is steady enough, and the carriages have remarkably little motion.
Outside they resemble the cars on the Swiss and American lines ;
they are entered at the end, and the seats are arranged omnibus-
fashion, down the length of the carriage. Each carriage has a guard
and two breaks, — an ordinary one, and a centre rail break ; the
handles of these come close together to the platform at one end,
and are easily worked by one man. The steadiness of the train is
chiefly due to these centre rail breaks. The flat face A, and the
corresponding one on the oppo-
site side, are brought together
against the two sides of the
centre rail by the shaft B being
turned, and they hold it as in
a vice. This greatly diminishes
the up-and-down motion, and
renders oscillation almost im-
possible. The steadiness of the train is still further maintained by
pairs of flanged guide-wheels under each of the carriages, which,
on a straight piece of line, barely touch the centre rail, but press
upon it directly there is the least deviation towards either side *
There is no occasion to use the other breaks when the centre rail
breaks are on ; the wheels of the carriages are not stopped, but
revolve freely, and consequently do not suffer the deterioration
which would otherwise result.
The steam is shut off, and the breaks are applied, a very few
minutes after beginning the descent to Susa. The train might then
run down for the entire distance by its own weight. In practice,
it is difficult to apply the proper amount of retardation ; the breaks
have frequently to be whistled off, and sometimes it is necessary to
CENTRE RAIL BREAK.
* The carriages are not coupled in the ordinary way, and although there are no
buffers, properly speaking, and in spite the speed of the train being changed inces-
santly, there is a freedom from the jarring which is so common on other lines. The
reason is simply that the carriages arc coupled up tightly.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/84]]==
54 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. in.
steam down against them. Theoretically, this ought not of course
to occur ; it only happens occasionally, and ordinarily the train
goes down with the steam shut off, and with the centre rail breaks
screwed up moderately. When an average train — that is, two or
three carriages and a luggage- van — is running down at the maximum
speed allowed (fifteen miles an hour), the breaks can pull it up dead
within seventy yards. The pace is properly kept down to a low
point in descending, and doing so, combined with the knowledge
that the break-power can easily lessen it, will tend to make the
public look favourably on what might otherwise be considered a
dangerous innovation. The engines also are provided with the
centre rail break, on a pattern somewhat different from those on
the carriages, and the flat sides which press against the rails are
renewed every journey. It is highly desirable that they should be,
for a single run from Lanslebourg to Susa grinds a groove into them
about three-eighths of an inch in depth. .
Driving the trains over the summit section requires the most
constant attention, and no small amount of nerve, and the drivers,
who are all English, have well earned their money at the end of
their run. Their opinion of the line was concisely and forcibly
expressed to me by one of them in last August. " Yes, mister,
they told us as how the line was very steep, but they didn't say
that the engine would be on one curve, when the fourgon was on
another, and the carriages was on a third. Them gradients, too,
mister, they says they are one in twelve, but I think they are one
in ten, at the least, and they didn't say as how we was to come down
them in that snakewise fashion. It's worse than the G. I. P.,*
mister ; there a fellow could jump off ; but here, in them covered
ways, there ain't no place to jump to."
The Fell railway is of the nature of an experimental line, and
* The Great Indian Peninsula Railway, the line with the celebrated Bhore Ghaut
incline, sixteen miles long, on an average gradient of one in forty-eight, which is said
to have cost £800,000, or about double the entire cost of the Mount Cenis Railway,
and six times its cost mile for mile, The Fell railway cost £8000 per mile.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/85]]==
chap. in. ADVANTAGES AND DEFECTS. 55
as such it is a success. It has reduced the time that was formerly
occupied in passing from St. Michel to Susa by nearly one-half;*
it has lessened the cost and increased the comfort to the passengers.
The gauge (3 feet 7f inches) is a mistake, inasmuch as it loses time
and causes trouble by the transference of the passengers, limits
the power of the engines, and renders the rolling stock unfit for
general use, should the line be pulled up, — which, according to the
terms of the concession which was granted to the promoters, is to
be done when the great tunnel of the Alps is open for traffic.
The covered ways have been made too low, and the steam and
smoke are driven down by the roof in an unpleasant manner.*!*
If, however, the doors of the carriages are shut, but little incon-
venience is experienced on this account.
The engines are not anchored as firmly to the line as the
carriages, and their motions are very violent. There is, too, a
certain vibration in the working parts of their machinery, which
indicates that they are not perfect. In ordinary locomotives the
oscillatory movements which are acquired (even at moderate
speeds) from the inequalities of the road, are less likely to cause
injury to the machinery than the same motion is to the locomotives
on the Fell railway. With the former a certain amount of lateral
play is possible over the base of the engine, but in the latter case
it is impossible when the horizontal wheels and breaks are gripping
the centre rail. Many of the working parts of these locomotives
must be subjected to sudden and violent strains, which do not
occur to others on ordinary lines.
The engines are admitted to be imperfect, and new ones are in
course of construction. It is to be regretted there is a probability
that the line will be pulled up at no very distant date,' as improve-
ments are thus prevented from being carried out ; otherwise there
* The trains take 5\ hours one way and 5| hours the other. These times are
inclusive of an hour and a half of stoppages .
f It is said that a number of railway directors were nearly suffocated on one of
the early experimental trips, and that peremptory orders were given to remove
portions of the roof.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/86]]==
56 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
would be no doubt it might become a thoroughly practical and
profitable one. Let us now turn to the great tunnel of the Alps,
the completion of which is to be death to the Fell railway.
When M. Medail of Bardonneche — thirty years ago — pointed
out that a shorter tunnel could be constructed beneath the Alps
between his village and Modane than at any other place in the
Sardiuian States having a similar elevation above the level of the
sea, neither he, nor any other person, had the least idea how the
project could be executed.
The first step was taken by the geologists Signor Sismonda and
M. Elie de Beaumont. They pointed out, about twenty years ago,
that calcareous schists and quartzite rocks would form a large pro-
portion of the strata through which the tunnel would pass. It
takes a miner one hour and a half to two hours to make an ordinary
hole for blasting (28 inches deep) in the calcareous schist, and not
less than eight hours to make one 20 inches deep in the quartzite.*
When would the tunnel have been finished if the ordinary pro-
cesses had been alone employed ?
The ordinary processes were clearly unavailable. The tunnel
would be not only of prodigious length,f but it would have to be
constructed without shafts. At no place where a shaft would have
been of any use would it have been possible to make one less than
1000 feet deep ! If one had been made about midway between the
two ends, it would have been no less than 5315 feet deep. "I
* These are the times actually occupied in the tunnel.
t The Mont Cenis Tunnel will be 13,364 yards long. The lengths of some of the
better known tunnels in England are given below, for the sake of comparison.
Shakespeare . (South-Eastern Railway) .... 1430 yards . 7 shafts.
Kilsby . . (North- Western Railway) .... 2398 ,, .2 ,,
Box . . . (Great Western Railway) .... 3123 ,, .11 ,,
Woodhead . (Man., Sheffield, and Line. Railway) 5300 ,, . ? ,,
The last-named is the longest railway tunnel in England. — Enc. Brit, Art. " Railways."
The longest canal tunnel in England is the Marsden, on the Huddersfield Canal. —
Roney's Rambles on Railways.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/87]]==
chap. in. HISTORY OF THE TUNNEL. 57
estimate," says M. Conte,* " that the sinking of a shaft a mile in
depth would occupy not less than forty years. I do not know that
a depth of 1000 feet has been hitherto passed." "f*
" Several projects were presented to the Sardinian government,
some proposing to shorten the length of the tunnel by raising its
level, and others to accelerate the boring of the holes for blasting ;
but they were all put aside as impossible, or as having been insuffi-
ciently studied. The first one seriously considered by the govern-
ment was that of M. Maus, a Belgian engineer. He proposed to
construct a tunnel of 12,230 metres between Barclonneche and
Modane, with a ruling gradient of 19 in 1000. The advance of the
small gallery in front was to be made by means of a machine with
chisels, put in motion by springs, that would have cut the rock into
blocks — leaving them attached only at the back — which were after-
wards to be brought down by means of wedges."
"M. Colladon of Geneva suggested moving the tools of the
machine of M. Maus by means of compressed air, but he neither
pointed out the means of compressing the air, nor how it was to be
applied as a motive power."
" The government had constructed the railway from Turin to
Genoa, and engineers were studying how to tug the trains up the
incline at Busalla, which has a gradient of 1 in 29. MM. Grandis,
Grattoni, and Sommeiller proposed to compress air by means of the
' compresseur a choc,' which is now used on the works of the Cenis
tunnel, and to employ it for the traction of the trains."
"Mr. Bartlett, an English engineer on the Victor Emmanuel
Eailway, J had invented a machine for making holes for blasting,
* M. Conte, a well-known French engineer, was a member of a commission ap-
pointed to examine the progress of this tunnel in 1863. His report is the most
accurate and the most complete account of it that has been published.
+ M. Conte refers to tunnel-shafts.
."J: The Victor Emmanuel Railway Company has ceased to exist. The section in
France is joined to the Paris, Lyons, and Mediterranean Eailway, and that in Italy
to the Alta Ttalia system. The railway from the French mouth of the tunnel to St.
Michel will be made at the cost of the Paris, Lyons, and Mediterranean Company.
I
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/88]]==
58 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. in.
which was put in motion by steam. The machine was imperfect,
and while experiments were being made with it (by means of com-
pressed air), M. Sommeiller invented the boring-machine which is
now used in the tunnel."
" The problem then appeared to be solved. The inventors joined
themselves to M. Eanco — who had taken part in their experiments
on the Genoa Eailway — prepared a scheme, and presented it with
confidence to the government, after having found out that they
could compress air to a high pressure, that this air could be led
from closed reservoirs and transmitted to great distances without a
sensible diminution of its pressure, and that it could be employed
to move the boring-machine which was intended to make the holes
for blasting. A commission was appointed to examine the project,
and its members satisfied themselves that the scheme was feasible.
The Act of August 15, 1857, authorised the government to construct
the section of the Victor Emmanuel Eailway between Susa and
Modane. MM. Grandis, Grattoni, and Sommeiller, were appointed
to direct the works."
" M. Medail indicated the general direction of the tunnel be-
tween Modane and Bardonneche. M. Maus drew his line a little
more to the east, nearer to Modane. The engineers who direct the
work have approached the latter course, and have selected that
which seemed to them to be the shortest, the most easy to come out
at, and, especially, the most convenient to lay out."
" It is needless to insist on the importance of the tracing of the
course of the tunnel. It was necessary — 1st, To establish upon the
mountain a sufficient number of marks in order to determine the
vertical plane passing through the axis of the gallery ; 2. To
measure exactly the distance between the two mouths ; 3. To de-
termine the difference of level between the two mouths, in order to
arrange the gradients of the tunnel."
" These delicate operations were entrusted to MM. Borelli and
Copello. M. Grandis undertook the control of the work."
" After the two mouths had been determined upon, they set out
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/89]]==
chap. in. TRACING ITS COURSE. 59
from Fourneaux to trace a line in the supposed direction of Bar-
donneche. This first line came out in the valley of Eochemolles at
a point too far off from that fixed upon, but with its help a second
line was drawn which came sufficiently near to the proposed entry.
These lines were subsequently still further corrected. These opera-
tions occupied the months of August and September 1857."
" The observations were made with a theodolite which had been
constructed with the greatest care, and which read to 10" on the
vernier. The line has been verified several times by different ob-
servers, and the results show that a straight line has been laid out.
Supposing that the greatest error" (due to the instrument) " had
been made, the deviation from the straight line would not amount
to more than one foot. MM. Borelli and Copello make — personally
— the observations for the direction and for the verification of the
actual course of the tunnel, and we may imagine that they will not
readily leave to others such delicate work, upon which the success of
the enterprise depends. All the marks on the southern side, and the
most important ones on the northern side, were fixed by the first
days of October 1857; snowfalls and 'tourmentes' retarded the
work, but it was nevertheless completed by the end of the month."
"In 1858 the triangulations and levellings were undertaken,
and they were terminated at the end of the year."
" The trigonometrical work has for a base one of the sides of the
triangles of the Etat Major, and upon it two sets of triangles have
been constructed, one towards the southern and the other towards
the northern side. The two systems are formed of twenty-eight
triangles, and the number of angles measured is eighty-six. The
majority of the angles have been repeated at least twenty times ;
those of the principal triangles have been taken fifty times, and, of the
small ones, at least ten times. The theodolite employed read to 5"."
" One can hardly give an idea of the difficulties that the ob-
servers have experienced in the course of their work. At heights
like those from which they worked, meteorological changes occur
with the greatest rapidity ; violent winds overturned their instru-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/90]]==
60 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
ments, and mists or clouds concealed the points at the moments
they wished to observe them. A single fact will give some notion
of the nature of their work. Seven angles had to be measured from
the summit of La Pelouse, 10,170 feet above the sea. The observers
— who were lodged in the chalets of La Eionda, had to ascend to the
summit for seven successive days, and it was seldom possible to
measure two angles in the same day."
" The importance of these observations is readily comprehended,
and I have described them at some length, because they form the
base of the enterprise. One thing is notable. It is the personal
care that the engineers have taken. M. Grandis directed the trac-
ing of the line, the triangulation, and the levellings ; he assisted at
these operations ; he selected the bases and points at which ' signals'
were to be placed ; and all was done under his eye by the engineers,
Borelli, Copello, Mella, and Mondino."
On account of the peculiar situation of the ends of the tunnel,
two small, connecting, curved tunnels will have to be made. "The
construction of these terminal curves is naturally neglected for the
establishment of the two false mouths in the direction of the general
line."
" The length between the two false mouths is 12,220*00 metres.
The entry on the side of Italy is at a height of 1335*38 „
France .. 1202*82
Difference of level 132*56
This difference of level is overcome by a gradient
of 222 in 10,000, which rises from the French
entry to the centre * . . . =135*64
A gradient of 1 in 2000, which rises from the
Italian entry to the centre* . . = 3 06
132-58
: The summit will be a few feet higher than M. Conte states, the gradients having
been increased since the commencement of the works.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/91]]==
chap. m. THE WORKS. 61
If a single gradient had ruled throughout, rising from the French
to the Italian side, it would have been reduced to 217 in 20,000 ;
but although this would have been of the greatest advantage in
working the line, it would have added one more difficulty to the
construction of the tunnel. There were enough difficulties without
adding another."
"It is, besides, evident that driving the tunnel to a summit
doubles the chances of the two ends meeting, and negatives, to a
certain extent, the possibilities of error from the two operations
upon which the least dependence could be placed, — the triangula-
tion and the levelling. Provided that the two axes are in the same
direction, they must meet sooner or later ; whether this happens a
few yards more to the north or to the south is of no importance." *
At the commencement of the tunnel in 1857, there was no ac-
commodation at either end for those employed on the works ; and
for a long time both engineers and workmen had to submit to
numerous privations. Eoads had to be made, and barracks to be
erected ; one after another, houses and shops were added, and at
the present time the tunnel-buildings alone form considerable
villages at the two ends.i*
The situations of the two mouths are essentially different from
each other. That at Bardonneche comes out at the bottom of the
valley of Eochemolles ; that at Fourneaux 300 feet above the Cenis
road. At the latter end the debris has been shot out at the mouth
down the mountain-side ; and, large as the tip (in the language of
* Conte. Conferences faites a VEcole Imperiale des Ponts et Chaussees. 1864.
+ It is sufficient to indicate those at Bardonneche only. The principal ones are :
1. Close to the tunnel-mouth — lodgings for the miners, the principal storehouses,
stables, forges for repairing the drills. 2. At Bardonneche, half-a-mile distant from
the mouth — large barracks for the workmen ; six other buildings for workmen ; one
house for other employees ; repairing-shops for the machinery ; storehouses ; a
foundry ; the building containing the " compresseurs a choc," and the reservoirs for
feeding the same ; a gasworks ; a building containing an infirmary, washhouses, etc. ;
two buildings for "compresseurs a pompe;" one building for new reservoirs of
compressed air ; a cantine and a porter's lodge. An enumeration of the buildings
at Fourneaux (Modane) would be nearly a repetition of the above.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/92]]==
62 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
navvies) undoubtedly is, it is difficult to believe one sees all the
material that has been extracted from more than two miles and a
half of tunnel. It is interesting as showing the greatest angle at
which debris will stand. Its faces have, as nearly as possible, an
angle of 45.°
During four years the ordinary means of excavation were alone
employed, and but 1300 yards were driven. In this time the
machines were being constructed which were destined to supersede
a large part of the manual labour ; at the beginning of 1861 they
were sufficiently complete to be put to work, and in the summer of
that year I went to Bardonneche to see them in operation .*
The clocks of the Oulx had just struck twelve on the night of
the 16th of August, as the diligence crawled into the village from
Briancon, conveying a drunken driver, a still more intoxicated con-
ducteur, and myself. The keeper of the inn at which we stopped
declined to take me in, so I sought for repose in a neighbouring
oath eld, and the next morning mightily astonished a native when I
rose enveloped in my blanket-bag. He looked aghast for a moment
at the apparition which seemed to spring out of the ground, and then
turning round in a nervous, twitching manner, dropped his spade
and fairly bolted, followed by hearty shouts of laughter. Bardon-
neche — a little Alpine village whose situation is not unlike that of
Zermatt, was about an hour distant. A strange banging noise could
be heard a long way off, and a few minutes after my arrival, I stood
in one of the shops by the side of the machine which was causing
it, and by the side of M. Sommeiller, the inventor of the machine.
They were experimenting with one of his famous " perforatrices,"
and a new form of boring-rod, upon a huge block of rock which
" In the previous year I had visited Modane, and favoured by introductions from
M. Ch. Lafitte, at that time President of the Victor Emmanuel Railway, had been
shown all that there was to be seen. I visited Modane again recently, and, for the
third time, went to the end of the advanced gallery. I have to thank M. Mella and
Sig. Borelli, the directors of the works in 1861 at Modane and Bardonneche respec-
tively, for their attention in 1860-1, and particularly Sign or Copello, the present di-
rector at Modane, for the facilities given and for the information afforded by him.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/93]]==
chap, in/ THE PERFORATRICES. 63
was already riddled by more than a hundred holes, varying from
one inch to four and a half in diameter. The perforatrice — a simple-
looking cylinder fixed in a square frame, and connected with a few
pipes and stop-cocks — was placed in a fresh position in front of
the rock, and, at a sign from the engineer, was set in motion. A
boring-rod darted out like a flash of lightning, went with a crash
against a new part of the rock, chipped out several fragments at a
blow, and withdrew as quickly as it had advanced. Bang, bang, it
went again with the noise of a gong. In ten seconds the head of
the borer had eaten itself a hole ; in a minute it had all but dis-
appeared ; in twelve it had drilled a hole nearly a yard deep, as
cleanly as a carpenter could in a piece of wood. The rod not only
moved backwards and forwards, and advanced as the hole grew
deeper, but turned gently round the whole time ; a jet of water,
projected with great force, cooled the chisel, and washed out the
chips. More air was turned on ; the sound of the blows could no
longer be distinguished one from another, they made a continuous
rattle, and the rate was increased from two hundred to no less than
three hundred and forty strokes per minute, or about half as fast
again as the motion of the piston-rod of an ordinary express loco-
motive when going sixty miles an hour.
The pipes are seen which conduct the compressed air for the
working of these boring-machines on approaching the tunnel-
mouths. They are eight inches in diameter, and are supported by
pillars of masonry. As these pipes, outside the tunnel, are exjDosed
to constant variations of temperature — sometimes to as much as
54° Fahr. in a single day — it has been necessary to guard against
their expansion and contraction. They have been fixed accordingly
at stated intervals by means of iron rods, the lower ends of which
are carried through the masonry and bolted to plates on the
outside. The intermediate pipes are carried on rollers (d) on the
tops of the pillars, and between each of the fixed points there is
one pipe having an enlarged mouth — terminated by a cheek —
which receives the end (a) of the ordinary pipe. A circular
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/94]]==
64
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. III.
.sPfo
pipe of leather (c) is secured to the cheek by means of a metal
washer, and, pressed down by the compressed air on the end
of the ordinary pipe,
makes the joint suffici-
ently air-tight, although
it does not hinder the
advance or the retreat
of the pipe. In the
tunnel itself — where the
temperature is not sub-
ject to such fluctuations
— these precautions are
not necessary, and the
pipes are carried along
the walls, supported by
brackets, as far as the end of the finished work. Through these
pipes highly compressed air is conducted, and is delivered at the
end of the " advanced gallery " where the boring-machines are at
work, with only a slight diminution in its pressure, notwithstanding
the escapes which occur at the joints.
On entering the tunnel one is struck by its size. The Italians,
with a magnificent disregard of expense, or from regard to the
future, have constructed it not only with two pairs of rails,* but
with a footpath on each side. From the rails to the crown of the
arch its height is just 20 feet, and its width is 26 feet 6 inches.
The next thing that is noticed is that it is almost everywhere lined
with masonry ; a small fraction only of the rock is left unsupported.
The stone that is used is not obtained from the tunnel itself, but
is quarried several miles away, near to St. Michelt Not observed,
* The lines which will connect it with existing railways are to be only single
lines.
+ Here, and in the subsequent pages, the French side is alone referred to, unless
it is otherwise specified ; but the description would serve almost equally for the
Italian side.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/95]]==
CHAP. III.
TEMPERATURE OF THE TUNNEL.
65
SCALE OF FEET
but nevertheless existing, is a covered way about 3 feet 4 inches
high, and 4 feet wide, which is made in the floor of the tunnel
between the rails ; it is
in fact a tunnel within
a tunnel. Originally its
dimensions were less,
and it was intended
merely as a subway in
which the pijies con-
veying the compressed
air might be placed, and
as a drain ; it was found
convenient to enlarge its
size, and since that has
been done, it lias — on
at least one occasion —
served a purpose for
° i ,,?,,,, ',° , , , " , , , , 2 , ° which it was not origin-
ally intended. On the
15th of September 1863, a sudden fall of rock occurred, which killed
several miners and imprisoned about sixty others who were at work
in the advanced gallery. They were greatly alarmed, and expected
to be starved ; but at last one of them remembered this subway,
and they escaped by its means. Since that time the miners,
knowing they have this exit, have troubled themselves very little
about eboulements.
The temperature of the tunnel remains tolerably uniform
throughout the year, but it is much higher in some parts than it is
in others. On the occasion of my last visit, the exterior tem-
perature was 63|° Fahr. in the shade ; a mile from the entrance it
was 65°, and the mouth looked like the sun on a misty November
day. At two miles the thermometer showed 70°, the atmosphere
had become foul, and the mouth was invisible. In two hundred and
fifty paces more, it had risen to 75°, the tunnel was filled with dense
K
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/96]]==
66 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
clouds of smoke, the light of an ordinary miner's lamp could not
be perceived at the distance of five or six yards, and respiration
was difficult, for the atmosphere was vile. This was the end of
the finished work : it is from hence that the air is drawn by the
pumping-engines at the mouth, and it is hereabouts that all the
foul vapours naturally accumulate and hang. The great vault
was no longer overhead, but the way was reduced to a drift eight
or nine feet wide and scarcely as much high, encumbered with
waggons filled with debris, between which and the walls one could
barely pass. In a hundred feet or so, we emerged — comparatively
speaking — into a blaze of light. Two hundred greasy, smoky, but
still light-giving lamps, hung from the walls. Drops of water
flashed past them like gems. Two hundred men toiled at the en-
largement of the gallery — bearded, grimy men, some on their backs,
some on their sides, some working overhead, some half naked, some
quite naked — all tapping laboriously at their mining-rods, and all
perspiring profusely. The temperature had risen to 81 J .* The
multitude of the lights, the crowd of men, and the obscurity of
the smoke, help to make the tunnel look an immense size — in
fact, at this part, it is sometimes but little less than 30 feet high
and 35 feet wide ; for not merely has the rock to be removed at
the top and sides, which is afterwards replaced by masonry, but it
is occasionally excavated for an inverted arch, which is placed
wherever it is necessary.
The temperature is, as nearly as possible, the same at the roof
of the gallery as it is on the floor ; for jets of compressed air are
let off above. The work of the masons would otherwise be unen-
durable.
There was a difference then of 18° between the temperature at
the mouth and at the end of the finished work. In winter this
amount would be trebled or quadrupled. How much of the in-
crease is due to the lights, men, and horses, and how much to the
natural temperature of the rock ? If the heat increased in the tunnel,
* It is almost unnecessary to remark that no stout men are seen in the tunnel.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/97]]==
chap. in. THE ADVANCED GALLERY. 67
yard by yard, in the same proportion as it does when descending into
the earth, the temperature in its centre should be about 90° higher
than at its mouth. Although it is known that the rate of increase
is very much less than this, the actual rate is not known. I
believe it is correct to say that not a single observation has been
made upon the natural temperature of the rock since the tunnel
has been commenced. Four-fifths of it are now driven. The oppor-
tunity for observation has been lost ; for, apart from the cooling which
must inevitably have taken place, almost the whole of the tunnel has
been lined with masonry, and it is not to be expected that any
person, or any body of persons, will incur the expense, even if they
were permitted, of removing this, and then making the necessary
holes. It is to be hoped that some observations will be made on the
remaining portion, for similar opportunities are not likely to occur
very frequently.
About 2000 feet on the French side of the tunnel was under-
going the processes of enlargement and completion in the summer
of 1869 * In some places portions of the advanced gallery remained
untouched, and then one came to caverns, such as have been described
above. This section was being completed faster than the advanced
gallery was being driven. It was pleasant to get away from it
farther into the bowels of the mountain ; the heat became less, and
the atmosphere more pure. The noise of the hammers died gra-
dually away, and at last no sound whatever could be heard, except
of our own footsteps and of water running in the subway. After a
time the banging of the chisels could be distinguished which were
at work on the front of the attack. Five hundred paces took us to
them.f The ponderous frame, technically called "I'afTut," sup-
ported nine of the machines known as " perforatrices ; " each per-
forative propelled a boring-rod, and each boring-rod was striking
the rock at the rate of 200 strokes per minute, with a force of 200
* The monthly advances which are sometimes quoted in English newspapers refer
to the advanced gallery, not to the finished work.
t In addition to the 2000 feet of unfinished work mentioned above.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/98]]==
68 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
pounds * The terrific din that these 1800 strokes per minute, given
with such force, make in a rock-chamber that is only 8 ft. 3 in.
high, and 9 ft. 2 \ in. wide, can hardly be imagined ; neither can
an adequate idea be given of the admirable -manner in which the
machines accomplish their work. In spite of the noise and the
cramped position in which the men necessarily toil on account of
the limited space, the work goes steadily forward day and night.
Each man knows his part. The foremen direct by signs rather
than by words ; the labourers guide the chisels ; the workmen
regulate the supply of air ; the machinists are ready in case of
accident ; slim boys, with long-nosed cans, oil the machinery.
Order triumphs in the midst of apparent confusion. One sees now
the results of years of perfecting and of practice. Things were
very different at the beginning. Then, says M. Conte, " everything
was new, not only to the workmen, but also to those who had the
direction. . . . The work of perforation was commenced at
Bardonneche on January 12, 1861, but for several days only a
single perforatrice was in action, then a second was added, and by
the 20th a certain amount of useful work had been done. On the
26th the number of the perforatrices was increased to four, and by
working eight hours per day, 10 or 12 holes were made about a
yard in depth. On the 12th of February they had perfected about
32 yards of the advanced gallery, which had been left unfinished,
and then arrived at the front of the attack. The whole difficulty
was there. The number of the machines was again increased, but
during ten days there was little result. On the 22d February the
works were suspended, in order to make alterations suggested by
experience ; and it was recommenced on the 2d of March. During
the first half of this month an advance of half-a-metre was accom-
plished in two days, by working seven hours a-day ; but towards
the end of the month the work had become more easy, and it was
possible to perform the whole of the operation in a single day, and
to obtain a daily advance of 18 inches to two feet."
* The perforatrices are independent machines, and one can "be stopped or removed
without arresting the progress of the others.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/99]]==
chap. in. DIFFICULTIES AT THE COMMENCEMENT. 69
" In April, the improvements introduced, and the practice
acquired, caused better progress, and in the middle of the month
the work of perforation was accomplished in eight or nine hours."
" In the month of May, when nine perforatrices were at length
at work, progress was stopped by exterior causes, and was sus-
pended for two months."
"From July to the 19th of August the work was continued,
but only one attack per day was made, on account of there not
being a sufficient number of instructed persons to carry on the
work incessantly. Still it was carried on with regularity, and the
advance was 28 inches to 3 feet per day. The perforation was
generally accomplished in six hours."
"From the 19th of August the work was continued day and
night, but at first, in consequence of the inexperience of some of
the employees, the depth of the holes had to be reduced to two
feet, and that depth occupied them twelve hours. Little by little
this fresh band of workmen became as skilful as the first, and at
the end of two months the two attacks were carried on with regu-
larity." *
The best form of boring-rod for all kinds of rock, excepting such
as are homogeneous, was hit upon in 1861, and it has been in use
ever since. The head is in the form of a Z. For homogeneous
* On the Italian side, in order to advance one metre : —
1863.
96 holes, 36 inches deep, were bored.
94^ lbs. of powder were consumed.
210 metres of match.
185 drills were used up.
1862.
120 holes, each 30 to 32 inches in depth,
had to be bored.
110 lbs. of powder were consumed.
200 metres of match.
190 drills were put 7i07's cle combat.
On the French side, in order to advance one metre :— -
1863.
103 holes, 34 inches deep, were bored.
125,j lbs. of powder were consumed.
200 metres of match.
158 drills were used up.
Conic
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/100]]==
70
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. III.
rock, the ordinary form of chisel is found best. Almost all the
details of the machinery, the size of the gallery, the dimensions
and number of the holes, and the manner of firing them, have been
changed since the beginning ; the general principles alone remain
unaltered. The present system is as follows. A hole 4f inches in
diameter is made to a depth of about a yard, towards the centre of
the drift, but rather nearer to the floor than to the roof. Fifty to
sixty holes, according to circumstances, of less diameter, but of
about equal depth, are then driven into the remainder of the face.
CROSS SECTION OF THE ADVANCED GALLERY.
All the holes are then dried and cleaned by a jet of compressed
air, the " afTut " is withdrawn behind strong iron-bound doors, and
six of the small holes nearest to the large are charged and fired.
The force of the explosion goes in the direction of least resistance,
that is towards the central hole, and a breach is made such as is
indicated in the longitudinal section by the thick dotted line. The
remaining holes are then charged and fired in sets of six or eight
at a time, those nearest to the breach being exploded first. This
system has been found more economical than firing a larger number
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/101]]==
CHAP. III.
PRESENT SYSTEM OF MINING.
71
of shots at one time. The waggons are then advanced, and the
debris is cleared away ; the two pairs of rails at the sides, shown
in the cross section, are for wag-
gonets, whose contents are afterwards
transferred to large waggons. The
" affut " is then again advanced.
These operations are now repeated
with unvarying regularity twice
every day.
The temperature at the working
face of the advanced gallery is seldom
higher than from 75° to 76°, and the
atmosphere is as pure as can be de-
sired, when the machines are at
work."" This, it must be remem-
bered, is notwithstanding the pre-
sence of more than thirty men,t and
almost as many lamps, in a space
about nine feet wide, eight high, and
fifty long. The comparative lowness of the temperature is of course
due to the expansion of the compressed air.
At the distance of a hundred and sixty paces, the sound of
the machines could not be distinguished, and the atmosphere
again gradually deteriorated as we approached the region which
may, not improperly, be termed infernal. Once more we passed
through the foul vapours and by the army of miners. Laborious
as the work of these men undoubtedly is, it is lighter and far less
dangerous than that of our coal-cutters. The heat, although it
seems considerable to one coming from a lower temperature, is not
excessive, and this may be inferred from seeing how few men
* The temperature is raised to 80° or 86° after the mines are exploded.
f 1 chef ; 4 machinists ; 2 master miners, who determine the direction of the
holes ; 8 labourers, who guide the boring-rods ; 9 workmen, who look after the per-
foratrices ; 5 boys ; 8 labourers ; 2 workmen, who keep up communication with the
exterior, — in all, 39 persons.
///w M^w<^m^^^'
LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF THE END OF
THE ADVANCED GALLERY.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/102]]==
72 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. in.
are unclothed. They work readily enough for their three francs
a-day,* and take to their labour cheerfully ; very few skulkers
can be seen in the Mont Cenis tunnel. The following table shows
how small is the risk to life.
Fatal Accidents which have occurred at the Great Tunnel op the Alps
from the commencement of the works to August 1869 : —
Inside the Tunnel. Outside the Tunnel.
From falls of rock ... 8 Falls from heights ... 2
Accidents from waggons . 14 Accidents from waggons . 4
Premature explosions . . 3 — 25 Explosion of gunpowder . 5 — 11
Total . 36
It will be seen from this that one-half of the fatal accidents have
arisen from men being run over by waggons. This has chiefly come
from the impossibility of making the miners walk on the footways
at the sides of the tunnel. They will walk. on the rails. The result
is that they are not unfrequently killed, although the greatest pre-
cautions are taken with the waggons descending with debris. The
total is insignificant when one considers the number of men engaged
and the length of time over which it is spread, and it compares
favourably with almost any other enterprise of similar magnitude.
The waggons laden with debris run down, on the French side, by
their own weight, on account of the gradient, and so did the truck
on which I descended with my guide — the courteous engineer who
directs the works. Fresh relays of miners were entering, and those
whom they relieved were coming out with their arms around each
others' waists " in the manner of schoolboys and lovers." The air
seemed chilly, although it was a bright summer day ; and our
nostrils, for hours after leaving the tunnel, yielded such supplies of
carbon as to suggest that the manufacture of compressed soot
might be profitably added to the already numerous industries of
the works.
* The workmen in the advanced gallery receive five francs a-day, and a small
honus per metre if they exceed a certain fixed distance.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/103]]==
CHAP. III.
THE COST.
73
About four thousand men are now employed on the tunnel,*
and they complete ten to eleven feet every day. The average daily
progress of the last five years is ten feet one inch. Each yard of
progress costs at the present time about £200, or just double the
average of railway tunneling in England.t There are many yards,
however, which have cost infinitely more than £200 per yard. The
work is now so far advanced that the engineers can estimate with
some probability what the total expenditure will amount to. They
place it at £3,000,000 (£224 per yard), which sum includes
* On the French side they are employed as follows (subdivisions are omitted for
the sake of brevity) : —
(1.) In the advanced gallery —
' Ajusteurs ' . . .
Miners ....
Labourers
Boys ....
(2.) Enlargement by manual labour —
Miners ....
Labourers . . .
Boys ....
Masonry —
Masons and dressers of stone
Labourers
Boys ....
(3.) Manufactories, machinery, stores
Smiths, joiners, fitters, etc.
Labourers
Boys .... 10 570
(4.) Overseers, foremen, clerks, etc. .... 60
(5.) Platelayers, transport of materials, etc. . . 180
13
14
140
13
510
180
30
58
170
52
(exterior works)-
120
440
10
180
720
280
Total
Horse-power of machines —
Hydraulic wheels ..... 480
Ventilating machines . . . . 300
Sundry ,, .... 80
Total horse-power of machinery . 860
Horses employed in clearing away debris 80
t Encyclo. Brit. art. "Railways."
L
1990
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/104]]==
74
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. III.
the expense of the whole of the machinery and of the exterior
works. This amount does not seem extravagant when we remem-
ber that for every yard of advance, never less — and frequently more
— than seventy cubic yards of rock have to be excavated, and to be
carried away (at the present time) a distance of three miles ; that
about twenty-five cubic yards of masonry have to be built, the stone
for which is conveyed twelve miles in a mountainous country ; that
all the machinery employed has been constructed and invented
expressly for the tunnel, and that the creation of two small towns
has been necessary.
The strata which have been pierced agree very satisfactorily in
their nature and in their thickness with the indications of the geolo-
gists.
The engineers therefore believe that no greater difficulties
will be encountered than those which have been overcome. Ee-
markably little water has been met with : the miner's dreaded enemy
seems to have fled before the engineer who has utilised its power.
I have not entered into a description of the manner in which this
has been accomplished, because it has been frequently done before ;
but there is nothing more interesting in regard to the tunnel than
* Table of the strata which have been pierced on the French side of the great
tunnel of the Alps : —
Thickness of the
Metres.
Metres.
Strata in Metres.
1. Debris and pebbles
. fr
om
to
128
128
2. Anthracitic schists
5
128
55
2095
35
1967-35
3. Quartzite
,
2095-35
55
2476
75
381-40
4. Anhydrite
2476-75
55
2696
90
220-15
5. Compact calcareous
rock ,
2696-90
55
2730
90
34-
6. Talcose schists .
2730-90
55
2780
20
49-30
7. Compact calcareous
rock ,
, 2780-20
55
2802
02
21-82
8. Anhydrite
2802-02
55
2831
75
29-73
9. Calcareous schists
2831-75
55
2852
95
21-20
10. Anhydrite
2852-95
55
2867
15
14-20
11. Calcareous schists
2867-15
55
3264
396-85
12. Anhydrite
3264*
55
3334*45
70-45
13. Calcareous schist
(the
same as at Bardomi
eche) ,
3334-45
55
continues
?
On the Rardonneche sid
c the tunin
•1 passes through
.■ah
•areous
schist
alone.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/105]]==
CHAP. III.
ANNUAL PROGRESS.
75
the way in which the waste power of nature has been applied for
the reduction of the difficulties of the undertaking. There is not a
single steam-engine on the works : everything is done with com-
pressed air, or by hydraulic power.
Just one half of the tunnel was driven at the end of October 1866,
after more than nine years of labour. The third quarter was finished
by the end of 1868,* Unless extraordinary obstacles are encountered,
the two ends will probably meet in February 1871 ;t but it will be
long after that date before the tunnel will be used for traffic*
* The advanced gallery only.
f Table showing the Progress of the Advanced Gallery on each side,
from the Commencement up to 1st November 1869.
Year.
By
manual
labour.
By
mechanical
means.
r 3 857
| 1858
J 1859
] 1860
I 1861
1.1862
f 1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
U869
BardonnSche.
Advance
in metres.
Total.
27.28 ^1
257.57 j
236.35
203.80
j- 725.00
170.00
380.00
426.00
621.20
765.30
812.70
824.30
638.60
699.30
}- 5337.40
Total advance at
Bardonneche
6062.40
MODANE.
Advance
in metres.
Total.
10.80
201.95
132.75
139.50
193.00
243.00
376.00
466.65
458.40
212.29
687.81
681.55
524.30
^ 921.00
Total of
the two
sides per
annum.
General
Total.
}- 3407.00
J
Total ad- )
vance at > 4328.00
Modane. )
38.08
459.52
362.10
343.30
193.00
243.00
170.00
380.00
802.00
1087.85
1223.70
1024.99
1512.11
1320.15
842.10
1646.00
y 8744.40
Total ad- )
vance at V 10,390.40
both ends )
Total length of the tunnel, 12,220 metres.
Remained to be driven Nov. 1, 1869, 1829| metres.
See Appendix for the progress of the work since this date.
i The railways which will connect the tunnel with existing lines will be diffi-
cult and costly works, with numerous tunnels and bridges. A good deal of the heavy
work is done on the line between Susa and Bardonneche, but on the French side the
works are almost untouched.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/106]]==
76 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
Will the two ends meet ? The engineers are confident that
they will. One important fact remains to be pointed out. The
two sides have not advanced with equal rapidity. On the Italian
side the summit is nearly gained — before these pages are published
it will have been passed ; but on the French side they are nearly
2000 yards short of it. The work is still to be carried on simul-
taneously, and, consequently, on the Italian side they will shortly
begin to descend. M. Conte mentioned * that one of the reasons
which influenced the engineers to drive the tunnel to a summit,
was, that by so doing, any error in the determination of its length,
or in the levels, would be negatived. It was only necessary that
the two ends should be driven in the same line, — they would be
sure to meet sooner or later. This was on the supposition that the
two gradients would be maintained until the two ends met. The
whole of this advantage is going to be sacrificed. If there is any
material error in the determination of the length or of the levels,
the two ends may not meet. One has not to go farther than the
summit of the Mont Cenis pass itself to show that errors may creep
into trigonometrical work, even when it is conducted by distin-
guished engineers. The height of that pass has been obtained by
two independent surveys ; one, carried through Trance from the
level of the sea, and the other carried through Italy from the level
of the sea ; yet the Italians make the summit 59 feet higher than
the Trench.
"When the great tunnel of the Alps is completed, will it be a
useless marvel ? or will locomotives be able to work in it ? Will
the trains arrive at the ends with cargoes of asphyxiated passengers
who will have to be revived with draughts of compressed air ? or
will there be no trouble on account of ventilation ? It must not
be argued that because it is impossible for locomotives to work in
the tunnel at present, it will be impossible for them to work in it
when it is completed. The temperatures of the two sides will fre-
quently be different, and that alone will produce considerable
* See p. 61.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/107]]==
chap. in. VENTILATION. 77
currents. The very passage of the trains will do a good deal. Be-
sides this, there is already a large amount of ventilating power
established at the two ends, and it can be kept in action at a small
expense. I saw at the Fourneaux (Modane) mouth, on my last
visit, the pumping-engines that had been set up about two years
before. There were four cylinders, each 16 feet 4 inches in
diameter, with a stroke of 6 feet 6 inches. Only two were at work,
yet — at a distance of two miles from the mouth — they produced a
very sensible current flowing into the tunnel, which was indicated
by the miners' lamps that we carried. There is no reason to be
afraid that the eminent engineer, who has hitherto shown himself
equal to all the difficulties which have arisen, will be beaten by the
ventilation.
M. Conte, at the conclusion of his pamphlet, pays a high tribute
of praise to M. Sommeiller, and properly speaks of him as " the
soul of the enterprise." " We may quote him as a model of
courage and devotion If one may believe the companions of
his youth, he followed the idea, which he now realises, at the time
he was studying at the university of Turin. This idea he has
never abandoned." Englishmen ought to be amongst the first to
recognise his boldness and perseverance, although they have played
no part in the execution of the tunnel.* It is the grandest con-
ception of its kind, and when it is completed, it will be not only —
in a double sense — one of the highways of Europe, but it will most
likely become the high road to India.
It is humiliating to compare the working of our coal-mines with
the operations carried on in the great tunnel of the Alps. In the
former we see the old, barbarous, wasteful methods still employed,
with disregard of human life, and for the future. In the latter,
mechanical power, skilfully applied, economises labour, and gives
safety and comfort to those who are at work. The exhaustion of
* The machinery has been principally made in Belgium ; the engineers are French
and Italians, and the subordinates, for the most part, Piedmontese and French.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/108]]==
78 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. hi.
our coal-fields, which recent inquiries have placed at a more distant
date than was expected a few years ago, is a thing that is inevitable
sooner or later. Actual exhaustion is not so much to be feared as
inability to compete with foreign producers. The question is
adjourned, but it will presently be forced upon public attention
again. When it becomes too pressing to be neglected, then,
possibly, there will be a chance of the condition of our miners
being ameliorated ; but it is improbable so long as gigantic public
subscriptions pay for the effects of private neglect, which actually
tend to perpetuate what they are intended to cure, that the chief
sinners will take proper action. When they take alarm, then per-
haps there will be salvation for the pitmen. The fact that two
hundred of their men lose their lives every year by fire-damp
explosions will not move British pit-owners so readily as the disagree-
able truth that the time is rapidly approaching when they will be
unable to compete with foreign markets, unless they work with greater
economy. We have heard times without number that miners are
careless ; that they will smoke their pipes where they ought not ;
that they will carry forbidden matches, or even break open their
safety-lamps to get a light. It is useless to combat such habits by
repressive enactments, and childish to talk of double-locking lamps
because single-locked ones are found ineffectual. The more diffi-
culty there is in obtaining a light, the more men will struggle to
get one. The only way to prevent explosions is to render them
impossible, and that can be accomplished, to a large extent at
least, by better ventilation. Coal can be got more economically,
and the ventilation can be improved, by the use of one and the
same means. Steam machinery cannot be used in coal-pits for the
same reason that it could not in the great tunnel of the Alps ; but
machines moved by compressed air can. A machine for coal-cutting
worked by compressed air was patented so long ago as 1861, and
has been successfully at work in a pit in Yorkshire* for a long-
time. Its action is an imitation of that of the miner's pick ; it cuts
» The West Ardslev.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/109]]==
chap. in. WASTE OF COAL. 79
a narrow groove 3 ft. 9 in. deep along the bottom of the coal, which
is afterwards broken down in the usual way. Three times more
coal can be got by four men with it in a day than they can get
without it. The waste of coal in the operation of holing is reduced
by two-thirds. That is to say, if this machine could be used in all
the pits in the kingdom, there would be an actual saving of 8,000,000
to 9,000,000 tons of coal per annum ! There are other (hydraulic)
coal-cutting machines at work in collieries in the north of England,
which are equally economical, and which will, like Mr. Firth's
machine, work narrow seams at a profit which it would not pay to
work by hand ; but they do not possess the important ventilating
power, which is one of its chief recommendations. The expansion
of the air not only lowers the temperature, but it drives all the gas
away from the working-face. That this is done is sufficiently
proved by the fact that there has not been a single explosion at
West Ardsley since the machine has been in use, although there
were many minor ones before it was introduced.
Who can say the condition of our coal-mines is satisfactory
when such results are attainable ? Yet who can touch the evil ?
The man who shall succeed in improving their ventilation will be a
greater benefactor to his country than Sir Humphrey Davy, and
will well deserve public reward ; although, perhaps, he will be more
likely to incur unmerited odium.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/110]]==
CHAPTEE IV.
MY FIRST SCRAMBLE ON THE MATTERHORN.
" What power must have been required to shatter and to sweep away the
missing parts of this pyramid ; for we do not see it surrounded by heaps of frag-
ments ; one only sees other peaks —themselves rooted to the ground — whose sides,
equally rent, indicate an immense mass of debris, of which we do not see any trace
in the neighbourhood. Doubtless this is that debris which, in the form of pebbles,
boulders, and sand, fills our valleys and our plains." De Saussure.
Two summits amongst those in the Alps which yet remained
virgin had excited my admiration. One of these had been attacked
numberless times by the best mountaineers without success ; the
other, surrounded by traditional inaccessibility, was almost un-
touched. These mountains were the Weisshorn and the Matter-
horn.
After visiting the great tunnel of the Alps in 1861, 1 wandered
for ten days in the neighbouring valleys, intending, presently, to
attempt the ascent of these two peaks. Eumours were floating
about that the former had been conquered, and that the latter was
shortly to be attacked, and they were confirmed on arrival at
Chatillon, at the entrance of the Val Tournanche. My interest in
the Weisshorn abated, but it was raised to the highest pitch on
hearing that Professor Tyndall was at Breil, and intending to try
to crown his first victory by another and still greater one.
Up to this time my experience with guides had not been
fortunate, and I was inclined, improperly, to rate them at a low
value. They represented to me pointers out of paths, and great
consumers of meat and drink, but little more ; and, with the recol-
lection of Mont Pelvoux, I should have greatly preferred the com-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/111]]==
chap. iv. THE MATTERHORN. bi
pany of a couple of my countrymen to any number of guides. In
answer to inquiries at Chatillon, a series of men came forward,
whose faces expressed malice, pride, envy, hatred, and roguery of
every description, but who seemed to be destitute of all good
qualities. The arrival of two gentlemen with a guide, who they
represented was the embodiment of every virtue, and exactly the
man for the Matterhorn, rendered it unnecessary to engage any of
the others. My new guide in physique was a combination of
Chang and Anak ; and although in acquiring him I did not obtain
exactly what was wanted, his late employers did exactly what they
wanted, for I obtained the responsibility, without knowledge, of
paying his back fare, which must have been a relief at once to their
minds and to their purses.
When walking up towards Breil,* we inquired for another man
of all the knowing ones, and they, with one voice, proclaimed that
Jean-Antoine Carrel, of the village of Val Tournanche, was the cock
of his valley. We sought, of course, for Carrel ; and found him a
well-made, resolute-looking fellow, with a certain defiant air which
was rather taking. Yes, he would go. Twenty francs a-day, what-
ever was the result, was his price. I assented. But I must take
his comrade. " Why so ?" Oh, it was absolutely impossible to
get along without another man. As he said this an evil counte-
nance came forth out of the darkness and proclaimed itself the
comrade. I demurred, the negotiations broke off, and we went up
to Breil. This place will be frequently mentioned in subsequent
chapters, and was in full view of the extraordinary peak, the ascent
of which we were about to attempt.
It is unnecessary to enter into a minute description of the
Matterhorn, after all that has been written about that famous
mountain. Those by whom this book is likely to be read will
know that that peak is nearly 15,000 feet high, and that it rises
abruptly, by a series of cliffs which may properly be termed preci-
* Frequently spelt Breuil.
M
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/112]]==
82 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. iv.
pices, a clear 5000 feet above the glaciers which surround its
base. They will know too that it was the last great Alpine peak
which remained unsealed, — less on account of the difficulty of doing
so, than from the terror inspired by its invincible appearance.
There seemed to be a cordon drawn around it, up to which one might
go, but no farther. Within that invisible line gins and effreets
were supposed to exist — the Wandering Jew and the spirits of the
damned. The superstitious natives in the surrounding valleys
(many of whom still firmly believe it to be not only the highest
mountain in the Alps, but in the world) spoke of a ruined city on its
summit wherein the spirits dwelt ; and if you laughed, they gravely
shook their heads ; told you to look yourself to see the castles and
the walls, and warned one against a rash approach, lest the infuriate
demons from their impregnable heights might hurl down vengeance
for one's derision. Such were the traditions of the natives.
Stronger minds felt the influence of the wonderful form, and men
who ordinarily spoke or wrote like rational beings, when they came
under its power, seemed to quit their senses, and ranted, and
rhapsodised, losing for a time all common forms of speech. Even
the sober De Saussure was moved to enthusiasm when he saw the
mountain, and — inspired by the spectacle — he anticipated the
speculations of modern geologists, in the striking sentences which
are placed at the head of this chapter.
The Matterhorn looks equally imposing from whatever side it
is seen ; it never seems commonplace ; and in this respect, and in
regard to the impression it makes upon spectators, it stands almost
alone amongst mountains. It lias no rivals in the Alps, and but
few in the world.
The seven or eight thousand feet which compose the actual
peak have several well-marked ridges and numerous others* The
most continuous is that which leads towards the north-east ; the
summit is at its higher, and the little peak, called the Hornli, is at
its lower end. Another one that is well pronounced descends from
* Sec the map of the Matterhorn and its glaciers.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/113]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/114]]==
SUMMIT (14780)
SOUTH-EAST RIDGE
DIRECTION OF
THE Z'MUTT GLACIER
THE MATTERHORN FROM THE NORTH-EAST,
SUMMIT (147S0)
SOUTH-WEST RIDGE
SHOULDER (L'EPAULE)
COL DU LION
AUTHOR'S FIRST TENT PLATFORM
NORTH-EAST RIDGE
TETE DU LION
WHYMPER, .JULY 26, 1862
WHYMPER, JOLY 19, 1862
TYNOALL JULY 28, 1862
THE DENT BLANCHE
TYNDALL, AUG. J20, 1830
MACDONALD & WHYMPER, JULY 8, J862
WHYMPER, AUG. 30, 1861 I
AUTHOR'S SECOND TENT PLATFORM
THE MATTERHORN FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE THEODULE PASS.
( 10,899 FEET)
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/115]]==
chap. iv. RIDGES OF THE MATTERHORN. 83
the summit to the ridge called the Furgen Grat. The slope of the
mountain that is between these two ridges will be referred to as
the eastern face. A third, somewhat less continuous than the
others, descends in a south-westerly direction, and the portion of
the mountain that is seen from Breil is confined to that which is
comprised between this and the second ridge. This section is not
composed, like that between the first and second ridge, of one grand
face ; but it is broken up into a series of huge precipices, spotted
with snow-slopes, and streaked with snow-gullies. The other half
of the mountain, facing the Z'Mutt glacier, is not capable of equally
simple definition. There are precipices, apparent, but not actual ;
there are precipices absolutely perpendicular ; there are precipices
overhanging : there are glaciers, and there are hanging glaciers ;
there are glaciers which tumble great seracs over greater cliffs,
whose debris, subsequently consolidated, becomes glacier again :
there are ridges split by the frost, and washed by the rain and
melted snow into towers and spires : while, everywhere, there are
ceaseless sounds of action, telling that the causes are still in opera-
tion which have been at work since the world began ; reducing the
mighty mass to atoms, and effecting its degradation.
Most tourists obtain their first view of the mountain either
from the valley of Zermatt, or from that of Tournanche. From the
former direction the base of the mountain is seen at its narrowest,
and its ridges and faces seem to be of prodigious steepness. The
tourist toils up the valley, looking frequently for the great sight
which is to reward his pains, without seeing it (for the mountain
is first perceived in that direction about a mile to the north of
Zermatt), when, all at once, as he turns a rocky corner of the path;
it comes into view ; not, however, where it is expected ; the face
has to be raised up to look at it ; it seems overhead. Although this is
the impression, the fact is that the summit of the Matterhorn from
this point makes an angle with the eye of less than 16°, while the
Dom, from the same place, makes a larger angle, but is passed by
unobserved. So little can dependence be placed on unaided vision.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/116]]==
84 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. iv.
The view of the mountain from Breil, in the Val Toumanclie,
is not less striking than that on the other side ; but, usually, it
makes less impression, because the spectator grows accustomed
to the sight while coming up or down the valley. From this
direction the mountain is seen to be broken up into a series of
pyramidal wedge-shaped masses ; on the other side it is remarkable
for the large, unbroken extent of cliffs that it presents, and for the
simplicity of its outline. It was natural to suppose that a way
would more readily be found to the summit on a side thus broken
up, than in any other direction. The eastern face, fronting Zermatt,
seemed one smooth, impossible cliff, from summit to base ; the
ghastly precipices which face the Z'Mutt glacier forbade any attempt
in that direction. There remained only the side of Val Tournanche ;
and it will be found that nearly all the earliest attempts to ascend
the mountain were made on that side.
The first efforts to ascend the Matterhorn of which I have heard,
were made by the guides, or rather by the chasseurs, of Val Tour-
nanche * These attempts were made in the years 1858-9, from the
direction of Breil, and the highest point that was attained was about
as far as the place which is now called the " Chimney " (cheminee),
a height of about 12,650 feet. Those who were concerned in these
expeditions were Jean-Antoine Carrel, Jean Jacques Carrel, Victor
Carrel, the Abbe Gorret, and Gabrielle Maquignaz. I have been
unable to obtain any further details about them.
The next attempt was a remarkable one ; and of it, too, there
is no published account. It was made by the Messrs. Alfred,
Charles, and Sandbach Parker, of Liverpool, in July 1860. These
gentlemen, without guides, endeavoured to storm the citadel by
attacking its eastern facej" — that to which reference was just now
made as a smooth, impracticable cliff. Mr. Sandbach Parker
* There were no guides, properly speaking, in this valley at that time, with the
exception of one or two Pessions and Pelissiers.
t This face is that on the right hand of the large engraving which accom-
panies this chapter. It is also represented, more prominently, in the engraving in
Chapter xv.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/117]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/118]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/119]]==
chap. iv. FIRST ATTEMPTS TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN. 85
informs me that he and his brothers went along the ridge between
the Hornli and the peak until they came to the point where the
ascending angle is considerably increased. This place is marked
on Dufour's map of Switzerland 3298 metres (10,820 feet). They
were then obliged to bear a little to the left to get on to the face
of the mountain, and, afterwards, they turned to the right, and
ascended about 700 feet further, keeping as nearly as was
practicable to the crest of the ridge, but, occasionally, bearing a
little to the left — that is, more on to the face of the mountain.
The brothers started from Zermatt, and did not sleep out. Clouds,
a high wind, and want of time, were the causes which prevented
these daring gentlemen from going further. Thus, their highest
point was under 12,000 feet.
The third attempt upon the mountain was made towards the
end of August 1860, by Mr. Vaughan Hawkins,* from the side of
the Val Tournanche. A vivid account of his expedition has been
published by him in Vacation Tourists ,"f and it has been
referred to several times by Professor Tyndall in the numerous
papers he has contributed to Alpine literature. I will dismiss it,
therefore, as briefly as possible.
Mr. Hawkins had inspected the mountain in 1859, with the
guide J. J. Bennen, and he had formed the opinion that the south-
west ridge | would lead to the summit. He engaged J. Jacques
Carrel, who was concerned in the first attempts, and, accompanied
by Bennen (and by Professor Tyndall, whom he had invited to take
part in the expedition), he started for the gap between the little
and the great peak.§
* Mr. Hawkins was unaware that any attempts had been made before his own,
and spoke of it as the first. f Macmillan, 1861.
+ This ridge is seen on the left of the large engraving accompanying this
chapter ; and if the reader consults this view, the explanatory outlines, and the
maps, he will be able to form a fair idea of the points which were attained on this
and on the subsequent attempts.
§ Since this time the small peak has received the name Tete du Lion. The gap
is now called the Col du Lion ; the glacier at its base, the Glacier du Lion ; and the
gully which connects them, the Couloir du Lion.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/120]]==
86
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. IV.
Bennen was a guide who was beginning to be talked about.
During the chief part of his brief career he was in the service of
Wellig, the landlord of the inn on the iEggischhorn, and was
hired out by him to tourists. Although his experience was
limited, he had acquired a good reputation ; and his book of
certificates, which is lying before me,* shows that he was highly
esteemed by his employers. A good-looking man, with courteous,
J. J. BENNEN (1862).
gentlemanly manners, skilful and bold, he might, by this time,
have taken a front place amongst guides if he had only been
endowed with more prudence. He perished miserably, in the
spring of 1864, not far from his home, on a mountain called the
Haut de Cry, in the Valais.f
Mr. Hawkins' party, led by Bennen, climbed the rocks
abutting against the Couloir du Lion, on its south side, and
attained the Col du Lion, although not without difficulty. They
then followed the south-west ridge, passed the place at which the
* By the kindness of its owner, Mr. F. Tuckett. f See Appendix.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/121]]==
chap. iv. MR. HAWKINS ATTEMPT IN 1860. 87
earliest explorers had turned back (the Chimney),* and ascended
about 300 feet more. Mr. Hawkins and J. J. Carrel then
stopped, but Bennen and Professor Tyndall mounted a few
feet higher. They retreated, however, in less than half-an-hour,
finding that there was too little time ; and, descending to the
Col by the same route as they had followed on the ascent,
proceeded thence to Breil, down the Couloir instead of by the
rocks. The point at which Mr. Hawkins stopped is easily
identified from his description. Its height is 12,992 feet above
the sea. I think that Bennen and Tyndall could not have
ascended more than 50 or 60 feet beyond this in the few minutes
they were absent from the others, as they were upon one of the
most difficult parts of the mountain. This party therefore accom-
plished an advance of about 350 or 400 feet.
Mr. Hawkins did not, as far as I know, make another attempt ;
and the next was made by the Messrs. Parker, in July 18G1.
They again started from Zermatt ; followed the route they had
struck out on the previous year, and got a little higher than
before ; but they were defeated by want of time, shortly after-
wards left Zermatt on account of bad weather, and did not again
renew their attempts. Mr. Parker says — " In neither case did we
go as high as we could. At the point where we turned we saw
our way for a few hundred feet further ; but, beyond that, the
difficulties seemed to increase." I am informed that both attempts
should be considered as excursions undertaken with the view of
ascertaining whether there was any encouragement to make a more
deliberate attack on the north-east side.
My guide and I arrived at Breil on the 28th of August 18G1,
and we found that Professor Tyndall had been there a day or two
before, but had done nothing. I had seen the mountain from
nearly every direction, and it seemed, even to a novice like myself,
far too much for a single day. I intended to sleep out upon it, as
* A view of this place accompanies Chapter v.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/122]]==
88 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. iv.
high as possible, and to attempt to reach the summit on the
following clay. We endeavoured to induce another man to
accompany us, but without success. Matthias zum Taugwald
and other well-known guides were there at the time, but they
declined to go on any account. A sturdy old fellow — Peter
Taugwalder by name — said he would go ! His price ? " Two
hundred francs." " What, whether we ascend or not ?" " Yes —
nothing less." The end of the matter was, that all the men who
were more or less capable showed a strong disinclination, or
positively refused, to go (their disinclination being very much in
proportion to their capacity), or else asked a prohibitive price.
This, it may be said once for all, was the reason why so many
futile attempts were made upon the Matterhorn. One first-rate
guide after another was brought up to the mountain, and patted
on the back, but all declined the business. The men who went
had no heart in the matter, and took the first opportunity to turn
back.* For they were, with the exception of one man, to whom
reference will be made presently, universally impressed with the
belief that the summit was entirely inaccessible.
We resolved to go alone, but, anticipating a cold bivouac, begged
the loan of a couple of blankets from the innkeeper. He refused
them ; giving the curious reason, that we had bought a bottle of
brandy at Val Tournanche, and had not bought any from him ! No
brandy, no blankets, appeared to be his rule. We did not require
them that night, as it was passed in the highest cow-shed in the
valley, which is about an hour nearer to the mountain than is the
hotel. The cowherds, worthy fellows, seldom troubled by tourists,
hailed our company with delight, and did their best to make us
comfortable ; brought out their little stores of simple food, and, as
we sat with them round the great copper pot which hung over the
fire, bade us in husky voice, but with honest intent, to beware of
the perils of the haunted cliffs. When night was coming on, we
saw, stealing up the hill-side, the forms of Jean-Antoine Carrel and
* The guide Benncn must be excepted.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/123]]==
CHAP. IV.
JEAN-ANTOTNE CARREL.
89
the comrade. "Oh ho!" I said, "you have repented?" "Not at
all; you deceive yourself." "Why then have you come here?"
" Because we ourselves are going on the mountain to-morrow."
" Oh, then it is not necessary to have more than three." " Not for
us" I admired their pluck, and had a strong inclination to engage
the pair ; but, finally, decided against it. The comrade turned out
to be the J. J. Carrel who had been with Mr. Hawkins, and was
nearly related to the other man.
JEAK-ANTOINE CARREL (1869).
Both were bold mountaineers ; but Jean-Antoine was incom-
parably the better man of the two, and he is the finest rock-climber
I have ever seen. He was the only man who persistently refused
to accept defeat, and who continued to believe, in spite of all dis-
couragements, that the great mountain was not inaccessible, and
that it could be ascended from the side of his native valley.
The night wore away without any excitement, except from the
fleas, a party of whom executed a spirited fandango on my cheek,
to the sound of music produced on the drum of my ear, by one of
their fellows beating with a wisp of hay. The two Carrels crept
N
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/124]]==
90 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. iv.
noiselessly out before daybreak, and went off. We did not leave
until nearly seven o'clock, and followed them leisurely, leaving all
our properties in the cow-shed ; sauntered over the gentian-studded
slopes which intervene between the shed and the Glacier du Lion,
left cows and their pastures behind, traversed the stony wastes, and
arrived at the ice. Old, hard beds of snow lay on its right bank
(our left hand), and we mounted over them on to the lower portion
of the glacier with ease. But, as we ascended, crevasses became
numerous, and we were at last brought to a halt by some which
were of very large dimensions ; and, as our cutting powers were
limited, we sought an easier route, and turned, naturally, to the
lower rocks of the Tete du Lion, which overlook the glacier on its
west. Some good scrambling took us in a short time on to the
crest of the ridge which descends towards the south ; and thence,
up to the level of the Col du Lion, there was a long natural stair-
case, on which it was seldom necessary to use the hands. We
dubbed the place " The Great Staircase." Then the cliffs of the
Tete du Lion, which rise above the Couloir, had to be skirted. This
part varies considerably in different seasons, and in 1861 we found
it difficult ; for the fine steady weather of that year had reduced the
snow-beds abutting against it to a lower level than usual, and the
rocks which were left exposed at the junction of the snow with tile
cliffs, had few ledges or cracks to which we could hold. But by
half-past ten o'clock we stood on the Co], and looked down upon
the magnificent basin out of which the Z'Mutt glacier flows. We
decided to pass the night upon the Col, for we were charmed with
the capabilities of the place, although it was one where liberties
could not be taken. On one side a sheer wall overhung the
Tiefenmatten glacier ; on the other, steep, glassy slopes of hard
snow descended to the Glacier du Lion, furrowed by water and by
falling stones ; on the north there was the great peak of the Mat-
terhorn* and on the south the cliffs of the Tete du Lion, Throw
* The engraving is made after a sketch taken from the rocks of the Matterhorn,
just above the Col.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/125]]==
char iv. MY FIRST CAMP ON THE MATTERH011N.
91
a bottle down to the Tiefenmatten — no sound returns for more
than a dozen seconds.
* * * " how fearful
And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eyes so low !"
i
■/ i
f < ;
-
If
THE COL DU LION \ LOOKING TOWARDS THE TETE DU LION.
But no harm could come from that side. Neither could it from
the other. Nor was it likely that it would from the Tete du Lion,
for some jutting ledges conveniently overhung our proposed resting-
place, We waited for a while, basked in the sunshine, and watched
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/126]]==
92 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. iv.
or listened to the Carrels, who were sometimes seen or heard, high
above us, upon the ridge leading towards the summit ; and, leaving
at mid-day, we descended to the cow-shed, packed up the tent and
other properties, and returned to the Col, although heavily laden,
before six o'clock. This tent was constructed on a pattern suggested
by Mr. Francis Galton, and it was not a success. It looked very
pretty when set up in London, but it proved thoroughly useless in
the Alps. It was made of light canvas, and opened like a book ;
had one end closed permanently and the other with flaps ; it was
supported by two alpenstocks, and had the canvas sides prolonged
so as to turn in underneath. Numerous cords were sewn to the
lower edges, to which stones were to be attached ; but the main
fastenings were by a cord which passed underneath the ridge and
through iron rings screwed into the tops of the alpenstocks, and
were secured by pegs. The wind, which playfully careered about
the surrounding cliffs, was driven through our gap with the force
of a blow-pipe ; the flaps of the tent would not keep down, the
pegs would not stay in, and it exhibited so marked a desire to go
to the top of the Dent Blanche, that we thought it prudent to take
it down and to sit upon it. When night came on we wrapped our-
selves in it, and made our camp as comfortable as the circumstances
would allow. The silence was impressive. No living thing was
near our solitary bivouac ; the Carrels had turned back and were
out of hearing ; the stones had ceased to fall, and the trickling
water to murmur —
" The music of whose liquid lip
Had been to us companionship,
And, in our lonely life, had grown
To have an almost human tone."*
It was bitterly cold. Water froze hard in a bottle under my head.
Not surprising, as we were actually on snow, and in a position
where the slightest wind was at once felt. For a time we dozed,
but about midnight there came from high aloft a tremendous
* ,1. G. Whittier.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/127]]==
chap. iv. LIGHT AND SHADE. 93
explosion, followed, by a second of dead quiet. A great mass of
rock had split off, and was descending towards us. My guide
started up, wrung his hands, and exclaimed, " my God, we are
lost ! " We heard it coming, mass after mass pouring over the
precipices, bounding and rebounding from cliff to cliff, and the
great rocks in advance smiting one another. They seemed to be
close, although they were probably distant, but some small frag-
ments, which dropped upon us at the same time from the ledges
just above, added to the alarm, and my demoralised companion
passed the remainder of the night in a state of shudder, ejaculating
" terrible," and other adjectives.
We put ourselves in motion at daybreak, and commenced the
ascent of the south-west ridge. There was no more sauntering with
hands in the pockets ; each step had to be earned by downright
climbing. But it was the most pleasant kind of climbing. The
rocks were fast and unencumbered with debris ; the cracks were
good, although not numerous, and there was nothing to fear except
from one's-self. So we thought, at least, and shouted to awake
echoes from the cliffs. Ah ! there is no response. Not yet ; wait
a while, everything here is .upon a superlative scale ; count a dozen,
and then the echoes will return from the walls of the Dent d'Herens,
miles away, in waves of pure and undefiled sound ; soft, musical,
and sweet. Halt a moment to regard the view ! We overlook the
Tete du Lion, and nothing except the Dent d'Herens, whose summit
is still a thousand feet above us, stands in the way ; the ranges of
the Graian Alps — an ocean of mountains — are seen at a glance,
governed by their three great peaks, the Grivola, Grand Paradis,
and Tour de St. Pierre. How soft, and yet how sharp, they look
in the early morning ! The mid-day mists have not begun to rise ;
nothing is obscured ; even the pointed Yiso, all but a hundred miles
away, is perfectly defined.
Turn to the east, and watch the sun's slanting rays coming
across the Monte Eosa snow-fields. Look at the shadowed parts,
and see how even they — radiant with reflected light — are more
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/128]]==
94 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. iv.
brilliant than man knows how to depict. See, how — even there —
the gentle undulations give shadows within shadows ; and how —
yet again — where falling stones or ice have left a track, there are
shadows upon shadows, each with a light and a dark side, with
infinite gradations of matchless tenderness. Then, note the sun-
light as it steals noiselessly along, and reveals countless unsuspected
forms ; — the delicate ripple-lines which mark the concealed crevasse,
and the waves of drifted snow ; producing each minute more lights
and fresh shadows ; sparkling on the edges and glittering on the
ends of the icicles ; shining on the heights and illuminating the
depths, until all is aglow, and the dazzled eye returns for relief to
the sombre crags.
Hardly an hour had passed since we left the Col before we
arrived at the " Chimney." It proved to be the counterpart of the
place to which reference has been made at p. 5 ; a smooth, straight
slab of rock was fixed, at a considerable angle, between two others
equally smooth * My companion essayed to go up, and, after
crumpling his long body into many ridiculous positions, he said
that he would not, for he could not, do it. With some little trouble
I got up it unassisted, and then my guide tied himself on to the
end of our rope, and I endeavoured to pull him up. But he was
so awkward that he did little for himself, and so heavy that he
proved too much for me, and after several attempts lie untied him-
self, and quietly observed that he should go down. I told him he
was a coward, and he mentioned his opinion of me. I requested
him to go to Breil, and to say that he had left his " monsieur " on
the mountain, and he turned to go ; whereupon I had to eat humble
pie and ask him to come back ; for, although it was not very difficult
to go up, and not at all dangerous with a man standing below, it
was quite another thing to come down, as the lower edge overhung
in a provoking manner.
The day was perfect ; the sun was pouring down grateful
' Mr. Hawkins referred to this place as one of excessive difficulty. He, however,
found it coated with ice ; we found it free from ice.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/129]]==
chap. iv. A COOL PROCEEDING. 95
warmth ; the wind had fallen ; the way seemed clear, no insuper-
able obstacle was in sight ; but what could one do alone ? I stood
on the top, chafing under this unexpected contretemps, and remained
for some time irresolute ; but as it became apparent that the Chim-
ney was swept more frequently than was necessary (it was a
natural channel for falling stones), I turned at last, descended with
the assistance of my companion, and returned with him to Breil,
where we arrived about mid-day.
The Carrels did not show themselves, but we were told that
they had not got to any great height,* and that the " comrade,"
who for convenience had taken off his shoes and tied them round
his waist, had managed to let one of them slip, and had come down
with a piece of cord fastened round his naked foot. Notwith-
standing this, they had boldly glissaded clown the Couloir du Lion,
J. J. Carrel having his shoeless foot tied up in a pocket handker-
chief.
The Mattcrhorn was not assailed again in 1861. I left Breil
with the conviction that it was little use for a single tourist to
organise an attack upon it, so great was its influence on the morals
of the guides, and persuaded that it was desirable at least two
should go, to back each other when required : and departed with
my guide -f- over the Col Theodule, longing, more than before, to
make the ascent, and determined to return, if possible with a com-
panion, to lay siege to the mountain until one or the other was
vanquished.
* I learned afterwards from Jean-Antoine Carrel that they got considerably
higher than upon their previous attempts, and about 250 or 300 feet higher than
Professor Tyndall in 1860. In 1862 I saw the initials of J. A. Carrel cut on the
rocks at the place where he and his comrade had turned back.
t This man proved to be both willing and useful on lower ground, and voluntarily
accompanied me a considerable distance out of his way, without fee or reward.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/130]]==
CHAPTEE V.
RENEWED ATTEMPTS TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN.
* ' 'Tis a lesson you should heed,
Try, try, try again.
If at first you don't succeed,
Try, try, try again.
Then your courage should appear,
For if you will persevere
You will conquer, never fear.
Try, try, try again."
HlCKSON.
The year 1862 was still young, and the Matterhorn, clad in its
wintry garb, bore but little resemblance to the Matterhorn of the
summer, when a new force came to do battle with the mountain,
from another direction. Mr. T. S. Kennedy of Leeds conceived the
extraordinary idea that the peak might prove less impracticable in
January than in June, and arrived at Zermatt in the former month
to put his conception to the test. With stout Peter Perm and
sturdy Peter Taugwalder he slept in the little chapel at the
Schwarzensee, and on the next morning, like the Messrs. Parker,
followed the ridge between the peak called Hornli and the great
mountain. But they found that snow in winter obeyed the ordi-
nary laws, and that the wind and frost were not less unkind than
in summer. " The wind whirled up the snow and spiculae of ice
into our faces like needles, and flat pieces of ice a foot in diameter,
carried up from the glacier below, went flying past. Still no one
seemed to like to be the first to give in, till a gust fiercer than usual
forced us to shelter for a time behind a rock. Immediately it was
tacitly understood that our expedition must now end ; but we
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/131]]==
chap. v. BENNEX REFUSES TO START AGAIN. 97
determined to leave some memento of our visit, and, after descend-
ing a considerable distance, we found a suitable place with loose
stones of which to build a cairn. In half-an-hour a tower six feet
high was erected ; a bottle, with the date, was placed inside, and
we retreated as rapidly as possible."* This cairn was placed at the
spot marked upon Dufour's Map of Switzerland 10,820 feet (3298
metres), and the highest point attained by Mr. Kennedy was not, I
imagine, more than two or three hundred feet above it.
Shortly after this Professor Tyndall gave, in his little tract
Mountaineering in 1861, an account of the reason why he had
left Breil, in August 1861, without doing anything.")* It seems
that he sent his guide Bennen to reconnoitre, and that the
latter made the following report to his employer : — " Herr, I have
examined the mountain carefully, and find it more difficult and
dangerous than I had imagined. There is no place upon it where
we could well pass the night. We might do so on yonder Col upon
the snow, but there we should be almost frozen to death, and
totally unfit for the work of the next day. On the rocks there is
no ledge or cranny which could give us proper harbourage ; and
starting from Breuil it is certainly impossible to reach the summit
in a single day." " I was entirely taken aback," says Tyndall,
" by this report. I felt like a man whose grip had given way, and
who was dropping through the air. . . . Bennen was evidently
dead against any attempt upon the mountain. ' We can, at all
events, reach the lower of the two summits,' I remarked. ' Even
that is difficult,' he replied ; ' but when you have reached it, what
then ? The peak has neither name nor fame.' " j
* Alpine Journal, 1863, p. 82. t See p. 87.
X Mountaineering in 1861, pp. 86-7. Tyndall and Bennen were mistaken in
supposing that the mountain has two summits ; it has only one. They seem to have
been deceived by the appearance of that part of the south-west ridge which is called
" the shoulder " (1'epaule), as seen from Breil. Viewed from that place, its southern
end has certainly, through foreshortening, the semblance of a peak ; but when one
regards it from the Col Theodule, or from any place in the same direction, the delu-
sion is at once apparent.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/132]]==
98 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
I was more surprised than discouraged by this report by Bennen.
One half of his assertions I knew to be wrong. The Col to which
he referred was the Col du Lion, upon which we had passed a night
less than a week after he had spoken so authoritatively ; and I had
seen a place not far below the " Chimney," — a place about 500 feet
above the Col — where it seemed possible to construct a sleeping-
place. Bennen's opinions seem to have undergone a complete
change. In 1860 he is described as having been enthusiastic to
make an attempt ; in 1861 he was dead against one. Nothing
dismayed by this, my friend Mr. Eeginald Macdonald, our com-
panion on the Pelvoux — to whom so much of our success had been
due, agreed to join me in a renewed assault from the south ; and,
although we failed to secure Melchior Anderegg and some other
notable guides, we obtained two men of repute, namely, Johann
zum Taugwald and Johann Kronig, of Zermatt. We met at that
place early in July, but stormy weather prevented us even from
crossing to the other side of the chain for some time. We crossed
the Col Theodule on the 5th, but the weather was thoroughly
unsettled — it was raining in the valleys, and snowing upon the
mountains. Shortly before we gained the summit we were made
extremely uncomfortable by hearing mysterious, rushing sounds,
which sometimes seemed as if a sudden gust of wind was sweeping
along the snow, and, at others, almost like the swishing of a long
whip : yet the snow exhibited no signs of motion, and the air was
perfectly calm. The dense, black storm-clouds made us momentarily
expect that our bodies might be used as lightning-conductors, and
we were well satisfied to get under shelter of the inn at Breil, with-
out having submitted to any such experience *
* The late Principal Forbes was similarly situated while crossing the same pass
in 1842. He described the sounds as rustling, fizzing, and hissing. See his Travels
in the Alps of Savoy, second ed., p. 323. Mr. R. Spence Watson experienced the
same upon the upper part of the Aletsch glacier in July 1863, and he spoke of the
sounds as singing or hissing. See the Athcnceum, Sept. 12, 1863. The respective
parties seem to have been highly electrified on each occasion. Forbes says that his
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/133]]==
chap. v. THE HUNCHBACK OF BREIL. 99
We had need of a porter, and, by the advice of our landlord,
descended to the chalets of Breil in search of one Luc Meynet. We
found his house a mean abode, encumbered with cheese-making
apparatus, and tenanted only by some bright-eyed children ; but as
they said that uncle Luc would soon be home, we waited at the
door of the little chalet and watched for him. At last a speck was
seen coming round the corner of the patch of pines below Breil,
and then the children clapped their hands, dropped their toys, and
ran eagerly forward to meet him. We saw an ungainly, wobbling
figure stoop down and catch up the little ones, kiss them on each
cheek, and put them into the empty panniers on each side of the
mule, and then heard it come on carolling, as if this was not a world
of woe : and yet the face of little Luc Meynet, the hunchback of
Breil, bore traces of trouble and sorrow, and there was more than a
touch of sadness in his voice when he said that he must look after
his brother's children. All his difficulties were, however, at length
overcome, and he agreed to join us to carry the tent.
In the past winter I had turned my attention to tents, and
that which we had brought with us was the result of experiments
to devise one which should be sufficiently portable to be taken
over the most difficult ground, and which should combine lightness
with stability. Its base was just under six feet square, and a
section perpendicular to its length was an equilateral triangle, the
sides of which were six feet long. It was intended to accommodate
four persons. It was supported by four ash poles, six feet and a
half long, and one inch and a quarter thick, tapering to the top to
an inch and an eighth ; these were shod with iron points. The
order of proceeding in the construction of the tent was as follows :
1 — Holes were drilled through the poles about ^.ve inches from their
tops, for the insertion of two wrought-iron bolts, three inches long
fingers "yielded a fizzing sound;" and Watson says that his "hair stood on end in an
uncomfortable but very amusing manner," and that "the veil on the wide-awake of
one of the party stood upright in the air ! "
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/134]]==
100
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. V
and one quarter of an inch thick. The bolts were then inserted,
and the two pairs of poles were set out (and
fixed up by a cord), to the proper dimensions.
The roof was then put on. This was made of
the rough, unbleached calico called forfar,
which can be obtained in six-feet widths,
and it was continued round for about two
feet, on each side, on to the floor. The width
of the material was the length of the tent, and seams were thus
avoided in the roof. The forfar was sewn round each pole ; par-
/ y
f
ALPINE TENT.
ticular care being taken to avoid wrinkles, and to get the whole
perfectly taut. The flooring was next put in and sewn down to the
forfar. This was of the ordinary plaid mackintosh, about nine
feet square ; the surplus three feet being continued up the sides to
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/135]]==
chap. v. ON THE BEST FORM OF ALPINE TENT. 101
prevent draughts. It is as well to have two feet of this surplus on
one side, and only one foot on the other ; the latter amount being
sufficient for the side occupied by the feet. One end was then
permanently closed by a triangular piece of forfar, which was sewn
down to that which was already fixed. The other end was left
open, and had two triangular flaps that overlapped each other,
and which were fastened up when we were inside by pieces of tape.
Lastly, the forfar was nailed down to the poles to prevent the tent
getting out of shape. The cord which was used for climbing served
for the tent ; it was passed over the crossed poles and underneath
the ridge of the roof, and the two ends — one fore and the other
aft — were easily secured to pieces of rock. Such a tent costs about
four guineas, and its weight is about twenty-three pounds ; or, if
the lightest kind of forfar is used, it need not exceed twenty
pounds. When it was fastened up for transport it presented the
appearance shown in the portrait of Meynet in Chapter XV., and
it could be unrolled and set up by two persons in three minutes ; a
point of no small importance during extreme weather.
This tent is intended, and adapted, for camping out at high alti-
tudes, or in cold climates. It is not pretended that it is perfectly
waterproof, but it can be made so by the addition of mackintosh to
the roof; and this increases the weight by only two and a half pounds.
It is then fit for general use* It may be observed that the pattern
of this tent is identical in all essential points with that arrived at
(after great experience) by Sir Leopold M'Clintock for Arctic work,
and frequent use by many persons, under varied conditions, has
shown that the pattern is both practical and substantial, f
* I have described this tent at length, as frequent application has been made to me
for information on the subject. I would strongly recommend any person who wishes
to have one for long-continued use, to have one made under his own eye, and to be
particularly careful to test the poles. My experience goes to show that poles which
(when supported upon their extremities) will bear a dead weight of 100 lbs. suspended
from their centres, will stand any wind to which they are likely to be submitted. Ash is,
perhaps, the best wood that can be selected : lancewood is equally good, but heavier.
f It has been used, amongst others, by Messrs. FresMeld, Moore, and Tucker, in
the Caucasus ; by the Rev. W. H. Hawker in Corsica ; and by myself in Greenland.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/136]]==
102 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
Sunday, the 6th of July, was showery, and snow fell on the
Matterhorn, but we started on the following morning with our three
men, and pursued my route of the previous year. I was requested
to direct the way, as none save myself had been on the mountain
before ; but I did not distinguish myself on this occasion, and led
my companions nearly to the top of the small peak before the mis-
take was discovered. The party becoming rebellious, a little explor-
ation was made towards our right, and we found that we were upon
the top of the cliff overlooking the Col du Lion. The upper part of
the small peak is of a very different character to the lower part ; the
rocks are not so firm, and they are usually covered, or intermixed,
with snow, and glazed with ice : the angle too is more severe.
While descending a small snow-slope, to get on to the right track,
Kronig slipped on a streak of ice, and went down at a fearful pace.
Fortunately he kept on his legs, and, by a great effort, succeeded in
stopping just before he arrived at some rocks that jutted through
the snow, which would infallibly have knocked him over. When
we rejoined him a few minutes later, we found that he was incapable
of standing, much less of moving, with a face corpse-like in hue,
and trembling violently. He remained in this condition for more
than an hour, and the day was consequently far advanced before we
arrived at our camping-place on the Col. Profiting by the experience
of last year, we did not pitch the tent actually on the snow, but
collected a quantity of debris from the neighbouring ledges, and after
constructing a rough platform of the larger pieces, levelled the whole
with the dirt and mud.
Meynet had proved invaluable as a tent-bearer ; for — although
his legs were more picturesque than symmetrical, and although he
seemed to be built on principle with no two parts alike — his very
deformities proved of service ; and we quickly found he had spirit
of no common order, and that few peasants are more agreeable com-
panions, or better climbers, than little Luc Meynet, the hunchback
of Breil. He now showed himself not less serviceable as a scavenger,
and humbly asked for gristly pieces of meat, rejected by the others,
or for suspicious eggs ; and seemed to consider it a peculiar favour,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/137]]==
chap. v. DENUDATION. 103
if not a treat, to be permitted to drink the coffee-grounds. With
the greatest contentment he took the worst place at the door of
the tent, and did all the dirty work which was put upon him by
the guides, as gratefully as a dog — who has been well beaten — will
receive a stroke.
A strong wind sprang up from the east during the night, and
in the morning it was blowing almost a hurricane. The tent
behaved nobly, and we remained under its shelter for several hours
after the sun had risen, uncertain what it was best to do. A lull
tempted us to move, but we had scarcely ascended a hundred feet
before the storm burst upon us with increased fury. Advance or
return was alike impossible ; the ridge was denuded of its debris ;
and we clutched our hardest when we saw stones as big as a man's
fist blown away horizontally into space. We dared not attempt to
stand upright, and remained stationary, on all fours, glued, as it
were, to the rocks. It was intensely cold, for the blast had swept
along the main chain of the Pennine Alps, and across the great
snow-fields around Monte Eosa. Our warmth and courage rapidly
evaporated, and at the next lull we retreated to the tent ; having
to halt several times even in that short distance. Taugwald and
Kronig then declared that they had had enough, and refused to
have anything more to do with the mountain. Meynet also in-
formed us that he would be required down below for important
cheese-making operations on the following day. It was therefore
needful to return to Breil, and we arrived there at 2.30 p.m., ex-
tremely chagrined at our complete defeat.
Jean-Antoine Carrel, attracted by rumours, had come up to the
inn during our absence, and after some negotiations agreed to
accompany us, with one of his friends named Pession, on the first
fine day. We thought ourselves fortunate ; for Carrel clearly con-
sidered the mountain a kind of preserve, and regarded our late
attempt as an act of poaching* The wind blew itself out during
* A better feeling exists at the present time in the Val Tournanche in regard to
strangers. In 1862 the jealousy of the natives towards their Swiss neighbours was
oftentimes extremely amusing, although embarrassing.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/138]]==
104 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
the night, and we started again, with these two men and a porter,
at 8 a.m. on the 9th, with unexceptionable weather. Carrel pleased
us by suggesting that we should camp even higher than before ; and
we accordingly proceeded, without resting at the Col, until we
overtopped the Tete du Lion. Near the foot of the " Chimney," a
little below the crest of the ridge, and on its eastern side, we found
a protected place ; and by building up from ledge to ledge (under
the direction of our leader, who was a mason by profession), we at
length constructed a platform of sufficient size and of considerable
solidity. Its height was about 12,550 feet above the sea ; and it
exists, I believe, at the present time * We then pushed on, as the
day was very fine, and, after a short hour's scramble, got to the foot
of the Great Tower upon the ridge (that is to say, to Mr. Hawkins'
farthest point), and afterwards returned to our bivouac. We
turned out again at 4 a.m., and at 5.15 started upwards once more,
with fine weather and the thermometer at 28°. Carrel scrambled
up the Chimney, and Macdonald and I after him. Pession's turn
came, but when he arrived at the top he looked very ill, declared
himself to be thoroughly incapable, and said that he must go back.
We waited some time, but he did not get better, neither could we
learn the nature of his illness. Carrel flatly refused to go on with
us alone. We were helpless. Macdonald, ever the coolest of the
cool, suggested that we should try what we could do without them ;
but our better judgment prevailed, and, finally, we returned together
to Breil. On the next day my friend started for London.
Three times I had essayed the ascent of this mountain, and on
each occasion had failed ignominiously. I had not advanced a
yard beyond my predecessors. Up to the height of nearly 13,000
feet there were no extraordinary difficulties ; the way so far might
even become "a matter of amusement." Only 1800 feet remained ;
* The heights given on the outlines of the Matterhorn, accompanying Chap, iv., on
the geological section in the Appendix, and quoted throughout the book, are after
the barometric (mercurial) measurements of Signor F. Giordano in 1866 and 1868. I
have ventured to differ from him only in regard to the height of the second tent-
platform, and have assigned to it a somewhat lower elevation than his estimate.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/139]]==
chap. v. A SCRAMBLE ALONE ON THE MATTERHORN. 105
but they were as yet untrodden, and might present the most for-
midable obstacles. No man could expect to climb them by him-
self. A morsel of rock only seven feet high might at any time
defeat him, if it were perpendicular. Such a place might be pos-
sible to two, or a bagatelle to three men. It was evident that a
party should consist of three men at least. But where could the
other two men be obtained ? Carrel was the only man who exhibited
any enthusiasm in the matter ; and he, in 1861, had absolutely
refused to go unless the party consisted of at least four persons.
Want of men made the difficulty, not the mountain.
The weather became bad again, so I went to Zermatt on the
chance of picking up a man, and remained there during a week of
storms* Not one of the good men, however, could be induced to
come, and I returned to Breil on the 17th, hoping to combine
the skill of Carrel with the willingness of Meynet on a new
attempt, by the same route as before ; for the Hornli ridge, which
I had examined in the meantime, seemed to be entirely imprac-
ticable. Both men were inclined to go, but their ordinary occu-
pations prevented them from starting at once, f
My tent had been left rolled up at the second platform, and
whilst waiting for the men it occurred to me that it might have
been blown away during the late stormy weather ; so I started off
on the 18th to see if this were so or not. The way was by this
time familiar, and I mounted rapidly, astonishing the friendly
herdsmen — who nodded recognition as I flitted past them and the
cows — for I was alone, because no man was available. But more
deliberation was necessary when the pastures were passed, and
climbing began, for it was needful to mark each step, in case of mist,
or surprise by night. It is one of the few things which can be said
in favour of mountaineering alone (a practice which has little be-
sides to commend it), that it awakens a man's faculties, and makes
him observe. When one has no arms to help, and no head to guide
* During this time making the ascent of Monte Rosa.
f They were not guides by profession.
P
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/140]]==
106 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
liim except liis own, he must needs take note even of small things,
for he cannot afford to throw away a chance ; and so it came to
pass, upon my solitary scramble, when above the snow-line, and
beyond the ordinary limits of flowering plants, when peering about
noting angles and landmarks, that my eyes fell upon the tiny
straggling plants — oftentimes a single flower on a single stalk —
pioneers of vegetation, atoms of life in a world of desolation, which
had found their way up — who can tell how ? — from far below, and
were obtaining bare sustenance from the scanty soil in protected
nooks ; and it gave a new interest to the well-known rocks to see
what a gallant fight the survivors made (for many must have
perished in the attempt) to ascend the great mountain. The
Gentian, as one might have expected, was there, but it was run
close by Saxifrages, and by Linaria alpina, and was beaten by
Thlaspi rotundifoliuni, which latter plant was the highest I was
able to secure, although it too was overtopped by a little white
flower which I knew not, and was unable to reach*
* Those which I collected were as follow : — Myosotis alpcstris, Gin. ; Veronica
alpina, L. ; Linaria alpina, M. ; Gentiana Bavarica, L. ; Thlaspi rotund if olium,
Gaud. ; Silenc acaulis L. (?) ; Potcntilla sp. ; Saxifraga sp. ; Saxifraga muscoides,
Wulf. 1 am indebted for these names to Mr. William Carruthers of the British
Museum. The plants ranged from about 10,500 to a little below 13,000 feet, and
are the highest which I have seen anywhere in the Alps. Three times this number
of species might be collected, I have no doubt, within these limits. I was not
endeavouring to make a flora of the Matterhorn, but to obtain those plants which
attained the greatest height. Very few lichens are seen on the higher parts of this
mountain ; their rarity is due, doubtless, to the constant disintegration of the rocks,
and the consequent exposure of fresh surfaces. Silenc acaulis was the highest plant
found by De Saussure on his travels in the Alps. He mentions (§ 2018) that he
found a tuft "near the place where I slept on my return (from the ascent of Mont
Blanc), about 1780 toises (11,388 feet) above the level of the sea."
Mr. William Mathews and Mr. Charles Packe, who have botanised respectively
for many years in the Alps and Pyrenees, have favoured me with the names of the
highest plants that they have obtained upon their excursions. Their lists, although
not extensive, are interesting as showing the extreme limits attained by some of the
hardiest of Alpine plants. Those mentioned by Mr. Mathews are — Campanula
ccnisia (on the Grivola, 12,047 feet) ; Saxifraga bry&ides and Avdrosacc glacuilis
(on the summits of Mont Emilius, 11,677, and the Ruitor, 11,480) ; Ranunculus
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/141]]==
chap. v. THE PLANTS FOUND HIGHEST IN THE ALPS. 107
The tent was safe, although snowed up ; and I turned to con-
template the view, which, when seen alone and undisturbed, had
all the strength and charm of complete novelty.* The highest
peaks of the Pennine chain were in front — the Breithorn (13,685
feet), the Lyskamm (14,889), and Monte Eosa (15,217) ; then, turn-
ing to the right, the entire block of mountains which separated the
Val Tournanche from the Val d'Ayas was seen at a glance, with
its dominating summit the Grand Tournalin (ll,155f). Behind
were the ranges dividing the Val d'Ayas from the Valley of Gres-
soney, backed by higher summits. More still to the right, the eye
wandered down the entire length of the Val Tournanche, and then
rested upon the Graian Alps with their innumerable peaks, and
upon the isolated pyramid of Monte Viso (12,643) in the extreme
distance. Next, still turning to the right, came the mountains
glacialis, Armeria alpina, and Pyrethrum alpinum (on Monte Viso, from 10,000 to
10,500 feet) ; Thlaspi rotundifolium, and Saxifraga MJtora (Monte Viso, about
9500 feet) ; and Campanula rotundifolia (?), Artemisia spicata (Wulf.), Aronicum
Doronicum, and Petrocallis Pyrcnaica (Col de Seylieres, 9247).
Mr. Packe obtained, on or close to the summit of the Pic de Mulhahacen, Sierra
Nevada, of Granada (11,600 to 11,700 feet), Papaver alpinum (var. Pyrcnaicum),
Artemisia Nevadensis (used for giving the flavour to the Manzanilla sherry), Viola
Nevadensis, Galium Pyrenaicum, Trisetum glaciale, Festuca Clementei, Saxifraga,
Groznlandica (var. Mista), Erigeron alpinum (var. glaciale) and Arenaria tetra-
quetra. On the Picacho de Veleta (11,440 feet), and on the Alcazaba (11,350), the
same plants were obtained, with the exception of the first named. At a height of
11,150 feet on these mountains he also collected Ptilotrichum purpureum, Lcpidium
sty latum, and Biscutella saxatilis ; and, at 10,000 feet, Alyssum spicatum and Si-
dcritis scordiodes. Mr. Packe mentions the following plants as occurring at 9000
to 10,000 feet in the Pyrenees : — Cerastium latifolium, Draba Wahlenbcrgii, Hut-
chinsia alpina, Linaria alpina, Oxyria reniformis, Ranunculus glacialis, Saxifraga
nervosa, S. oppositifolia, S. Groznlandica, Statice Armeria, Veronica alpina.
Information on the botany of the Val Tournanche is contained in the little pam-
phlet by the Canon G. Carrel, entitled La Vallee de Valtorncnchc en 1867 ; and a list
of the plants which have hitherto been collected on the glacier-surrounded ridge
(Furgen Grat) connecting the Matterhorn with the Col Theodule, will be found in
Dollfus-Ausset's Materiaux pour V etude des Glaciers, vol. viii. part first, 1868.
* See the map of the valley of Zermatt, etc. ; that of the Valpelline, etc. ; and the
general route map.
t On the authority of Canon Carrel.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/142]]==
108 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
intervening between the Val Tonrnanche and the Val Barthelemy :
Mont Eonss (a round-topped snowy summit, which seems so import-
ant from Breil, but which is in reality only a buttress of the higher
mountain, the Chateau des Dames), had long ago sunk, and the eye
passed over it, scarcely heeding its existence, to the Becca Salle (or,
as it is printed on the map, Bee de Sale), — a miniature Matterhorn —
and to other, and more important heights. Then the grand mass
of the Dent d'Herens (13,714) stopped the way ; a noble mountain,
encrusted on its northern slopes with enormous hanging glaciers,
which broke away at mid-day in immense slices, and thundered
down on to the Tiefenmatten glacier ; and lastly, most splendid of
all, came the Dent Blanche (14,318), soaring above the basin of
the great Z'Muttgletscher. Such a view is hardly to be matched
in the Alps, and this view is very rarely seen, as I saw it, perfectly
unclouded*
* I have already had occasion to mention the rapid changes which occur in the
weather at considerable elevations in the Alps, and shall have to do so again in subse-
quent chapters. No one can regret more than myself the variable weather which
afflicts that otherwise delightful chain of mountains, or the necessity of speaking
about it : its summits appear to enjoy more than their fair share of wind and
tempests. Meteorological disturbances, it would seem, are by no means necessary
accompaniments of high regions. There are some happy places which are said to be
favoured with almost perpetual calm. Take the case of the Sierra Nevada of Cali-
fornia, for example, which includes numerous summits from 13,000 to 15,000 feet.
Mr. Whitney, of San Francisco, says (in his Guide-book to the Yosemite Valley, and the
adjacent region), "At high altitudes, all through the mountains, the weather during
the summer is almost always the finest possible for travelling. There are occasional
storms in the high mountains ; but, in ordinary seasons, these are quite rare, and one
of the greatest drawbacks to the pleasure of travelling in the Alps, the uncertainty of
the weather, is here almost entirely wanting. " It is probable that a more thorough
acquaintance with that region will modify this opinion ; for it must be admitted that
it is very difficult to judge of the state of the atmosphere of great heights from the
valleys, and it often occurs that a terrific storm is raging above when there is a dead
calm below, at a distance perhaps of not more than three or four miles. A case of this
kind is described in Chapter vii., and another may be mentioned here. At the very time
that I was regarding the Dent Blanche from a height of 12,550 feet on the Matterhorn,
Mr. T. S. Kennedy was engaged in making the first ascent of the former mountain,
and he described his ascent in a very picturesque paper in the Alpine Journal (1863).
I learn from it that he experienced severe weather. " The wind roared over our ridge,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/143]]==
chap. v. A SOLITARY BIVOUAC. 109
Time sped away unregarded, and the little birds which had built
their nests on the neighbouring cliffs had begun to chirp their
evening hymn before I thought of returning. Half mechanically I
turned to the tent, unrolled it, and set it up ; it contained food
enough for several days, and I resolved to stay over the night. I
had started from Breil without provisions, or telling Favre — the
innkeeper, who was accustomed to my erratic ways — where I was
going. I returned to the view. The sun was setting, and its rosy
rays, blending with the snowy blue, had thrown a pale, pure violet
far as the eye could see ; the valleys were drowned in a purple
gloom, while the summits shone with unnatural brightness : and as
I sat in the door of the tent, and watched the twilight change to
darkness, the earth seemed to become less earthy and almost sub-
lime ; the world seemed dead, and I, its sole inhabitant. By and
by, the moon as it rose brought the hills again into sight, and by
a judicious repression of detail rendered the view yet more magni-
ficent. Something in the_ south hung like a great glow-worm in the
air ; it was too large for a star, and too steady for a meteor ; and it
was long before I could realise the incredible fact that it was the
moonlight glittering on the great snow-slope on the north side of
Monte Viso, at a distance, as the crow flies, of 98 miles. Shiver-
ing, at last I entered the tent and made my coffee. The night was
passed comfortably, and the next morning, tempted by the brilliancy
of the weather, I proceeded yet higher in search of another place for
a platform.
making fearfully wild music among the desolate crags. . . It rendered an ordinary
voice inaudible," and "nothing at a distance greater than fifty yards could be seen
at all. . . Thick mists and driving clouds of snow swept over and past us ;" the
thermometer fell to 20° Fahr., and his companion's hair became amass of white icicles.
Now, at this time, Mr. Kennedy was distant from me only four and a half miles.
With me, and in my immediate neighbourhood, the air was perfectly calm, and the
temperature was agreeably warm ; even during the night it fell only two or three
degrees below freezing point. During most of the day the Dent Blanche was perfectly
unclouded, though, for a time, light fleecy clouds were hovering about its upper 2000
feet ; but no one would have supposed from appearances that my friend was experienc-
ing a storm such as he has described.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/144]]==
110 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
Solitary scrambling over a pretty wide area had shown me that
a single individual is subjected to many difficulties which do not
trouble a party of two or three men,
and that the disadvantages of being
alone are more felt while descending
than during the ascent. In order
to neutralise these inconveniences, I
devised two little appliances, which
were now brought into use for the
first time. One was a claw — a kind of grapnel
— about five inches long, made of shear steel,
one-fifth of an inch thick. This was of use in difficult
places where there was no hold within arm's length, but
where there were cracks or ledges some distance higher.
It could be stuck on the end of the alpenstock and dropped into
such places, or, on extreme occasions, flung up until it attached itself
to something. The edges that laid hold of the rocks were serrated,
which tended to make them catch more readily : the other end had
a ring to which a rope was fastened. It must not be understood
that this was employed for hauling one's-self up for any great dis-
tance, but that it was used in ascending, at the most, for only a few
yards at a time. In descending, however, it could be prudently
used for a greater distance at a time, as the claws could be planted
firmly ; but it was necessary to keep the rope taut, and the pull
constantly in the direction of the length of the implement, other-
wise it had a tendency to slip away. The second device was
merely a modification of a dodge practised by all climbers. It is
frequently necessary for a single man (or for the last man of a party)
during a descent, to make a loop in the end of his rope, which he
passes over some rocks, and to come down holding the free end.
The loop is then jerked off, and the process may be repeated. But
as it sometimes happens that there are no rocks at hand which will
allow a loose loop to be used, a slip-knot has to be resorted to, and
the rope is drawn in tightly. Consequently it will occur that it is
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/145]]==
CHAP. V.
ON AIDS TO CLIMBERS.
Ill
not possible to jerk the loop off, and the rope has to be cut and left
behind. To prevent this, I had a wrought-
iron ring (two and a quarter inches in dia-
meter and three eighths of an inch thick)
attached to one end of my rope, and a loop
could be made in a moment by passing the
other end of the rope through this ring, which
of course slipped up and held tightly as I
descended holding the free end. A strong
piece of cord was also attached to the ring,
and, on arriving at the bottom, this was
pulled ; the ring slid back again, and the
loop was whipped off readily. By means of
these two simple appliances I was able to
ascend and descend rocks, which otherwise
would have been completely impassable.
The combined weight of these two things amounted to less than
half-a-pound.
It has been mentioned (p. 93) that the rocks of the south-west
ridge are by no means difficult for some distance above the Col du
Lion. This is true of the rocks up to the level of the Chimney, but
they steepen when that is passed, and remaining smooth and with
but few fractures, and still continuing to dip outwards, present some
steps of a very uncertain kind, particularly when they are glazed with
ice. At this point (just above the Chimney) the climber is obliged
to follow the southern (or Breil) side of the ridge, but, in a few feet
more, one must turn over to the northern (or Z'Mutt) side, where,
in most years, nature kindly provides a snow-slope. When this is
surmounted, one can again return to the crest of the ridge, and
follow it, by easy rocks, to the foot of the Great Tower. This was
the highest point attained by Mr. Hawkins in 1860, and it was
also our highest on the 9th of July.
This Great Tower is one of the most striking features of the ridge.
It stands out like a turret at the angle of a castle. Behind it a
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/146]]==
112 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
battlemented wall leads upwards to the citadel* Seen from the
Theodule pass, it looks only an insignificant pinnacle, but as one
approaches it (on the ridge) so it seems to rise, and, when one is at
its base, it completely conceals the upper parts of the mountain.
I found here a suitable place for the tent ; which, although not so
well protected as the second platform, possessed the advantage of
being 300 feet higher up ; and fascinated by the wildness of the
cliffs, and enticed by the perfection of the weather, I went on to see
what was behind.
The first step was a difficult one ; the ridge became diminished
to the least possible width — it was hard to keep one's balance — and
just where it was narrowest, a more than perpendicular mass barred
the way. Nothing fairly within arm's reach could be laid hold of ;
it was necessary to spring up, and then to haul one's-self over the
sharp edge by sheer strength. Progression directly upwards was
then impossible. Enormous and appalling precipices plunged
down to the Tiefenmatten glacier on the left, but round the right-
hand side it was just possible to go. One hindrance then succeeded
another, and much time was consumed in seeking the way. I have
a vivid recollection of a gully of more than usual perplexity at the
side of the Great Tower, with minute ledges and steep walls ; of the
ledges dwindling down and at last ceasing ; and of finding myself,
with arms and legs divergent, fixed as if crucified, pressing against
the rock, and feeling each rise and fall of my chest as I breathed ;
of screwing my head round to look for hold, and not seeing any, and
of jumping sideways on to the other side.
'Tis vain to attempt to describe such places. Whether they are
sketched with a light hand, or wrought out in laborious detail, one
stands an equal chance of being misunderstood. Their enchant-
ment to the climber arises from their calls on his faculties, in their
demands on his strength, and on overcoming the impediments which
they oppose to his skill. The non-mountaineering reader cannot
: See the engraving " Crags of the Matterhorn," which accompanies Chap. vii.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/147]]==
chap. v. DISTINCTION BETWEEN DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS. 113
feel this, and his interest in descriptions of such places is usually
very small, unless he supposes that the situations are perilous.
They are not necessarily perilous, but I think it is impossible to
avoid giving such an impression if the difficulties are particularly
insisted upon.
A painstaking writer is therefore liable to be misunderstood in
at least two ways. If he skips the difficulties, fearing, perhaps, to
be charged with tediousness, he lays himself open to the imputation
of being unobservant, or simply stupid ; or, if he chronicles each
step, and works out each difficulty, he is exposed to the risk of being
accused either of frightful exaggeration, or of getting into utterly
unjustifiable situations. I do not wish to be charged with one or
the other of these things, and shall therefore explain myself more
fully.
Places such as this gully have their charm, so long as a man feels
that the difficulties are within his power ; but their enchantment
vanishes directly they are too much for him, and when he feels
this they are dangerous to him. The line which separates the
difficult from the dangerous is sometimes a very shadowy, but it is
not an imaginary, one. It is a true line, without breadth. It is
often easy to pass and very hard to see. It is sometimes passed
unconsciously, and the consciousness that it has been passed is
felt too late ; but so long as a man undertakes that which is well
within his power, he is not likely to pass this line, or, consequently,
to get into any great danger, although he may meet with consider-
able difficulty. That which is within a man's power varies, of
course, according to time, place, and circumstance, but, as a rule,
he can tell pretty well when he is arriving at the end of his tether ;
and it seems to me, although it is difficult to determine for another,
even approximately, the limits to which it is prudent for him to
go, that it is tolerably easy to do so for one's-self. But (according
to my opinion) if the doubtful line is crossed consciously, deliber-
ately, one passes from doing that which is justifiable to doing that
which is unjustifiable, because it is imprudent.
Q
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/148]]==
114 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
I expect that any intelligent critic will inquire, " But do you
really mean to assert that dangers in mountaineering arise only
from superlative difficulty ; and that the perfect mountaineer does
not run any risks ?" I am not prepared to go quite so far as this,
although there is only one risk to which the scrambler on the
Higher Alps is unavoidably subject, which does not occur to pedes-
trians in London's streets. This arises from falling rocks, and I
shall endeavour, in the course of this volume, to make the reader
understand that it is a positive danger, and one against which skill,
strength, and courage, are equally unavailing. It occurs at unex-
pected times, and may occur in almost any place. The critic may
retort, " Your admission of this one danger destroys all the rest of
the argument." I agree with him that it would do so if it were a
grave risk to life. But although it is a real danger, it is not a very
serious risk. Not many cases can be quoted of accidents which
have happened through falling stones, and I do. not know an in-
stance of life having been lost in this way in the High Alps* I
suppose, however, few persons will maintain that it is unjustifiable
to do anything, for sport or otherwise, so long as any risk is
incurred ; else it would be unjustifiable to cross Fleet Street at
mid-day. If it were one's bounden duty to avoid every risk, we
should have to pass our lives indoors. I conceive that the pleasures
of mountaineering outweigh the risks arising from this particular
cause, and that the practice will not be vetoed on its account.
Still, I wish to stamp it as a positive danger, and as one which may
imperil the life of the most perfect mountaineer.
There is, then, only one positive danger in mountaineering, and
that is little risk. There are, however, numerous negative dangers
through which many lose their lives. The words positive and
negative are used in the following sense. A positive danger is one
which we are powerless to avoid, and a negative danger is one which
* The contrary is the case in regard to the Lower Alps. Amongst others, the case
may be mentioned of a lady who (not very long ago) had her skull fractured while
sitting at the base of the Mer de Glace.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/149]]==
chap. v. ON FOOLHARDINESS. 115
requires action on our part to convert it into a positive one. A pre-
cipice is a negative danger, but it is a positive one to a man who falls
over it : a steep snow-slope of new snow has dangerous qualities, but
it is not positively dangerous until its equilibrium is disturbed, and
it descends as an avalanche : the piled-up blocks on a shattered
ridge may be dangerous, but they are not so until they are dis-
lodged : and a concealed crevasse may be perilous to the last de-
gree, but it is not so unless you tumble into it. This distinction is
not hair-splitting, and it is essential to remember it, if one would
come to a clear understanding about that which is right and wrong
in mountaineering. If it were impossible to avoid tumbling into
crevasses, or dislodging vast masses of debris, or starting avalanches,
or falling over precipices, mountaineering, for the sake of sport,
would be entirely unjustifiable ; and, according to the principles
already laid down, it is unjustifiable if, through incompetence or
recklessness, any one converts these negative slumbering dangers
into active and positive ones.
It may be remarked parenthetically that the term foolhardiness
is frequently used rather loosely in regard to accidents which occur
in the Alps. The mere fact that a man loses his life, or sus-
tains injury, whether it be on the mountains or elsewhere, is no
proof that he was foolhardy ; and upon reviewing those accidents
which have happened in late years, it seems to me that to the
major part the word is inapplicable. If anything is undertaken
for sport which there is good reason to suppose must fail, or will
probably be fatal to life, that may be considered foolhardy. But if
the unavoidable risks are almost inappreciable, and that which is
undertaken is not clearly beyond the powers of those who under-
take it, it seems to me that the use of this word is not advisable,
even although a fatal accident should happen. A slip which arises
from a momentary indiscretion, or an accident the consequence of
exhaustion, should hardly be classed amongst those fatalities which
are the direct results of imprudences that are entirely unjustifiable ;
and it cannot be denied that accidents have happened for which no
excuses can be offered.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/150]]==
116 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
The most capable men agree that there are two species of fool-
hardiness which merit emphatic condemnation. The first is attempt-
ing to traverse the upper (snow-covered) portions of glaciers without
using a rope, and the second is ignoring the instability of new snow.
Lives are lost every year through one or the other of these imbe-
cilities. In each case the dangers are perfectly well known, and
the results may be predicted with tolerable certainty. A man
who attempts to traverse the upper parts of glaciers by himself,
or with others, unroped, does not necessarily take harm on the
first attempt, but if he perseveres he is certain to come to grief
sooner or later. He may go on with impunity for a considerable
time, or he may perish on the first attempt ; but, whatever may be
the case, he is foolhardy, because he incurs a risk which can only
be incurred by the neglect of the simplest of precautions. In the
second case one cannot, unfortunately, speak with the same pre-
cision, because there are three elements involved, all of which are
subject to continual variation. The first is the quality of the snow,
the second is its quantity, and the third is the angle at which it
reposes. Still it is not very difficult in practice to determine when
a new fall of snow is dangerous to traverse or not. Tor example,
it may be laid down as a general rule that it is imprudent to
meddle with any slope exceeding thirty degrees for several days
after a heavy fall. It is equally certain that slopes considerably
exceeding this angle are traversed, or attempted to be crossed,
every year, by incompetent persons, within twenty-four hours of
heavy falls.
It may be questioned whether those who commit these im-
prudences consider they are endangering their lives. In some
cases such things have probably been done from mere ignorance,
but in others the clamour and protestations against departure have
at least taken it out of the power of those concerned to say that
they were unaware of the opinion of those who were the most fit
judges. "Whether such things are done from ignorance or from
conceit, it is not unfair to class them as acts of foolhardiness.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/151]]==
chap. v. ON A CGIDENTS. 1 1 7
Three possible causes of accidents have now been mentioned.
From the first there is small risk, but unavoidable danger so long
as mountaineering is practised ; from the others there may be great
risks, but they are easily avoided by the exercise of a little common
sense. The largest part of the accidents, however, which occur
in the Alps cannot be classed under these heads, but arise chiefly
from momentary indiscretions, and from men trying to do that
which is beyond their powers. It is not easy to find two cases
exactly alike, although they principally come from the difficulty
man experiences in keeping on his feet in slippery places. They
come not from any dangers inherent to mountains, but from the
frailties of the mountaineer. A volume might be filled with
examples, and they would all be found to show that if this had
been done, or that had not been done, the results would not have
happened. In many cases some canon of mountaineering will be
found to have been violated, and in all, the man rather than the
mountain will be found to have been the offender.
I have now endeavoured to discriminate between that which is
merely difficult and that which is absolutely dangerous ; secondly,
to distinguish unavoidable from avoidable dangers ; and thirdly, to
make a rough classification of the causes of accidents. If that which
has been said is true, it follows that the dangers from the Alps them-
selves have been ridiculously overrated, and that the thing to be
wished for is, not that the mountains should become easier, but
that men should become wiser and stronger. It is too much to
expect, however, so long as tyros attempt to imitate the doings of
skilled mountaineers, and middle-aged gentlemen, with stiff knees,
essay the things which are adapted only to the young and active,
that accidents in the Alps will cease, or even diminish in number ;
and, although these too daring persons should, perhaps, be pitied
rather than censured, it is very much to be desired that they would
pay a little more attention to the truth " That which is sport to
one may be death to another," instead of applying to themselves
the maxim " What man has done man can do."
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/152]]==
118 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
This long digression has been caused by an innocent gully
which I feared the reader might think was dangerous. It was an
untrodden vestibule which led to a scene so wild that even the
most sober description of it must seem an exaggeration. There was
a change in the quality of the rock, and there was a change in the
appearance of the ridge. The rocks (talcose gneiss) below this spot
were singularly firm ; it was rarely necessary to test one's hold ;
the way led over the living rock, and not up rent-off fragments.
But here, all was decay and ruin. The crest of the ridge was
shattered and cleft, and the feet sank in the chips which had drifted
down ; while above, huge blocks, hacked and carved by the hand of
time, nodded to the sky, looking like the grave-stones of giants.
Out of curiosity I wandered to a notch in the ridge, between two
tottering piles of immense masses, which seemed to need but a few
pounds on one or the other side to make them fall ; so nicely poised
that they would literally have rocked in the wind, for they were
put in motion by a touch ; and based on support so frail that I
wondered they did not collapse before my eyes. In the whole
range of my Alpine experience I have seen nothing more striking
than this desolate, ruined, and shattered ridge at the back of the
Great Tower. I have seen stranger shapes, — rocks which mimic the
human form, with monstrous leering faces — and isolated pinnacles,
sharper and greater than any here ; but I have never seen exhibited
so impressively the tremendous effects which may be produced by
frost, and by the long-continued action of forces whose individual
effects are imperceptible.
It is needless to say that it is impossible to climb by the crest
of the ridge at this part ; still one is compelled to keep near to it,
for there is no other way. Generally speaking, the angles on the
Matterhorn are too steep to allow the formation of considerable
beds of snow, but here there is a corner which permits it to accumu-
late, and it is turned to gratefully, for, by its assistance, one can
ascend four times as rapidly as upon the rocks.
The Tower was now almost out of sight, and I looked over
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/153]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/154]]==
"THE CHIMNEY. ' :
ON THE SOUTH-WEST RIDGE OF THE MATTERHORN
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/155]]==
chap. v. THE CAUSE. 119
the central Pennine Alps to the Grand Combin, and to the chain of
Mont Blanc. My neighbour, the Dent d'Herens, still rose above
me, although but slightly, and the height which had been attained
could be measured by its help. So far, I had no doubts about my
capacity to descend that which had been ascended ; but, in a short
time, on looking ahead, I saw that the cliffs steepened, and I turned
back (without pushing on to them, and getting into inextricable
difficulties), exulting in the thought that they would be passed
when we returned together, and that I had, without assistance, got
nearly to the height of the Dent d'Herens, and considerably higher
than any one had been before.* My exultation was a little pre-
mature.
About 5 p.m. I left the tent again, and thought myself as good
as at Breil. The friendly rope and claw had done good service, and
had smoothened all the difficulties. I lowered myself through the
Chimney, however, by making a fixture of the rope, which I then
cut off, and left behind, as there was enough and to spare. My axe
had proved a great nuisance in coming down, and I left it in the
tent. It was not attached to the baton, but was a separate affair,
— an old navy boarding-axe. While cutting up the different snow-
beds on the ascent, the baton trailed behind fastened to the rope ;
and, when climbing, the axe was carried behind, run through the
rope tied round my waist, and was sufficiently out of the way ; but
in descending, when coming down face outwards (as is always best
where it is possible), the head or the handle of the weapon caught
frequently against the rocks, and several times nearly upset me.
So, out of laziness if you will, it was left in the tent. I paid dearly
for the imprudence.
The Col du Lion was passed, and fifty yards more would have
placed me on the " Great Staircase," down which one can run. But
* A remarkable streak of snow (marked " cravate " in the outline of the Matter-
horn, as seen from the Theodule) runs across the cliff at this part of the mountain.
My highest point was somewhat higher than the lowest part of this snow, and was
consequently nearly 13,500 feet above the sea.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/156]]==
120 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
on arriving at an angle of the cliffs of the Tete du Lion, while
skirting the upper edge of the snow which abuts against them, I
found that the heat of the two past days had nearly obliterated the
steps which had been cut when coming up. The rocks happened
to be impracticable just at this corner, so nothing could be done
except make the steps afresh. The snow was too hard to beat or
tread down, and at the angle it was all but ice ; half-a-dozen
steps only were required, and then the ledges could be followed
again. So I held to the rock with my right hand, and prodded
at the snow with the point of my stick until a good step was
made, and then, leaning round the angle, did the same for the
other side. So far well, but in attempting to pass the corner
(to the present moment I cannot tell how it happened) I slipped
and fell.
The slope was steep on which this took place, and was at the
top of a gully that led down through two subordinate buttresses
towards the Glacier du Lion — which was just seen, a thousand feet
below. The gully narrowed and narrowed, until there was a mere
thread of snow lying between two walls of rock, which came to an
abrupt termination at the top of a precipice that intervened be-
tween it and the glacier. Imagine a funnel cut in half through its
length; placed at an angle of 45 degrees, with its point below and
its concave side uppermost, and you will have a fair idea of the
place.
The knapsack brought my head down first, and I pitched into
some rocks about a dozen feet below ; they caught something and
tumbled me off the edge, head over heels, into the gully ; the
baton was dashed from my hands, and I whirled downwards in a
series of bounds, each longer than the last ; now over ice, now into
rocks; striking my head four or five times, each time with in-
creased force. The last bound sent me spinning through the air,
in a leap of fifty or sixty feet, from one side of the gully to the
other, and I struck the rocks, luckily, with the whole of my left
side. They caught my clothes for a moment, and I fell back on to
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/157]]==
N ATTEMPTING TO PASS THE CORNER I SLIPPED AND FELL.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/158]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/159]]==
chap. v. THE EFFECT. 121
the snow with motion arrested ; my head fortunately came the
right side up, and a few frantic catches brought me to a halt, in the
neck of the gully, and on the verge of the precipice. Baton, hat,
and veil skimmed by and disappeared, and the crash of the rocks —
which I had started — as they fell on to the glacier, told how narrow
had been the escape from utter destruction. As it was, I fell
nearly 200 feet in seven or eight bounds. Ten feet more would
have taken me in one gigantic leap of 800 feet on to the glacier
below.
The situation was still sufficiently serious. The rocks could
not be left go for a moment, and the blood was spirting out of
more than twenty cuts. The most serious ones were in the head,
and I vainly tried to close them with one hand, while holding on
with the other. It was useless ; the blood jerked out in blinding
jets at each pulsation. At last, in a moment of inspiration, I
kicked out a big lump of snow, and stuck it as a plaster on my
head. The idea was a happy one, and the flow of blood
diminished ; then, scrambling up, I got, not a moment too soon, to
a place of safety, and fainted away. The sun was setting when
consciousness returned, and it was pitch dark before the Great
Staircase was descended ; but, by a combination of luck and care,
the whole 4800 feet of descent to Breil was accomplished without
a slip, or once missing the way. I slunk past the cabin of the
cowherds, who were talking and laughing inside, utterly ashamed
of the state to which I had been brought by my imbecility, and
entered the inn stealthily, wishing to escape to my room un-
noticed. But Favre met me in the passage, demanded " Who is
it ? " screamed with fright when he got a light, and aroused the
household. Two dozen heads then held solemn council over mine,
with more talk than action. The natives were unanimous in re-
commending that hot wine (syn. vinegar), mixed with salt, should
be rubbed into the cuts. I protested, but they insisted. It was
all the doctoring they received. Whether their rapid healing was
to be attributed to that simple remedy, or to a good state of health,
R
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/160]]==
122
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. V.
is a question ; they closed up remarkably quickly, and in a few
days I was able to move again *
It was sufficiently dull during this time. I was chiefly occu-
pied in meditating on the vanity of human wishes, and in watching
AT BREIL GIOMEIN
my clothes being washed in the tub which was turned by the
stream in the front of the house ; and I vowed that if an English-
man should at any time fall sick in the Val Tournanche, he should
not feel so solitary as I did at this dreary time/f
* I received much attention from a kind English lady who was staying in the
mn.
f As it seldom happens that one survives such a fall, it may be interesting to
record what my sensations were during its occurrence. 1 was perfectly conscious
of what was happening, and felt each blow ; but, like a patient under chloro-
form, experienced no pain. Each blow was, naturally, more severe than that which
preceded it, and I distinctly remember thinking "Well, if the next is harder still,
that will be the end ! " Like persons who have been rescued from drowning, I re-
member that the recollection of a multitude of things rushed through my head,
many of them trivialities or absurdities, which had been forgotten long before ; and,
more remarkable, this bounding through space did not feel disagreeable. But I
think that in no very great distance more, consciousness as well as sensation would
have been lost, and upon that I base my belief, improbable as it seems, that death by
a fall from a great height is as painless an end as can be experienced.
The battering was very rough, yet no bones were broken. The most severe cuts
were one of four inches long on the top of the Lead, and another of three inches on the
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/161]]==
chap. v. OUR FOURTH ATTEMPT ON THE MATTERHORN. 123
The news of the accident brought Jean-Antoine Carrel up to
Breil, and, along with the haughty chasseur came one of his
relatives, a strong and able young fellow named Caesar. With
these two men and Meynet I made another start on the 23d of
July. We got to the tent without any trouble, and on the follow-
ing day had ascended beyond the Tower, and were picking our way
cautiously over the loose rocks behind (where my traces of the
week before were well apparent) in lovely weather, when one. of
those abominable and almost instantaneous changes occurred, to
which the Matterhorn is so liable on its southern side. Mists
were created out of invisible vapours, and in a few minutes snow
fell heavily. We stopped, as this part was of excessive difficulty,
and, unwilling to retreat, remained on the spot several hours, in
hopes that another change would occur ; but, as it did not, we at
length went down to the base of the Tower, and commenced to
make a third platform, at the height of 12,992 feet above the sea.
It still continued to snow, and we took refuge in the tent. Carrel
argued that the weather had broken up, and that the mountain
would become so glazed with ice as to render any attempt futile ;
and I, that the change was only temporary, and that the rocks
were too hot to allow ice to form upon them. I wished to stay until
the weather improved, but my leader would not endure contradic-
tion, grew more positive, and insisted that we must go down. We
went down, and when we got below the Col his opinion was found
to be wrong ; the cloud was confined to the upper 3000 feet, and
outside it there was brilliant weather.
right temple: this latter bled frightfully. There was a formidable -looking cut, of
about the same size as the last, on the palm of the left hand, and every limb was
grazed, or cut, more or less seriously. The tips of the ears were taken off, and a sharp
rock cut a circular bit out of the side of the left boot, sock, and ankle, at one stroke.
The loss of blood, although so great, did not seem to be permanently injurious. The
only serious effect has been the reduction of a naturally retentive memory to a very
common-place one ; and although my recollections of more distant occurrences re-
main unshaken, the events of that particular day would be clean gone but for the few-
notes which were written down before the accident.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/162]]==
124 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chai\ v.
Carrel was not an easy man to manage. He was perfectly
aware that he was the cock of the Yal Tournanche, and he com-
manded the other men as by right. He was equally conscious that
he was indispensable to me, and took no pains to conceal his know-
ledge of the fact. If he had been commanded, or if he had been
entreated to stop, it would have been all the same. But, let me
repeat, he was the only first-rate climber I could find who believed
that the mountain was not inaccessible. With him I had hopes,
but without him none ; so he was allowed to do as he would. His
will on this occasion was almost incomprehensible. He certainly
could not be charged with cowardice, for a bolder man could hardly
be found ; nor was he turning away on account of difficulty, for
nothing to which we had yet come seemed to be difficult to him ;
and his strong personal desire to make the ascent was evident.
There was no occasion to come down on account of food, for we had
taken, to guard against this very casualty, enough to last for a
week ; and there was no danger, and little or no discomfort, in
stopping in the tent. It seemed to me that he was spinning out
the ascent for his own purposes, and that although he wished very
much to be the first man on the top, and did not object to be ac-
companied by any one else who had the same wish, he had no
intention of letting one succeed too soon, — perhaps to give a
greater appearance of eclat when the thing was accomplished. As
he feared no rival, he may have supposed that the more difficulties
he made the more valuable he would be estimated ; though, to do
him justice, he never showed any great hunger for money. His
demands were fair, not excessive ; but he always stipulated for so
much per clay, and so, under any circumstances, he did not do badly.
Vexed at having my time thus frittered away, I was still well
pleased when he volunteered to start again on the morrow, if it was
fine. We were to advance the tent to the foot of the Tower, to
fix ropes in the most difficult parts beyond, and to make a push for
the summit on the following day.
The next morning (Friday the 25th) when I arose, good little
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/163]]==
chap. v. OUR FIFTH ATTEMPT. 125
Meynet was ready and waiting, and he said that the two Carrels
had gone off some time before, and had left word that they intended
marmot-hnnting, as the day was favourable for that sport.* My
holiday had nearly expired, and these men clearly could not be
relied upon ; so, as a last resort, I proposed to the hunchback to
accompany me alone, to see if we could not get higher than before,
though of reaching the summit there was little or no hope. He
did not hesitate, and in a few hours we stood — for the third time
together — upon the Col du Lion ; but it was the first time Meynet
had seen the view unclouded. The poor little deformed peasant
gazed upon it silently and reverently for a time, and then, un-
consciously, fell on one knee in an attitude of adoration, and
clasped his hands, exclaiming in ecstasy, " Oh, beautiful mountains I"
His actions were as appropriate as his words were natural, and
tears bore witness to the reality of his emotion.
Our power was too limited to advance the tent, so we slept at
the old station, and starting very early the next morning, passed
the place where we had turned back on the 24th, and, subse-
quently, my highest point on the 19th. We found the crest of the
ridge so treacherous that we took to the cliffs on the right, although
most unwillingly. Little by little we fought our way up, but at
length we were both spread-eagled on the all but perpendicular
face, unable to advance, and barely able to descend. We returned
to the ridge. It was almost equally difficult, and infinitely more
unstable ; and at length, after having pushed our attempts as far
as was prudent, I determined to return to Breil, and to have a
light ladder made to assist us to overcome some of the steepest
parts.-f I expected, too, that by this time Carrel would have had
enough marmot-hunting, and would deign to accompany us again.
* An incident like this goes far to make one look favourably upon the reglements
of Chamounix and other places. This could not have occurred at Chamounix, nor
here, if there had been a bureau des guides.
t This appeared to be the most difficult part of the mountain. One was driven
to keep to the edge of the ridge, or very near to it ; and at the point where we turned
back (which was almost as high as the highest part of the " cravate," and perhaps
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/164]]==
J 26 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
We came down at a great pace, for we were now so familiar
with the mountain, and with each other's wants, that we knew im-
mediately when to give a helping hand, and when to let alone.
The rocks also were in a better state than I have ever seen them,
being almost entirely free from glaze of ice. Meynet was always
merriest on the difficult parts, and, on the most difficult, kept on
enunciating the sentiment, " We can only die once," which thought
seemed to afford him infinite satisfaction. We arrived at the inn
early in the evening, and I found my projects summarily and un-
expectedly knocked on the head.
Professor Tyndall had arrived while we were absent, and he had
engaged both Csesar and Jean-Antoine Carrel. Bennen was also
with him, together with a powerful and active friend, a Valaisan
guide, named Anton Walter. They had a ladder already pre-
pared, provisions were being collected, and they intended to start
on the following morning (Sunday). This new arrival took me
by surprise. Bennen, it will be remembered, refused point-blank
to take Professor Tyndall on the Matterhorn in 1861. "He
was dead against any attempt on the mountain," says Tyndall.
He was now eager to set out. Professor Tyndall has not explained
in what way this revolution came about in his guide. I was
equally astonished at the faithlessness of Carrel, and attributed it
to pique at our having presumed to do without him. It was
useless to compete with the Professor and his four men, who
were ready to start in a few hours, so I waited to see what would
come of their attempt.
Everything seemed to favour it, and they set out on a fine
morning in high spirits, leaving me tormented with envy and all
uncharitableness. If they succeeded, they carried off the prize for
which I had been so long struggling ; and if they failed, there was
100 feet higher than my scramble on the 19th) there were smooth walls seven or
eight feet high in every direction, which were impassable to a single man, and which
could only be surmounted by the assistance of ladders, or by using one's comrades as
ladders.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/165]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/166]]==
A CANNONADE ON THE MATTERHORN. (1862
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/167]]==
chap. v. PROFESSOR TYNDALL TRIES AGAIN. 127
no time to make another attempt, for I was due in a few days more
in London. When this came home clearly to me, I resolved to
leave Breil at once, but, when packing up, found that some neces-
saries had been left behind in the tent. So I went off about mid-
day to recover them ; caught the army of the Professor before it
reached the Col, as they were going very slowly ; left them there
(stopping to take food), and went on to the tent. I was near to it
when all at once I heard a noise aloft, and, on looking up, perceived
a stone of at least a foot cube flying straight at my head. I ducked,
and scrambled under the lee side of a friendly rock, while the stone
went by with a loud buzz. It was the advanced guard of a perfect
storm of stones, which descended with infernal clatter down the very
edge of the ridge, leaving a trail of dust behind, with a strong smell
of sulphur, that told who had sent them. The men below were
on the look-out, but the stones did not come near them, and break-
ing away on one side went down to the glacier*
I waited at the tent to welcome the Professor, and when he
arrived went down to Breil. Early next morning some one ran to
me saying that a flag was seen on the summit of the Matterhorn.
It was not so, however, although I saw that they had passed the
place where we had turned back on the 26th. I had now no doubt
of their final success, for they had got beyond the point which
Carrel, not less than myself, had always considered to be the most
questionable place on the whole mountain. Up to it there was no
choice of route, — I suppose that at no one point between it and the
Col was it possible to diverge a dozen paces to the right or left,
* Professor Tyndall describes this incident in the following words : — "We had
gathered up our traps, and bent to the work before us, when suddenly an explosion
occurred overhead. We looked aloft and saw in mid-air a solid shot from the Mat-
terhorn describing its proper parabola, and finally splitting into fragments as it smote
one of the rocky towers in front. Down the shattered fragments came like a kind of
spray, slightly wide of us, but still near enough to compel a sharp look-out. Two or
three such explosions occurred, but we chose the back fin of the mountain for our
track, and from this the falling stones were speedily deflected right or left."— Satur-
day Review, Aug. 8, 1863. "Reprinted in Macmillcm's Magazine, April, 1869.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/168]]==
128
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. V.
but beyond it it was otherwise, and we had always agreed, in our
debates, that if it could be passed success was certain. The accom-
panying outline from a sketch taken from the door of the inn at
Breil will help to explain. The letter A indicates the position of
the Great Tower ; C the " cravate " (the strongly-marked streak of
snow referred to on p. 119, and which we just failed to arrive at on
TfcTE Dll
LION
the 26th) ; B the place where we now saw something that looked
like a flag. Behind the point B a nearly level ridge leads up to the
foot of the final peak, which will be understood by a reference to
the outline facing p. 83, on which the same letters indicate the
same places. It was just now said, we considered that if the point
C could be passed, success was certain. Tyndall was at B very
early in the morning, and I did not doubt that he would reach the
summit, although it yet remained problematical whether he would
be able to stand on the very highest point. The summit was evi-
dently formed of a long ridge, on which there were two points
nearly equally elevated — so equally that one could not say which
was the highest — and between the two there seemed to bo a deep
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/169]]==
chap. v. THE PROFESSOR IS DEFEATED. 129
notch, marked D on the outlines, which might defeat one at the
very last moment.
My knapsack was packed, and I had drunk a parting glass of
wine with Favre, who was jubilant at the success which was to
make the fortune of his inn ; but I could not bring myself to leave
until the result was heard, and lingered about, as a foolish lover
hovers round the object of his affections, even after he has been
contemptuously rejected. The sun had set before the men were
descried coming over the pastures. There was no spring in their
steps — they, too, were defeated. The Carrels hid their heads, but
the others said, as men will do when they have been beaten, that
the mountain was horrible, impossible, and so forth. Professor
Tyndall told me they had arrived within a stone's throw of the sum-
mit, and admonished me to have nothing more to do with the
mountain. I understood him to say that he should not try again,
and ran down to the village of Val Tournanche, almost inclined to
believe that the mountain was inaccessible ; leaving the tent, ropes,
and other matters in the hands of Favre, to be placed at the dis-
posal of any person who wished to ascend it, more, I am afraid,
out of irony than for generosity. There may have been those who
believed that the Matterhorn could be ascended, but, anyhow, their
faith did not bring forth works. No one tried again in 1862.
Business took me into Dauphine before returning to London,
and a week after Tyndall's defeat I lay one night, after a sultry day,
half-asleep, tossing about in one of the abominations which serve
for beds in the inn kept by the Deputy-Mayor of La Ville de Val
Louise ; looking at a strange ruddiness on the ceiling, which I
thought might be some effect of electricity produced by the irrita-
tion of the myriads of fleas ; when the great bell of the church,
close at hand, pealed out with loud and hurried clangour. I jumped
up, for the voices and movements of the people in the house made
me think of fire. It was fire ; and I saw from my window, on the
other side of the river, great forked flames shooting high into the
s
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/170]]==
130 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. v.
sky, black dots with long shadows hurrying towards the place,
and the crests of the ridges catching the light and standing out
like spectres. All the world was in motion, for the neighbouring
villages — now aroused — rang out the alarm. I pulled on my shirt,
and tore over the bridge. Three large chalets were on fire, and
were surrounded by a mass of people, who were bringing all their
pots and pans, and anything that would hold water. They formed
themselves into several chains, each two deep, leading towards the
nearest stream, and passed the water up one side, and the empty
utensils down the other. My old friend the mayor was there, in
full force, striking the ground with his stick, and vociferating,
" Work ! work ! " but the men, with much presence of mind,
chiefly ranged themselves on the sides of the empty buckets, and
left the real work to their better halves. Their efforts were useless,
and the chalets burnt themselves out.
The next morning I visited the still smouldering ruins, and saw
the homeless families sitting in a dismal row in front of their
charred property. The people said that one of the houses had been
well insured, and that its owner had endeavoured to forestall luck.
He had arranged the place for a bonfire, set the lower rooms on
fire in several places, and had then gone out of the way, leaving his
wife and children in the upper rooms, to be roasted or not as the
case might be. His plans only partially succeeded, and it was
satisfactory to see the scoundrel brought back in the custody of two
stalwart gensdarmes. Three days afterwards 1 was in London.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/171]]==
BL'T WHAT IS THIS
CHAPTER VI.
THE VAL TOURNANCHE — DIRECT PASS FROM BREIL TO ZERMATT
(BREUILJOCH) — ZERMATT — ASCENT OF THE GRAND TOURNALIN, ETC. ETC.
" How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of a fleeting year !"
W. Shakespeare.
I crossed the Channel on the 29th of July 1863, embarrassed by
the possession of two ladders, each twelve feet long, which joined
together like those used by firemen, and shut up like parallel rulers.
My luggage was highly suggestive of housebreaking, for, besides these,
there were several coils of rope, and numerous tools of suspicious
appearance, and it was reluctantly admitted into France, but it
passed through the custom-house with less trouble then I antici-
pated, after a timely expenditure of a few francs.
I am not in love with the douane. It is the purgatory of tra-
vellers, where uncongenial spirits mingle together for a time, before
they are separated into rich and poor. The douaniers look upon
tourists as their natural enemies ; see how eagerly they pounce upon
the portmanteaux ! One of them has discovered something ! He
has never seen its like before, and he holds it aloft in the face of
its owner, with inquisitorial insolence. "But what is this?" The
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/172]]==
132 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. yi.
explanation is but half satisfactory. " But what is this ?" says he,
laying hold of a little box. " Powder." " But that it is forbidden
to carry of powder on the railway." " Bah I" says another and older
hand, " pass the effects of Monsieur ;" and our countryman — whose
cheeks had begun to redden under the stares of his fellow-travellers
— is allowed to depart with his half-worn tooth-brush, while the
discomfited douanier gives a mighty shrug at the strange habits of
those " whose insular position excludes them from the march of
continental ideas."
My real troubles commenced at Susa. The officials there, more
honest and more obtuse than the Frenchmen, declined at one and the
same time to be bribed, or to pass my baggage until a satisfactory
account of it was rendered ; and, as they refused to believe the true
explanation, I was puzzled what to say, but was presently relieved
from the dilemma by one of the men, who was cleverer than his
fellows, suggesting that I was going to Turin to exhibit in the
streets ; that I mounted the ladder and balanced myself on the end
of it, then lighted my pipe and put the point of the baton in its
bowl, and caused the baton to gyrate around my head. The rope
was to keep back the spectators, and an Englishman in my company
was the agent. " Monsieur is acrobat then ?" u Yes, certainly."
" Pass the effects of Monsieur the acrobat ! "
These ladders were the source of endless trouble. Let us pass
over the doubts of the guardians of the Hotel d' Europe (Trombetta),
whether a person in the possession of such questionable articles
should be admitted to their very respectable house, and get to
Chatillon, at the entrance of the Val Tournanche. A mule was
chartered to carry them, and, as they were too long to sling across
its back, they were arranged lengthways, and one end projected over
the animal's head, while the other extended beyond its tail. A mule
when going up or down hill always moves with a jerky action, and
in consequence of this the ladders hit my mule severe blows be-
tween its ears and in its flanks. The beast, not knowing what strange
creature it had on its back, naturally tossed its head and threw out
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/173]]==
chap. vi. EXPLANATION OF TYNDALL'S DEFEAT. 133
its legs, and this, of course, only made the blows that it received
more severe. At last it ran away, and would have perished by
rolling down a precipice, if the men had not caught hold of its tail.
The end of the matter was that a man had to follow the mule,
holding the end of the ladders, which obliged him to move his arms
up and down incessantly, and to bow to the hind quarters of the
animal in a way that afforded more amusement to his comrades
than it did to him.
I was once more en route for the Matterhorn, for I had heard in
the spring of 1863 the cause of the failure of Professor Tyndall, and
learnt that the case was not so hopeless as it appeared to be at one
time. I found that he arrived as far only as the northern end of
" the shoulder." The point at which he says,* they " sat down with
broken hopes, the summit within a stone's-throw of us, but still
defying us," was not the notch or cleft at D (which is literally
within a stone's-throw of the summit), but another and more formi-
dable cleft that intervenes between the northern end of " the
shoulder " and the commencement of the final peak. It is marked
E on the outline which faces p. 83. Carrel and all the men who
had been with me knew of the existence of this cleft, and of the
pinnacle which rose between it and the final peak ; f and we had
frequently talked about the best manner of passing the place. On
this we disagreed, but we were both of opinion that when we got
to " the shoulder " it would be necessary to bear down gradually to
the right or to the left, to avoid coming to the top of the notch.
But Tyndall's party, after arriving at " the shoulder," was led by his
guides along the crest of the ridge, and, consequently, when they got
to its northern end, they came to the top of the notch, instead of the
bottom — to the dismay of all but the Carrels. Dr. Tyndall's words
are, " The ridge was here split by a deep cleft which separated it
from the final precipice, and the case became more hopeless as we
came more near." The Professor adds, " The mountain is 14,800
* Saturday Review, August 8, 1863.
t The pinnacle, in fact, had a name, — ' L'ange Auk'-.'
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/174]]==
134 SCRAMBLE* AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vr.
feet high, and 14,600 feet had been accomplished." He greatly
deceived himself; by the barometric measurements of Signor
Giordano the notch is no less than 800 feet below the summit. The
guide Walter (Dr. Tyndall says) said it was impossible to proceed,
and the Carrels, appealed to for their opinion (this is their own
account), gave as an answer, " We are porters, ask your guides."
Bennen, thus left to himself, " was finally forced to accept defeat."
Tyndall had nevertheless accomplished an advance of about 400
feet over one of the most difficult parts of the mountain.
There are material discrepancies between the published narratives
of Professor Tyndall * and the verbal accounts of the Carrels. The
former says the men had to be " urged on," that " they pronounced
flatly against the final precipice," " they yielded so utterly," and
that Bennen said, in answer to a final appeal made to him, " ' What
could I do, sir ? not one of them would accompany me.' It was the
accurate truth." Jean-Antoine Carrel says that when Professor
Tyndall gave the order to turn he would have advanced to examine
the route, as he did not think that further progress was impossible,
but he was stopped by the Professor, and was naturally obliged to
follow the others. t These disagreements may well be left to be
* Saturday Review, 1863, and Macmillarts Magazine, 1869.
f I have entered into this matter because much surprise has been expressed that
Carrel was able to pass this place, without any great difficulty, in 1865, which
turned back so strong a party in 1862. The cause of Professor Tyndall's defeat was
simply that his second guide (Walter) did not give aid to Bennen when it was required,
and that the Carrels would not act as guides after having been hired as porters. J. A.
Carrel not only knew of the existence of this place before they came to it ; but always
believed in the possibility of passing it, and of ascending the mountain ; and had he
been leader to the party I do not doubt that he might have taken Tyndall to the top.
But when appealed to to assist Bennen (a Swiss, and the recognised leader of the
part} 7 ), was it likely that he (an Italian, a porter), who intended to be the first man
up the mountain by a route which he regarded peculiarly his own, would render any
aid?
It is not so easy to understand how Dr. Tyndall and Bennen overlooked the exist-
ence of this cleft, for it is seen over several points of the compass, and particularly
well from the southern side of the Theodule pass. Still more difficult is it to explain
how the Professor came to consider that he was only a stone's-throw from the summit ;
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/175]]==
chap. vi. ON THE VAL TOURNANGHE. 135
settled by those who are concerned. Tyndall, Walter, and Bennen,
now disappear from this history.*
The Val Tonrnanche is one of the most charming valleys in the
Italian Alps ; it is a paradise to an artist, and if the space at my
command were greater 1 wonld willingly linger over its groves of
chestnuts, its bright trickling rills and its roaring torrents, its upland
unsuspected valleys and its noble cliffs. The path rises steeply
from Chatillon, but it is well shaded, and the heat of the summer
sun is tempered by cool air and spray which comes off the ice-cold
streams.")" One sees from the path, at several places on the right
bank of the valley, groups of arches which have been built high up
against the faces of the cliffs. Guide-books repeat — on whose
authority I know not — that they are the remains of a Eoman
aqueduct. They have the Eoman boldness of conception, but the
work has not the usual Eoman solidity. The arches have always
seemed to me to be the remains of an unfinished work, and I learn
from Jean Antoine Carrel that there are _ sis-
other groups of arches, which are not seen -j>ii< ^ffi?SllB
from the path, all having the same appear- ^ > : ^^^WS^^-
ance. It may be questioned whether those ||LgS|| \ jMifflj W~
seen near the village of Antey are Eoman. j -Jg|j | P
Some of them are semicircular, whilst others -"" ^ 5 - X'i
are distinctly pointed. Here is one of the [ '
latter, which might pass for fourteenth- !
century work, or later ; — a two-centred arch, with mean voussoirs,
and the masonry, in rough courses. These arches are well worth
the attention of an archaeologist, but some difficulty will be found
in approaching them closely.
for, when he got to the end of "the shoulder," he must have been perfectly aware
that the whole height of the final peak was still above him.
1 Dr. Tyndall ascended the Matterhorn in 1868. See Appendix,
f Information upon the Val Tonrnanche will be found in De Saussure's Voyages
dans Us Alpes, vol. iv. pp. 379-81, 406-9 ; in Canon Carrel's pamphlet. La ValUc de
Valtorncnchc en 1867 ; and in King's Italian Valleys of the Alps, pp. 220-1.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/176]]==
136 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
We sauntered up the valley, and got to Breil when all were
asleep. A halo round the moon promised watery weather, and we
were not disappointed, for, on the next day (August 1), rain fell
heavily, and when the clouds lifted for a time, we saw that new
snow lay thickly over everything higher than 9000 feet. J. A.
Carrel was ready and waiting (as I had determined to give the
bold cragsman another chance) ; and he did not need to say that the
Matterhorn would be impracticable for several days after all this
new snow, even if the weather were to arrange itself at once. Our
first day together was accordingly spent upon a neighbouring
summit, the Cimes Blanches ; a degraded mountain, well known
for its fine panoramic view. It was little that we saw ; for, in
every direction except to the south, writhing masses of heavy
clouds obscured everything ; and to the south our view was inter-
cepted by a peak higher than the Cimes Blanches, named the Grand
Tournalin.* But we got some innocent pleasure out of watching
the gambolings of a number of goats, who became fast friends after
we had given them some salt ; in fact, too fast, and caused us no
little annoyance when we were descending. " Carrel," I said, as a
number of stones whizzed by which they had dislodged, " this
must be put a stop to." "Diable !" he grunted, " it is very well to
talk, but how will you do it ?" I said that I would try ; and
sitting down, poured a little brandy into the hollow of my hand,
and allured the nearest goat with deceitful gestures. It was one
who had gobbled up the paper in which the salt had been carried —
an animal of enterprising character — and it advanced fearlessly and
licked up the brandy. I shall not easily forget its surprise. It
stopped short, and coughed, and looked at me as much as to say,
" Oh, you cheat !" and spat and ran away ; stopping now and then
to cough and spit again. We were not troubled any more by those
goats.
More snow fell during the night, and our attempt on the
Matterhorn was postponed indefinitely. As there was nothing to
* I shall speak again <»1 this mountain, and therefore pass it over for the present.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/177]]==
chap. vi. THE BREUILJOGH. 137
be done at Breil, I determined to make the tour of the mountain,
and commenced by inventing a pass from Breil to Zermatt,* in
place of the hackneyed Theodule. Any one who looks at the map
will see that the latter pass makes a considerable detour to the east,
and, apparently, goes out of the way. I thought that it was possible
to strike out a shorter route, both in distance and in time, and we
set out on the 3d of August, to carry out the idea. We followed
the Theodule path for some time, but quitted it when it bore away
to the east, and kept straight on until we struck the moraine of the
Mont Cervin glacier. Our track still continued in a straight line up
the centre of the glacier to the foot of a tooth of rock, which juts pro-
minently out of the ridge (Furggengrat) connecting the Matterhorn
with the Theodulehorn. The head of the glacier was connected
with this little peak by a steep bank of snow ; but we were able to
go straight up, and struck the Col at its lowest point, a little to the
right (that is to say, to the east) of the above-mentioned peak. On
the north there was a snow-slope corresponding to that on the other
side, but half-an-hour took us to its base ; we then bore away over
the nearly level plateau of the Furggengletscher, making a straight
track to the Hornli, from whence we descended to Zermatt by one
of the well-known paths. This pass has been dubbed the Breuiljoch
by the Swiss surveyors. It is a few feet higher than the Theodule,
and it may be recommended to those who are familiar with that
pass, as it gives equally fine views, and is accessible at all times.
But it will never be frequented like the Theodule, as the snow-
slope at its summit, at certain times, will require the use of the
axe. It took us six hours and a quarter to go from one place to
the other, which was an hour longer than we would have occupied
by the Theodule, although the distance in miles is less.
It is stated in one of the MS. note-books of the late Principal
J. D. Forbes, that this depression, now called the Breuiljoch, was
formerly the pass between the Val Tournanche and Zermatt, and
that it was abandoned for the Theodule in consequence of changes
* See the map of the Matterhorn and its glaciers.
T
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/178]]==
138 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
in the glaciers.* The authority for the statement was not given.
I presume it was from local tradition, but I readily credit it ; for,
before the time that the glaciers had shrunk to so great an extent, the
steep snow-slopes above mentioned, in all probability, did not exist ;
but, most likely, the glaciers led by very gentle gradients up to the
summit ; in which case the route would have formed the natural
highway between the two places. It is far from impossible, if the
glaciers continue to diminish at their present rapid rate,j* that the
Theodule itself, the easiest and the most frequented of all the
higher Alpine passes, may, in the course of a few years, become
somewhat difficult ; and if this should be the case, the prosperity
of Zermatt will probably suffer. J
* My attention was directed to this note by Mr. A. Adams-Reilly.
t The summit of the Theodule pass is 10,899 feet above the sea. It is estimated
that of late about a thousand tourists have crossed it per annum. In the winter,
when the crevasses are bridged over and partially filled up, and the weather is favour-
able, cows and sheep pass over it from Zermatt to Val Tournanche, and vice versa.
In the middle of August, 1792, De Saussure appears to have taken mules from
Breil, over the Val Tournanche glacier to the summit of the Theodule ; and on a pre-
vious journey he did the same, also in the middle of August. He distinctly mentions
(§ 2220) that the glacier was completely covered with snow, and that no crevasses
were open. I do not think mules could have been taken over the same spot in any
August during the past ten years without great difficulty. In that month the glacier
is usually very bare of snow, and many crevasses are open. They are easily enough
avoided by those on foot, but would prove very troublesome to mules.
A few days before we crossed the Breuiljoch in 1863, Mr. F. Morshead made a
parallel pass to it. He crossed the ridge on the western side of the little peak, and
followed a somewhat more difficult route than ours. In 1865 I wanted to use Mr.
Morshead's pass (see Chap, xv.), but found that it was not possible to descend the
Zermatt side ; for, during the two years which had elapsed, the glacier had shrunk
so much that it was completely severed from the summit of the pass, and we could
not get down the rocks that were exposed.
+ The admirable situation of Zermatt has been known for, at least, thirty years,
but it is only within the last twelve or fourteen that it has become an approved
Alpine centre. Thirty years ago the Theodule pass, the Weissthor, and the
Col d'Herens, were, I believe, the only routes ever taken from Zermatt across the
Pennine Alps. At the present time there are (inclusive of these passes and of the
valley road) no less than twenty-four different ways in which a tourist may go from
Zermatt. The summits of some of these cols are more than 14,000 feet above the
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/179]]==
chap. vi. RUNNING WATER VERSUS ROCKS. 139
Carrel and I wandered out again in the afternoon, and went,
first of all, to a favourite spot with tourists near the end of the
Gorner glacier (or, properly speaking, the Boden glacier), to a little
verdant flat — studded with Euphrasia officinalis — the delight of
swarms of bees, who gather there the honey which afterwards
appears at the table d'hote.
On our right the glacier-torrent thundered down the valley
through a gorge with precipitous sides, not easily approached ; for
the turf at the top was slippery, and the rocks had everywhere been
rounded by the glacier, — which formerly extended far away. This
gorge seems to have been made chiefly by the torrent, and to have
been excavated subsequently to the retreat of the glacier. It seems
so because not merely upon its walls are there the marks of running
water, but even upon the rounded rocks at the top of its walls, at a
height of seventy or eighty feet above the present level of the tor-
rent, there are some of those queer concavities which rapid streams
alone are known to produce on rocks.
A little bridge, apparently frail, spans the torrent just above
the entrance to this gorge, and from it one perceives, being fashioned
in the rocks below, concavities similar to those to which reference
has just been made. The torrent is seen hurrying forwards. Not
everywhere. In some places the water strikes projecting angles,
and, thrown back by them, remains almost stationary, eddying
round and round : in others, obstructions fling it up in fountains,
which play perpetually on the tender surfaces of overhanging masses ;
and sometimes do so in such a way that the water not only works
upon the under surfaces, but round the corner ; that is to say, upon
level of the sea, and a good many of them cannot be recommended either for ease, or
as offering the shortest way from Zermatt to the valleys and villages to which they
lead.
Zermatt itself is still only a village with 500 inhabitants (about thirty of whom are
guides), with picturesque chalet dwellings, black with age. The hotels, including the
inn on the Riffelberg, all belong to one proprietor (M. Alexandre Seller), to whom the
village and valley are very much indebted for their prosperity, and who is the best
person to consult for information, or in all cases of difficulty.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/180]]==
140
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
chap. vr.
the surfaces which are not opposed to the general direction of the
current. In all cases concavities are being produced. Projecting
angles are rounded, it is true, and are more or less convex, but they
are overlooked on account of the prevalence of concave forms.
Cause and effect help each other here. The inequalities of the
• <^a r , _, r- ^ ^*<3
WATER-WORN KOCKS IN THE GORGE BELOW THE COKNEK GLACIER.
torrent bed and walls cause its eddyings, and the eddies fashion
the concavities. The more profound the latter become, the more
disturbance is caused in the water. The destruction of the rocks
proceeds at an ever-increasing rate ; for the larger the amount of
surface that is exposed, the greater are the opportunities for the
assaults of heat and cold.
When water is in the form of glacier it has not the power of
making concavities, such as these, in rocks, and of working upon
surfaces which are not opposed to the direction of the current. Its
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/181]]==
chap. vi. GLACIER VERSUS ROCKS. 141
nature is changed ; it operates in a different way, and it leaves
marks which are readily distinguished from those produced by
torrent-action.
The prevailing forms which result from glacier-action are more
STRIATIONS PRODUCED BY GLACIER-ACTION (AT GRINDELWALd).
or less convex. Ultimately, all angles and almost all curves are
obliterated, and large areas of flat surfaces are produced. This per-
fection of abrasion is rarely found, except in such localities as have
sustained a grinding much more severe than that which has occurred
in the Alps ; and, generally speaking, the dictum of the veteran
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/182]]==
142 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vr.
geologist Studer, quoted below, is undoubtedly true.* Not merely
can the operations of extinct glaciers be traced in detail by means
of the bosses of rock popularly termed roches moiitonnees, but their
effects in the aggregate, on a range of mountains or an entire country,
can be recognised sometimes at a distance of fifteen or twenty miles
from the incessant repetition of these convex forms.
It will not be uninteresting to consider, for a few moments, the
way in which they are produced by glaciers ; but first of all w T e must
look back to the time when they had no existence.
§ 1. If ever the surface of the earth was as true as if it had been
turned out from a lathe, it was certainly not so when the great glaciers
— whose poor remnants we now see in the Alps — began to stretch
far away from the mountains on to the lowlands of Switzerland and
on to the plain of Piedmont, — unless geology is a lie. If geological
reasoning is not a delusion and a snare, age upon age had passed
away before this took place ; rocks had crumbled into dust, and
their particles had been re-arranged ; lightning had struck the peaks ;
frost had cleft their ridges ; avalanches had swept their slopes ;
earthquakes had fissured the soil ; and torrents had transported
the debris far and wide, — had eaten into the clefts, had scored the
slopes, and had deepened the fissures for an indefinite length of
time. It was, therefore, not a bran new world upon which the
glaciers commenced to work — a globe which had been, as it were,
just turned out of a mould ; but it was scarred and weather-
beaten ; there were upon it hills and dales innumerable, cracks and
chasms, asperities and depressions, which heat and cold had pene-
trated, and water had still further deepened. The world was
incalculably old when this modern glacial period began its opera-
tions ; and, although it continued for a long time, the glaciers
* " Un des fails les mieux constates est que Ferosion des glaciers se distingue de
celle des eaux en ce que la premiere produit des roclies convexes ou moutonuees,
tandis que la seconde donne lieu a des concavites." — Prof. B. Studer, Origine des
Lacs Swisses.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/183]]==
chap. vi. PLASTICITY AND MOTION OF GLACIERS. 143
were unable to obliterate the effects of the older and greater
powers. The roches moutonnees owe their peculiar form to the
grinding of ice certainly, but they were blocked out anterior to the
formation of the glaciers. They were, when the ice quitted them,
to what they were before the glaciers began to work, very much
like what an old worn coin is to one that is newly struck. The
hollows w T ere not so much affected, but the eminences were ground
down ; the depressions of the modelling remained, but the parts in
relief were taken away. It requires, therefore, some little effort to
imagine what the rock forms w T ere like before the glaciers of the
glacial period began to operate upon them, but we cannot be wrong
in assuming that the forms were similar to those exhibited by
weathered rocks at the present time.
§ 2. Glacier ice is plastic, and can be moulded by pressure to
almost any form. Hence, if a glacier could remain perfectly
stationary, it would be moulded, by means of its own weight, to
the surface upon which it reposed. But glaciers move, and conse-
quently the bottom of one is never completely moulded to its rock-
bed. The pressure from the weight of the ice is opposed by the
motion of the glacier, and the ice is urged past depressions before
it can be moulded to them.
For example, let Fig. 1 of the diagram on p. 144 represent
a section of a portion of the bottom of a glacier which is beginning
to work upon weathered rocks ; G, G, indicating the glacier, and the
arrow the direction in which the glacier is moving. The ice, after
passing the eminences A, B, C, does not completely fill the hollows
D, E, F*
These things can be observed at the sides of most considerable
glaciers, and particularly well at several places on each bank of
the Gorner glacier. At several places (such as at D in Fig. 1)
one can get underneath and see the ice bridging hollows ; and
notice proof of its motion, and that it is partially moulded to the
* The outline is a tracing from a photograph of weathered, tinglaciated rocks.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/184]]==
144
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. VI.
rocks, in the flutings upon the bottom of the glacier leading up to
the eminences by which they have been caused.
Fig. 1
Fig. 3
*$^W
Fig. 4. -^
Fig. 5.
§ 3. It is, therefore, evident that when a glacier passes over
ground such as has been indicated in § 1, it is supported upon a
number of points, and bridges many hollows ; that the parts of
the rock which the ice touches sustain the entire weight and
friction of the glacier, and are alone abraded, while the hollows
escape.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/185]]==
char vi. ROCHES MOUTONNEES. 145
§ 4. But whilst the motion of the glacier is urging it onwards
and over depressions, the weight of its ice is pressing it into the
depressions, and hence the ice strikes the next projection at a
lower level than it left the last one. For example, after passing
the hollow D, the ice strikes the eminence B at a lower level than
it left A (Fig. 1).
§ 5. The immediate effect is, that the minor asperities of the
rock suffer, and chiefly those which are opposed to the direction of
motion of the glacier. They may be actually crushed, or fragments
which are already loose may be brushed or scraped away ; in any
case they disappear (Fig. 2).
§ 6. In consequence of this, the glacier becomes supported upon
a larger area, and its power is exerted over a greater surface. It
follows, also, that the amount, in depth, of the matter which is
removed constantly diminishes, if the power that is employed con-
tinues to be the same.
§ 7. A long continuance of abrasion, from the friction of the ice
and by the rasping of foreign matter contained in it, lowers the
level of the rock eminences ; but surfaces of fractures or depressions
in the rock which are not opposed to the direction of the motion
of the glacier remain unabraded, if they are perpendicular to the
direction of the motion, or anything like perpendicular to it ; and
they will continue to exist (although becoming less and less) until
the entire bed of the glacier (that is, the surface of the rocks) has
been reduced, over large areas, nearly to a plane surface.
Eocks which have been rounded by glacier action (such as in
Figs. 2, 3) are termed rochcs moutonnees, and unabraded surfaces of
roches moutonnees (such as D, F, Figs. 2, 3) are termed lee-sides. The
lee-sides often afford useful indications of the directions in which
extinct glaciers have moved.
§ 8. If glaciers still continue to work upon roches moutonnees,
the effects which are produced are only an extension of those
u
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/186]]==
146 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
described in § 7. The highest points of the rocks are most affected,
while the sides of depressions escape wholly, or partially, accord-
ing as they are unopposed or opposed, to the direction of the motion
of the glacier. Eminences are entirely removed in course of time",
and their positions, and those of cracks or depressions, are only
indicated by faintly-marked convexities and concavities (Fig. 4).
These may at length disappear, and large areas of rock may be
reduced to plane surfaces.
Such surfaces are common in Greenland, in close proximity to,
and extending underneath, existing glaciers. I propose to call
them roclics nivelees, to distinguish them from roches moutonnecs*
§ 9. Striations are frequently produced on rocks by the passage
of glaciers (see illustration on p. 141). They are caused by foreign
matter in the bottoms of the glaciers, fixed in the ice, or rolling or
sliding between it and the rocks. This foreign matter is partly
made up of fragments which have been . removed from the rock-bed
by the action of the glacier, and partly from rocks which have
fallen on to the surface of the glacier, and which have subsequently
tumbled into crevasses, or otherwise worked their way down.f
Generally speaking, striations are common upon rocks which
are only ' moutonnecs ,' but they are rarer, or entirely wanting, upon
* De Saussure was the author of the term roches moutonnees, and he gave (§ 1061)
the following reason for its adoption : — "Farther off, behind the village of Juviana
or Envionne, rocks are seen having the shape which I call moutonnee. . . The hill-
ocks (montagnes) to which I apply this expression, are composed of a group of
rounded prominences (tetes arrondies). . . These contiguous and frequent domes
(rondeurs) give, as a whole, the impression of a well-furnished fleece, or one of those
wigs which are also called moutonnees. "
The term was an appropriate one, applied as De Saussure used it, but it is un-
meaning when applied to the more perfectly glaciated, levelled surfaces.
f " One who is familiar with the track of this mighty engine will recognise at
once where the large boulders have hollowed out their deeper furrows, where small
pebbles have drawn their finer marks, where the stones with angular edges have left
their sharp scratches, where sand and gravel have rubbed and smoothed the rocky
surface, and left it bright and polished. . . These marks are not to be mistaken
by any one who has carefully observed them ; the scratches, furrows, grooves, are
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/187]]==
chap. vr. SLOWNESS OF GLACIER MOTION. 147
roches nivelees. They indicate a comparatively early and coarse
stage of glacier-action.
§ 10. More or less water is always found flowing underneath
glaciers. It is produced by ablation of the surface of the glacier,
and by other causes. In the earlier stages of glacier action (§§ 2-7)
it finds a free course among the depressions beneath the ice ; but
as the rocks become smoother and flatter it has more difficulty in
discovering outlets, and must materially assist in reducing the
friction of the ice upon the rocks, and in the production of highly-
polished surfaces, by causing less violent and more uniform
abrasion.
Such, it appears to me, are the ways in which glaciers
work upon rocks, and produce surfaces moutonnees or nivelees.
Before I quit this subject, I wish to make one or two remarks upon
the facts which have been stated, and to draw one or two conclu-
sions which they seem to warrant.
1. The production of the peculiar rounded rock-forms which
are termed roches moutonnees, is to be attributed to the extremely
slow rate at which the bottoms of glaciers move, not less than to
the plasticity of the ice. That the rate is very slow may be
inferred from the fact, that the smallest fractures on rocks upon
which glacier has worked for any length of time, have their weather
and their lee sides. That is to say, before the ice is able to move in
always rectilinear, tending in the direction in which the glacier is moving, and most
distinct on that side of the surface-inequalities facing the direction of the moving
mass, while the lee-side remains mostly untouched.
' ' Here and there on the sides of the glacier it is possible to penetrate between the
walls and the ice to a great depth, and even to follow such a gap to the very bottom
of the valley ; and everywhere do we find the surface of the ice fretted as I have
described it, with stones of every size, from the "pebble to the boulder, and also with
sand and gravel of all sorts, from the coarsest grain to the finest, and these mate-
rials, more or less firmly set in the ice, form the grating surface with which, on its
onward movement down the Alpine valleys, it leaves everywhere unmistak cable traces
of its passage. " — Agassiz, in The Atlantic Monthly.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/188]]==
148 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
some cases over cavities only an eighth of an inch across, it is forced
down into them, and strikes the little cliffs or slopes which are
opposed to the direction of its motion at a lower level than it left
those on the other side, — which latter ones remain sharp and un-
rounded. This can frequently be observed, even in most minute
fractures, upon glaciated rocks which the ice has not long quitted *
Fig. 5, p. 144, represents an example ; the arrow points out the
direction in which the glacier has moved, B the weather, and A the
lee side.
This affords a means of distinguishing glacier from water action
in hand specimens of rock. *f"
2. There is reason to believe that if glaciers were to move with
rapidity, instead of with such extreme deliberation, angular surfaces
would not be rounded, but flat surfaces would be produced from the
beginning. That is to say, instead of turning out surfaces, such as
are shown in the section, Fig. 3, p. 144, after many centuries of
work, glaciers might produce similar ones to Fig. 4, or even flatter,
in the course of a few hours. The amount of flatness which would
be produced would depend upon the rate of the motion and the bulk
of the ice.
Professor Steenstrup, of Copenhagen, read to me in 1867, from
an unpublished MS. in his possession, a highly interesting account
of some extraordinary effects which were produced in Iceland, in
the year 1721, by glacier in rapid motion. It seems that in the
neighbourhood of the mountain Kotlugja, in the extreme south of
the island, large bodies of water formed underneath, or within, the
glaciers (either on account of the interior heat of the earth, or from
other causes), and at length acquired irresistible power, tore the
glaciers from their moorings on the land, and swept or floated them
over every obstacle into the sea. Prodigious masses of ice were
thus borne for a distance of about ten miles over land in the space
* Glaciated rocks which have been exposed tc the atmosphere for any length of
time, lose, of course, all such delicate touches,
f See p. 167.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/189]]==
chap. vi. VIOLENT GLACIAL ACTION. 149
of a few hours ; and their bulk was so enormous, that they covered
the sea for seven miles from the shore, and remained aground in one
hundred fathoms. The denudation on the land was upon a grand
scale. All superficial accumulations were swept away, and the bed-
rock was exposed. It was described, in graphic language, how all
irregularities and depressions were obliterated, and a smooth sur-
face of several miles area was laid bare, and that this area had the
appearance of having been "planed by a plane." *
Admitting the possibility of exaggeration in the narrative as
* The account of Professor Steenstrup was, I believe, copied many years ago,
when he was travelling in Iceland, from an original Icelandic MS. Professor Paij-
kull, of Upsala, was favoured by Professor Steenstrup with a sight of his MS., and
printed some extracts from it in his work E11 Sommer i Island, Copenhagen, 1867.
The following paragraphs, which refer to this possibly unique occurrence, are taken
from the English translation of that work : —
" At the commencement of the eruption a stream burst forth, consisting princi-
pally of half-melted snow and large masses of ice, which tumbled about in the sea
like floating islands ; while, simultaneously, another stream issued in a south-
easterly direction, and inflicted great injury on the land. The first of these two
streams filled the sea with ice to such an extent that even from the highest moun-
tains it was impossible to see open water till it was broken up by the action of the
waves. It then drifted westward as far as Reykjanes, and up into the rivers along
the coast, so that large icebergs were left standing in the bed of the river in the
Olfusa. The greater portion, however, of the ice that had been washed down from
the glacier remained fixed aground at a distance of about seven miles from land, in a
hundred fathoms water. It formed, moreover, a high ridge over the land from the
sea as far as Hafrsey, a fjeld on Myrdalssandr. ... A stream of similar terrific
character broke out on the following day, and submerged the masses of ice that had
been previously discharged into the sea, as far as the eye could reach. Further, it
made its way through Kerlingar valley, and dammed up the stream there. The
deluge, or, more properly speaking, the ice, carried, moreover, immense masses of
rock with it ; and in the vicinity of Hjorleifshofdi, a mountain on Myrdalssandr, a
rock of twenty fathoms in height, entirely disappeared ; not to speak of other
instances. One can form some idea of the altitude of this barrier of ice, when it is
mentioned that from Hofdabrekka farm, which lies high up on a fjeld of the same
name, one could not see Hjorleifshofdi opposite, which is a fell 640 feet in height ;
but in order to do so, had to clamber up a mountain slope east of Hofdabrekka, 1200
feet high. The distance between Hofdabrekka and Hjorleifshofdi is one (Danish)
geographical mile, or the fifteenth part of a degree."
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/190]]==
150 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
quoted below, there is not, I think, any reason to doubt the
literal accuracy of the particular point to which attention has just
been drawn ; and hence it would appear that the effects produced
on rocks by glacier ice in rapid motion may be identical with
those caused by it after a great lapse of time, when it is working
at its ordinary rate.
3. These results are not surprising when we remember that
glaciers are always endeavouring to work in right lines. This is
proved by the marks they leave, which Agassiz has well pointed
out (see note to p. 146) are always more or less rectilinear.
This disposition to work in right lines, combined with inability
to operate upon depressions (except to the limited extent already
shown), points to the reason why it is that ' ultimately all angles,
and almost all curves, are obliterated, and large areas of flat
surfaces are produced ' (p. 141).
It should be observed that glaciated rocks, of the forms termed
moutonnees, cannot possibly have been eroded to any great depth
by glaciers during the modern * glacial period.
The degree of flatness of glaciated rocks bears a direct relation
to the amount of power which has been employed. In the earlier
stages (§§ 2-7) the forms are round ; in the more advanced ones,
they are flat. The rotundity of the form of roclies moutonnees is
proof that no great amount of destruction has taken place ; and
their lee-sides are additional and equally strong evidence.
4. For, unless it can be shown to have been produced subse-
quently to the retreat of the ice, even a single lee-side to a glaciated
rock informs us that we see a surface which was exposed to the
atmosphere before the glaciers began to work ; while many lee-sides,
found together, one after another, within an area of a few yards
(and they are often so found in localities where enormous depth of
excavation has been presumed to have taken place through glacier
* Geologists "begin to speak of glacial periods of a much more remote date than
that to which T am referring.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/191]]==
chap. vi. FEEBLENESS OF GLACIER ACTION. 151
agency), renders it certain that the entire surface of the bed-rock
has been lowered, at the most, but a few yards.
Weathered rocks, upon a small scale, do not take shapes such
as are figured in this diagram, but rather such as those which are
shown in Fig. 1, p. 144 We do - not find deep pits or troughs
produced in rocks (whatever may be their
nature or composition) by weathering or
through any of the ordinary operations of
nature. Still less do we find a large number of HJI
such pits or troughs close to one another. Therefore, when we see
lee-sides as at D and F, Fig. 3, p. 144 (separated, perhaps, from each
other by a distance of less than a dozen feet ; and representing, as
it has been already stated, the remains of hollows or fractures
which existed before the glacier began to work), it is certain that
the eminences B C, between them, have been lowered only a few
feet ; and probable that the depth of the rock which has been
removed does not exceed the length of a line drawn from D to F.
The unworn lee-sides to glaciated rocks have, therefore, a special
value, as they afford indications (although imperfect ones), of the
amount of excavation that has been performed by the glaciers
which worked above and around them.
5. In § 6 it was stated that the amount, in depth, of the matter
which is removed constantly diminishes, if the power that is em-
ployed continues to be the same. That is to say, if a glacier 1000
feet thick, moving down a valley at the rate of 300 feet per annum,
is able to remove a depth of one inch from the whole of those por-
tions of the surfaces that it touches, in the course of one year, the
amount that it will remove in the course of the next (assuming
that the depth of 1000 feet is maintained, and the rate of motion
is the same) will not be one inch, but will be something less ;
because the power employed will be distributed over a greater area.
It does not, however, follow that the bulk of the matter which is
removed will be less and less from the very beginning.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/192]]==
152 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
There cannot, however, be a doubt but that, after a certain lapse
of time, the hulk of the matter removed becomes less and less.
For these reasons. The rock that is removed is taken away by
friction. Of two kinds. The first, of the foreign matter imbedded
in the bottom of the glacier (or rolling underneath it) against the
bed-rock, which foreign matter it has been already stated (§9)
is derived from two sources — viz. from the rock-bed itself, and
from masses which have fallen on to the surface of the glacier, and
afterwards worked their way down.
It is obvious, as the rocks which are being operated upon by
the glacier become more and more smooth, that the supply from
the first of these sources must constantly diminish. It is equally
certain that when the rock-bed has lost many of its asperities, and
the glacier — so to speak — fits more closely to it, the matter which
falls from above has greater difficulty in getting between the ice
and the rock-bed. Here are two ways of accounting for the fact
that striations are rare or wanting upon roches nivelecs, and it will
now be perceived why it was said (§9) that striations " indicate a
comparatively early and coarse stage of glacier action."
There remains to be considered the friction of the ice itself
against the rock-bed. This, too, must diminish as the surfaces
over which the glacier passes become smoother and flatter. The
more thoroughly parallel the bottom of the glacier and the bed-
rock are to each other, the less friction will there be, and the less
abrasion.
There is therefore good reason to believe that not only is the
depth of rock removed from any given place less and less year
by year, but that the total amount of matter removed by the glacier
constantly diminishes. Just as a smoothing-plane, that is set fine,
will take shaving after shaving from a plank (each shaving being
thinner than the last), and at length glides over the wood without
producing any effect except a kind of rude polishing ; so a glacier,
passing over rocks, takes shaving after shaving (in the form of sand
or mud), and at length glides on, and puts the finishing touches, by
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/193]]==
chap. vi. CONSERVATION OF ROCKS BY GLACIER ACTION 153
polishing, to the surfaces which it had formerly prepared by rasping
and filing.
The calculations of the effects that have been produced by
glacier agency, which are based on the assumption that the amount
of material removed is the same from one year to another, are
necessarily fallacious. There are not, moreover, any data from
which the amount of work can be calculated that glaciers perform
in any given time ; but there are indications in that direction, and,
so far as they go, they seem to point to the conclusion that the
effects which they have produced, in the way of making hollows,
are much less important than many suppose.
6. If I were asked whether the action of glacier upon rocks
should be considered as chiefly destructive or conservative, I should
answer, without hesitation, principally as conservative. It is de-
structive, certainly, to a limited extent ; but, like a mason who
dresses a column that is to be afterwards polished, the glacier
removes a small portion of the stone upon which it works, in order
that the rest may be more effectually preserved. By obliterating
the inequalities of the rock, and, consequently, by reducing the
area of the surfaces which are exposed to the atmosphere to a
minimum, the glacier, when it retires, leaves the rock in the best
possible condition to withstand the attacks of heat, cold, and
water.
It has been pointed out, times without number (even by those
who are in the habit of accusing glaciers of the most frightful
destructiveness), that the polished surfaces which they leave
behind them seem to be imperishable. All who know are agreed
that centuries, nay, thousands of years, pass away, and still the
roches moutonnees retain their form.
In regard to the action of the glacier, when it is in full life and
activity, all are not so agreed. But when one finds evidence that
glaciers which existed through vast periods of time did nothing
more than round pre-existing weathered forms, dress rough and
x
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/194]]==
154 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
uneven surfaces, and did not even entirely destroy the destructive
work of the older and greater powers : while those powers were at
the same time delving into the rocks which the glaciers were not
covering ; were not reducing the area of exposed surfaces, but, on
the contrary, were continually increasing them, and were hurling
down vast masses, of which but a small portion fell on to the
glaciers (but which small portion probably equalled or exceeded
in bulk all that the glaciers were removing), the conclusion can
hardly be avoided that glaciers, in their life as well as after their
death, either considered by themselves or in comparison with other
powers, should be regarded as eminently conservative in their acts
and in their intentions.
We finished up the 3d of August with a walk over the Findelen
glacier, and returned to Zermatt at a later hour than we intended,
both very sleepy. This is noteworthy only on account of that which
followed. We had to cross the Col de Valpelline on the next day,
and an early start was desirable. Monsieur Seiler, excellent man,
knowing this, called us himself, and when he came to my door, I
answered, " All right, Seiler, I will get up," and immediately turned
over to the other side, saying to myself, " First of all, ten minutes
more sleep." But Seiler waited and listened, and, suspecting the
case, knocked again. " Herr Whymper, have you got a light ?"
Without thinking what the consequences might be, I answered,
" No," and then the worthy man actually forced the lock off his own
door to give me one. By similar and equally friendly and disinte-
rested acts, Monsieur Seiler has acquired his enviable reputation.
At 4 a.m. we left his Monte Bosa Hotel, and were soon
pushing our way through the thickets of grey alder that skirt
the path up the exquisite little valley which leads to the Z'mutt-
gletscher*
Nothing can seem or be more inaccessible than the Matterhorn
* The path on the right bank (southern side) of the valley is nmch more pic-
turesque than that on the other side. For our route, see the maps of the valley of
Zermatt and the valley of Valpelline.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/195]]==
chap. vi. CLIFFS OF THE MATTERHORN. 155
upon this side ; and even in cold blood one holds the breath when
looking at its stupendous cliffs. There are but few equal to them in
size in the Alps, and there are none which can more truly be termed
precipices. Greatest of them all is the immense north cliff, — that
which bends over towards the Z'muttgletscher. Stones which drop
from the top of that amazing wall fall for about 1500 feet before
they touch anything ; and those which roll down from above, and
bound over it, fall to a much greater depth, and leap well nigh
1000 feet beyond its base. This side of the mountain has always
seemed sombre — sad — terrible ; it is painfully suggestive of decay,
ruin, and death ; and it is now, alas ! more than terrible by its asso-
ciations.
" There is no aspect of destruction about the Matterhorn cliffs,"
says Professor Buskin. Granted ; — when they are seen from afar.
But approach, and sit down by the side of the Z'muttgletscher, and
you will hear that their piecemeal destruction is proceeding cease-
lessly — incessantly. You will hear, but, probably, you will not see;
for even when the descending masses thunder as loudly as heavy
guns, and the echoes roll back from the Ebihorn opposite, they will
still be as pin-points against this grand old face, so vast is its
scale !
If you would see the ' aspects of destruction,' you must come
still closer, and climb its cliffs and ridges, or mount to the plateau
of the Matterhorngletscher, which is cut up and ploughed up by
these missiles, and strewn on the surface with their smaller frag-
ments ; the larger masses, falling with tremendous velocity, plunge
into the snow and are lost to sight.
The Matterhorngletscher, too, sends down its avalanches, as if in
rivalry with the rocks behind. Bound the whole of its northern
side it does not terminate in the usual manner by gentle slopes,
but comes to a sudden end at the top of the steep rocks which lie
betwixt it and the Z'muttgletscher ; and seldom does an hour pass
without a huge slice breaking away, and falling with dreadful
uproar on to the slopes below, where it is re-compacted.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/196]]==
156 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
The desolate, outside pines of the Z'mutt forests, stripped of
their bark, and blanched by the weather, are a fit foreground to a
scene that can hardly be surpassed in solemn grandeur. It is a
subject worthy of the pencil of a great painter, and one which
would tax the powers of the very greatest.
Higher up the glacier the mountain is less savage in appear-
ance, but it is not less impracticable ; and, three hours later, when
we arrived at the island of rock, called the Stockje (which marks
the end of the Z'muttgletscher proper, and which separates its
higher feeder, the Stockgletscher, from its lower but greater one, the
Tiefenmatten), Carrel himself, one of the least demonstrative of
men, could not refrain from expressing wonder at the steepness of
its faces, and at the audacity that had prompted us to camp upon
the south-west ridge ; the profile of which is seen very well from
the Stockje* Carrel then saw the north and north-west sides of the
mountain for the first time, and was more firmly persuaded than
ever, that an ascent was possible only from the direction of Breil.
Three years afterwards I was traversing the same spot with the
guide Franz Biener, when all at once a puff of wind brought to us
a very bad smell ; and, on looking about, we discovered a dead
chamois half-way up the southern cliffs of the Stockje. We clam-
bered up, and found that it had been killed by a most uncommon
and extraordinary accident. It had slipped on the upper rocks,
had rolled over and over down a slope of debris, without being able
to regain its feet, had fallen over a little patch of rocks that pro-
jected through the debris, and had caught the points of both
* Professor Ruskin's view of " the Cervin from the north-west " {Modem Painters,
vol. iv.) is taken from the Stockje. The Col du Lion is the little depression on the
ridge, close to the margin of the engraving, on the right hand side ; the third tent-
platform was formed at the foot of the perpendicular cliff, on the ridge, exactly one-
third way between the Col du Lion and the summit. The battlemented portion of
the ridge, a little higher up, is called the " crtte du coq ; " and the nearly horizontal
portion of the ridge above it is " the shoulder. " It is high testimony to the accuracy
of Mr. Ruskin's work that it is possible to point out minutiae such as these upon an
engraving that was published fourteen years ago.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/197]]==
chap. vi. AN EXTRA ORDINARY A CGIDENT. 1 5 7
horns on a tiny ledge, not an inch broad. It had just been able
to touch the debris, where it led away down from the rocks, and
had pawed and scratched until it could no longer touch. It had
evidently been starved to death, and we found the poor beast almost
swinging in the air, with its head thrown back and tongue protrud-
ing, looking to the sky as if imploring help.
We had no such excitement as this in 1863, and crossed this
easy pass to the chalets of Prerayen in a very leisurely fashion.
From the summit to Prerayen let us descend in one step. The
way has been described before ; and those who wish for informa-
tion about it should consult the description of Mr. Jacomb, the
discoverer of the pass* Nor need we stop at Prerayen, except to
remark that the owner of the chalets (who is usually taken for a
common herdsman) must not be judged by appearances. He is a
man of substance ; he has many flocks and herds ; and although,
when approached politely, is courteous, he can (and probably will)
act as the master of Prerayen, if his position is not recognised, and
with all the importance of a man who pays taxes to the extent of
500 francs per annum to his government.
The hill-tops were clouded when we rose from our hay on the
5th of August. We decided not to continue the tour of our
mountain immediately, and returned over our track of the pre-
* Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers — second series.
The summit of the Col de Yalpelline is about 11,650 feet above the sea. The
pass is the easiest one in the Alps of this height, and (if the best route is followed)
it may be crossed during fine weather, and under favourable circumstances, without
cutting a single step. It may be added, at the same time, that if one does not take
the best route, the pass may become one of first-rate difficulty. Much time and
trouble will be saved by strictly adhering to the left bank (eastern side) of the
Zardesan glacier. Mr. Jacomb followed the right bank.
There is a very fine view from the point that is situated about two-thirds of a
mile S. by E. of the summit of the Col. This point (marked 3813 metres = 12, 410
feet, on the map of the Valley of Zermatt) has no name. It is connected with the
Col by snow-covered glacier at a very moderate angle, and from it one looks well
over the Tete Blanche, which is 200 feet less in elevation. It was ascended by the
author in 1866.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/198]]==
158 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
ceding day to the highest chalet on the left bank of the valley,*
with the intention of attacking the Dent d'Erin on the next
morning. We were interested in this summit, more on account of
the excellent view which it commanded of the south-west ridge
and the terminal peak of the Matterhorn, than from any other
reason.
The Dent d'Erin had not been ascended at this time, and we
had diverged from our route on the 4th, and had scrambled some
distance up the base of Mont Brule, to see how far its south-
western slopes were assailable. We were divided in opinion as to
the best way of approaching the peak. Carrel, true to his habit
of sticking to rocks in preference to ice, counselled ascending by
the long buttress of the Tete de Bella Cia (which descends towards
the west, and forms the southern boundary of the last glacier that
falls into the Glacier de Zardesan), and thence traversing the heads
of all the tributaries of the Zardesan to the western and rocky
ridge of the Dent. I, on the other hand, proposed to follow the
Glacier de Zardesan itself throughout its entire length, and from
the plateau at its head (where my proposed route would cross
Carrel's) to make directly towards the summit, up the snow-
covered glacier slope, instead of by the western ridge. The
hunchback, who was accompanying us on these excursions,
declared in favour of Carrel's route, and it was accordingly
adopted.
The first part of the programme was successfully executed ;
and at 10.30 a.m. on the 6th of August, we were sitting astride
the western ridge, at a height of about 12,500 feet, looking down
upon the Tiefenmatten glacier. To all appearance another hour
would place us on the summit ; but in another hour we found
* See map of the Valley of Valpelline. The chalet is marked " la vielle."
The reader will probably notice the discrepancies between this part of the map of
the Valley of Zermatt and that of the Valley of Valpelline. The latter one is
correct. The former is after the Swiss Government map, which is extremely
accurate on the Swiss side of the frontier line, but does not pretend to be so on the
Italian side.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/199]]==
chap. vr. ON THE DENT UERTN {OR D'HERENS). 1 59
that we were not destined to succeed. The ridge (like all of
the principal rocky ridges of the great peaks upon which I have
stood) had been completely shattered by frost, and was nothing
more than a heap of piled-up fragments. It was always narrow,
and where it was narrowest it was also the most unstable and the
most difficult. On neither side could we ascend it by keeping a
little below its crest, — on the side of the Tiefenmatten because it
was too steep, and on both sides because the dislodgment of a
single block would have disturbed the equilibrium of all those
which were above. Forced, therefore, to keep to the very crest of
the ridge, and unable to deviate a single step either to the right or
to the left, we were compelled to trust ourselves upon unsteady
masses, which trembled under our tread, which sometimes settled
down, grating in a hollow and ominous manner, and which seemed
as if a little shake would send the whole roaring down in one
awful avalanche.
I followed my leader, who said not a word, and did not rebel
until we came to a place where a block had to be surmounted
which lay poised across the ridge. Carrel could not climb it
without assistance, or advance beyond it until I joined him above ;
and as he stepped off my back on to it, I felt it quiver and bear
down upon me. I doubted the possibility of another man standing
upon it without bringing it down. Then I rebelled. There was
no honour to be gained by persevering, or dishonour in turning
from a place which was dangerous on account of its excessive
difficulty. So we returned to Prerayen, for there was too little
time to allow us to re-ascend by the other route, which was subse-
quently shown to be the right way up the mountain.
Four days afterwards a party of Englishmen (including my
friends, W. E. Hall, Crauford Grove, and Reginald Macdonald),
arrived in the Valpelline, and (unaware of our attempt) on the
12th, under the skilful guidance of Melchior Anderegg, made the
first ascent of the Dent d'Erin by the route which I had proposed.
This is the only mountain which I have essayed to ascend, that
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/200]]==
160 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
has not, sooner or later, fallen to me. Our failure was mortifying,
but I am satisfied that we did wisely in returning, and that if we
had persevered, by Carrel's route, another Alpine accident would
have been recorded. I have not heard that another ascent has
been made of the Dent d'Erin.*
On the 7th of August we crossed the Va Cornere pass,-f- and
had a good look at the mountain named the Grand Tournalin as
we descended the Yal de Chignana. This mountain was seen from
so many points, and was so much higher than any peak in its
immediate neighbourhood, that it was bound to give a very fine
view ; and (as the weather continued unfavourable for the Matter-
horn) I arranged with Carrel to ascend it the next day, and
despatched him direct to the village of Yal Tournanche to make
the necessary preparations, whilst I, with Meynet, made a short
* On p. 10 it is stated that there was not a pass from Prerayen to Breil in 1860,
and this is correct. On July 8, 1868, my enterprising guide, Jean-Antoine Carrel,
started from Breil at 2 A.M. with a well-known comrade — J. Baptiste Bic, of Val
Tournanche — to endeavour to make one. They went towards the glacier which
descends from the Dent d'Erin to the south-east, and on arriving at its base, ascended
at first by some snow between it and the cliffs on its south, and afterwards took to
the cliffs themselves. [This glacier they called the glacier of Mont Albert, after the
local name of the peak which on Mr. Reilly's map of the Valpelline is called ' Les
Jumeaux.' On Mr. Reilly's map the glacier is called 'Glacier d'Erin.'] They
ascended the rocks to a considerable height, and then struck across the glacier,
towards the north, to a small ' rognon ' (isolated patch of rocks) that is nearly in the
centre of the glacier. They passed above this, and between it and the great seracs.
Afterwards their route led them towards the Dent d'Erin, and they arrived at the
base of its final peak by mounting a couloir (gully filled with snow), and the rocks at
the head of the glacier. They gained the summit of their pass at 1 p.m., and,
descending by the glacier of Zardesan, arrived at Prerayen at 6.30 p.m.
As their route joins that taken by Messrs. Hall, Grove, and Macdonald, on their
ascent of the Dent d'Erin in 1863, it is evident that that mountain can be ascended
from Breil. Carrel considers that the route taken by himself and his comrade Bic
can be improved upon ; and, if so, it is possible that the ascent of the Dent d'Erin
can be made from Breil in less time than from Prerayen. Breil is very much to be
preferred as a starting-point.
t See p. 11. The height of this pass, according to Canon Carrel, is 10,335
feet.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/201]]==
chap. vi. MONEY NO OBJECT. 161
cut to Breil, at the back of Mont Panquero, by a little pass
locally known as the Col de Fenetre. I rejoined Carrel the same
evening at Val Tournanche, and we started from that place at a
little before 5 a.m. on the 8th, to attack the Tournalin.
Meynet was left behind for that day, and most unwillingly did
the hunchback part from us, and begged hard to be allowed to
come. " Pay me nothing, only let me go with you ; " "I shall
want but a little bread and cheese, and of that I won't eat much ; "
" I would much rather go with you than carry things down the
valley." Such were his arguments, and I was really sorry that the
rapidity of our movements obliged us to desert the good little
man.
Carrel led over the meadows on the south and east of the bluff
upon which the village of Yal Tournanche is built, arid then by a
zig-zag path through a long and steep forest, making many short
cuts, which showed he had a thorough knowledge of the ground.
After we came again into daylight, our route took us up one of
those little, concealed, lateral valleys which are so numerous on the
slopes bounding the Yal Tournanche.
This valley, the Combe de Ceneil, has a general easterly trend,
and contains but one small cluster of houses (Ceneil). The Tour-
nalin is situated at the head of the Combe, and nearly due east of
the village of Yal Tournanche, but from that place no part of the
mountain is visible. After Ceneil is passed it comes into view,
rising above a cirque of cliffs (streaked by several fine waterfalls),
at the end of the Combe. To avoid these cliffs the path bends
somewhat to the south, keeping throughout to the left bank of the
valley, and at about 3500 feet above Yal Tournanche, and 1500
feet above Ceneil and a mile or so to its east, arrives at the base of
some moraines, which are remarkably large considering the dimen-
sions of the glaciers which formed them. The ranges upon the
western side of the Yal Tournanche are seen to great advantage
from this spot ; but here the path ends and the way steepens.
When we arrived at these moraines, we had a choice of two
Y
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/202]]==
162 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, vi
routes. One ; continuing to the east, over the moraines themselves,
the debris above them, and a large snow-bed still higher up, to a
kind of col or depression to the south of the peak, from whence an
easy ridge led towards the summit. The other, over a shrunken
glacier on our north-east (now, perhaps, not in existence), which
led to a well-marked col on the north of the peak, from whence
a less easy ridge rose directly to the highest point. We followed
the first named of these routes, and in a little more than half-an-
hour stood upon the Col, which commanded a most glorious view
of the southern side of Monte Kosa, and of the ranges to its east,
and to the east of the Yal d'Ayas.
Whilst we were resting at this point a large party of vagrant
chamois arrived on the summit of the mountain from the northern
side, some of whom — by their statuesque position — seemed to ap-
preciate the grand panorama by which they were surrounded,
while others amused themselves, like two-legged tourists, in rolling
stones over the cliffs. The clatter of these falling fragments made
us look up. The chamois were so numerous that Ave could not
count them ; clustered around the summit, totally unaware of our
presence ; and they scattered in a panic, as if a shell had burst
amongst them, when saluted by the cries of my excited comrade ;
plunging wildly down in several directions, with unfaltering and
unerring bounds, with such speed and with such grace that w T e
were filled with admiration and respect for their mountaineering
abilities.
The ridge that led from the Col towards the summit was
singularly easy, although well broken up by frost, and Carrel
thought that it would not be difficult to arrange a path for mules
out of the shattered blocks ; but when we arrived on the summit
we found ourselves separated from the very highest point by
a cleft which had been concealed up to that time : its southern
side was nearly perpendicular, but it w r as only fourteen or fifteen
feet dee]). Carrel lowered me down, and afterwards descended on
to the head of my axe, and subsequently on to my shoulders, with
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/203]]==
CHAP. VI.
ASCENT OF THE GRAND TO URN A LIN.
163
H
'111
a cleverness which was almost as far removed from my awkward-
ness as his own efforts were from those of the chamois. A few
easy steps then placed us on the highest
point. It had not been ascended before,
and we commemorated the event by
building a huge cairn, which was seen
for many a mile, and would have lasted
for many a year, had it not been thrown
down by the orders of Canon Carrel,
on account of its interrupting the sweep
of a camera which he took to the lower
summit in 1868, in order to photograph
the panorama. According to that well-
known mountaineer, the summit of the
Grand Tournalin is 6100 feet above the
village of Val Tournanche, and 11,155
feet above the sea. Its ascent (including
halts) occupied us only four hours.
I recommend the ascent of the Tour-
nalin to any person who has a day to
spare in the Val Tournanche. It should
be remembered, however (if its ascent is
made for the sake of the view), that
these southern Pennine Alps seldom re-
main unclouded after mid-day, and, indeed, frequently not later
than 10 or 11 a.m. Towards sunset the equilibrium of the atmo-
sphere is restored, and the clouds very commonly disappear.
I advise the ascent of this mountain not on account of its
height, or from its accessibility or inaccessibility, but simply for
the wide and splendid view which may be seen from its summit.
Its position is superb, and the list of the peaks which can be seen
from it includes almost the whole of the principal mountains of the
Cottian, Dauphine, Graian, Pennine, and Oberland groups. The
view has, in the highest perfection, those elements of picturesqne-
CAKREL LOWERED ME DOWN.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/204]]==
164 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vr.
ness which are wanting in the purely panoramic views of higher
summits. There are three principal sections, each with a central
or dominating point, to which the eye is naturally drawn. All
three alike are pictures in themselves ; yet all are dissimilar. In
the south, softened by the vapours of the Val d'Aoste, extends the
long line of the Graians, with mountain after mountain 12,000 feet
and upwards in height. It is not upon these, noble as some of
them are, that the eye will rest, but upon the Viso, far off in the
background. In the west and towards the north the range of Mont
Blanc, and some of the greatest of the Central Pennine Alps (in-
cluding the Grand Combin and the Dent Blanche), form the back-
ground, but they are overpowered by the grandeur of the ridges
which culminate in the Matterhorn. Nor in the east and north,
where pleasant grassy slopes lead downwards to the Val d'Ayas, nor
upon the glaciers and snow-fields above them, nor upon the Oberland
in the background, will the eye long linger, when immediately in
front, several miles away, but seeming close at hand, thrown out
by the pure azure sky, there are the glittering crests of Monte
Bosa.
Those who would, but cannot, stand upon the highest Alps, may
console themselves with the knowledge that they do not usually
yield the views that make the strongest and most permanent im-
pressions. Marvellous some of the panoramas seen from the
greatest peaks undoubtedly are ; but they are necessarily without
those isolated and central points which are so valuable pictorially.
The eye roams over a multitude of objects (each, perhaps, grand
individually), and, distracted by an embarrassment of riches, wanders
from one to another, erasing by the contemplation of the next the
effect that was produced by the last ; and when those happy
moments are over, which always fly with too great rapidity, the
summit is left with an impression that is seldom durable, because
it is usually vague.
No views create such lasting impressions as those which are
seen but for a moment, when a veil of mist is rent in twain, and a
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/205]]==
chap. vi. ON PANORAMIC VIEWS. 165
single spire or dome is disclosed. The peaks which are seen at
these moments are not, perhaps, the greatest or the noblest, but the
recollection of them outlives the memory of any panoramic view,
because the picture, photographed by the eye, has time to dry,
instead of being blurred, while yet wet, by contact with other im-
pressions. The reverse is the case with the bird's-eye panoramic
views from the great peaks, which sometimes embrace a hundred
miles in nearly every direction. The eye is confounded by the
crowd of details, and unable to distinguish the relative importance
of the objects which are seen. It is almost as difficult to form a
just estimate (with the eye) of the respective heights of a number
of peaks from a very high summit, as it is from the bottom of a
valley. I think that the grandest and the most satisfactory stand-
points for viewing mountain scenery are those which are sufficiently
elevated to give a feeling of depth, as well as of height, which are
lofty enough to exhibit wide and varied views, but not so high as
to sink everything to the level of the spectator. The view from the
Grand Tournalin is a favourable example of this class of panoramic
views.
We descended from the summit by the northern route, and
found it tolerably stiff clambering as far as the Col ; but thence,
down the glacier, the way was straightforward, and we joined the
route taken on the ascent at the foot of the ridge leading towards
the east. In the evening we returned to Breil.
There is an abrupt rise in the valley about two miles to the
north of the village of Val Tournanche, and just above this step
the torrent has eaten its way into its bed and formed an extra-
ordinary chasm, which has long been known by the name Gouffre des
Busserailles. We lingered about this spot to listen to the thunder
of the concealed water, and to watch its tumultuous boiling as it
issued from the gloomy cleft, but our efforts to peer into the
mysteries of the place were baffled. In November 1865, the
intrepid Carrel induced two trusty comrades — the Maquignaz's of
Val Tournanche — to lower him by a rope into the chasm and over
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/206]]==
166 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. yi.
the cataract. The feat required iron nerves, and muscles and
sinews of no ordinary kind ; and its performance alone stamps
Carrel as a man of dauntless courage. One of the Maquignaz's subse-
quently descended in the same way, and these two men were so
astonished at what they saw, that they forthwith set to work with
hammer and chisel to make a way into this romantic gulf. In a
few days they constructed a rough but convenient plank gallery
into the centre of the gouffre, along its walls ; and, on payment of
a toll of half-a-franc, any one can now enter the Gouffre des
Busserailles.
I cannot, without a couple of sections and a plan, give an exact
idea to the reader of this remarkable place. It corresponds in
some of its features to the gorge figured upon page 140, but it ex-
hibits in a much more notable manner the characteristic action and
power of running water. The length of the chasm or gouffre is
about 320 feet, and from the top of its walls to the surface of the
water is about 110 feet. At no part can the entire length or
depth be seen at a glance ; for, although the width at some places
is 15 feet or more, the view is limited by the sinuosities of the
walls. These are everywhere polished to a smooth, vitreous-in-ap-
pearance surface, In some places the torrent has wormed into
the rock, and has left natural bridges. The most extraordinary
features of the Gouffre des Busserailles, however, are the caverns (or
marmites as they are termed), which the water has hollowed out
of the heart of the rock. Carrel's plank path leads into one of the
greatest, — a grotto that is about 28 feet across at its largest
diameter, and 15 or 16 feet high ; roofed above by the living
rock, and with the torrent roaring 50 feet or thereabouts below, at
the bottom of a fissure. This cavern is lighted by candles, and
talking in it can only be managed by signs.
I visited the interior of the gouffre in 1869, and my wonder at
its caverns was increased by observing the hardness of the horn-
blende out of which they have been hollowed. Carrel chiselled off
a large piece, which is now lying before me. It has a highly
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/207]]==
chap. vi. GO UFFRE DES B WSERA ILLES. 1 6 7
polished, glassy surface, and might be mistaken, for a moment, for
ice-polished rock. But the water has found out the atoms which
were least hard, and it is dotted all over by minute depressions,
much as the face of one is who has suffered from smallpox.
The edges of these little hollows are rounded, and the whole sur-
faces of the depressions are polished nearly, or quite, as highly as
the general surface of the fragment* The water has drilled more
deeply into some veins of steatite than in other places, and the
presence of the steatite may possibly have had something to do
with the formation of the gouffre.
I arrived at Breil again after an absence of six days, well satis-
fied with my tour of the Matterhorn, which had been rendered very
pleasant by the willingness of my guides, and by the kindliness of
the natives. But it must be admitted that the inhabitants of the
Val Tournanche are behind the times. Their paths are as bad as,
or worse than, they were in the time of De Saussure, and their inns
are much inferior to those on the Swiss side. If it were otherwise
there would be nothing to prevent the valley becoming one of the
most popular and frequented of all the valleys in the Alps ; but, as
it is, tourists who enter it seem to think only about how soon they
can get out of it, and hence it is much less known than it deserves
to be on account of its natural attractions.
I believe that the great hindrance to the improvement of the
paths in the Italian valleys generally is the wide-spread impression
that the innkeepers would alone directly benefit by any amelioration
of their condition. To a certain extent this view is correct ; but
inasmuch as the prosperity of the natives is connected with that of
the innkeepers, the interests of both are pretty nearly identical.
Until their paths are rendered less rough and swampy, I think the
Italians must submit to see the golden harvest principally reaped
in Switzerland and Savoy. At the same time, let the innkeepers
look to the commissariat. Their supplies are not unfrequently
The depressions in glaciated rocks (which are not water-worn) are more or less
angular. See p. 148.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/208]]==
168 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vi.
deficient in quantity, and, according to my experience, very
often deplorable in quality.
I will not venture to criticise in detail the dishes which are
brought to table, since I am profoundly ignorant of their constitu-
tion. It is commonly said amongst Alpine tourists that goat flesh
represents mutton, and mule does service for beef and chamois. I
reserve my own opinion upon this point until it has been shown
what becomes of all the dead mules. But I may say, I hope, with-
out wounding the susceptibilities of my acquaintances among the
Italian innkeepers, that it would tend to smoothen their intercourse
with their guests if requests for solid food were less frequently
regarded as criminal. The deprecating airs with which inquiries
for really substantial food are received always remind me of a
Dauphine innkeeper, who remarked that he had heard a good many
tourists travel in Switzerland. " Yes," I answered, " there are a
good many." "How many?" "Well," I said, "I hove seen a
hundred or more sit down at a table d'hote." He lifted up his
hands — "Why," said he, "they would want meat every day!"
" Yes, that is not improbable." " In that case," he replied, " /
think we are better without them?
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/209]]==
CHAPTEE VII.
OUR SIXTH ATTEMPT TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN.*
" But mighty Jove cuts short, with just disdain,
The long, long views of poor, designing man."
Homer.
Carrel had carte blanche in the matter of guides, and his choice fell
upon his relative Caesar, Luc Meynet, and two others whose names
I do not know. These men were now brought together, and our
preparations were completed, as the weather was clearing up.
We rested on Sunday, August 9, eagerly watching the lessening
of the mists around the great peak, and started just before dawn
upon the 10th, on a still and cloudless morning, which seemed to
promise a happy termination to our enterprise.
By going always, but gently, we arrived upon the Col du Lion
before nine o'clock. Changes were apparent. Familiar ledges had
vanished ; the platform, whereupon my tent had stood, looked very
forlorn, its stones had been scattered by wind and frost, and had half
disappeared ; and the summit of the Col itself, which in 1862 had
always been respectably broad, and covered by snow, was now sharper
than the ridge of any church-roof, and was hard ice. Already we
had found that the bad weather of the past week had done its work.
The rocks for several hundred feet below the Col were varnished with
ice. Loose, incoherent snow covered the older and harder beds
below, and we nearly lost our leader through its treacherousness.
He stepped on some snow which seemed firm, and raised his axe
to deliver a swinging blow, but, just as it was highest, the crust of
* A brief account of this excursion was published in the Athenccum, August 29, 1863.
Z
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/210]]==
170 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vii.
the slope upon which he stood broke away, and poured down in
serpentine streams, leaving long, bare strips, which glittered in the
sun, for they were glassy ice. Carrel, with admirable readiness,
flung himself back on to the rock off which he had stepped, and was
at once secured. He simply remarked, " It is time we were tied up,"
and, after we had been tied up, he went to work again as if nothing
had happened.*
We had abundant illustrations during the next two hours of the
value of a rope to climbers. We were tied up rather widely apart,
and advanced, generally, in pairs. Carrel, who led, was followed
closely by another man, who lent him a shoulder or placed an axe-
head under bis feet, when there was need ; and when this couple
were well placed the second pair advanced, in similar fashion, —
the rope being drawn in by those above, and paid out gradually by
those below. The leading men again advanced, or the third pair,
and so on. This manner of progression was slow, but sure. One
man only moved at a time, and if he slipped (and we frequently did
slip) he could slide scarcely a foot without being checked by the
others. The certainty and safety of the method gave confidence to
the one who was moving, and not only nerved him to put out his
powers to the utmost, but sustained nerve in really difficult situa-
tions. For these rocks (which, it has been already said, were easy
enough under ordinary circumstances) were now difficult in a high
degree. The snow-water which had trickled down for many days
past in little streams, had taken, naturally, the very route by which
we wished to ascend ; and, refrozen in the night, had glazed the
slabs over which we had to pass, — sometimes with a fine film of ice
as thin as a sheet of paper, and sometimes so thickly that we could
* This incident occurred close to the place represented in the engraving facing p.
120. The new, dry snow was very troublesome, and poured down like flour into the
steps which were cut across the slopes. The front man accordingly moved ahead as
far as possible, and anchored himself to rocks. A rope was sent across to him, was
fixed at each end, and was held as a rail by the others as they crossed. We did not
trust to this rope alone, but were tied in the usual manner. The second rope was
employed as an additional security against slips.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/211]]==
chap. vii. EXTREMES MEET. 171
almost cut footsteps in it. The weather was superb, the men
made light of the toil, and shouted to rouse the echoes from the
Dent d'Herens.
We went on gaily, passed the second tent platform, the Chimney,
and the other well-remembered points, and reckoned, confidently,
on sleeping that night upon the top of " the shoulder ;" but, before
we had well arrived at the foot of the Great Tower, a sudden rush
of cold air warned us to look out.
It was difficult to say where this air came from ; it did not
blow as a wind, but descended rather as the water in shower-bath !
All was tranquil again ; the atmosphere shoived no signs of disturb-
ance ; there was a dead calm, and not a speck of cloud to be seen
anywhere. But we did not remain very long in this state. The cold
air came again, and this time it was difficult to say where it did not
come from. We jammed down our hats as it beat against the ridge,
and screamed amongst the crags. Before we had got to the foot of
the Tower, mists had been formed above and below. They appeared
at first in small, isolated patches (in several places at the same time),
which danced and jerked and were torn into shreds by the wind,
but grew larger under the process. They were united together, and
rent again, — showing us the blue sky for a moment, and blotting it
out the next ; and augmented incessantly, until the whole heavens
were filled with whirling, boiling clouds. Before we could take off
our packs, and get under any kind of shelter, a hurricane of snow
burst upon us from the east. It fell so thickly that in a few minutes
the ridge was covered by it. " What shall we do ?" I shouted to
Carrel " Monsieur," said he, " the wind is bad ; the weather has
changed ; we are heavily laden. Here is a fine gite ; let us stop !
If we go on we shall be half-frozen. That is my opinion." No
one differed from him ; so we fell to work to make a place for the
tent, and in a couple of hours completed the platform which we
had commenced in 1862. The clouds had blackened during that
time, and we had hardly finished our task before a thunderstorm
broke upon us with appalling fury. Forked lightning shot out at
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/212]]==
172 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vii.
the turrets above, and at the crags below. It was so close that we
quailed at its darts. It seemed to scorch us, — we were in the very
focus of the storm. The thunder was simultaneous with the flashes ;
short and sharp, and more like the noise of a door that is violently
slammed, multiplied a thousand-fold, than any noise to which I can
compare it.
When I say that the thunder was simultaneous with the light-
ning, I speak as an inexact person. My meaning is that the
time which elapsed between seeing the flash and hearing the
report was inappreciable to me. I wish to speak with all possible
precision, and there are two points in regard to this storm upon
which I can speak with some accuracy. The first is in regard to
the distance of the lightning from our party. We might have been
1100 feet from it if a second of time had elapsed between seeing
the flashes and hearing the reports ; and a second of time is not
appreciated by inexact persons. It was certain that we were
sometimes less than that distance from the lightning, because I
saw it pass in front of well-known points on the ridge, both above
and below us, which were less (sometimes considerably less) than
a thousand feet distant.
Secondly, in regard to the difficulty of distinguishing sounds
which are merely echoes from true thunder, or the noise which
occurs simultaneously with lightning. Arago entered into this
subject at some length in his Meteorological Essays, and seemed to
doubt if it would ever be possible to determine whether echoes are
always the cause of the rolling sounds commonly called thunder.*
I shall not attempt to show whether the rolling sounds should
ever, or never, be regarded as true thunder, but only that during
this storm upon the Matterhorn it was possible to distinguish the
sound of the thunder itself from the sounds (rolling and otherwise)
which were merely the echoes of the first, original sound.
* "There is, therefore, little hope of thus arriving at anything decisive as to the
exact part which echoes take in the production of the rolling sound of thunder. "
P. 165, English ed., translated by Col. Sabine : Longmans, 1855.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/213]]==
chap. vii. ECHOES OF THUNDER, 173
At the place where we were camped a remarkable echo could
be heard (one so remarkable that if it could be heard in this
country it would draw crowds for its own sake) ; T believe it came
from the cliffs of the Dent d'Herens. It was a favourite amuse-
ment with us to shout to rouse this echo, which repeated any sharp
cry, in a very distinct manner, several times, after the lapse of
something like a dozen seconds. The thunderstorm lasted nearly
two hours, and raged at times with great fury ; and the prolonged
rollings from the surrounding mountains, after one flash, had not
usually ceased before another set of echoes took up the discourse,
and maintained the reverberations without a break. Occasionally
there was a pause, interrupted presently by a single clap, the
accompaniment of a single discharge, and after such times I could
recognise the echoes from the Dent d'Herens by their peculiar repe-
titions, and by the length of time which had passed since the reports
had occurred of which they were the echoes.
If I had been unaware of the existence of this echo, I should
have supposed that the resounds were original reports of explosions
which had been unnoticed, since in intensity they were scarcely
distinguishable from the true thunder ; which, during this storm,
seemed to me, upon every occasion, to consist of a single, harsh,
instantaneous sound.*
Or if, instead of being placed at a distance of less than a
thousand feet from the points of explosion (and consequently hear-
ing the report almost in the same moment as we saw the flash, and
* The same lias seemed to me to be the case at all times when I have been close
to the points of explosion. There has been always a distinct interval between the
first explosion and the rolling sounds and secondary explosions which I have believed
to be merely echoes ; but it has never been possible (except in the above-mentioned
case) to identify them as such.
Others have observed the same. " The geologist, Professor Theobald, of Chur,
who was in the Solferino storm, between the Tschiertscher and Urden Alp, in the
electric clouds, says that the peals were short, like cannon shots, but of a clearer,
more cracking tone, and that the rolling of the thunder was only heard further on."
Berlcpsch's Alps, English cd., p. 133.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/214]]==
174 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vii.
the rollings after a considerable interval of time), we had been
placed so that the original report had fallen on our ears nearly at
the same moment as the echoes, we should probably have con-
sidered that the successive reports and rollings of the echoes were
reports of successive explosions occurring nearly at the same
moment, and that they were not echoes at all.
This is the only time (out of many storms witnessed in the
Alps) I have obtained evidence that the rollings of thunder are
actually echoes ; and that they are not, necessarily, the reports of
a number of discharges over a long line, occurring at varying
distances from the spectator, and consequently unable to arrive at
his ear at the same moment, although they follow each other so
swiftly as to produce a sound more or less continuous
$
The wind during all this time seemed to blow tolerably con-
sistently from the east. It smote the tent so vehemently (notwith -
standing it was partly protected by rocks) that we had grave fears
our refuge might be blown away bodily, with ourselves inside ; so,
during some of the lulls, we issued out and built a wall to wind-
ward. At half-past three the wind changed to the north-west, and
the clouds vanished. We immediately took the opportunity to
send down one of the porters (under protection of some of the
others, a little beyond the Col du Lion), as the tent would accom-
modate only five persons. From this time to sunset the weather
was variable. It was sometimes blowing and snowing hard, and
sometimes a dead calm. The bad weather was evidently confined
to the Mont Cervin, for when the clouds lifted we could see every-
* Mr. J. Glaislier lias frequently pointed out that all sounds in balloons at some
distance from the earth are notable for their brevity. "It is one sound only ; there
is no reverberation, no reflection ; and this is characteristic of all sounds in the balloon,
one clear sound, continuing during its own vibrations, then gone in a moment."
{Good Words, 1863, p. 224.)
I learn from Mr. Glaislier that the thunder claps which have been heard by him
during his ' travels in the air ' have been no exception to the general rule, and the
absence of rolling has fortified his belief that the rolling sounds which accompany
thunder are echoes, and echoes only.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/215]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/216]]==
THE "GREAT TOWER."
'CRETE DU COQ."
THE CRACS OF THE MATTERHORN, DURING THE STORM,, MIDNIGHT., AUGUST 10, 1863.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/217]]==
chap. vii. NOCTURNAL ALARMS. 175
thing that could be seen from our gite. Monte Viso, a hundred
miles off, was clear, and the sun set gorgeously behind the range of
Mont Blanc. We passed the night comfortably — even luxuriously
— in our blanket-bags, but there was little chance of sleeping, be-
tween the noise of the wind, of the thunder, and of the falling-
rocks. I forgave the thunder for the sake of the lightning. A
more splendid spectacle than its illumination of the Matterhorn
crags I do not expect to see*
The greatest rock-falls always seemed to occur in the night,
between midnight and daybreak. This was noticeable on each of
the seven nights which I passed upon the south-west ridge, at
heights varying from 11,800 to 13,000 feet.
I may be wrong in supposing that the falls in the night are
greater than those in the daytime, since sound causes much more
effect during darkness than when the cause of its production is
seen. Even a sigh may be terrible in the stillness of the night.
In the daytime one's attention is probably divided between the
sound and the motion of rocks which fall ; or it may be concentrated
on other matters. But it is certain that the greatest of the falls
which happened during the night took place after midnight, and
this I connect with the fact that the maximum of cold during
any twenty-four hours very commonly occurs between midnight
and dawn.
We turned out at 3.30 A.M. on the 11th, and were dismayed to
find that it still continued to snow. At 9 a.m. the snow ceased to
fall, and the sun showed itself feebly, so we packed up our baggage,
and set out to try to get upon " the shoulder." We struggled up-
wards until eleven o'clock, and then it commenced to snow again.
We held a council ; the opinions expressed at it were unanimous
against advancing, and I decided to retreat. For we had risen less
than 300 feet in the past two hours, and had not even arrived at
the rope which Tyndall's party left behind, attached to the rocks,
* See Appendix for the experiences of Mr. R. B. Heathcote during a thunderstorm
on the Matterhorn in 1869.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/218]]==
176
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. VTf.
in 18G2. At the same rate of progression it would have taken us
from four to five hours to get upon u the shoulder." Not one of us
cared to attempt to do so under the existing circumstances ; for
besides having to move our own weight, which was sufficiently
troublesome at this part of the ridge, we had to transport much
heavy baggage, tent, blankets, and provisions, ladder, and 450 feet
of rope, besides many other smaller matters. These, however, were
not the most serious considerations. Supposing that we got upon
"the shoulder," we might find ourselves detained there several
days, unable either to go up or down* I could not risk any such
detention, being under obligations to appear in London at the end
of the week.
We got to Breil in the course of the afternoon ; it was quite
fine there, and the tenants of the inn received our statements with
evident scepticism. They were as-
tonished to learn that we had been
exposed to a snow-storm of twenty-
six hours' duration. "Why," said
Favre, the innkeeper, "we have had
no snow ; it has been fine all the
time you have been absent, and
there has been only that small
cloud upon the mountain." Ah !
that small cloud ! None except
those who have had experience of
it can tell what a formidable obstacle it is.
Why is it that the Matterhorn is subject to these abominable
variations of weather ? The ready answer is, " Oh, the mountain
is so isolated ; it attracts the clouds." This is not a sufficient
answer. Although the mountain is isolated, it is not so much more
isolated than the neighbouring peaks that it should gather clouds
when none of the others do so. It will not at all account for the
MONSIEUR FAVRE.
* Since then (on at least one occasion), several persons have found themselves in
this predicament for five or six consecutive days !
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/219]]==
chap, vil MYSTERIOUS MISTS. 177
cloud to which I refer, which is not formed by an aggregation of
smaller, stray clouds drawn together from a distance (as scum
collects round a log in the water), but is created against the
mountain itself, and springs into existence where no clouds were
seen before. It is formed and hangs chiefly against the southern
sides, and particularly against the south-eastern side. It frequently
does not envelop the summit, and rarely extends down to the
Glacier du Lion, and to the Glacier du Mont Cervin below. It
forms in the finest weather ; on cloudless and windless days.
I conceive that we should look to differences of temperature
rather than to the height or isolation of the mountain for an ex-
planation. I am inclined to attribute the disturbances which occur
in the atmosphere of the southern sides of the Matterhorn on fine
days,* principally to the fact that the mountain is a rock mountain ;
that it receives a great amount of heat,f and is not only warmer
itself, but is surrounded by an atmosphere of a higher temperature
than such peaks as the Weisshorn and the Lyskamm, which are
eminently snow mountains.
In certain states of the atmosphere its temperature may be
tolerably uniform over wide areas and to great elevations. I have
known the thermometer to show 70° in the shade at the top of an
Alpine peak more than 13,000 feet high, and but a very few degrees
higher 6000 or 7000 feet lower. At other times, there will be a
difference of forty or fifty degrees (Faht.) between two stations, the
higher not more than 6000 or 7000 feet above the lower.
Provided that the temperature was uniform, or nearly so, on all
sides of the Matterhorn, and to a considerable distance above its
summit, no clouds would be likely to form upon it. But if the
atmosphere immediately surrounding it is warmer than the con-
tiguous strata, a local 'courant ascendant' must necessarily be
generated ; and portions of the cooler superincumbent (or circum-
* I am speaking exclusively of the disturbances which occur in the day-time
during fine weather.
t The rocks are sometimes so hot that they are almost painful to touch.
2 A
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/220]]==
178 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, vil
jacent) air will naturally be attracted towards the mountain, where
they will speedily condense the moisture of the warm air in contact
with it. I cannot explain the downrushes of cold air which occur
on it, when all the rest of the neighbourhood appears to be tran-
quil, in any other way. The clouds are produced by the contact of
two strata of air (of widely different temperatures) charged with
invisible moisture, as surely as certain colourless fluids produce a
white, turbid liquid, when mixed together. The order has been —
wind of a low temperature — mist — rain — snow or hail*
This opinion is borne out to some extent by the behaviour
of the neighbouring mountains. The Dom (14,935 feet) and the
Dent Blanche (14,318) have both of them large cliffs of bare rock
upon their southern sides, and against those cliffs clouds commonly
form (during fine, still weather) at the same time as the cloud on
the Matterhorn ; whilst the Weisshorn (14,804) and the Lyskamm
(14,889), (mountains of about the same altitude, and which are in
corresponding situations to the former pair) usually remain perfectly
clear.
I arrived at Chatillon at midnight on the 11th, defeated and
disconsolate ; but, like a gambler who loses each throw, only the
more eager to have another try, to see if the luck would change :
and returned to London ready to devise fresh combinations, and to
form new plans.
* The mists are extremely deceptive to those who are on the mountain itself.
Sometimes they seem to be created at a considerable distance, as if the whole of the
atmosphere of the neighbourhood was undergoing a change, when in reality they are
being formed in immediate proximity to the mountain.
CROSSING THE CHANNEL.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/221]]==
CHAPTER VIII.
FROM ST. MICHEL ON THE MONT CENIS ROAD BY THE COL DES
AIGUILLES D'ARVE, COL DE MARTIGNARE, AND THE BRECHE DE LA
MEIJE TO LA BERARDE *
" The more to help the greater deed is done."
Homer.
When we arrived upon the highest summit of Mont Pelvoux, in
Dauphine, in 1861, we saw, to our surprise and disappointment,
that it was not the culminating point of the district ; and that
another mountain — distant about a couple of miles, and separated
from us by an impassable gulf — claimed that distinction. I was
troubled in spirit about this mountain, and my thoughts often
reverted to the great wall-sided peak, second in apparent inaccessi-
bility only to the Matterhorn. It had, moreover, another claim to
attention — it was the highest mountain in France.
The year 1862 passed away without a chance of getting to it,
and my holiday was too brief in 1863 even to think about it ; but in
the following year it was possible, and I resolved to set my mind at
rest by completing the task which had been left unfinished in 1861.
In the meantime others had turned their attention to Dauphine.
First of all (in 1862) came Mr. F. Tuckett — that mighty moun-
taineer, whose name is known throughout the length and breadth of
the Alps — with the guides Michel Croz, Peter Perm, and Bartolom-
meo Peyrotte, and great success attended his arms. But Mr. Tuckett
halted before the Pointe des Ecrins, and, dismayed by its appearance,
withdrew his forces to gather less dangerous laurels elsewhere.
His expedition, however, threw some light upon the Ecrins.
* For routes described in this chapter, see the General Map and the plan in the
text at p. 183.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/222]]==
180
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. VIII.
He pointed out the direction from which an attack was most likely
to be successful, and Mr. William Mathews and the Key, T. G.
Bonney (to whom he communicated the result of his labours)
attempted to execute the ascent, with the brothers Michel and J.
B. Croz, by following his indications. But they too were defeated,
as I shall relate more particularly presently.
MICHEL-AUGUSTE CROZ ^1865.]
The guide Michel Croz had thus been engaged in both of
these expeditions in Dauphine, and I naturally looked to him for
assistance. Mr. Mathews (to whom I applied for information) gave
him a high character, and concluded his reply to me by saying,
" he was only happy when upwards of 10,000 feet high."
I know what my friend meant. Croz was happiest when he
was employing his powers to the utmost. Places where you and I
would "toil and sweat, and yet be freezing cold," were bagatelles to
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/223]]==
chap. viii. MICHEL CROZ. 181
him, and it was only when he got above the range of ordinary
mortals, and was required to employ his magnificent strength,
and to draw upon his unsurpassed knowledge of ice and snow, that
he could be said to be really and truly happy.
Of all the guides with whom I travelled, Michel Croz was
the man who was most after my own heart. He did not work like
a blunt razor, and take to his toil unkindly. He did not need
urging, or to be told a second time to do anything. You had but to
say what was to be done, and how it was to be done, and the work
ivas done, if it was possible. Such men are not common, and when
they are known they are valued. Michel was not widely known,
but those who did know him came again and again. The inscrip-
tion that is placed upon his tomb truthfully records that he was
" beloved by his comrades and esteemed by travellers."
At the time that I was planning my journey, my friends,
Messrs. A. W. Moore and Horace Walker were also drawing up their
programme ; and, as we found that our wishes were very similar,
we agreed to unite our respective parties. The excursions which are
described in this and the two following chapters are mutual ideas
which were jointly executed.
Our united programme was framed so as to avoid sleeping in
inns, and so that we should see from the highest point attained on
one day, a considerable portion of the route which was intended to
be followed on the next. This latter matter was an important
one to us, as all of our projected excursions were new ones, and led
over ground about which there was very little information in print.
My friends had happily secured Christian Aimer of Grindelwald
as their guide. The combination of Croz and Aimer was a perfect
one. Both men were in the prime of life ;* both were endued with
strength and activity far beyond the average ; and the courage and
the knowledge of each was alike undoubted. The temper of Aimer
it was impossible to ruffle ; he was ever obliging and enduring, —
* Croz was born at the Village du Tour, in the valley of Chamounix, on April 22,
1830 ; Aimer was a year or two older.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/224]]==
182 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
a bold but a safe man. That which he lacked in fire — in dash —
was supplied by Croz, who, in his turn, was kept in place by Aimer.
It is pleasant to remember how they worked together, and how
each one confided to you that he liked the other so much because
he worked so well ; but it is sad, very sad, to those who have
known the men, to know that they can never work together again.
We met at St. Michel on the Mont Cenis road, at midday on
June 20, 1864, and proceeded in the afternoon over the Col de
Valloires to the village of the same name. The summit of this
pretty little pass is about 3500 feet above St. Michel, and from it
we had a fair view of the Aiguilles d'Arve, a group of three peaks
of singular form, which it was our especial object to investigate *
They had been seen by ourselves and others from numerous distant
points, and always looked very high and very inaccessible ; but we
had been unable to obtain any information about them, except the few
words in Joanne's Itineraire du Daujohine. Having made out from
the summit of the Col de Valloires that they could be ajDproached
from the Valley of Valloires, we hastened down to find a place
where we could pass the night, as near as possible to the entrance
of the little valley leading up to them.
By nightfall we arrived at the entrance to this little valley (Vallon
des Aiguilles d'Arve), and found some buildings placed just where
they were wanted. The proprietress received us with civility, and
placed a large barn at our disposal, on the conditions that no lights
were struck or pipes smoked therein ; and when her terms were
agreed to, she took us into her own chalet, made up a huge fire,
heated a gallon of milk, and treated us with genuine hospitality.
In the morning we found that the Vallon des Aiguilles d'Arve
led away nearly due west from the Valley of Valloires, and that
the village of Bonnenuit was placed (in the latter valley) almost
exactly opposite to the junction of the two.
* The Pointe des Ecrins is also seen from the top of the Col de Valloires, rising
above the Col du Galibier. This is the lowest elevation from which I have seen the
actual summit of the Ecrins.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/225]]==
CHAP. VIII.
THE AIGUILLES DARVE.
183
At 3.55 A.M. on the 21st we set out up the Vallon, passed for a
time over pasture-land, and then over a stony waste, deeply chan-
nelled by watercourses. At 5.30 the two principal Aiguilles were
well seen, and as, by this time, it was evident that the authors of
TO VALLOIRES
I
TO ST. JEAN
D'ARVE
••->•,
TO COL DU
GALIBIER
\
the Sardinian official map had romanced as
extensively in this neighbourhood as else-
to la grave where, it was necessary to hold a council.
Three questions were submitted to it : — Firstly, Which is the
highest of these Aiguilles ? Secondly, Which shall we go up ?
Thirdly, How is it to be done ?
The French engineers, it was said, had determined that the two
highest of them were respectively 11,513 and 11,529 feet in height ;
but we were without information as to which two they had mea-
sured* Joanne indeed said (but without specifying whether he
meant all three) that the Aiguilles had been several times ascended,
and particularly mentioned that the one of 11,513 feet was "rela-
tively easy."
We therefore said, "We will go up the peak of 11,529 feet."
But that determination did not settle the second question. Joanne's
" relatively easy " peak, according to his description, was evidently
the most northern of the three. Our peak then was to be one of the
* It should be observed that these mountains were included in the territory re-
cently ceded to France. The Sardinian map above referred to was the old official
map. The French survey alluded to afterwards is the survey in continuation of the
great French official map. The sheet (No. 179) which will include the Aiguilles
d'Arve is not yet published.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/226]]==
184 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
other two ; — hut which of them ? We were inclined to favour the
central one ; hut it was hard to determine, they looked so equal in
height. When, however, the council came to study the third ques-
tion — " How is it to he done?" it was unanimously voted that upon
the eastern and southern sides it was certainly relatively difficult,
and that a move should he made round to the northern side.
The movement was duly executed, and after wading up some
snow-slopes of considerable steepness (going occasionally heyond
40°), we found ourselves in a gap or nick, between the central and
northernmost Aiguille, at 8.45 a.m. We then studied the northern
face of our intended peak, and finally arrived at the conclusion that
it was relatively impracticable. Croz shrugged his big shoulders,
and said, " My faith ! I think you will do well to leave it to others."
Aimer was more explicit, and volunteered the information that a thou-
sand francs would not tempt him to try it. We then turned to the
northernmost peak, but found its southern faces even more hoj)e-
less than the northern faces of the central one. We enjoyed
accordingly the unwonted luxury of a three-hours' rest on the top of
our pass ; for pass we were determined it should be.
We might have done worse. We were 10,300 or 10,400 feet
above the level of the sea, and commanded a most picturesque view
of the mountains of the Tarentaise ; while, somewhat east of south,
we saw the monarch of the Dauphine* massif, whose closer acquaint-
ance it was our intention to make. Three sunny hours passed away,
and then we turned to the descent. We saw the distant pastures of
a valley (which we supposed was the Vallon or Eavine de la Sausse),
and a long snow-slope leading down to them. But from that
slope we were cut off by precipitous rocks, and our first im-
pression was that we should have to return in our track. Some
running up and down, however, discovered two little gullies, filled
with threads of snow, and clown the most northern of these we
decided to go. It was a steep way but a safe one, for the cleft was
so narrow that we could press the shoulder against one side whilst
the feet were against the other, and the last remnant of the winter's
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/227]]==
chap. vnr.
COL DBS ATGU FILES If ARTE.
185
the - :
half-
top o
Walk.
sade;" the guides
steep." Our friend
at a standing glissade
time very skilfully ;
lost his balance, and
and backwards with
way that seemed to
THE AIGUILLES D ARVE, FROM ABO
THE CHALETS OF RIEU BLANC.
snow, well hardened,
clung to the rift with
great tenacity, and
gave us a path when
rocks refused one. In
an-hour we got to the
the great snow -slope,
said — "Let us glis-
" No, it is too
however, started off
and advanced for a
but after a while he
progressed downwards
VE great rapidity, in a
us very much like
tumbling head over heels. He let go his axe, and left it behind,
but it overtook him and batted him heartily. He and it travelled
in this fashion for some hundreds of feet, and at last subsided into
2 B
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/228]]==
186 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
the rocks at the bottom. In a few moments we were reassured
as to his safety, by hearing him ironically request ns not to keep
him waiting down there.
We others followed the track shown by the dotted line upon the
engraving (making zigzags to avoid the little groups of rocks which
jutted through the snow, by which Walker had been upset), de-
scended by a sitting glissade, and rejoined our friend at the bottom.
We then turned sharply to the left, and tramped down the summit
ridge of an old moraine of great size. Its mud was excessively
hard, and where some large erratic blocks lay perched upon its
crest, we were obliged to cut steps (in the mud) with our ice-axes.
Guided by the sound of a distant ' moo,' we speedily found the
highest chalets in the valley, named Eieu Blanc. They were
tenanted by three old women (who seemed to belong to one of the
missing links sought by naturalists), destitute of all ideas except in
regard to cows, and who spoke a barbarous patois, well-nigh unin-
telligible to the Savoyard Croz. They would not believe that we
had passed between the Aiguilles, — " It is impossible, the coivs
never go there." " Could we get to La Grave over yonder ridge?"
" Oh yes ! the cows often crossed !" Could they show us the way?
No ; but we could follow the coz^-tracks.
We stayed a while near these chalets, to examine the western
sides of the Aiguilles d'Arve, and, according to our united opinion,
the central one was as inaccessible from this direction as from the
east, north, or south. On the following day we saw them again,
from a height of about 11,000 feet, in a south-easterly direction,
and our opinion remained unchanged.
We saw (on June 20-22) the central Aiguille from all sides,
and very nearly completely round the southernmost one. The
northern one we also saw on all sides excepting from the north. (It
is, however, precisely from this direction M. Joanne says that its
ascent is relatively easy.) We do not, therefore, venture to express
any opinion respecting its ascent, except as regards its actual
summit. This is formed of two curious prongs, or pinnacles of
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/229]]==
chap. viii. INACCESSIBILITY OF THE AIGUILLES. 187
rock, and we do not understand in what way they (or either of
them) can be ascended ; nor shall we be surprised if this ascent is
discovered to have been made in spirit rather than body ; in fact, in
the same manner as the celebrated ascent of Mont Blanc, " not
entirely to the summit, but as far as the Montanvert !"
All three of the Aiguilles may be accessible, but they look as in-
accessible as anything I have seen. They are the highest summits
between the valleys of the Komanche and the Arc ; they are placed
slightly to the north of the watershed between those two valleys, and
a line drawn through them runs, pretty nearly, north and south.
We descended by a rough path from Kieu Blanc to the chalets
of La Sausse, which give the name to the Vallon or Bavine de la
Sausse, in which they are situated. This is one of the numerous
branches of the valley that leads to St. Jean d'Arve, and subse-
quently to St. Jean de Maurienne.
Two passes, more or less known, lead from this valley to the
village of La Grave (on the Lautaret road) in the valley of the
Komanche, viz. : — the Col de l'lnfernet and the Col de Martignare.
The former pass was crossed, just thirty years ago, by J. D. Forbes,
and was mentioned by him in his Norway and its Glaciers. The
latter one lies to the north of the former, and is seldom traversed
by tourists, but it was convenient for us, and we set out to cross it
on the morning of the 2 2d, after having passed a comfortable, but
not luxurious, night in the hay, at La Sausse, where, however, the
simplicity of the accommodation was more than counterbalanced
by the civility and hospitality of the people in charge*
* While stopping in the hospice on the Col de Lautaret, in 1869, I was accosted
by a middle-aged peasant, who asked if I wonld ride (for a consideration) in his cart
towards Briancon. He was inquisitive as to my knowledge of his district, and at
last asked, " Have you been at La Sausse ?" " Yes." " Well, then, I tell you, you
saw there some of the first people in the world." " Yes," I said, " they were primitive,
certainly." But he was serious, and went on — "Yes, real brave people;" and, slap-
ping his knee to give emphasis, " but that they are first-rate for minding the cows!"
After this he became communicative. "You thought, probably," said ho,
" when I offered to take you down, that I was some poor , not worth a sou ; but
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/230]]==
188 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
[Our object now was to cross to La Grave (on the high road
from Grenoble to Briancon), and to ascend, en route, some point
sufficiently high to give us a good view of the Dauphine Alps in
general, and of the grand chain of the Meije in particular. Before
leaving England a careful study of ' Joanne' had elicited the fact
that the shortest route from La Sausse to La Grave was by the
Col de Martignare ; and also that from the aforesaid Col it was
possible to ascend a lofty summit, called by him the Bec-du-Grenier,
also called Aiguille cle Goleon. On referring, however, to the
Sardinian survey, we found there depicted, to the east of the Col
de Martignare, not one peak bearing the above two names, but two
distinct summits ; one — just above the Col — the Bec-du-Grenier
(the height of which was not stated) ; the other, still farther to the
east, and somewhat to the south of the watershed — the Aiguille du
Goleon (11,250 English feet in height), with a very considerable
glacier — the Glacier Lombard— between the two. On the Erench
map,'" on the other hand, neither of the above names was to be
found, but a peak called Aiguille de la Sausse (10,897 feet), was
placed in the position assigned to the Bec-du-Grenier in the Sar-
dinian map ; while farther to the east was a second and nameless
peak (10,841), not at all in the position given to the Aiguille du
Goleon, of which and of the Glacier Lombard there was not a sign.
Ail this was very puzzling and unsatisfactory ; but as we had no
doubt of being able to climb one of the points to the east of the Col
de Martignare (which overhung the Eavine de la Sausse), we deter-
mined to make that col the basis of our operations.] -f*
I will tell you, that was my mountain ! ray mountain ! that you saw at La Sausse ;
they were my cow 7 s ! a hundred of them altogether." " Why, you are rich." " Pass-
ably rich. 1 have another mountain on the Col du Galibier, and another at Ville-
neuve." He (although a common peasant in outward appearance) confessed to being
wortli four thousand pounds.
* We had seen a tracing from the unpublished sheets of the French Government
Survey.
f The bracketed paragraphs in Chaps, viii. i.\. and x. are extracted from the
Journal of Mr. A. W. Moore.
It would be uninteresting and unprofitable to enter into a discussion of the con-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/231]]==
chap. viii. ASCENT OF AIGUILLE BE LA SAUSSE. 189
We left the chalets at 4.15 a.m. [under a shower of good
wishes from our hostesses], proceeded at first towards the upper end
of the ravine, then doubled back up a long buttress which projects
in an unusual way, and went towards the Col de Martignare ; but
before arriving at its summit we again doubled, and resumed the
original course.* At 6 a.m. we stood on the watershed, and fol-
lowed it towards the east ; keeping for some distance strictly to the
ridge, and afterwards diverging a little to the south to avoid a con-
siderable secondary aiguille, which prevented a straight track being
made to the summit at which we were aiming. At 9.15 we stood
on its top, and saw at once the lay of the land.
We found that our peak was one of four which enclosed a pla-
teau that was filled by a glacier. Let us call these summits
A, B, c, D (see plan on p. 183). We stood upon c, which was almost
exactly the same elevation as B, but was higher than D, and lower
than A. Peak A was the highest of the four, and was about 200
feet higher than b and c ; we identified it as the Aiguille de Goleon
(French survey, 11,250 feet). Peak d we considered was the Bec-
du-Grenier ; and, in default of other names, we called B and c the
Aiguilles de la Sausse. The glacier flowed in a south-easterly
direction, and was the Glacier Lombard.
Peaks B and C overhung the Eavine de la Sausse, and were
connected with another aiguille — E — which did the same. A con-
tinuation of the ridge out of which these three aiguilles rose joined
the Aiguilles d'Arve. The head of the Eavine de la Sausse was
therefore encircled by six peaks ; three of which it was convenient
to term the Aiguilles de la Sausse, and the others were the Aiguilles
d'Arve.
We were very fortunate in the selection of our summit. Not to
fusion of these names at greater length. It is sufficient to say that they were
confounded in a most perplexing manner by all the authorities we were able to
consult, and also by the natives on the spot.
* A great part of this morning's route led over shales, which were loose and
troublesome, and were probably a continuation of the well-known beds of the Col du
Galibier and the Col de Lautaret.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/232]]==
190 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
speak of other things, it gave a grand view of the ridge which cul-
minates in the peak called La Meije (13,080 feet), which used to be
mentioned by travellers under the name Aiguille clu Midi de la
Grave. The view of this mountain from the village of La Grave
itself can hardly be praised too highly, — it is one of the very finest
road-views in the Alps. The Ortler Spitz from the Stelvio is, in
fact, its only worthy competitor ; and the opinions generally of those
who have seen the two views are in favour of the former. But from
La Grave one can no more appreciate the noble proportions and the
towering height of the Meije, than understand the symmetry of the
dome of St. Paul's by gazing upon it from the churchyard. To see it
fairly, one must be placed at a greater distance and at a greater height.
I shall not try to describe the Meije. The same words, and the
same phrases, have to do duty for one and another mountain ; their
repetition becomes wearisome ; and 'tis a discouraging fact that any
description, however true or however elaborated, seldom or never
gives an idea of the reality.
Yet the Meije deserves more than a passing notice. It is the
last — the only — great Alpine peak which has never known the foot
of man, and one cannot speak hi exaggerated terms of its jagged
ridges, torrential glaciers, and tremendous precipices .* But were I
* The ridge called La Meije runs from E.S.E. to W.N. W., and is crowned by
numerous aiguilles of tolerably equal elevation. The two highest are towards the
eastern and western ends of the ridge, and are rather more than a mile apart. To
the former the French surveyors assign a height of 12,730, and to the latter 13,080
feet. In our opinion the western aiguille can hardly be more than 200 feet higher
than the eastern one. It is possible that its height may have diminished since it
was measured.
In 1869 I carefully examined the eastern end of the ridge from the top of the Col
de Lautaret, and saw that the summit at that end can be ascended by following a long
"lacier which descends from it towards the N.E. into the valley of Arsine. The
highest summit may present difficulties, but is possibly accessible. Any attempts
upon it must be made from the northern side (see p. 198).
Sheet 189 of the French map is extremely inaccurate in the neighbourhood of the
Meije, and particularly so on its northern side. The ridges and glaciers which are
laid down upon it can scarcely be identified on the spot.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/233]]==
chap. viii. B RE CHE DE LA MEIJE. 191
to discourse upon these things without the aid of pictures, or to
endeavour to convey in words a sense of the loveliness of curves, of
the beauty of colour, or of the harmonies of sound, I should try to
accomplish that which is impossible ; and, at the best, should suc-
ceed in but giving an impression that the things spoken of may
have been pleasant to hear or to behold, although they are perfectly
incomprehensible to read about. Let me therefore avoid these
things, not because I have no love for or thought of them, but be-
cause they cannot be translated into language ; and presently,
when topographical details must, of necessity, be returned to again,
I will endeavour to relieve the poverty of the pen by a free use of
the pencil.
Whilst we sat upon the Aiguille de la Sausse, our attention was
concentrated on a point that was immediately opposite — on a gap
or cleft between the Meije and the mountain called the Eateau.
It was, indeed, in order to have a good view of this place that we
made the ascent of the Aiguille. It (that is the gap itself) looked,
as my companions remarked, obtrusively and offensively a pass.
It had not been crossed, but it ought to have been ; and this
seemed to have been recognised by the natives, who called it, very
appropriately, the Breche de la Meije.
I had seen the place in 1860, and again in 1861, but had not
then thought about getting through it ; and our information in re-
spect to it was chiefly derived from a photographic reproduction of
the then unpublished sheet 189, of the great map of France, which
Mr. Tuckett, with his usual liberality, had placed at our disposal.
It was evident from this map that if we could succeed in passing
the Breche, we should make the most direct route between the village
of La Grave and that of Berarde in the Department of the Isere, and
that the distance between these two places by this route, would be
less than one-third that of the ordinary way via the villages of
Freney and Venos. It may occur to some of my readers, why had it
not been done before ? For the very sound reason that the valley
on its southern side (Vallon des Etangons) is uninhabited, and La
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/234]]==
192 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vm.
Berarde itself is a miserable village, without interest, without
commerce, and almost without population. Why then did we wish
to cross it ? Because we were bound to the Pointe des Ecrins, to
which La Berarde was the nearest inhabited place.
When we sat upon the Aiguille de la Sausse, we were rather
despondent about our prospects of crossing the Breche, which
seemed to present a combination of all that was formidable. There
was, evidently, but one way by which it could be approached. We
saw that at the top of the pass there was a steep wall of snow or ice
(so steep that it was most likely ice) protected at its base by a big
schrund or moat, which severed it from the snow-fields below.
Then (tracking our course downwards) we saw undulating snow-
fields leading down to a great glacier. The snow-fields would be
easy work, but the glacier was riven and broken in every direction ;
huge crevasses seemed to extend entirely across it in some places,
and everywhere it had that strange twisted look, which tells of the
unequal motion of the ice. W T here could we get on to it ? At its
base it came to a violent end, being cut short by a cliff, over which
it poured periodical avalanches, as we saw by a great triangular
bed of debris below. We could not venture there, — the glacier
must be taken in flank. But on which side ? Not on the west,
— no one could climb those cliffs. It must, if any where, be by
the rocks on the east ; and they looked as if they were rocJies
moutonnees.
So we hurried down to La Grave, to hear what Melchior
Anderegg (who had just passed through the village with the
family of our friend Walker) had to say on the matter. Who
is Melchior Anderegg ? Those who ask the question cannot have
been in Alpine Switzerland, where the name of Melchior is as well
known as the name of Napoleon. Melchior, too, is an Emperor
in his way — a very Prince among guides. His empire is amongst
the ' eternal snows,' — his sceptre is an ice-axe.
Melchior Anderegg, more familiarly, and perhaps more gene-
rally known simply as Melchior, was born at Zaun, near
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/235]]==
CHAP. VIII.
MELCEIOR.
193
Meiringen, on April 6, 1828. He was first brought into public
notice in Hinchcliff's Summer Months in the Alps, and was
known to very few persons at the time that little work was
published. In 1855 he was "Boots" at the Grimsel Hotel, and
in those days, when he went
out on expeditions, it was for
the benefit of his master, the
proprietor ; Melchior himself
only got the trinhgclt. In 1856
he migrated to the Schwaren-
bach Inn on the Gemmi, where
he employed his time in carving
objects for sale. In 1858 he
made numerous expeditions with
Messrs. Hinchcliff and Stephen,
and proved to his employers that
he possessed first-rate skill, in-
domitable courage, and an ad-
mirable character. His position
has never been doubtful since
that year, and for a long time
there has been no guide whose
services have been more in re-
quest : he is usually engaged a
year in advance.
It would be almost an easier
task to say what he has not done than to catalogue his achievements.
Invariable success attends his arms ; he leads his followers to victory,
but not to death. I believe that no accident has ever befallen travel-
lers in his charge. Like his friend Aimer, he can be called a safe
man. It is the highest praise that can be given to a hrst-rate guide.
Early in the afternoon we found ourselves in the little inn at
La Grave, on the great Lautaret road, a rickety, tumble-down
sort of place, with nothing stable about it, as Moore wittily
2 c
MELCHIOR ANDEREGG IN 1864.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/236]]==
194 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. vitt.
remarked, except the smell.* Melchior had gone, and had left
behind a note which said, " I think the passage of the Breche is
possible, but that it will be very difficult." His opinion coincided
with ours, and we went to sleep, expecting to be afoot about
eighteen or twenty hours on the morrow.
At 2.40 the next morning we left La Grave, in a few minutes
crossed the Eomanche, and at 4 a.m. got to the moraine of the
eastern branch of the glacier that descends from the Breche. t
The rocks by which we intended to ascend were placed between
the two branches of this glacier, and still looked smooth and un-
broken. But by 5 o'clock we were upon them. We had been
deluded by them. No carpenter could have planned a more con-
venient staircase. They were not moutonnec, thei r smooth look from
a distance was only owing to their singular firmness. [It was
really quite a pleasure to scale such delightful rocks. We felt
the stone held the boot so well, that, without making a positive
effort to do so, it would be almost impossible to slip.] In an hour
we had risen above the most crevassed portion of the glacier, and
began to look for a way on to it. Just at the right place there
was a patch of old snow at the side, and, instead of gaining the ice
by desperate acrobatic feats, we passed from the rocks on to it as
easily as one walks across a gangway. At half-past 6 we were
on the centre of the glacier, and the inhabitants of La Grave
turned out en masse into the road, and watched us with amaze-
ment as they witnessed the falsification of their confident predic-
tions. Well might they stare, for our little caravan, looking to
them like a train of flies on a wall, crept up and up, without
* The justness of the observation will be felt by those who knew La Grave in
or before 1864. At that time the horses of the couriers who were passing from
Grenoble to Briancon, and vice versa, were lodged immediately underneath the
salle-a-manger and bedrooms, and a pungent, steamy odour rose from them through
the cracks in the floor, and constantly pervaded the whole house. I am told that the
inn has been improved since 1864.
f Our route from La Grave to La B£rarde will be seen on the accompanying
map.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/237]]==
CHAP. VIII.
THE BRECHE IS WON.
195
hesitation and without a halt — lost to their sight one minute as
it dived into a crevasse, then seen again clambering up the other
side. The higher we rose the easier became
the work, the angles lessened, and our pace
increased. The snow remained shadowed,
and we walked as easily as on a high road ;
and when (at 7.45) the summit of the Breche
was seen, we rushed at it as furiously as if it
had been a breach in the wall of a fortress,
carried the moat by a dash, with a push
behind and a pull before, stormed the steep
slope above, and at 8.50 stood in the little
gap, 11,054 feet above the level of the sea.
The Breche was won. Well might they
stare ; five hours and a quarter had sufficed
for 6500 feet of ascent.* We screamed tri-
umphantly as they turned in to breakfast.
All mountaineers know how valuable it
is to study beforehand an intended route
over new ground from a height at some dis-
tance. None but blunderers fail to do so, if
it is possible ; and one cannot do so too
thoroughly. As a rule, the closer one ap-
proaches underneath a summit, the more difficult it is to pick out
a path with judgment. Inferior peaks seem unduly important,
subordinate ridges are exalted, and slopes conceal points beyond ;
and if one blindly undertakes an ascent, without having acquired
a tolerable notion of the relative importance of the parts, and of their
positions to one another, it will be miraculous if great difficulties
are not encountered.
But although the examination of an intended route from a
height at a distance will tell one (who knows the meaning of the
:: Taking one kind of work with another, a thousand feet of height per hour is
about as much as is usually accomplished on great Alpine ascents.
SCALE, THREE MILES TO AN
INCH.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/238]]==
196 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
things lie is looking at) a good deal, and will enable him to steer
clear of many difficulties against which he might otherwise blindly
run, it will seldom allow one to pronounce positively upon the
practicability or impracticability of the whole of the route. No
living man, for example, can pronounce positively from a distance
in regard to rocks. Those just mentioned are an illustration of this.
Three of the ablest and most experienced guides concurred in think-
ing that they would be found very difficult, and they proved to be
of no difficulty whatever. In truth, the sounder and less broken
up are the rocks, the more impracticable do they usually look from
a distance ; while soft and easily rent rocks, which are often
amongst the most difficult and perilous to climb, very frequently
look from afar as if they might be traversed by a child.
It is possible to decide with greater certainty in regard to the
practicability of glacier. When one is seen to have few open cre-
vasses (and this may be told from a great distance), then we know
that it is possible to traverse it ; but to what extent it, or a glacier
that is much broken up by crevasses, will be troublesome, will
depend upon the width and length of the crevasses, and upon the
angles of the surface of the glacier itself. A glacier may be greatly
crevassed, but the fissures may be so narrow that there is no occa-
sion to deviate from a straight line when passing across them ; or
a glacier may have few open crevasses, and yet may be practically
impassable on account of the steepness of the angles of its surface.
Nominally, a man with an axe can go anywhere upon a glacier, but
in practice it is found that to move freely upon ice one must have
to deal only with small angles. It is thus necessary to know ap-
proximately the angles of the surfaces of a glacier before it is pos-
sible to determine whether it will afford easy travelling, or will be
so difficult as to be (for all practical purposes) impassable. This
cannot be told by looking at glaciers in full face from a distance ;
they must be seen in profile ; and it is often desirable to examine
them both from the front and in profile, — to do the first to study
the direction of the crevasses, to note where they are most and least
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/239]]==
chap. vin. GLACIER PREFERABLE TO ROCKS. 197
numerous ; and the second to see whether its angles are moderate
or great. Should they be very steep, it may be better to avoid
them altogether, and to mount even by difficult rocks ; but upon
glaciers of gentle inclination, and with few open crevasses, better
progress can always be made than upon the easiest rocks.
So much to explain why we were deceived when looking at the
Breche de la Meije from the Aiguille de la Sausse. We took note
of all the difficulties, but did not pay sufficient attention to the
distance that the Breche was south of La Grave. My meaning will
be apparent from the accompanying diagram, Fig. 1 (constructed
Fig. 2. Fig. i.
D C
It
-2.7K00'- -»* *e 1475 4 -
upon the data supplied by the French surveyors), which will also
serve to illustrate how badly angles of elevation are judged by the
unaided eye.
The village of La Grave is just 5000 feet, and the highest sum-
mit of the Meije is 13,080 feet above the level of the sea. There
is therefore a difference in their levels of 8080 feet. But the sum-
mit of the Meije is south of La Grave about 14,750 feet, and,
consequently, a line drawn from La Grave to the summit of the
Meije is no steeper than the dotted line drawn from A to C, Fig. 1 ;
or, in other words, if one could go in a direct line from La Grave
to the summit of the Meije the ascent would be at an angle of less
than 30°. Mne persons out of ten would probably estimate the
angle on the spot at double this amount*
The Breche is 2000 feet below the summit of the Meije, and
only 6000 feet above La Grave. A direct ascent from the village
" Fig. 2 represents in a similar manner the distance and elevation of the Matter-
horn from and above Zermatt. See p. 83.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/240]]==
198 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
to the Breche would consequently be at an angle of not much more
than 20°. But it is not possible to make the ascent as the crow
flies ; it has to be made by an indirect and much longer route. Our
track was probably double the length of a direct line between the
two places. Doubling the length halves the angles, and we there-
fore arrive at the somewhat amazing conclusion, that upon this, one
of the steepest passes in the Alps, the mean of all the angles upon
the ascent could not have been greater than 11° or 12°. Of course,
in some places, the angles were much steeper, and in others less,
but the mean of the whole could not have passed the angle above
indicated.
We did not trouble ourselves much with these matters when we
sat on the top of the Breche. Our day's work was as good as over
(for we knew from Messrs. Mathews and Bonney that there was no
difficulty upon the other side), and we abandoned ourselves to ease
and luxury ; wondering, alternately, as we gazed upon the Bateau
and the Ecrins, how the one mountain could possibly hold itself to-
gether, and whether the other would hold out against us. The
former looked [so rotten that it seemed as if a puff of wind or a clap
of thunder might dash the whole fabric to pieces] ; while the latter
asserted itself the monarch of the group, and towered head and
shoulders above all the rest of the peaks which form the great
horse-shoe of Dauphine. At length a cruel rush of cold air made
us shiver, and shift our quarters to a little grassy plot, 3000 feet
below — an oasis in a desert — where we lay nearly four hours ad-
miring the splendid wall which protects the summit of the Meije
from assault upon this side* Then we tramped down the Vallon
des Etangons, a howling wilderness, the abomination of desola-
tion ; destitute alike of animal or vegetable life ; pathless, of course ;
* This wall may be described as an exaggerated Gemmi, as seen from Lenkerbad.
From the highest summit of La Meije right down to the Glacier des Etancons (a
depth of about 3200 feet), the cliff is all but perpendicular, and appeals to be com-
pletely unassailable. The dimensions of these pages are insufficient to do justice to
this magnificent wall, which is the most imposing of its kind that 1 have seen ;
otherwise it would have been engraved.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/241]]==
CHAP. VIII.
VALLON DES ETANgONS.
199
suggestive of chaos, but of little else ; covered almost throughout
its entire length with debris from the size of a walnut up to that
of a house ; in a word, it looked as if half-a-dozen moraines of first-
rate dimensions had been carted and shot into it. Our tempers
were soured by constant pitfalls [it was impossible to take the eyes
^
J^Avj^
THE VALLON DES ETANfONS (LOOKING TOWARDS LA BERARDE).*
from the feet, and if an unlucky individual so much as blew his
nose, without standing still to perform the operation, the result was
either an instantaneous tumble, or a barked shin, or a half-twisted
ankle. There was no end to it, and we became more savage at
every step, unanimously agreeing that no power on earth would
ever induce us to walk up or down this particular valley again].
It was not. just to the valley, which was enclosed by noble moun-
tains, — unknown, it is true, but worthy of a great reputation, and
* The drawing was inadvertently made the right way on the wood, and the view
is now reversed in consequence.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/242]]==
200 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. viii.
which, if placed in other districts, would be sought after, and cited
as types of daring form and graceful outline.
Not so very long ago, perhaps, the Vallon des Etancons wore
a more cheerful aspect. It is well known that many of the
French Alpine valleys have rapidly deteriorated in quite modern
times. Blanqui pointed out, a few years ago, some of the causes
which have brought this about, in an address to the Academy of
Sciences ; and although his remarks are not entirely aj^plicable to
this very valley, the chapter may be properly closed with some of
his vigorous sentences. He said, " The abuse of the right of pas-
turage, and the felling of the woods, have stripped the soil of all
its grass and all its trees, and the scorching sun bakes it to the
consistence of porphyry. When moistened by the rain, as it has
neither support nor cohesion, it rolls down into the valleys, some-
times in floods resembling black, yellow, or reddish lava, and some-
times in streams of pebbles, and even huge blocks of stone, which
pour down with a frightful roar. . . . Yast deposits of flinty
pebbles, many feet in thickness, which have rolled down and spread
far over the plain, surround large trees, bury even their tops, and
rise above them. . . . The gorges, under the influence of the sun
which cracks and shivers to fragments the very rocks, and of the
rain which sweeps them down, penetrate deeper and deeper into
the heart of the mountain, while the beds of the torrents issuing
from them are sometimes raised several feet in a single year by the
debris. . . . An indirect proof of the increase of the evil is to be
found in the depopulation of the country. . . . Unless prompt
and energetic measures are taken, it is easy to fix the epoch when
the French Alps will be but a desert Every year will
aggravate the evil, and in half-a-century France will count more
ruins, and a department the less."*
* Quoted from Marsh's Man and Nature.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/243]]==
CHAPTEE IX.
THE ASCENT OF THE POINTE DES ECRINS.
"Filled with high mountains, rearing their heads as if to reach to heaven, crowned
with glaciers, and fissured with immense chasms, where lie the eternal snows guarded
by bare and rugged cliffs ; offering the most varied sights, and enjoying all tempera-
tures ; and containing everything that is most curious and interesting, the most
simple and the most sublime, the most smiling and the most severe, the most beau-
tiful and the most awful ; such is the department of the High iUps."
Ladoucette.
Before 5 o'clock on the afternoon of June 23, we were trotting
down the steep path that leads into La Bdrarde. We put up, of
course, with the chasseur-guide Eodier (who, as usual, was smooth
and smiling), and, after congratulations were over, we returned to
the exterior to watch for the arrival of one Alexander Pic, who had
been sent overnight with our baggage via Freney and Venos. But
when the night fell, and no Pic appeared, we saw that our plans
must be modified ; for he was necessary to our very existence — he
carried our food, our tobacco, our all. So, after some discussion, it
was agreed that a portion of our programme should be abandoned,
that the night of the 24th should be passed at the head of the
Glacier de la Bonne Pierre, and that, on the 25th, a push should
be made for the summit of the Ecrins. We then went to straw.
Our porter Pic strolled in next morning with his usual jaunty
air, and we seized upon our tooth-brushes ; but, upon looking for
the cigars, we found starvation staring us in the face. " Hullo !
Monsieur Pic, where are our cigars ?" " Gentlemen," he began, " I
am desolated !" and then, quite pat, he told a long rigmarole about
a fit on the road, of brigands, thieves, of their ransacking the knap-
2 D
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/244]]==
202
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. IX.
sacks when he was insensible, and of finding them gone when he
revived ! " Ah ! Monsieur Pic, we see what it is, yon have smoked
them yourself!" "Gentlemen, I never smoke, never!" Where-
upon we inquired secretly if he was known to smoke, and found
that he was. However, he said that he had never spoken truer
words, and perhaps he had not, for he is reported to be the greatest
liar in Dauphine !
We were now able to start, and set out at 1.15 p.m. to bivouac
THE CENTRAL DAUPHINE ALPS.
AUTHOR S TRACKS
OTHER ROUTES
upon the Glacier de la Bonne Pierre, accompanied by Rodier, who
staggered under a load of blankets. Many slopes had to be mounted,
and many torrents to be crossed, all of which has been described
by Mr. Tuckett * We, however, avoided the difficulties he experi-
enced with the latter by crossing them high up, where they were
subdivided. But when we got on to the moraine on the right bank
of the glacier (or, properly speaking, on to one of the moraines, for
there are several), mists descended, to our great hindrance ; and
* Alpine Journal, December 1863.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/245]]==
chap. ix. DISSOLVING VIEWS. 203
it was 5.30 before we arrived on the spot at which it was intended
to camp.
Each one selected his nook, and we then joined round a grand
fire made by our men. Fortnum and Mason's portable soup was
sliced up and brewed, and was excellent ; but it should be said
that before it was excellent, three times the quantity named in the
directions had to be used. Art is required in drinking as in mak-
ing this soup, and one point is this — always let your friends drink
first ; not only because it is more polite, but because the soup has
a tendency to burn the mouth if taken too hot, and one drink of
the bottom is worth two of the top, as all the goodness settles.
[While engaged in these operations, the mist that enveloped the
glacier and surrounding peaks was becoming thinner ; little bits of
blue sky appeared here and there, until . suddenly, when we were
looking towards the head of the glacier, far, far above us, at an
almost inconceivable height, in a tiny patch of blue, appeared a
wonderful rocky pinnacle, bathed in the beams of the fast-sinking
sun. We were so electrified by the glory of the sight that it was
some seconds before we realised what we saw, and understood that
that astounding point, removed apparently miles from the earth,
was one of the highest summits of Les Ecrins ; and that we hoped,
before another sun had set, to have stood upon an even loftier pin-
nacle. The mists rose and fell, presenting us with a series of dis-
solving views of ravishing grandeur, and finally died away, leaving
the glacier and its mighty bounding precipices under an exquisite
pale blue sky, free from a single speck of cloud.]
The night passed over without anything worth mention, but we
had had occasion to observe in the morning an instance of the curious
evaporation that is frequently noticeable in the High Alps. On the
previous night we had hung up on a knob of rock our mackintosh
bag containing five bottles of Kodier's bad wine. In the morning,
although the stopper appeared to have been in all night, about four-
fifths had evaporated. It was strange ; my friends had not taken
any, neither had I, and the guides each declared that they had not
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/246]]==
204 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
seen any one touch it. In fact it was clear that there was no ex-
planation of the phenomenon, but in the dryness of the air. Still
it is remarkable that the dryness of the air (or the evaporation of
wine) is always greatest when a stranger is in one's party — the
dryness caused by the presence of even a single Chamounix porter
is sometimes so great, that not four-fifths but the entire quantity
disappears. For a time I found difficulty in combating this phe-
nomenon, but at last discovered that if I used the wine-flask as a
pillow during the night, the evaporation was completely stopped.
At 4 a.m. we moved off across the glacier in single file towards
the foot of a great gully, which led from the upper slopes of the
glacier de la Bonne Pierre, to the lowest point in the ridge that
runs from the Ecrins to the mountain called Eoche Faurio, —
cheered by Eodier, who now returned with his wraps to La Berarde.
This gully (or couloir) was discovered and descended by Mr. Tuck-
ett, and we will now return for a minute to the explorations of that
accomplished mountaineer.
In the year 1862 he had the good fortune to obtain from the
Depot de la Guerre at Paris, a MS. copy of the then unpublished
sheet 189 of the map of France, and with it in hand, he swept
backwards and forwards across the central Dauphine Alps, un-
troubled by the doubts as to the identity of peaks, which had per-
plexed Mr. Macdonald and myself in 1861 ; and, enlightened by it,
he was able to point out (which he did in the fairest manner) that
we had confounded the Ecrins with another mountain — the Pic
Sans Nom. We made this blunder through imperfect knowledge of
the district and inaccurate reports of the natives ; — but it was not
an extraordinary one (the two mountains are not unlike each other),
considering the difficulty that there is in obtaining from any except
the very highest summits a complete view of this intricate group.
The situations of the principal summits can be perceived at a
glance on the accompanying map, which is a reproduction of a por-
tion of sheet 189. The main ridge of the chain runs, at this part,
nearly north and south. Iioche Faurio, at the northern extreme, is
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/247]]==
chap. ix. RIDGES IN NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE ECRINS. 205
3716 metres, or 12,192 feet, above the level of the sea. The lowest
point between that mountain and the Ecrins (the Col des Ecrins) is
11,000 feet. The ridge again rises, and passes 13,000 feet in the
neighbourhood of the Ecrins. The highest summit of that moun-
tain (13,462 feet) is, however, placed a little to the east of and off
the main ridge. It then again falls, and in the vicinity of the Col
de la Tempe it is, perhaps, below 11,000 feet ; but immediately to the
south of the summit of that pass, there is upon the ridge a point
which has been determined by the French surveyors to be 12,323
feet. This peak is without a name. The ridge continues to gain
height as we come to the south, and culminates in the mountain
which the French surveyors have called Sommet de l'Aile Froide.
On the spot it is called, very commonly, the Alefroide.
There is some uncertainty respecting the elevation of this moun-
tain* The Frenchmen give 3925 metres (12,878) as its highest
point, but Mr. Tuckett, who took a good theodolite to the top of
Mont Pelvoux (which he agreed with his predecessors had an eleva-
tion of 12,973 feet), found that the summit of the Alefroide was
elevated above his station 4' ; and as the distance between the two
points was 12,467 feet, this would represent a difference in altitude
of 5 metres in favour of the Alefroide. I saw this mountain from
the summit of Mont Pelvoux in 1861, and was in doubt as to which
of the two was the higher, and in 1864, from the summit of the
Pointe des Ecrins (as will presently be related), it looked actually
higher than Mont Pelvoux. I have therefore little doubt but that
Mr. Tuckett is right in believing the Alefroide to have an elevation
of about 13,000 feet, instead of 12,878, as determined by the French
surveyors.
Mont Pelvoux is to the east of the Alefroide and off the main
ridge, and the Pic Sans ISTom (12,845 feet) is placed between these
two mountains. The latter is one of the grandest of the Dauphine
* It is shown in the engraving facing p. 35. It has several points nearly equally
elevated, all of which seem to be accessible. I am informed that it was ascended
this year (1870), but details of the ascent have not reached me.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/248]]==
206 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
peaks, but it is so shut in by the other mountains, that it is seldom
seen except from a distance, and then is usually confounded with
the neighbouring summits. Its name has been accidentally omitted
on the map, but its situation is represented by the large patch of
rocks, nearly surrounded by glaciers, that is seen between the words
Ailefroide and Mt. Pelvoux.
The lowest depression on the main ridge to the south of the
Alefroide is the Col du Sele, and this, according to Mr. Tuckett, is
10,834 feet. The ridge soon rises again, and, a little farther to the
south, joins another ridge running nearly east and west. To a
mountain at the junction of these two ridges the Frenchmen hava
given the singular name Crete des Bceufs Kouges ! The highest
point hereabouts is 11,332 feet ; but a little to the west there is
another peak (Mont Bans) of 11,979 feet. The main ridge runs
from this last-named point, in a north-westerly direction, to the
Cols de Says, both of which exceed 10,000 feet.
It will thus be seen that the general elevation of this main
ridge is almost equal to that of the range of Mont Blanc, or of the
central Pennine Alps ; and if we were to follow it out more com-
pletely, or to follow the other ridges surrounding or radiating from
it, we should find that there is a remarkable absence, throughout
the entire district, of low gaps and depressions, and that there are
an extraordinary number of peaks of medium elevation.* The
difficulty which explorers have experienced in Dauphine in identi-
fying peaks, has very much arisen from the elevation of the ridges
generally being more uniform than is commonly found in the Alps,
and the consequent facile concealment of one point by another.
The difficulty has been enhanced by the narrowness and erratic
courses of the valleys.
The possession of the ' advanced copy ' of sheet 189 of the
French map, enabled Mr. Tuckett to grasp most of what I have just
* There are more than twenty peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, and thirty others
exceeding 11,000 feet, within the district bounded by the rivers Romanche, Drac,
and Durance.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/249]]==
chap. ix. THE COL DES ECEINS. 207
said, and much more ; and he added, in 1862, three interesting
passes across this part of the chain to those already known. The
first, from Ville Vallouise to La Berarde, via the village of Clanx,
and the glaciers du Sele and de la Pilatte, — this he called the Col
du Sele ; the second, between Ville Vallouise and Villar d'Arene
(on the Lautaret road) vi& Claux and the glaciers Blanc and
d'Arsine, — the Col du Glacier Blanc ; and the third, from Vallouise
to La Berarde, via the Glacier Blanc, the Glacier de l'Encula, and
the Glacier de la Bonne Pierre, the Col des Ecrins.
This last pass was discovered accidentally. Mr. Tuckett set out
intending to endeavour to ascend the Pointe des Ecrins, but circum-
stances were against him, as he relates in the following words : —
"Arrived on the plateau" (of the Glacier de l'Encula), "a most striking-
view of the Ecrins burst upon us, and a hasty inspection encouraged
us to hope that its ascent would be practicable. On the sides of
La Berarde and the Glacier Noir it presents, as has been already
stated, the most precipitous and inaccessible faces that can well be
conceived ; but in the direction of the Glacier de l'Encula, as the
upper plateau of the Glacier Blanc is named on the French map, the
slopes are less rapid, and immense masses of ndve and seracs cover it
nearly to the summit."
" The snow was in very bad order, and as we sank at each step
above the knee, it soon became evident that our prospects of
success were extremely doubtful. A nearer approach, too, dis-
closed traces of fresh avalanches, and after much deliberation and
a careful examination through the telescope, it was decided that
the chances in our favour were too small to render it desirable to
waste time in the attempt. ... I examined the map, from
which I perceived that the glacier seen through the gap" (in the
ridge running from Boche Faurio to the Ecrins) " to the west, at a
great depth below, must be that of La Bonne Pierre ; and if a
descent to its head was practicable, a passage might probably be
effected to La Berarde. On suggesting to Croz and Perm that,
though baffled by the state of the snow on the Ecrins, we might
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/250]]==
208 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
still achieve something of interest and importance by discovering a
new col, they both heartily assented, and in a few minutes Perm
was over the edge, and cutting his way down the rather formidable
couloir," etc. etc.*
This was the couloir at the foot of which we found ourselves at
daybreak on the 25th of June 1864 ; but before commencing the
relation of our doings upon that eventful day, I must recount the
experiences of Messrs. Mathews and Bonney in 1862.
These gentlemen, with the two Croz's, attempted the ascent of
the Ecrins a few weeks after Mr. Tuckett had inspected the moun-
tain. On August 26, says Mr. Bonney, "we pushed on, and our
hopes each moment rose higher and higher ; even the cautious
Michel committed himself so far as to cry, ' Ah, malheureux
Ecrins, vous serez bientot morts,' as we addressed ourselves to the
last slope leading up to the foot of the final cone. The old
proverb about ' many a slip' was, however, to prove true on this
occasion. Arrived at the top of this slope, we found that we were
cut off from the peak by a formidable bergschrund, crossed by the
rottenest of snow-bridges. We looked to the right and to the left,
to see whether it would be possible to get on either arete at its
extremity ; but instead of rising directly from the snow as they
appeared to do from below, they were terminated by a wall of
rock some forty feet high. There was but one place where the
bergschrund was narrow enough to admit of crossing, and there a
cliff of ice had to be climbed, and then a path to be cut up a steep
slope of snow, before the arete could be reached. At last, after
searching in vain for some time, Michel bade us wait a little, and
started off to explore the gap separating the highest peak from the
snow-dome on the right, and see if it were possible to ascend the
rocky wall. Presently he appeared, evidently climbing with
difficulty, and at last stood on the arete itself. Again we thought
the victory was won, and started off to follow him. Suddenly he
called to us to halt, and turned to descend. In a few minutes he
* Alpine Journal, Dec. 1863.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/251]]==
chap. ix. FIRST ATTEMPT TO ASCEND THE ECEINS. 209
stopped. After a long pause he shouted to his brother, saying that
he was not able to return by the way he had ascended. Jean was
evidently uneasy about him, and for some time we watched him
with much anxiety. At length he began to hew out steps in the
snow along the face of the peak towards us. Jean now left us,
and, making for the ice-cliff mentioned above, chopped away until,
after about a quarter of an hour's labour, he contrived, somehow or
other, to worm himself up it, and began to cut steps to meet his
brother. Almost every step appeared to be cut right through the
snowy crust into the hard ice below, and an incipient stream of
snow came hissing down the sides of the peak as they dug it away
with their axes. Michel could not have been much more than
100 yards from us, and yet it was full three quarters of an hour
before the brothers met. This done, they descended carefully,
burying their axe-heads deep in the snow at every step.
Michel's account was that he had reached the arete with great
difficulty, and saw that it was practicable for some distance, in
fact, as far as he could see ; but that the snow was in a most
dangerous condition, being very incoherent and resting on hard
ice ; that when he began to descend in order to tell us this, he
found the rocks so smooth and slippery that return was impossible ;
and that for some little time he feared that he should not be able
to extricate himself, and was in considerable danger. Of course
the arete could have been reached by the way our guides had
descended, but it was so evident that their judgment was against
proceeding, that we did not feel justified in urging them on. We
had seen so much of them that we felt sure they would never
hang back unless there was real danger, and so we gave the word
for retreating."*
On both of these expeditions there was fine weather and plenty
of time. On each occasion the parties slept out at, and started
from, a considerable elevation, and arrived at the base of the
final peak of the Ecrins early in the clay, and with plenty of
" ;; " Alpine Journal, June 1863.
2 E
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/252]]==
210 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
superfluous energy. Guides and travellers alike, on each occasion,
were exceptional men, experienced mountaineers, who had proved
their skill and courage on numerous antecedent occasions, and who
were not accustomed to turn away from a thing merely because it
was difficult to do. On each occasion the attempts were aban-
doned because the state of the snow on and below the final peak
was such that avalanches were anticipated ; and, according to the
judgment of those who were concerned, there was such an amount
of positive danger from this condition of things, that it was Unjusti-
fiable to persevere.
We learnt privately, from Messrs. Mathews, Bonney, and
Tuckett, that unless the snow was in a good state upon the final
peak (that is to say, coherent and stable), we should probably be of
the same opinion as themselves ; and that although the face of the
mountain fronting the Glacier de l'Encula was much less steep
than its other faces, and was apparently the only side upon which
an attempt was at all likely to be successful, it was, nevertheless,
so steep, that for several days, at least, after a fall of snow upon it,
the chances in favour of avalanches would be considerable.
The reader need scarcely be told, after all that has been said
about the variableness of weather in the High Alps, the chance was
small indeed that we should find upon the 25th of June, or any
other set day, the precise condition of affairs that was deemed in-
dispensable for success. We had such confidence in the judg-
ment of our friends, that it was understood amongst us the ascent
should be abandoned, unless the conditions were manifestly favour-
able.
By five minutes to six Ave were at the top of the gully (a first-
rate couloir, about 1000 feet high), and within sight of our work.
Hard, thin, and wedge-like as the Ecrins had looked from afar,
it had never looked so hard and so thin as it did when we emerged
from the top of the couloir through the gap in the ridge ; no
tender shadows spoke of broad and rounded ridges, but sharp
and shadowless its serrated edges stood out against the clear
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/253]]==
CHAP. IX.
A NEAR VIEW OF THE ECRINS.
211
jgp" It had be en
^ ~ said that the
route must be
taken by one
of the ridges of the final peak,
but both were alike repellent, hacked
and notched in numberless places. They reminded me of my
failure on the Dent d'Herens in 1863, and of a place on a similar
ridge, from which advance or retreat was alike difficult. But,
presuming one or other of these ridges or aretes was practi-
cable, there remained the task of getting to them, for com-
pletely round the base of the final peak swept an enormous
bergschrund, almost separating it from the slopes which lay
beneath. It was evident thus early that the ascent would not
be accomplished without exertion, and that it would demand
all our faculties and all our time. In more than one respect
we were favoured. The mists were gone, the day was bright
and perfectly calm ; there had been a long stretch of fine weather
beforehand, and the snow was in excellent order ; and, most
important of all, the last new snow which had fallen on the
final peak, unable to support itself, had broken away and rolled
in a mighty avalanche, over schrund, neve, seracs, over hills and
* The above view of the Ecrins was taken from the summit of the Col du Galibier.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/254]]==
212 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
valleys in the glacier (levelling one and filling the other), com-
pletely down to the col, where it lay in huge jammed masses,
powerless to harm us ; and had made a broad track, almost a road,
over which, for part of the way at least, we might advance with
rapidity.
We took in all this in a few minutes, and seeing there was no
time to be lost, despatched a hasty meal, left knapsacks, provisions,
and all incumbrances by the col, started again at half-past six, and
made direct for the left side of the schrund, for it was there alone
that a passage was practicable. We crossed it at 8.10. Our route
can now be followed upon the annexed outline. The arrow marked D
B .... . . points out the direction of the
Glacier de la Bonne Pierre. The
ridge in front, that extends
right across, is the ridge that
is partially shown on the top
of the map at p. 202, leading
from Roche Faurio towards
the W.N.W. We arrived upon the plateau of the Glacier de
TEncula, behind this ridge, from the direction of D, and then made
a nearly straight track to the left hand of the bergschrund at A.
Thus far there was no trouble, but the nature of the work
changed immediately. If we regard the upper 700 feet alone of
the final peak of the Ecrins, it may be described as a three-sided
pyramid. One face is towards the Glacier Noir, and forms one of
the sheerest precipices in the Alps. Another is towards the
Glacier du Vallon, and is less steep, and less uniform in angle than
the first. The third is towards the Glacier de l'Encula, and it was
by this one we approached the summit. Imagine a triangular
plane, 700 or 800 feet high, set at an angle exceeding 50° ;
let it be smooth, glassy ; let the uppermost edges be cut into spikes
and teeth, and let them be bent, some one way, some another.
Let the glassy face be covered with minute fragments of rock,
scarcely attached, but varnished with ice ; imagine tins, and then
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/255]]==
chap. ix. OUR ASCENT OF THE FINAL PEAK. 213
you will have a very faint idea of the face of the Ecrins on which
we stood. It was not possible to avoid detaching stones, which, as
they fell, caused words unmentionable to rise. The greatest friends
would have reviled each other in such a situation. We gained the
eastern arete, and endeavoured for half-an-hour to work upwards
towards the summit ; but it was useless (each yard of progress cost
an incredible time) ; and having no desire to form the acquaintance
of the Glacier Noir in a precipitate manner, we beat a retreat, and
returned to the schrund. We again held a council, and it was
unanimously decided that we should be beaten if we could not cut
along the upper edge of the schrund, and, when nearly beneath the
summit, work up to it. So Croz took off his coat and went to
work ; — on ice, — not that black ice so often mentioned and so sel-
dom seen, but on ice as hard as ice could be. Weary work for the
guides. Croz cut for more than half-an-hour, and we did not seem
to have advanced at all. Some one behind, seeing how great the
labour was, and how slow the progress, suggested that after all we
might do better on the arete. Croz's blood was up, and indignant
at this slight on his powers, he ceased working, turned in his steps,
and rushed towards me with a haste that made me shudder : " By
all means let us go there, the sooner the better." No slight was
intended, and he resumed his work, after a time being relieved by
Aimer. Half-past ten came ; an hour had passed ; they were still
cutting. Dreary work for us, for there was no capering about to
be done here ; hand as well as foot-holes were necessary ; the
fingers and toes got very cold ; the ice, as it boomed in bounding
down the bergschrund, was very suggestive ; conversation was very
restricted, separated as we were by our tether of 20 feet apiece.
Another hour passed. We were now almost immediately below the
summit, and we stopped to look up. We were nearly as far off it
(vertically) as we had been more than three hours before. The day
seemed going against us. The only rocks near at hand were scat-
tered ; no bigger than tea-cups, and most of these, we found after-
wards, were glazed with ice. Time forbade cutting right up to the
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/256]]==
214 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
summit, even had it been possible, which it was not. We decided
to go up to the ridge again by means of the rocks ; but had we not
had a certain confidence in each other, it unquestionably would not
have been done ; for this, it must be understood, was a situation
where not only might a slip have been fatal to every one, but it
would have been so beyond doubt : nothing, moreover, was easier
than to make one. It was a place where all had to work in unison,
where there must be no slackening of the rope, and no unnecessary
tension. For another hour we were in this trying situation, and at
12.30 we gained the arete again, but at a much higher point (B),
close to the summit. Our men were, I am afraid, well-nigh worn
out ; cutting up a couloir 1000 feet high was not the right sort of
preparation for work of this kind. Be it so or not, we were all
glad to rest for a short time, for we had not sat down a minute
since leaving the col six hours before. Aimer, however, was rest-
less, knowing that midday was past, and that much remained to
be accomplished, and untied himself, and commenced working
towards the summit. Connecting the teeth of rock were beds of
snow, and Aimer, but a few feet from me, was crossing the top of
one of these, when suddenly, without a moment's warning, it broke
away under him, and plunged down on to the glacier. As he
staggered for a second, one foot in the act of stepping, and the
other on the falling mass, I thought him lost ; but he happily fell
on to the right side and stopped himself. Had he taken the step
with his right instead of the left foot, he would, in all probability,
have fallen several hundred feet without touching anything, and
would not have been arrested before reaching the glacier, a vertical
distance of at least 3000 feet.
Small, ridiculously small, as the distance was to the summit, we
were occupied nearly another hour before it was gained. Aimer
was a few feet in front, and he, with characteristic modesty, hesi-
tated to step on the highest point, and drew back to allow us to
pass. A cry was raised for Croz, who had done the chief part of
the work, but he declined the honour, and we marched on to the
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/257]]==
CHAP. IX.
ON SPLINTERS FROM SUMMITS.
215
top simultaneously ; that is to say, clustered round it, a yard or
two below, for it was much too small to get upon.
According to my custom, I bagged a piece from off the highest
rock (chlorite slate), and I found afterwards that it had a striking
similarity to the final peak of the Ecrins. I have noticed the same
thing on other occasions,*
and it is worthy of remark
that not only do fragments
of such rock as limestone
often present the character-
istic forms of the cliffs from
which they have been broken,
but that morsels of mica slate
will represent, in a wonder-
ful manner, the identical
shape of the peaks of which
they have formed part. Why
should it not be so, if the
FRAGMENT FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE POINTE
BES ECRINS.
mountain's mass is more or
less homogeneous ? The same
causes which produce the small forms fashion the large ones ; the
same influences are at work ; the same frost and rain give shape
to the mass as well as to its parts.
Did space permit me, I could give but a sorry idea of the view,
but it will be readily imagined that a panorama extending over as
much ground as the whole of England is one worth taking some
trouble to see, and one which is not often to be seen even in the
Alps. No clouds obscured it, and a list of the summits that we
saw would include nearly all the highest peaks of the chain. I
saw the Pelvoux now — as I had seen the Ecrins from it three years
before — across the basin of the Glacier Noir. It is a splendid
mountain, although in height it is equalled, if not surpassed, by its
neighbour the Alefroide.
* The most striking example which has come under my notice is referred to in
Chapter xx.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/258]]==
216 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
We could stay on the summit but a short time, and at a
quarter to two prepared for the descent. Now, as we looked down,
and thought of what we had passed over in coming up, we one
and all hesitated about returning the same way. Moore said, no.
Walker said the same, and I too ; the guides were both of the
same mind : this, be it remarked, although we had considered
that there was no chance whatever of getting up any other way.
But those ' last rocks ' were not to be forgotten. Had they but
protruded to a moderate extent, or had they been merely glazed,
we should doubtless still have tried : but they were not reasonable
rocks, — they would neither allow us to hold, nor would do it
themselves. So we turned to the western arete, trusting to luck
that we should find a way down to the schrund, and some means of
getting over it afterwards. Our faces were a tolerable index to
our thoughts, and apparently the thoughts of the party were not
happy ones. Had any one then said to me, " You are a great fool
for coming here," I should have answered with humility, " It is too
true." And had my monitor gone on to say, " Swear you will
never ascend another mountain if you get down safely," I am
inclined to think I should have taken the oath. In fact, the game
here was not worth the risk. The guides felt it as well as our-
selves, and as Aimer led off, he remarked, with more piety than
logic, " The good God has brought us up, and he will take us down
in safety," which showed pretty well what he was thinking about.
The ridge down which we now endeavoured to make our way
was not inferior in difficulty to the other. Both were serrated to
an extent that made it impossible to keep strictly to them, and
obliged us to descend occasionally for some distance on the north-
ern face and then mount again. Both were so rotten that the
most experienced of our party, as well as the least, continually
upset blocks large and small. Both aretes were so narrow, so thin,
that it was often a matter for speculation on which side an un-
stable block would fall.
At one point it seemed that we should be obliged to return to
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/259]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/260]]==
LJ_I
CO
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/261]]==
chap. ix. LE JEU NE VAUT PAS LA GHANDELLE. 217
the summit and try the other way down. We were on the very
edge of the are^te ; on one side was the enormous precipice facing
the Pelvoux, which is not far from perpendicular ; on the other a
slope exceeding 50°. A deep notch brought us to an abrupt halt.
Aimer, who was leading, advanced cautiously to the edge on hands
and knees, and peered over ; his care was by no means unnecessary,
for the rocks had broken away from under us unexpectedly several
times. In this position he looked down for some moments, and
then, without a word, turned his head and looked at us. His face
may have expressed apprehension or alarm, but it certainly did not
show hope or joy. We learned that there was no means of getting
down, and that we must, if we wanted to pass it, jump across on
to an unstable block on the other side. It was decided that it should
be done, and Aimer, with a larger extent of rope than usual, jumped ;
the rock swayed as he came down upon it, but he clutched a large
mass with both arms and brought himself to anchor. That which
was both difficult and dangerous for the first man was easy enough
for the others, and we got across with less trouble than I expected ;
stimulated by Croz's perfectly just observation, that if we couldn't
get across there we were not likely to get down the other way.
We had now arrived at C, and could no longer continue on
the ar£te, so we commenced descending the face again. Before
long we were close to the schrund, but unable to see what it was
like at this part, as the upper edge bent over. Two hours had
already passed since leaving the summit, and it began to be highly
probable that we should have to spend a night on the Glacier
Blanc. Aimer, who yet led, cut steps right down to the edge, but
still he could not see below ; therefore, warning us to hold tight, he
made his whole body rigid, and (standing in the large step which
he had cut for the purpose), had the upper part of his person
lowered out until he saw what he wanted. He shouted that our
work was finished, made me come close to the edge and untie my-
self, advanced the others until he had rope enough, and then with
a loud jodel jumped down on to soft snow. Partly by skill and
2 F
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/262]]==
218 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. ix.
partly by luck lie had hit the crevasse at its easiest point, and we
had only to make a downward jump of eight or ten feet.
It is now 4.45 p.m. ; we had been more than eight hours and a
half accomplishing the ascent of the final peak, which, according
to an observation by Mr. Bonney in 1862, is only 525 feet
high* During this period we had not stopped for more than half-
an-hour, and our nerves and muscles had been kept at the highest
degree of tension the whole time. It may be imagined that we
accepted the ordinary conditions of glacier travelling as an agree-
able relief, and that that which at another time might have seemed
formidable we treated as the veriest bagatelle. Late in the day as
it was, and soft as was the snow, we put on such pace that we
reached the Col cles Ecrins in less than forty minutes. We lost no
time in arranging our baggage, for we had still to traverse a long
glacier, and to get clear of two ice-falls before it was dark ; so,
at 5.35 we resumed the march, adjourning eating and drinking,
and put on a spurt which took us clear of the Glacier Blanc by
7.45 p.M.i* We got clear of the moraine of the Glacier Noir at 8.45,
just as the last remnant of daylight vanished. Croz and myself
were a trifle in advance of the others, and fortunately so for us ; for
as they were about to commence the descent of the snout of the
glacier, the whole of the moraine that rested on its face peeled off,
and came down with a tremendous roar.
We had now the pleasure of walking over a plain that is
known by the name of the Pre de Madame Carle, covered with
pebbles of all sizes, and intersected by numerous small streams
or torrents. Every hole looked like a stone, every stone like a
hole, and we tumbled about from side to side until our limbs and
our tempers became thoroughly jaded. My companions, being
both short-sighted, found the travelling especially disagreeable ; so
* See vol. i., p. 73, of Alpine Journal. We considered the height assigned to the
final peak by Mr. Bonney was too small, and thought it should have been 200 feet
more.
t The Glacier Blanc is in the direction indicated by the arrow below the letter
E on the outline on p. 21 2.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/263]]==
chap. ix. THE PLEASURES OF MEMORY. 219
there was little wonder that when we came upon a huge mass of
rock as big as a house, which had fallen from the flanks of Pelvoux,
a regular cube that offered no shelter whatever, Moore cried out in
ecstasy, " Oh, how delightful ! the very thing I have been longing
for. Let us have a perfectly extemporaneous bivouac." This, it
should be said, was when the night threatened thunder and lightning,
rain, and all other delights.
The pleasures of a perfectly extemporaneous bivouac under these
circumstances not being novelties to Croz and myself, we thought
we would try for the miseries of a roof, but Walker and Aimer, with
their usual good nature, declared it was the very thing that they,
too, were longing for ; so the trio resolved to stop. We generously
left them all the provisions (a dozen cubic inches or thereabouts of
bacon fat, and half a candle), and pushed on for the chalets of Ale-
froide, or at least we thought we did, but could not be certain. In
the course of half-an-hour we got uncommonly close to the main
torrent, and Croz all at once disappeared. I stepped cautiously for-
ward to peer down into the place where I thought he was, and
quietly tumbled head over heels into a big rhododendron bush.
Extricating myself with some trouble, I fell backwards over some
rocks, and got wedged in a cleft so close to the torrent that it
splashed all over me.
The colloquy which then ensued amid the thundering of the
stream was as follows : —
" Hullo, Croz !" " Eh, Monsieur." " Where are you ?" " Here,
Monsieur." " Where is here ?" "I don't know ; where are you?"
" Here, Croz ;" and so on.
The fact was, from the intense darkness, and the noise of the
torrent, we had no idea of each other's situation ; in the course of
ten minutes, however, we joined together again, agreed we had
quite enough of that kind of thing, and adjourned to a most eligible
rock at 10.15.
How well I remember the night at that rock, and the jolly way
in which Croz came out ! We were both very wet about the legs,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/264]]==
220
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. IX.
and both uncommonly hungry, but the time passed pleasantly
enough round our fire of juniper, and until long past midnight we
sat up recounting, over our pipes, wonderful stories of the most in-
credible description, in which, I must admit, my companion beat
me hollow. Then, throwing ourselves on our beds of rhododendron,
A NIGHT WITH CKOZ.
we slept an untroubled sleep, and rose on a bright Sunday morning
as fresh as might be, intending to enjoy a day's rest and luxury
with our friends at La Ville de Val Louise.
I have failed to give the impression I wish if it has not been
made evident that the ascent of the Pointe des Ecrins was not an
ordinary piece of work. There is an increasing disposition now-a-
days amongst those who write on the Alps, to underrate the diffi-
culties and dangers which are met with, and this disposition is, I
think, not less mischievous than the old-fashioned style of making
everything terrible. Difficult as we found the peak, I believe we
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/265]]==
chap. ix. A WARNING. 221
took it at the best, perhaps the only possible, time of the year. The
great slope on which we spent so much time was, from being
denuded by the avalanche of which I have spoken, deprived of its
greatest danger. Had it had the snow still resting upon it, and
had we persevered with the expedition, we should almost without
doubt have ended with calamity instead of success. The ice of that
slope is always below, its angle is severe, and the rocks do not pro-
ject sufficiently to afford the support that snow requires, to be
stable, when at a great angle. So far am I from desiring to tempt
any one to repeat the expedition, that I put it on record as my belief,
however sad and however miserable a man may have been, if he is
found on the summit of the Pointe des Ecrins after a fall of new
snow, he is likely to experience misery far deeper than anything
with which he has hitherto been acquainted *
* The ascent of the Pointe des Ecrins has been made once since 1864, by a French
gentleman, named Vincent, with the Chamounix guides Jean Carrier and Alexandre
Tournier. They followed our route, but reversed it ; that is to say, ascended by the
western, and descended by the eastern arete.
The best course to adopt in future attacks on the mountain, would be to bring a
ladder, or some other means of passing the bergschrund, in its centre, immediately
under the summit. One could then proceed directly upwards, and so avoid the labour
and difficulties which are inevitable upon any ascent by way of the aretes.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/266]]==
CHAPTER X.
FROM VAL LOUISE TO LA BERARDE BY THE COL DE P1LATTE.*
" How pleasant it is for him who is saved to remember his danger."
Euripides.
From Ailefroide to Claux, but for the path, travel would be scarcely
more easy than over the Pre de Madame Carle* The valley is
strewn with immense masses of gneiss, from the size of a large
house downwards, and it is only occasionally that rock in situ is
seen, so covered up is it up by the debris, which seems to have
been derived almost entirely from the neighbouring cliffs.*)"
It was Sunday, a " day most calm and bright." Golden sun-
light had dispersed the clouds, and was glorifying the heights, and
we forgot hunger through the brilliancy of the morning and beauty
of the mountains.
We meant the 26th to be a day of rest, but it was little that we
found in the cabaret of Claude Giraud, and we fled before the babel
of sound which rose in intensity as men descended to a depth which
is unattainable by the beasts of the field, and found at the chalets
of Entraigues \ the peace that had been denied to us at Val Louise.
* For route, see map in chap. ix.
j About half-a-mile above Claux there is a precipitous fall in the valley, and
there (where the bed rock is too steep to allow debris to accumulate) roches mouton-
nees can be seen. At the same place the torrent of Aile Froide falls by some steep
rapids through a wall-sided gorge, and the former eddyings of the water can be
traced high up upon the cliffs.
J The path from Ville de Val Louise to Entraigues is good and well shaded by
luxuriant foliage. The valley (d'Entraigues) is narrow ; bordered by fine cliffs ; and
closed at its western end by a noble block of mountains, which looks much higher
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/267]]==
chap. x. ARRIVAL OF AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE. 223
Again we were received with the most cordial hospitality.
Everything that was eatable or drinkable was brought out and
pressed upon us ; every little curiosity was exhibited ; every in-
formation that could be afforded was given ; and when we retired
to our clean straw, we again congratulated each other that we had
escaped from the foul den which is where a good inn should be,
and had cast in our lot with those who dwell in chalets. Very
luxurious that straw seemed after two nights upon quartz pebbles
and glacier mud, and I felt quite aggrieved (expecting it was the
summons for departure) when, about midnight, the heavy wooden
door creaked on its hinges, and a man hem'd and ha'd to attract
attention ; but when it whispered, " Monsieur Edvard," I per-
ceived my mistake, — it was our Pelvoux companion, Monsieur
Keynaud, the excellent agent-voyer of La Bessee.
Monsieur Keynaud had been invited to accompany us on the
excursion that is described in this chapter, but had arrived at Val
Louise after we had left, and had energetically pursued us during
the night. Our idea was that a pass might be made over the
high ridge called (on the French map) CrSte de Ba3ufs Eouges,*
near to the peak named Les Bans, which might be the shortest
route in time (as it certainly would be in distance) from Val
Louise, across the Central Dauphine Alps. We had seen the
northern (or Pilatte) side from the Breche de la Meije, and it
seemed to be practicable at one place near the above-mentioned
mountain. More than that could not be told at a distance of
than it is. The highest point (the Pic de Bonvoisin) is 11,500 feet. Potatoes, peas, and
other vegetables, are grown at Entraigues (5284 feet), although the situation of the
chalets is bleak, and cut off from the sun.
The Combe (or Vallon) de la Selle joins the main valley at Entraigues, and one
can pass from the former by the little-known Col de Loup (immediately to the south
of the Pic de Bonvoisin) into the Val Godemar. Two other passes, both of consider-
able height, lead from the head of the Yallon de la Selle into the valleys of Champo-
leon and Argentiere.
r This, like many other names given to mountains and glaciers on sheet 189, is
not a local name, or, at least, is not one that is in common use.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/268]]==
224 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. x.
eleven miles. We intended to try to hit a point on the ridge
immediately above the part where it seemed to be easiest.
We left Entraignes at 3.30 on the morning of June 27, and
proceeded, over very gently-inclined ground; towards the foot of
the Pic de Bonvoisin (following in fact the route of the Col de
Sellar, which leads from the Val Louise into the Val Godemar) ;*
and at 5 A.M., finding that there was no chance of obtaining a view
from the bottom of the valley of the ridge over which our route
was to be taken, sent Aimer up the lower slopes of the Bonvoisin
to reconnoitre. He telegraphed that we might proceed ; and at
5.45 we quitted the snow-beds at the bottom of the valley for
the slopes which rose towards the north.
The course was N.N. W., and was prodigiously steep. In less than
two miles' difference of latitude we rose one mile of absolute height.
But the route was so far from being an exceptionally difficult one,
that at 10.45 we stood on the summit of the pass, having made an
ascent of more than 5000 feet in five hours, inclusive of halts.
Upon sheet 189 of the Trench map a glacier is laid down on
the south of the Crete des Boeufs Bouges, extending along the
entire length of the ridge, at its foot, from east to west. In 1864
this glacier did not exist as one glacier, but in the place where it
should have been there were several small ones, all of which were,
I believe, separated from each other/)"
We commenced the ascent from the Val d'Entraigues, to the
west of the most western of these small glaciers, and quitted the
valley by the first great gap in its cliffs after that glacier was
passed. We did not take to the ice until it afforded an easier route
than the rocks ; then (8.30) Croz went to the front, and led with
* The height of Col de Sellar (or de Celar) is 10,073 feet (Forbes). I was told
by peasants at Entraigues that sheep and goats can be easily taken across it.
f See map on p. 202. It is perhaps just possible, although improbable, that
these little glaciers were united together at the time that the survey was made.
Since then the glaciers of Dauphine (as throughout the Alps generally) have shrunk
very considerably. A notable diminution took place in their size in 1869, which
was attributed by the natives to the very heavy rains of that year.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/269]]==
CHAP. X.
ON SNOW COULOIRS.
225
admirable skill through a
maze of crevasses up to
the foot of a great snow
couloir, that rose from the
head of the glacier to the
summit of the ridge over
which we had to pass.
We had settled before-
hand in London, without
knowing anything what-
ever about the place, that
such a couloir as this
should be in this angle ;
but when we got into
the Val d'Entraigues, and
found that it was not pos-
sible to see into the cor-
ner, our faith in its exist-
ence became less and less,
until the telegraphing of
Aimer, who was sent up the
opposite slopes to search
for it, assured us that we
were true prophets.
Snow couloirs are no-
thing; more or less than
w, yMPhR, sc
A SNOW COULOIR.
2 G
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/270]]==
226 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. x.
gullies partly filled by snow. They are most useful institutions,
and may be considered as natural highways placed, by a kind Pro-
vidence, in convenient situations for getting over places which
would otherwise be inaccessible. They are a joy to the moun-
taineer, and, from afar, assure him of a path when all beside is
uncertain ; but they are grief to novices, who, when upon steep
snow, are usually seized with two notions — first, that the snow will
slip, and secondly, that those who are upon it must slip too.
Nothing, perhaps, could look much more unpromising to those
who do not know the virtues of couloirs than such a place as the
engraving represents,* and if persons inexperienced in mountain
craft had occasion to cross a ridge or to climb rocks, in which there
were such couloirs, they would instinctively avoid them. But prac-
tised mountaineers would naturally look to them for a path, and
would follow them almost as a matter of course, unless they turned
out to be filled with ice, or too much swept by falling stones, or
the rock at the sides proved to be of such an exceptional character
as to afford an easier path than the snow.
Couloirs look prodigiously steep when seen from the front, and,
so viewed, it is impossible to be certain of their inclination within
many degrees. Snow, however, does actually lie at steeper angles
in couloirs than in any other situations ; — 45° to 50° degrees is not
an uncommon inclination. Even at such angles, two men with
proper axes can mount on snow at the rate of 700 to 800 feet per
hour. The same amount can only be accomplished in the same
time on steep rocks when they are of the very easiest character,
and four or five hours may be readily spent upon an equal
height of difficult rocks. Snow couloirs are therefore to be com-
mended because they economise time.
Of course, in all gullies, one is liable to be encountered by fall-
ing stones. Most of those which fall from the rocks of a couloir,
* This drawing was made to illustrate the remarks which follow. It docs not re-
present any particular couloir, but it would serve, tolerably well, as a portrait of the
one which we ascended when crossing the Col de Pilatte.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/271]]==
chap. x. MONSIE UR RE YNA UD. 227
sooner or later spin down the snow which fills the trough ; and, as
their course and pace are more clearly apparent when falling over
snow than when jumping from ledge to ledge, persons with lively
imaginations are readily impressed by them. The grooves which
are usually seen wandering down the length of snow couloirs are
deepened (and, perhaps, occasionally originated) by falling stones,
and they are sometimes pointed out by cautious men as reasons
why couloirs should not be followed. I think they are very fre-
quently only gutters, caused by water trickling off the rocks.
Whether this is so or not, one should always consider the possi-
bility of being struck by falling stones, and, in order to lessen the
risk as far as possible, should mount upon the sides of the snow,
and not up its centre. Stones that come off the rocks then fly over
one's head, or bound down the middle of the trough at a safe distance.
At 9.30 a.m. we commenced the ascent of the couloir leading
from the nameless glacier to a point in the ridge, just to the east
of Mont Bans.* So far the route had been nothing more than a
steep grind in an angle where little could be seen, but now views
opened out in several directions, and the way began to be interest-
ing. It was more so, perhaps, to us than to our companion M.
Eeynaud, who had no rest in the last night. He was, moreover,
heavily laden. Science was to be regarded — his pockets were
stuffed with books; heights and angles were to be observed — his
knapsack was filled with instruments ; hunger was to be guarded
against — his shoulders were ornamented with a huge nimbus of
bread, and a leg of mutton swung behind from his knapsack, look-
ing like an overgrown tail. Like a good-hearted fellow, he had
brought this food, thinking we might be in need of it. As it hap-
pened, we were well provided for, and having our own packs to
carry, could not relieve him of his superfluous burdens, which,
naturally, he did not like to throw away. As the angles steepened,
The upper part of the southern side of the Col de Pilatte, and the small glaciers
spoken of on p. 224, can be seen from the high road leading from Briancon to Mont
Dauphin, between the 12th and 13th kilometre stones (from Briancon).
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/272]]==
228 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. x.
the strain on his strength became more and more apparent. At
last he began to groan. At first a most gentle and mellow groan ;
bnt as we rose so did his groans, till at last the cliffs were groaning
in echo, and we were moved to laughter.
Croz cnt the way with unflagging energy throughout the whole
of the ascent, and at 10.45 we stood on the summit of our pass,
intending to refresh ourselves with a good halt ; but just at that
moment a mist, which had been playing about the ridge, swooped
down and blotted out the whole of the view on the northern side.
Croz was the only one who caught a glimpse of the descent, and it
was deemed advisable to push on immediately while its recollection
was fresh in his memory. We are consequently unable to tell
anything about the summit of the pass, except that it lies imme-
diately to the east of Mont Bans, and is elevated about 11,300 feet
above the level of the sea. It is the highest pass in Dauphine.
We called it the Col de Pilatte.
We commenced to descend towards the Glacier de Pilatte by a
slope of smooth ice, the face of which, according to the measure-
ment of Mr. Moore, had an inclination of 54° ! Croz still led, and
the others followed at intervals of about 15 feet, all being tied
together, and Aimer occupying the responsible position of last
man : the two guides were therefore about 70 feet apart. They
were quite invisible to each other from the mist, and looked spectral
even to us. But the strong man could be heard by all hewing out
the steps below, while every now and then the voice of the steady
man pierced the cloud, — " Slip not, dear sirs ; place well your feet :
stir not until you are certain."
For three quarters of an hour we progressed in this fashion.
The axe of Croz all at once stopped. " What is the matter, Croz ?"
" Bergschrund, gentlemen." " Can we get over?" "Upon my
word, I don't know ; I think we must jump." The clouds rolled
away right and left as he spoke. The effect was dramatic ! It was
a coup de thMtre, preparatory to the ' great sensation leap ' which
was about to be executed by the entire company.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/273]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/274]]==
'WE SAW A TOE - IT SEEMED TO BELONG TO MOORE ■ WE SAW REYNAUD A FLYING BODY.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/275]]==
chap. x. REYNAUD COMES OVER THE SCHRUND. 229
Some unseen cause, some cliff or obstruction in the rocks
underneath, had caused our wall of ice to split into two portions,
and the huge fissure which had thus been formed extended, on each
hand, as far as could be seen. We, on the slope above, were sepa-
rated from the slope below by a mighty crevasse. No running up
and down to look for an easier place to cross could be done on an
ice-slope of 54° ; the chasm had to be passed then and there.
A downward jump of 15 or 16 feet, and a forward leap of 7 or 8
feet had to be made at the same time. That is not much, you will
say. It was not much ; it was not the quantity, but it was the
quality of the jump which gave to it its particular flavour. You
had to hit a narrow ridge of ice. If that was passed, it seemed as
if you might roll down for ever and ever. If it was not attained,
you dropped into the crevasse below, which, although partly choked
by icicles and snow that had fallen from above, was still gaping in
many places, ready to receive an erratic body.
Croz untied Walker in order to get rope enough, and warning us
to hold fast, sprang over the chasm. He alighted cleverly on his
feet ; untied himself and sent up the rope to Walker, who followed
his example. It was then my turn, and I advanced to the edge of
the ice. The second which followed was what is called a supreme
moment. That is to say, I felt supremely ridiculous. The world
seemed to revolve at a frightful pace, and my stomach to fly away.
The next moment I found myself sprawling in the snow, and then,
of course, vowed that it was nothing, and prepared to encourage my
friend Eeynaud.
He came to the edge and made declarations. I do not believe
that he was a whit more reluctant to pass the place than we others,
but he was infinitely more demonstrative, — in a word, he was
French. He wrung his hands, " Oh ! what a diable of a place ! "
:< It is nothing, Eeynaud," I said, " it is nothing." " Jump," cried
the others, "jump." But he turned round, as far as one can do
such a thing in an ice-step, and covered his face with his hands,
ejaculating, " Upon my word, it is not possible. No ! no ! ! no ! ! !
it is not possible."
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/276]]==
230 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. x.
How he came over I do not know. We saw a toe — it seemed
to belong to Moore ; we saw lieynaud a flying body, coming down
as if taking a header into water ; with arms and legs all abroad, his
leg of mutton flying in the air, his baton escaped from his grasp ;
and then we heard a thud as if a bundle of carpets had been
pitched out of a window. When set upon his feet he was a sorry
spectacle ; his head was a great snowball ; brandy was trickling
out of one side of the knapsack, chartreuse out of the other — we
bemoaned its loss, but we roared with laughter.
This chapter has already passed the limits within which it
should have been confined, but I cannot close it without paying
tribute to the ability with which Croz led us, through a dense mist,
down the remainder of the Glacier de Pilatte. As an exhibition of
strength and skill, it has probably never been surpassed in the Alps
or elsewhere. On this almost unknown and very steep glacier, he
was perfectly at home, even in the mists. Never able to see fifty
feet ahead, he still went on with the utmost certainty, and without
having to retrace a single step ; and displayed from first to last
consummate knowledge of the materials with which he was dealing.
Now he cut steps down one side of a serac, went with a dash at the
other side, and hauled us up after him ; then cut away along a
ridge until a point was gained from which we could jump on to
another ridge ; then, doubling back, found a snow-bridge, across
which he crawled on hands and knees, towed us across by the legs,
ridiculing our apprehensions, mimicking our awkwardness, declin-
ing all help, bidding us only to follow him.
About 1 p.m. we emerged from the mist and found ourselves
just arrived upon the level portion of the glacier, having, as Key-
naud properly remarked, come down as quickly as if there had not
been any mist at all. Then we attacked the leg of mutton which
my friend had so thoughtfully brought with him, and afterwards
raced down, with renewed energy, to La Berarde.
Eeynaud and I walked together to St. Christophe, where we
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/277]]==
chap. x. THE LAST OF DAUPHIN E. 231
parted. Since then we have talked over the doings of this moment-
ous day ; and I know that he would not, for a good deal, have
missed the passage of the Col de Pilatte, although we failed to make
it an easier or a shorter route than the Col du Sele. I rejoined
Moore and Walker, the same evening, at Yenos, and on the next
day went with them over the Lautaret road to the hospice on its
summit, where we slept.
So our little campaign in Dauphine came to an end. It was re-
markable for the absence of failures, and for the ease and precision
with which all our plans were carried out. This was clue very
much to the spirit of my companions ; but it was also owing to the
fine weather which we were fortunate enough to enjoy, and to our
making a very early start every morning. By beginning our work
at or before the break of day, on the longest days in the year, we
were not only able to avoid hurrying when deliberation w T as de-
sirable, but could afford to spend several hours in delightful ease
whenever the fancy seized us.
I cannot too strongly recommend to tourists in search of
amusement to avoid the inns of Dauphine. Sleep in the chalets.
Get what food you can from the inns, but by no means attempt to
pass a night in them * Sleep in them you cannot. M. Joanne says
that the inventor of the insecticide powder was a native of Dau-
phine. I can well believe it. He must have often felt the
necessity of such an invention in his infancy and childhood.
On June 29 I crossed the Col du Galibier to St. Michel ;
on the 30th, the Col des Encombres to Moutiers ; on July 1, the
Col du Bonhomme to Contamines ; and on the 2d, by the Pavilion
de Belle vue to Chamounix, where I joined Mr. Adams-Eeilly
to take part in some expeditions which had been planned long
before.
* A pound of Liebig's extract and a few pounds of chocolate are all that need be
taken in the way of food ; the rest can be obtained on the spot.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/278]]==
CHAPTEE XT.
PASSAGE OF THE COL DE TRIOLET, AND ASCENTS OF MONT DOLENT,
AIGUILLE DE TRELAT&TE, AND AIGUILLE D'ARGENTIERE.
<; Nothing binds men so closely together as agreement in plans and desires."
Cicero.
Ten years ago very few persons knew from personal knowledge
how extremely inaccurately the chain of Mont Blanc was de-
lineated. During the previous half-century thousands had made
the tour of the chain, and in that time at least one thousand indi-
viduals had stood upon its highest summit ; but out of all this
number there was not one capable, willing, or able, to map the
mountain which, until recently, was regarded the highest in
Europe.
Many persons knew that great blunders had been perpetrated,
and it was notorious that even Mont Blanc itself was represented
in a ludicrously incorrect manner on all sides excepting the north ;
but there was not, perhaps, a single individual who knew, at the
time to which I refer, that errors of no less than 1000 feet had
been committed in the determination of heights at each end of the
chain ; that some glaciers were represented of double their real
dimensions ; and that ridges and mountains were laid clown which
actually had no existence.
One portion alone of the entire chain had been surveyed at the
time of which I speak with anything like accuracy. It was not
done (as one Avould have expected) by a Government, but by a
private individual, — by the British De Saussure, — the late J.
]). Forbes. In the year 1842, he "made a special survey of the
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/279]]==
chap. xi. MAPS OF MONT BLANO. 233
Mer de Glace of Chamounix and its tributaries, which, in some of
the following years, he extended by further observations, so as to
include the Glacier des Bossons." The map produced from this
survey was worthy of its author ; and subsequent explorers of the
region he investigated have been able to detect only trivial inac-
curacies in his work.
The district surveyed by Forbes remained a solitary bright spot
in a region where all besides was darkness until the year 1861.
Praiseworthy attempts were made by different hands to throw light
upon the gloom, but the efforts were ineffectual, and showed how
labour may be thrown away by a number of observers working
independently, without the direction of a single head.
In 1861, Sheet xxii. of Dufour's Map of Switzerland appeared.
It included the section of the chain of Mont Blanc that belonged
to Switzerland, and this portion of the sheet was executed with the
admirable fidelity and thoroughness which characterise the whole
of Dufour's unique map. The remainder of the chain (amount-
ing to about four-fifths of the whole) was laid down after the
work of previous topographers, and its wretchedness was made more
apparent by contrast with the finished work of the Swiss surveyors.
Strong hands were needed to complete the survey, and it was
not long before the right men appeared.
In 1863, Mr. Adams-Eeilly, who had been travelling in the
Alps during several years, resolved to attempt a survey of the un-
surveyed portions of the chain of Mont Blanc. He provided him-
self with a good theodolite, and starting from a base-line measured
by Forbes in the Valley of Chamounix, determined the positions of
no less than 200 points. The accuracy of his work may be judged
from the fact that, after having turned many corners and carried
his observations over a distance of fifty, miles, his Col Ferret " fell
within 200 yards of the position assigned to it by General Dufour !"
In the winter of 1863 and the spring of 1864, Mr. Beilly con-
structed an entirely original map from his newly-acquired data.
The spaces between his trigonometrically-determined points he
2 H
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/280]]==
234 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xi.
filled in after photographs, and a series of panoramic sketches which
he made from his different stations. The map so produced was
an immense advance upon those already in existence, and it was
the first which exhibited the great peaks in their proper positions.
This extraordinary piece of work revealed Mr. Eeilly to me as a
man of wonderful determination and perseverance. With very
small hope that my proposal would be accepted, I invited him to
take part in renewed attacks on the Matterhorn. He entered
heartily into my plans, and met me with a counter-proposition,
namely, that I should accompany him on some expeditions which
he had projected in the chain of Mont Blanc. The unwritten con-
tract took this form : — I will help you to carry out your desires, and
you shall assist me to carry out mine. I eagerly closed with an
arrangement in which all the advantages were upon my side.
At the time that Mr. Eeilly was carrying on his survey, Captain
Mieulet was executing another in continuation of the great map of
France ; for about one-half of the chain of Mont Blanc (including
the whole of the Valley of Chamounix) had recently become French
once more. Captain Mieulet was directed to survey up to his
frontier only, and the sheet which was destined to include his
work was to be engraved, of course, upon the scale of the rest of
the map, viz., swo o" of nature. But upon representations being
made at head-quarters that it would be of great advantage to ex-
tend the survey as far as Cormayeur, Captain Mieulet was directed
to continue his observations into the south (or Italian) side of the
chain. A special sheet on the scale of two o was promptly en-
graved from the materials he accumulated, and was published in
1865, by order of the late Minister of War, Marshal Bandon* This
sheet was admirably executed, but it included the central portion
of the chain only, and a complete map was still wanting.
Mr. Eeilly presented his MS. map to the English Alpine Club.
It was resolved that it should be published ; but before it passed
* Under the title of Massif du Mont Blanc, cxtrait dcs minutes cle la Carte dc France,
leve par M. Mieulet, Capitainc cVEtat Major.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/281]]==
chap. xi. THE CHAIN OF MONT BLANO. 235
into the engraver's hands its author undertook to revise it carefully.
To this end he planned a number of expeditions to high points
which up to that time had been regarded inaccessible, and it
was upon some of these ascents he invited me to accompany
him.*
Before I pass on to these expeditions (which will be described
very briefly, as I hope that Mr. Eeilly himself will publish an
account of his remarkable explorations), it will be convenient to
devote a few paragraphs to the topography of the chain of Mont
Blanc.f
At the present time the chain is divided betwixt France,
Switzerland, and Italy. France has the lion's share, Switzerland
the most fertile portion, and Italy the steepest side. It has acquired
a reputation which is not extraordinary, but which is not wholly
merited. It has neither the beauty of the Oberland, nor the
sublimity of Dauphine. But it attracts the vulgar by the
possession of the highest summit in the Alps. If that is removed,
the elevation of the chain is in nowise remarkable. In fact,
excluding Mont Blanc itself, the mountains of which the chain is
made up are less important than those of the Oberland and the
central Pennine groups. The following table will afford a ready
means of comparison.^
* Mr. Keilly's map was published on a scale of ^^ in 1865, at the cost of the
Alpine Club, under the title The Chain of Mont Blanc.
t See the map of the chain of Mont Blanc at the end of the volume.
This map has-been drawn after the surveys of Mieulet, Dufour, and Reilly. To
assist in its production, the Depot de la Guerre at Paris most liberally furnished me
with special copies of Captain Mieulet's map. These were reduced, by photograiDhy,
to the scale of ^^, which is the same as that of Dufour's map. The Swiss portion
of the chain was then fitted on to the reduction. Photographic reductions of the
basin of the Glacier du Tour and of the whole of that portion of the chain which lies
to the west of the southern Glacier de Miage and to the south of the Glacier de
Trelatete were then added from Mr. Reilly' s map. The nomenclature of these
authorities has been strictly followed. It may be remarked, however, that Captain
Mieulet has departed, in many instances, from the spelling in common use.
X The heights (in metres) are after Captain Mieulet.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/282]]==
236
SCRAMBLES A
MONGST
THE ALPS.
CHAP. XI
Metres.
Eng. feet.*
i.
Mont Blanc
4810 =
: 15,781
2.
Grandes Jorasses
4206
13,800
3.
Aiguille Verte
4127
13,540
4.
»
de Bionnassay
4061
13,324
5.
Les Droites
4030 .
13,222
6.
Aiguille clu Geant .
4010
13,157
7.
>)
de Trelatete, No.
:}
3932
12,900
j>
55 55
3904
12,809
55
55 55
3896
12,782
8.
5)
d'Argentiere
3901
12,799
9.
55
de Triolet
3879
12,726
10.
55
du Midi .
3843
12,608
11.
55
du Glacier
3834
. 12,579
12.
Mont Dolent
3830
12,566
13.
Aiguille du Chardonnet
3823
. 12,543
14.
55
du Dm
3815
. 12,517
15.
55
de Miage .
3680
12,074
16.
55
du Plan
3673
12,051
17.
55
de Blaitiere
3533
. 11,591
18.
55
des Charmoz
3442
11,293
The frontier-line follows the main ridge. Very little of it can
be seen from the Valley of Chamounix, and from the village itself
two small strips only are visible (amounting to scarcely three miles
in length), viz. from the summit of Mont Blanc to the Dome du
Gouter, and in the neighbourhood of the Col de Balme. All the
rest is concealed by outlying ridges and by mountains of secondary
importance.
Mont Blanc itself is bounded by the two glaciers of Miage, the
glaciers de la Brenva and du Geant, the Val Veni and the Valley
of Chamounix. A long ridge runs out towards the N.N.E. from
the summit, through Mont Maudit, to the Aiguille du Midi.
Another ridge proceeds towards the N.W., through the Bosse du
Dromadaire to the Dome du Gouter ; this then divides into two,
of which one continues N.W. to the Aiguille du Gouter, the other
* Some of these heights have no business to figure in a list of the principal peaks
of the chain, being nothing more than teeth or pinnacles in ridges, or portions of
higher mountains. Such, for example, are the Aiguilles du Geant, du Dru, and de
Bionnassay.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/283]]==
chap. xi. PEAKS OF THE CHAIN OF MONT BLANC. 237
(which is a part of the main ridge of the chain) towards the W.
to the Aiguille de Bionnassay. The two routes which are
commonly followed for the ascent of Mont Blanc lie between these
two principal ridges — one leading from Chamounix, via the Grands
Mulets, the other from the village of Bionnassay, via the Aiguille
and Dome du Gouter .*
The ascent of Mont Blanc has been made from several direc-
tions besides these, and perhaps there is no single point of the
compass from which the mountain cannot be ascended. But
there is not the least probability that any one will discover easier
ways to the summit than those already known.
I believe it is correct to say that the Aiguille du Midi and the
Aiguille de Miage were the only two summits in the chain of
Mont Blanc which had been ascended at the beginning of 1864t
The latter of these two is a perfectly insignificant point ; and the
former is only a portion of one of the ridges just now mentioned,
and can hardly be regarded as a mountain separate and distinct
from Mont Blanc. The really great peaks of the chain were
considered inaccessible, and, I think, with the exception of the
Aiguille Verte, had never been assailed.
The finest, as well as the highest peak in the chain (after
Mont Blanc itself), is the Grandes Jorasses. The next, without a
doubt, is the Aiguille Verte. The Aiguille de Bionnassay, which
in actual height follows the Verte, should be considered as a part
of Mont Blanc ; and in the same way the summit called Les
Droites is only a part of the ridge which culminates in the Verte.
The Aiguille de Trelatete is the next on the list that is entitled
to be considered a separate mountain, and is by far the most
important peak (as well as the highest) at the south-west end of
the chain. Then comes the Aiguille d'Argentiere, which occupies
the same rank at the north-east end as the last-mentioned mountain
does in the south-west. The rest of the aiguilles are comparatively
insignificant ; and although some of them (such as the Mont
* These routes are laid down on the Map. f Besides Mont Blanc itself.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/284]]==
238 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xi.
Dolent) look well from low elevations, and seem to possess a certain
importance, they sink into their proper places directly one arrives
at a considerable altitude.
The summit of the Aiguille Verte would have been one of the
best stations out of all these mountains for the purposes of my
friend. Its great height, and its isolated and commanding position,
make it a most admirable point for viewing the intricacies of the
chain ; but he exercised a wise discretion in passing it by, and in
selecting as our first excursion the passage of the Col de Triolet .*
We slept under some big rocks on the Couvercle on the night
of July 7, with the thermometer at 2 6 '5 Faht., and at 4*30 on the
8th made a straight track to the north of the Jardin, and thence
went in zigzags, to break the ascent, over the upper slopes of the
Glacier de Talefre towards the foot of the Aiguille de Triolet. Croz
was still my guide, Eeilly was accompanied by one of the Michel
Payots of Chamounix, and Henri Charlet, of the same place, was
our porter.
The way was over an undulating plain of glacier of moderate
inclination until the corner leading to the Col, from whence a steep
secondary glacier led down into the basin of the Talefre. We
experienced no difficulty in making the ascent of this secondary
glacier with such ice-men as Croz and Payot, and aX 7.50 a.m.
arrived on the top of the so-called pass, at a height, according to
Mieulet, of 12,162 feet, and 4530 above our camp on the Couvercle.
The descent was commenced by very steep, but firm, rocks, and
then by a branch of the Glacier de Triolet. Schrundst were abun-
dant ; there were no less than five extending completely across
the glacier, all of which had to be jumped. Not one was equal in
dimensions to the extraordinary chasm on the Col de Pilatte, but
* Previous to this we made an attempt to ascend the Aiguille d'Argentiere, and
were defeated by a violent wind when within a hundred feet of the summit. It is
more convenient to refer to this expedition at the end of the chapter.
t Great crevasses. A bergschrund is a schrund, but something more. (See
Chap, xiv.)
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/285]]==
chap. XI. THE COL DE TRIOLET. 239
in the aggregate they far surpassed it. " Our lives/' so Eeilly ex-
pressed it, " were made a burden to us with schrunds."
Several spurs run out towards the south-east from the ridge at
the head of the Glacier de Triolet, and divide it into a number of
bays. We descended the most northern of these, and when we
emerged from it on to the open glacier, just at the junction of our
bay with the next one, there we came across a most beautiful ice-
arch, festooned with icicles, the decaying remnant of an old serac,
which stood, isolated, full 30 feet above the surface of the glacier !
It was an accident, and I have not seen its like elsewhere. When
I passed the spot in 1865 no vestige of it remained.
We nattered ourselves that we should arrive at the chalets of Pre
du Bar very early in the day ; but, owing to much time being lost
on the slopes of Mont Eouge, it was nearly 4 p.m. before we got to
them. There were no bridges across the torrent nearer than Gruetta,
and rather than descend so far, we preferred to round the base of
Mont Eouge, and to cross the snout of the Glacier du Mont Dolent.*
We occupied the 9th with the ascent of the Mont Dolent.
This was a miniature ascent. It contained a little of everything.
First we went up to the Col Ferret (No. 1), and had a little grind
over shaly banks ; then there was a little walk over grass ; then
a little tramp over a moraine (which, strange to say, gave a plea-
sant path) ; then a little zigzagging over the snow-covered glacier
of Mont Dolent. Then there was a little bergschrund ; then a little
wall of snow, — which we mounted by the side of a little buttress ;
and when we struck the ridge descending S.E. from the summit, we
found a little arete of snow leading to the highest point. The
summit itself was little, — very small indeed ; it was the loveliest
little cone of snow that was ever piled up on mountain-top ; so
The passage of the Col de Triolet from the Couvercle to Pre du Bar occupied 8g
hours of actual walking. If it had been taken in the contrary direction it would
have consumed a much longer time. It gave a route shorter than any known at the
time between Chamounix and the St. Bernard. As a pass I cannot conscientiously
recommend it to any one (see Chap, xix.), nor am I desirous to go again over the
moraine on the left bank of the Glacier de Triolet, or the rocks of Mont Rouge.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/286]]==
240 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xi.
soft, so pure ; it seemed a crime to defile it ; it was a miniature
Jungfrau, a toy summit, you could cover it with the hand *
But there was nothing little about the view from the Mont
Dolent. [Situated at the junction of three mountain ridges, it rises
in a positive steeple far above anything in its immediate neighbour-
hood ; and certain gaps in the surrounding ridges, which seem
contrived for that especial purpose, extend the view in almost every
direction. The precipices which descend to the Glacier d'Argentiere
I can only compare to those of the Jungfrau, and the ridges on both
sides of that glacier, especially the steep rocks of Les Droites and
Les Courtes, surmounted by the sharp snow-peak of the Aig. Verte,
have almost the effect of the Grandes Jorasses. Then, framed, as
it were, between the massive tower of the Aig. de Triolet and the
more distant Jorasses, lies, without exception, the most delicately
beautiful picture I have ever seen — the whole massif of Mont Blanc,
raising its great head of snow far above the tangled series of flying
buttresses which uphold the Monts Maudits, supported on the left
by Mont Peuteret and by the mass of ragged aiguilles which over-
hang the Brenva. This aspect of Mont Blanc is not new, but from
this point its pose is unrivalled, and it has all the superiority of a
picture grouped by the hand of a master. . . . The view is as
extensive, and far more lovely than that from Mont Blanc itself.] t
We went down to Cormayeur, and on the afternoon of July 10
started from that place to camp on Mont Sue, for the ascent of the
Aiguille de Trelat^te ; hopeful that the mists which were hanging
about would clear away. They did not, so we deposited ourselves,
and a vast load of straw, on the moraine of the Miage Glacier, just
above the Lac de Combal, in a charming little hole which some
solitary shepherd had excavated beneath a great slab of rock. We
spent the night there, and the whole of the next day, unwilling
* The ascent of Mont Dolent and return to Pre du Bar (inclusive of halts) occu-
pied less than 11 hours.
+ The bracketed paragraphs in this chapter are extracted from the notes of Mr.
Reilly.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/287]]==
CHAP. XL
PATIENCE PASSE SCIENCE. 1
241
to run away, and equally so to get into difficulties by venturing
into the mist. It was a dull time, and I
grew restless. Eeilly read to me a lecture
on the excellence of patience, and composed
himself in an easy attitude, to pore over the
pages of a yellow-covered book. " Patience,"
I said to him viciously, " comes very easily
to fellows who have shilling novels ; but I
have not got one ; I have picked all the mud out of the nails of
my boots, and have skinned my face ; what
shall I do ?" " Go and study the moraine
of the Miage," said he. I went, and came
back after an hour. " What news ? " cried
Eeilly, raising himself on his elbow. "Very
little ; it's a big moraine, bigger than I
thought, with ridge outside ridge, like a fortified camp ; and there
are walls upon it which have been built
and loop-holed, as if for defence. " Try
again," he said, as he threw himself on his
back. But I went to Croz, who was asleep,
and tickled his nose with a straw until
he awoke ; and then, as that amusement was played out, watched
Eeilly, who was getting numbed, and shifted c
uneasily from side to side, and threw him-
self on his stomach, and rested his head
on his elbows, and lighted his pipe and
puffed at it savagely. When I looked again,
how was Eeilly? An indistinguishable
heap ; arms, legs, head, stones, and straw, all mixed together, his
hat flung on one side, his novel tossed far
away ! Then I went to him, and read him
a lecture on the excellence of patience.
Bah ! it was a dull time. Our moun-
tain, like a beautiful coquette, sometimes
unveiled herseK for a moment, and looked charming above, although
2 i
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/288]]==
'242
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XI.
very mysterious below. It was not until eventide she allowed
us to approach her ; then, as darkness came on, the curtains were
withdrawn, the light drapery was lifted, and we stole up on tiptoe
through the grand portal framed by Mont Sue. But night advanced
rapidly, and we found ourselves left out in the cold, without a hole
to creep into or shelter from overhanging rock. We might have
fared badly, except for our good plaids. But when they were
A 8#^ !
OUR CAMP ON MONT SUC. '
sewn together down their long edges, and one end tossed over our
rope (which was passed round some rocks), and the other secured
by stones, there was sufficient protection ; and we slept on this
exposed ridge, 9700 feet above the level of the sea, more soundly,
perhaps, than if we had been lying on feather beds.
We left our bivouac at 4.45 a.m., and at 9.40 arrived upon the
* From a sketch by Mr. Adams-RciUy. This camp was immediately at the foot
of the snow seen upon the map to the N. W. of the words Mont Sue.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/289]]==
chap. xr. VIEW FROM AIGUILLE BE TRELATETE. 243
highest of the three summits of the Trelatete, by passing over the
lowest one. It was well above everything at this end of the chain,
and the view from it was extraordinarily magnificent. The whole of
the western face of Mont Blanc was spread out before us ; we were
the first by whom it had been ever seen. I cede the description of
this view to my comrade, to whom it rightfully belongs.
[For four years I had felt great interest in the geography of the
chain ; the year before I had mapped, more or less successfully, all
but this spot, and this spot had always eluded my grasp. The
praises, undeserved as they were, which my map had received,
were as gall and wormwood to me when I thought of that great
slope which I had been obliged to leave a blank, speckled over
with unmeaning dots of rock, gathered from previous maps — for I
had consulted them all without meeting an intelligible representa-
tion of it. From the surface of the Miage glacier I had gained
nothing, for I could only see the feet of magnificent ice-streams,
but no more ; but now, from the top of the dead wall of rock
which had so long closed my view, I saw those fine glaciers from
top to bottom, pouring down their streams, nearly as large as the
Bossons, from Mont Blanc, from the Bosse, and from the Dome.
The head of Mont Blanc is supported on this side by two but-
tresses, between which vast glaciers descend. Of these the most
southern* takes its rise at the foot of the precipices which fall
steeply down from the Calotte,"!* and its stream, as it joins that of
the Miage, is cut in two by an enormous vognon of rock. Next, to
the left, comes the largest of the buttresses of which I have spoken,
almost forming an aiguille in itself. The next glacier | descends
from a large basin which receives the snows of the summit-ridge
between the Bosse and the Dome, and it is divided from the third
and last glacier § by another buttress, which joins the summit-ridge
at a point between the Dome and the Aig. de Bionnassay.]
* This glacier is named on the map Glacier du Mont Blanc.
t The Calotte is the name given to the dome of snow at the summit of Mont
Blanc. % Glacier du Dome. § This is without a name.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/290]]==
244 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xi.
The great buttresses betwixt these magnificent ice-streams have
supplied a large portion of the enormous masses of debris which
are disposed in ridges round about, and are strewn over, the ter-
mination of the Glacier de Miage in the Val Veni. These moraines*
used to be classed amongst the wonders of the world. They are
very large for a glacier of the size of the Miage.
The dimensions of moraines are not ruled by those of glaciers.
Many small glaciers have large moraines,*)" and many large ones
have small moraines. The size of the moraines of any glacier
depends mainly upon the area of rock surface that is exposed to
atmospheric influences within the basin drained by the glacier ;
upon the nature of such rock, — whether it is friable or resistant ;
and upon the dip of strata. Moraines most likely will be small if
little rock surface is exposed ; but when large ones are seen, then,
in all probability, large areas of rock, uncovered by snow or ice,
will be found in immediate contiguity to the glacier. The Miage
glacier has large ones, because it receives detritus from many great
cliffs and ridges. But if this glacier, instead of lying, as it does, at
the bottom of a trough, were to fill that trough, if it were to com-
pletely envelope the Aiguille de Trelatete, and the other moun-
tains which border it, and were to descend from Mont Blanc
unbroken by rock or ridge, it would be as destitute of morainic
matter as the great Mer cle Glace of Greenland. For if a country or
district is completely covered up by glacier, the moraines may be of
the very smallest dimensions.^
The contributions that are supplied to moraines by glaciers
themselves, from the abrasion of the rocks over which their ice
* I do not know the origin of the term moraine. De Saussure says (vol. i. p. 380,
§ 536), "the peasants of Ohamoimix eall these heaps of debris the moraine of the
glacier." It maybe inferred from this that the term was a local one, peculiar to
Chamoimix.
t An example is referred to on p. 161. Much more remarkable cases might be
instanced.
X It is not usual to find small moraines to large glaciers fed by many branches
draining many different basins. That is, if the branches are draining basins which
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/291]]==
chap. xr. MORAINES DO NOT PROVE 'EXCAVATION: 245
passes, are minute compared with, the accumulations which are
furnished from other sources. These great rubbish-heaps are
formed, one may say almost entirely, from debris which falls,
or is washed down the flanks of mountains, or from cliffs bor-
dering glaciers ; and are composed, to a very limited extent
only, of matter that is ground, rasped, or filed off by the friction
of the ice.
If the contrary view were to be adopted, if it could be main-
tained that " glaciers, by their motion, break off masses of rock from
the sides and bottoms of their valley courses, and crowd along every
thing that is movable, so as to form large accumulations of debris
in front, and along their sides," * the conclusion could not be resisted,
the greater the glacier, the greater should be the moraine.
This doctrine does not find much, favour with those who have
personal knowledge of what glaciers do at the present time. From
De Saussuref downwards it has been pointed out, time after time,
that moraines are chiefly formed from debris coming from rocks or
soil above the ice, not from the bed over which it passes. But
amongst the writings of modern speculators upon glaciers and
glacier-action in bygone times, it is not uncommon to find the
notions entertained, that moraines represent the amount of excava-
tion (such is the term employed) performed by glaciers, or at least
are comprised of matter which has been excavated by glaciers ;
that vast moraines have necessarily been produced by vast glaciers ;
and that a great extension of glaciers — a glacial period — necessarily
causes the production of vast moraines. It is needless to cite more
are separated by mountain ridges, or which, at least, have islands of rock protruding
through the ice. The small moraines contributed by one affluent are balanced, pro-
bably, by great ones brought by another feeder.
Atlas of Physical Geography, by Augustus Petermann and the Rev. T. Milner.
The italics are not in the original.
+ "'The stones that are found upon the upper extremities of glaciers are of the
same nature as the mountains which rise above ; but, as the ice carries them down
into the valleys, they arrive between rocks of a totally different nature from their
own."— De Saussure, § 536.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/292]]==
24(5 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xi.
than one or two examples to show that such generalisations cannot
be sustained. Innumerable illustrations might be quoted.
In the chain of Mont Blanc one may compare the moraines of
the Miage with those of the Glacier d'Argentiere. The latter glacier
drains a basin equal to or exceeding that of the former ; but its
moraines are small compared with those of the former. More
notable still is the disparity of the moraines of the Gorner glacier
(that which receives so many branches from the neighbourhood of
Monte Eosa*), and of the Z'Muttgletscher. The area drained by
the Gorner greatly exceeds the basin of the Z'Mutt, yet the moraines
of the Z'Mutt are incomparably larger than those of the Gorner.
No one is likely to say that the Z'Mutt and Miage glaciers have
existed for a far greater length of time than the other pair ; an
explanation must be sought amongst the causes to which reference
has been made.
More striking still is it to see the great interior Mcr de Glace
of Greenland almost without moraines. This vast ice-plateau,
although smaller than it was in former times, is still so extensive
that the whole of the glaciers of the Alps might be merged into it
without its bulk being perceptibly increased. If the size of moraines
bore any sort of relation to the size of glaciers, the moraines of
Greenland should be far greater than those of the Alps.
This interior ice-reservoir of Greenland, enormous as it is, must
be considered as but the remnant of a mass which was incalculably
greater, and which is unparalleled at the present time outside the
Antarctic Circle. With the exception of localities where the rocks
are easy of disintegration, and the traces of glacier-action have been
to a great extent destroyed, the whole country bears the marks of
the grinding and polishing of ice ; and, judging by the flatness of
the curves of the roches moutonnees, and by the perfection of the
polish which still remains upon the rocks after the}' have sustained
; The Unter Theodul, Klein Mattcrhorn, Breithorn, Schwarze, Zwiilinge, Grenz,
and Monte Rosa glaciers, are all feeders of the Gorner. The Z'Mutt receives the
Tiefenmatten, Stock, and Schonbiihl glaciers only.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/293]]==
chap. xt. ON MORAINES IN GREENLAND. 247
(through many centuries) extreme variations of temperature, the
period during which such effects were produced must have widely
exceeded in duration the ' glacial period' of Europe. If moraines
were built from matter excavated by glaciers, the moraines of Green-
land should be the greatest in the world !
The absence of moraines upon and at the termination of this
great Mer de Glace is due to the want of rocks rising above the ice.*
On two occasions, in 1867, I saw, at a glance, at least 600 square
miles of it, from the summits of small mountains on its outskirts.
Not a single peak or ridge was to be seen rising above, nor a single
rock reposing upon the ice. The country was completely covered
up by glacier ; all was ice, as far as the eye could see."f"
There is evidence, then, that considerable areas of exposed
rock surface are essential to the production of large moraines, and
that glacial periods do not necessarily produce vast moraines. That
moraines are not built up of matter which is excavated by glaciers,
but simply illustrate the powers of glaciers for transportation and
arrangement. \
* I refer to those portions of it which I have seen in the neighbourhood of Disco
Bay. There are moraines in this district, but they were formed when the great Mer
de Glace stretched nearer to the sea, — when it sent arms down through the valleys in
the belt of land which now intervenes between sea and glacier.
t The interior of Greenland appears to be absolutely covered by glacier between
68° 30' — 70° N. Lat. Others speak of peaks peeping through the ice to the N. and
S. of this district ; but I suspect that these peaks are upon the outskirts of the great
Mer de Glace.
X The striations which are found upon rocks over which glaciers have worked, are
universally held by the ablest writers to be caused by foreign matter held in the grip
of the ice, or rolling between it and the rock -bed (§ 9, p. 146). If the principal
source of the tools which make these marks is cut off, the marks should, of course,
be less numerous.
The rarity of striations in the neighbourhood of the great Mer de Glace of Green-
land was very noticeable. There was perfection of glaciation ; but, over large areas,
striations, flutings, and groovings were entirely wanting. "Weathering, subsequently
to the retreat of the ice, had not taken place, to any perceptible extent, in the locali-
ties to which I refer.
Striations, groovings, and flutings, are seen on the outskirt land ; but they are
less common in Greenland than in the Alps.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/294]]==
248 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xi.
We descended in our track to the Lac de Conibal,* and from
thence went over the Col de la Seigne to les Motets, where we
slept ; on July 13, crossed the Col du Mont Tondu to Contamines
(in a sharp thunderstorm), and the Col de Yoza to Chamounix.
Two days only remained for excursions in this neighbourhood, and
we resolved to employ them in another attempt to ascend the
Aiguille d'Argentiere, upon which mountain we had been cruelly
defeated just eight days before.
It happened in this way. — Eeilly had a notion that the ascent
of the Aiguille could be accomplished by following the ridge lead-
ing to its summit from the Col du Chardonnet. At half-past six, on
the morning of the 6th, we found ourselves accordingly on the top
of that pass."(" The party consisted of our friend Moore and his guide
Aimer, Eeilly and his guide Francois Couttet, myself and Michel
Croz. So far the weather had been calm, and the way easy ; but
immediately we arrived on the summit of the pass, we got into a
furious wind. Five minutes earlier we were warm, — now we were
frozen. Fine snow, whirled up into the air, penetrated every crack
in our harness, and assailed our skins as painfully as if it had
been red hot instead of freezing cold. The teeth chattered invo-
luntarily — talking was laborious ; the breath froze instantaneously ;
eating was disagreeable ; sitting was impossible !
* The ascent of the Aiguille de Trelatete from our camp on Mont Sue (2| hours
above the Lac de Combal) and its descent to les Motets, occupied 9| hours.
After quitting the lake, the route led up the largest of the ravines on the S. E.
side of Mont Sue, and then along the top of the gently-inclined snow-ridge
which was at the summit of that buttress of the Trelatete. It then descended on to
a branch of the Glacier d'Allee Blanche, through a gap in one of the minor ridges of
Mont Sue. The course was then straight up this glacier (a little W. of N. ), until
the ridge was struck that descends from the summit of the Trelatete in the direction
of Mont Blanc. This was followed, and the highest (central) peak (12,900 feet) was
arrived at by passing over the peak No. 3 (12,782). It is possible to descend from
the highest point of this mountain on to the Glacier de Trelatete. I wished to adopt
this course in 1864, but was outvoted.
Mont Sue is a famous locality for crystals. We discovered several sparkling, fairy
caves, encrusted with magnificent specimens, smoky and clear; but, as usual, the
best were injured before they could be detached.
t The Col du Chardonnet is about 11,000 or 11,100 feet above the level of the sea.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/295]]==
chap. xi. OUR FIRST ATTEMPT ON THE AIG. D'ARGENTIERE. 249
We looked towards our mountain. Its aspect was not encou-
raging. The ridge that led upwards had a spiked arete, palisaded
with miniature aiguilles, banked up at their bases by heavy snow-
beds, which led down, at considerable angles, on one side towards the
Glacier de Saleinoz, on the other towards the Glacier du Chardonnet.
Under any circumstances, it would have been a stiff piece of work
to clamber up that way. Prudence and comfort counselled, " Give
it up." Discretion overruled valour. Moore and Aimer crossed
the Col du Chardonnet to go to Orsieres, and we others returned
towards Chamounix.
But when we got some distance down, the evil spirit which
prompts men to ascend mountains tempted us to stop, and to look
back at the Aiguille d'Argentiere. The sky was cloudless ; no
wind could be felt, nor sign of it perceived ; it was only eight
o'clock in the morning ; and there, right before us, we saw an-
other branch of the glacier leading high up into the mountain —
far above the Col du Chardonnet — and a little couloir rising from
its head almost to the top of the peak. This was clearly the right
route to take. We turned back, and went at it.
The glacier was steep, and the snow gully rising out of it was
steeper. Seven hundred steps were cut. Then the couloir became
too steep. We took to the rocks on its left, and at last gained the
ridge, at a point about 1500 feet above the Col. We faced about
to the right, and went along the ridge ; keeping on some snow a
little below its crest, on the Saleinoz side. Then we got the wind
again ; but no one thought of turning, for we were within 250 feet
of the summit.
The axes of Croz and Couttet went to work once more, for the
slope was about as steep as snow could be. Its surface was
covered with a loose, granular crust ; dry and utterly incoherent ;
which slipped away in streaks directly it was meddled with. The
men had to cut through this into the old beds underneath, and to
pause incessantly to rake away the powdery stuff, which poured
down in hissing streams over the hard substratum. Ugh ! how
2 K
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/296]]==
250 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xi.
cold it was ! How the wind blew ! Couttet's hat was torn from
its fastenings, and went on a tour in Switzerland. The flour-like
snow, swept off the ridge above, was tossed spirally upwards, eddy-
ing in tourmcntes ; then, dropt in lulls, or caught by other gusts,
was flung far and wide to feed the Saleinoz.
" My feet are getting suspiciously numbed," cried Eeilly : " how
about frost-bites?" "Kick hard, sir," shouted the men; "it's the
only way." Their fingers were kept alive by their work ; but it
was cold for the feet, and they kicked and hewed simultaneously.
I followed their example, but was too violent, and made a hole
clean through my footing. A clatter followed as if crockery had
been thrown down a well.
I went down a step or two, and discovered in a second that all
were standing over a cavern (not a crevasse, speaking properly)
that was bridged over by a thin vault of ice, from which great
icicles hung in groves. Almost in the same minute Eeilly pushed
one of his hands right through the roof. The whole party might
have tumbled through at any moment. " Go ahead, Croz, we are-
over a chasm !" "We know it," he answered, "and we can't find
a firm place."
In the blandest manner, my comrade inquired if to persevere
would not be to do that which is called " tempting Providence."
My reply being in the affirmative, he further observed, " Suppose
we go down ?" " Very willingly." " Ask the guides." They had
not the least objection ; so we went down, and slept that night at
the Montanvert.
Off the ridge we were out of the wind. In fact, a hundred feet
down to windward, on the slope fronting the Glacier du Chardonnet,
we were broiling hot ; there was not a suspicion of a breeze. Upon
that side there was nothing to tell that a hurricane was raging a
hundred feet higher, — the cloudless sky looked tranquillity itself :
whilst to leeward the only sign of a disturbed atmosphere was the
friskiness of the snow upon the crests of the ridges.
We set out on the 14th, with Croz, Payot, and Charlet, to finish
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/297]]==
chap. xi. MR. EEILLY'S MAP OF MONT BLANC. 251
off the work which had been cut short so abruptly, and slept, as
before, at the Chalets de Lognan. On the 15th, about midday, we
arrived upon the summit of the aiguille, and found that we had
actually been within one hundred feet of it when we turned back
upon the first attempt.
It was a triumph to Eeilly. In this neighbourhood he had
performed the feat (in 1863) of joining together " two mountains,
each about 13,000 feet high, standing on the map about a mile and
a half apart." Long before we made the ascent he had procured evi-
dence which could not be impugned, that the Pointe des Plines, a
fictitious summit which had figured on other maps as a distinct moun-
tain, could be no other than the Aiguille d'Argentiere, and he had
accordingly obliterated it from the preliminary draft of his map. We
saw that it was right to do so. The Pointe des Plines did not exist.
We had ocular demonstration of the accuracy of his previous
observations.
I do not know which to admire most, the fidelity of Mr. Eeilly's
map, or the indefatigable industry by which the materials were ac-
cumulated from which it was constructed. To men who are sound
in limb it may be amusing to arrive on a summit (as we did upon
the top of Mont Dolent), sitting astride a ridge too narrow to stand
upon ; or to do battle with a ferocious wind (as we did on the top of
the Aiguille de Trelat^te) ; or to feel half-frozen in midsummer (as
we did on the Aiguille d'Argentiere). But there is extremely little
amusement in making sketches and notes under such conditions.
Yet upon all these expeditions, under the most adverse circum-
stances, and in the most trying situations, Mr. Eeilly's brain and
fingers were always at work. Throughout all he was ever alike ;
the same genial, equable-tempered companion, whether victorious
or whether defeated ; always ready to sacrifice his own desires to
suit our comfort and convenience. By a happy union of audacity
and prudence, combined with untiring perseverance, he eventually
completed his self-imposed task — a work which would have been
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/298]]==
252 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xr.
intolerable except as a labour of love — and which, for a single
individual, may well-nigh be termed Herculean.
We separated upon the level part of the Glacier d'Argentiere,
Eeilly going with Payot and Charlet via the chalets of Lognan and
de la Pendant, whilst I, with Croz, followed the right bank of the
glacier to the village of Argentiere * At 7 p.m. we entered the
humble inn, and ten minutes afterwards heard the echoes of the
cannon which were fired upon the arrival of our comrades at
Chamounix.i*
* One cannot do worse than follow that path.
f The lower chalet de Lognan is 2^ hours' walking from Chamounix. From
thence to the summit of the Aiguille d'Argentiere, and down to the village of the
same name, occupied 12^ hours.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/299]]==
CHAPTER XII.
THE MOMING PASS — ZERMATT.
' ' A daring leader is a dangerous tiling. ' '
Euripides.
On July 10, Croz and I went to Sierra, in the Valais, via the Col
de Balme, the Col de la Forclaz, and Martigny. The Swiss side of
the Forclaz is not creditable to Switzerland. The path from Mar-
tigny to the summit has undergone successive improvements in
these latter years ; but mendicants permanently disfigure it.
We passed many tired pedestrians toiling up this oven, perse-
cuted by trains of parasitic children. These children swarm there
like maggots in a rotten cheese. They carry baskets of fruit with
which to plague the weary tourist. They flit around him like
flies ; they thrust the fruit in his face ; they pester him with their
pertinacity. Beware of them ! — taste, touch not their fruit. In
the eyes of these children, each peach, each grape, is worth a
prince's ransom. It is to no purpose to be angry ; it is like flap-
ping wasps — they only buzz the more. Whatever you do, or what-
ever you say, the end will be the same. " Give me something,"
is the alpha and omega of all their addresses. They learn the
phrase, it is said, before they are taught the alphabet. It is in all
their mouths. From the tiny toddler up to the maiden of sixteen,
there is nothing heard but one universal chorus of — " Give me
something ; will you have the goodness to give me something?"
From Sierra we went up the Val d'Anniviers to Zinal, to join
our former companions, Moore and Aimer. Moore was ambi-
tious to discover a shorter way from Zinal to Zermatt than the two
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/300]]==
254 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xii.
passes which were known * He had shown to me, upon Dufour's
map, that a direct line, connecting the two places, passed exactly
over the depression between the Zinal-Eothhorn and the Schall-
horn. He was confident that a passage could be effected over this
depression, and was sanguine that it would (in consequence of its
directness) prove to be a quicker route than the circuitous ones
over the Triftjoch and the Col Durand.
He was awaiting us, and we immediately proceeded up the
valley, and across the foot of the Zinal glacier to the Arpitetta Alp,
where a chalet was supposed to exist in which we might pass the
night. We found it at length, - ) - but it was not equal to our expect-
ations. It was not one of those fine timbered chalets, with huge
overhanging eaves, covered with pious sentences carved in unin-
telligible characters. It was a hovel, growing, as it were, out of
the hill-side ; roofed with rough slabs of slaty stone ; without a door
or window ; surrounded by quagmires of ordure, and dirt of every
description.
A foul native invited us to enter. The interior was dark ; but,
when our eyes became accustomed to the gloom, we saw that our
palace was in plan about 15 by 20 feet ; on one side it was
scarcely five feet high, but on the other was nearly seven. On this
side there was a raised platform, about six feet wide, littered with
dirty straw and still dirtier sheepskins. This was the bedroom.
The remainder of the width of the apartment was the parlour. The
rest was the factory. Cheese was the article which was being
fabricated, and the foul native was engaged in its manufacture.
He was garnished behind with a regular cowherd's one-legged stool,
which gave him a queer, uncanny look when it was elevated in
the air as he bent over into his tub ; for the making of his cheese
required him to blow into a tub for ten minutes at a time. He
* The Col cle Zinal or Triftjoch, between the Trifthorn and the Ober Gabelhorn ;
and the Col Durand between the last-mentioned mountain and the Dent Blanche.
For our route from Zinal to Zcrinatt, sec the map of the valley of Zermatt.
t High above the Glacier de Morning at the foot of the Crete dc Milton.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/301]]==
chap. xii. NIGHT ON THE ARPITETTA ALP. 255
then squatted on his stool to gain breath, and took a few whiffs at
a short pipe ; after which he blew away more vigorously than
before. We were told that this procedure was necessary. It
appeared to us to be nasty. It accounts, perhaps, for the flavour
possessed by certain Swiss cheeses.
Big, black, and leaden-coloured clouds rolled up from Zinal,
and met in combat on the Morning glacier with others which
descended from the Eothhorn. Down came the rain in torrents,
and crash went the thunder. The herd-boys hurried under shelter,
for the frightened cattle needed no driving, and tore spontaneously
down the Alp as if running a steeple-chase. Men, cows, pigs,
sheep, and goats forgot their mutual animosities, and rushed to
the only refuge on the mountain. The spell was broken which
had bound the elements for some weeks past, and the cirque
from the Weisshorn to Lo Besso was the theatre in which they
spent their fury.
A sullen morning succeeded an angry night. We were
undecided in our council whether to advance or to return down
the valley. Good seemed likely to overpower bad ; so, at 5.40, we
left the chalet en route for our pass [amidst the most encouraging
assurances from all the people on the Alp that we need not distress
ourselves about the weather, as it was not possible to get to the
point at which we were aiming]. *
Our course led us at first over ordinary mountain slopes, and
then over a flat expanse of glacier. Before this was quitted, it
was needful to determine the exact line which was to be taken.
We were divided betwixt two opinions. I advocated that a
course should be steered due south, and that the upper plateau of
the Morning glacier should be attained by making a great detour
to our right. This was negatived without a division. Aimer
declared in favour of making for some rocks to the south-west of
the Schallhorn, and attaining the upper plateau of the glacier by
mounting them. Croz advised a middle course, up some very
* Moore's Journal.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/302]]==
256 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xii.
steep and broken glacier. Croz's route seemed likely to turn out
to be impracticable, because much step-cutting would be required
upon it. Aimer's rocks did not look good ; they were, possibly,
unassailable. I thought both routes were bad, and declined to
vote for either of them. Moore hesitated, Aimer gave way, and
Croz's route was adopted.
He did not go very far, however, before he found that he had
undertaken too much, and after [glancing occasionally round at us,
to see what we thought about it, suggested that it might, after all,
be wiser to take to the rocks of the Schallhorn]. That is to say,
he suggested the abandonment of his own and the adoption of
Aimer's route. No one opposed the change of plan, and, in the
absence of instructions to the contrary, he proceeded to cut steps
across an ice-slope towards the rocks.
Let the reader now cast his eye upon the map of the valley of
Zermatt, and he will see that when we quitted the slopes of the
Arpitetta Alp, we took a south-easterly course over the Morning
glacier. We halted to settle the plan of attack shortly after we
got upon the ice. The rocks of the Schallhorn, whose ascent
Aimer recommended, were then to our south-east. Croz's proposed
route was to the south-west of the rocks, and led up the southern
side of a very steep and broken glacier * The part he intended to
traverse was, in a sense, undoubtedly practicable. He gave it up
because it would have involved too much step-cutting. But the
part of this glacier which intervened between his route and
Aimer's rocks was, in the most complete sense of the word,
impracticable. It passed over a continuation of the rocks, and
was broken in half by them. The upper portion was separated
from the lower portion by a long slope of ice that had been built
up from the debris of the glacier which had fallen from above.
The foot of this slope was surrounded by immense quantities of the
larger avalanche blocks. These we cautiously skirted, and when
Croz halted they had been left far below, and we were half-way up
* Through what is technically called an "ice-fall."
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/303]]==
chap. xii. A PERILOUS PATH. 257
the side of the great slope which led to the base of the ice-wall
above.
Across this ice-slope Croz now proceeded to cut. It was
executing a flank movement in the face of an enemy by whom we
might be attacked at any moment. The peril was obvious. It was
a monstrous folly. It was foolhardiness. A retreat should have
been sounded/"
" I am not ashamed to confess/' wrote Moore in his Journal,
" that during the whole time we were crossing this slope my heart
was in my mouth, and I never felt relieved from such a load of
care as when, after, I suppose, a passage of about twenty minutes,
we got on to the rocks and were in safety. ... I have never
heard a positive oath come from Aimer's mouth, but the language
in which he kept up a running commentary, more to himself than
to me, as we went along, was stronger than I should have given
him credit for using. His prominent feeling seemed to be one of
indignation that we should be in such a position, and self-reproach
at being a party to the proceeding ; while the emphatic way in
which, at intervals, he exclaimed, ' Quick ; be quick,' sufficiently
betokened his alarm."
It was not necessary to admonish Croz to be quick. He was
fully as alive to the risk as any of the others. He told me after-
wards, that this place was not only the most dangerous he had
ever crossed, but that no consideration whatever would tempt him
to cross it again. Manfully did he exert himself to escape from
the impending destruction. His head, bent down to his work,
never turned to the right or to the left. One, two, three, went his
axe, and then he stepped on to the spot where he had been cutting.
How painfully insecure should we have considered those steps at
any other time ! But now, we thought of nothing but the rocks in
front, and of the hideous semes, lurching over above us, ajDparently
in the act of falling.
* The responsibility did not rest with Croz. His part was to advise, but not to
direct.
2 L
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/304]]==
258
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XII.
We got to the rocks in safety, and if they had been doubly as
difficult as they were, we should still have been well content. We
sat down and refreshed the inner man ; keeping our eyes on the
towering pinnacles of ice under which we had passed ; but which,
now, were almost beneath
us. Without a preliminary
warning sound, one of the
largest — as high as the
Monument at London
Bridge — fell upon the slope
below. The stately mass
heeled over as if upon a
hinge (holding together
until it bent thirty degrees
forwards), then it crushed
out its base, and, rent into
a thousand fragments,
plunged vertically clown
upon the slope that w 7 e
had crossed ! Every atom
ICE-AVALANCHE ON THE MOM1NG PASS.
of our track, that was in its course, was obliterated ; all the tiew
snow was swept away, and a broad sheet of smooth, glassy ice
showed the resistless force with which it had fallen.
It was inexcusable to follow such a perilous path, but it is easy
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/305]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/306]]==
THE SUMMIT OF THE MOMINC PASS IN 1 864
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/307]]==
chap. xii. THE SUMMIT OF THE MOMING PASS. 259
to understand why it was taken. To have retreated from the place
where Croz suggested a change of plan, to have descended below
the reach of danger, and to have mounted again by the route which
Aimer suggested, would have been equivalent to abandoning the
excursion ; for no one would have passed another night in the
chalet on the Arpitetta Alp. " Many," says Thucydides, " though
seeing well the perils ahead, are forced along by fear of dishonour
— as the world calls it — so that, vanquished by a mere word, they
fall into irremediable calamities." Such was nearly the case here.
No one could say a word in justification of the course which was
adopted ; all were alive to the danger that was being encountered ;
yet a grave risk was deliberately — although unwillingly — incurred,
in preference to admitting, by withdrawal from an untenable posi-
tion, that an error of judgment had been committed.
After a laborious trudge over many species of snow, and through
many varieties of vapour — from the quality of a Scotch mist to that
of a London fog — we at length stood on the depression between the
Eothhorn and the Schallhorn * A steep wall of snow was upon
the Zinal side of the summit ; but what the descent was like on
the other side we could not tell, for a billow of snow tossed over
its crest by the western winds, suspended o'er Zermatt with motion
arrested, resembling an ocean-wave frozen in the act of breaking,
cut off the view.i*
Croz — held hard in by the others, who kept down the Zinal
side — opened his shoulders, flogged down the foam, and cut away
the cornice to its junction with the summit ; then boldly leaped
down, and called on us to follow him.
The summit of the pass has been marked on Dufour's map 3793 metres, or
12,444 feet.
t These snow-cornices are common on the crests of high mountain ridges, and
it is always prudent (just before arriving upon the summit of a mountain or ridge)
to sound with the alpenstock, that is to say, drive it in, to discover whether there is
one or not. Men have often narrowly escaped losing their lives from neglecting this
precaution.
These cornices are frequently rolled round in a volute, and sometimes take most
extravagant forms. See page 34.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/308]]==
260 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xii.
It was well for us now that we had such a man as leader. An
inferior, or less daring guide, would have hesitated to enter upon the
descent in a dense mist ; and Croz himself would have done right
to pause had he been less magnificent in pJiysiqice. He acted,
rather than said, " Where snow lies fast, there man can go ; where
ice exists, a way may he cut ; it is a question of power ; I have
the power, — all you have to do is to follow me." Truly, he did not
spare himself, and could he have performed the feats upon the
boards of a theatre that he did upon this occasion, he would have
brought down the house with thunders of applause. Here is what
Moore wrote in his Journal.
[The descent bore a strong resemblance to the Col de Pilatte,
but was very much steeper and altogether more difficult, which is
saying a good deal. Croz was in his element, and selected his way
with marvellous sagacity, while Aimer had an equally honourable
and, perhaps, more responsible post in the rear, which he kept with
his usual steadiness. . . . One particular passage has impressed
itself on my mind as one of the most nervous I have ever made.
We had to pass along a crest of ice, a mere knife-edge, — on our
left a broad crevasse, whose bottom was lost in blue haze, and on
our right, at an angle of 70°, or more, a slope falling to a similar
gulf below. Croz, as he went along the edge, chipped small
notches in the ice, in which we placed our feet, with the toes well
turned out, doing all we knew to preserve our balance. While
stepping from one of these precarious footholds to another, I
staggered for a moment. I had not really lost my footing ; but
the agonised tone in which Aimer, who was behind me, on seeing
me waver, exclaimed, " Slip not, sir ! " gave us an even livelier
impression than we already had of the insecurity of the position.
. . . One huge chasm, whose upper edge was far above the lower
one, could neither be leaped nor turned, and threatened to prove
an insuperable barrier. But Croz showed himself equal to the
emergency. Held up by the rest of the party, he cut a series of
holes for the hands and feet, down and along the almost perpen-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/309]]==
chap. xit. THE CLUB -ROOM OF ZERMATT. 261
dicular wall of ice forming the upper side of the schrund. Down
this slippery staircase we crept, with our faces to the wall, until a
point was reached where the width of the chasm was not too great
for us to drop across. Before we had clone, we got quite accus-
tomed to taking flying leaps over the sclirunds. ... To make a
long story short ; after a most desperate and exciting struggle, and
as bad a piece of ice-work as it is possible to imagine, we emerged
on to the upper plateau of the Hohlicht glacier.]
The glimpses which had been caught of the lower part of the
Hohlicht glacier were discouraging, so it was now determined to
cross over the ridge between it and the Bothhorn glacier. This
was not done without great trouble. Again we rose to a height
exceeding 12,000 feet. Eventually we took to the track of the
despised Triftjoch, and descended by the well-known, but rough,
path which leads to that pass ; arriving at the Monte Eosa hotel
at Zermatt at 7.20 p.m. We occupied nearly twelve hours of actual
walking in coming from the chalet on the Arpitetta Alp (which was
2 J hours above Zinal), and we consequently found that the Mo-
rning pass was not the shortest route from Zinal to Zermatt, although
it was the most direct.
Two dozen guides — good, bad, and indifferent ; French, Swiss,
and Italian — can commonly be seen sitting on the wall on the front
of the Monte Eosa hotel : waiting on their employers, and looking-
for employers ; watching new arrivals, and speculating on the
number of francs which may be extracted from their pockets. The
Messieurs — sometimes strangely and wonderfully dressed — stand
about in groups, or lean back in chairs, or lounge on the benches
which are placed by the door. They wear extraordinary boots, and
still more remarkable head-dresses. Their peeled, blistered, and
swollen faces are worth studying. Some, by the exercise of watch-
fulness and unremitting care, have been fortunate enough to acquire
a fine raw sienna complexion. But most of them have not been so
happy. They have been scorched on rocks, and roasted on glaciers.
Their cheeks — first puffed, then cracked — have exuded a turpentine-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/310]]==
262 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xii.
like matter, which has coursed down their faces, and has dried in
patches like the resin on the trunks of pines. They have removed
it, and at the same time have pulled off large flakes of their skin.
They have gone from bad to worse — their case has become hope-
less — knives and scissors have been called into play ; tenderly, and
daintily, they have endeavoured to reduce their cheeks to one,
uniform hue. It is not to be done. But they have gone on,
fascinated, and at last have brought their unhappy countenances to
a state of helpless and complete ruin. Their lips are cracked ;
their cheeks are swollen ; their eyes are blood-shot ; their noses are
peeled and indescribable.
Such are the pleasures of the mountaineer ! Scornfully and
derisively the last comer compares the sight with his own flaccid
face and dainty hands ; unconscious that he too, perhaps, will be
numbered with those whom he now ridicules.
There is a frankness of manner about these strangely-apparelled
and queer-faced men, which does not remind one of drawing-room,
or city life ; and it is good to see — in this club-room of Zermatt —
those cold bodies, our too-frigid countrymen, regele together when
brought into contact ; and it is pleasant to witness the hearty
welcome given to the new-comers by the host and his excellent
wife."*
I left this agreeable society to seek letters at the post. They
yielded disastrous intelligence. My holiday was brought to an
abrupt termination, and I awaited the arrival of Eeilly (who was
convoying the stores for the attack on the Matterhorn) only to in-
form him that our arrangements were upset ; then travelled home,
day and night, as fast as express trains would carry me.
* This opportunity has been taken to introduce to the reader some of the most
expert amateur mountaineers of the time ; and a few of the guides who have been, or
will be, mentioned in the course of the book.
Peter Perm is on the extreme right. Then come young Peter Taugvvalder (upon
the bench) ; and J. J. Maquignaz (leaning against the door-post). Franz Ander-
matten occupies the steps, and Ulrich Lauener towers in the background.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/311]]==
oo
I 1 !
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/312]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/313]]==
CHAPTEE XIII.
THE ASCENT OF THE GRAND CORNIER.
"Ye crags and peaks, I'm with you once again !
Methinks I hear
A spirit in your echoes answer me,
And bid your tenant welcome to his home
Again !"
S. Knowles.
Our career in 1864 had been one of unbroken success, but the
great ascent upon which I had set my heart was not attempted,
and, until it was accomplished, I was unsatisfied. Other things,
too, influenced me to visit the Alps once more. I wished to travel
elsewhere, in places where the responsibility of direction would
rest with myself alone. It was well to know how far my judgment
in the choice of routes could be relied upon.
The journey of 1865 was chiefly undertaken, then, to find out
to what extent I was capable to select paths over mountainous
country. The programme which was drawn up for this journey
was rather ambitious, since it included almost all of the great
peaks which had not then been ascended ; but it was neither
lightly undertaken nor hastily executed. All pains were taken to
secure success. Information was sought from those who could
give it, and the defeats of others were studied, that their errors
might be avoided. The results which followed came not so much,
perhaps, from luck, as from forethought and careful calculation.
For success does not, as a rule, come by chance, and when one
fails there is a reason for it. But when any notable, or so-called
brilliant thing is done, we are too apt to look upon the success
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/314]]==
264 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xiii.
alone, without considering how it was accomplished. Whilst, when
men fail, we inquire why they have not succeeded. So failures
are oftentimes more instructive than successes, and the disappoint-
ments of some become profitable to others.
Up to a certain point, the programme was completely and
happily carried out. Nothing but success attended our efforts so
long as the excursions were executed as they had been planned.
Most of them were made upon the very days which had been
fixed for them months beforehand ; and all were accomplished,
comparatively speaking, so easily, that their descriptions must be,
in the absence of difficulty and danger, less interesting to the
general reader than they would have been if our course had been
marked by blunders and want of judgment. Before proceeding to
speak of these excursions, it will not be entirely useless to explain
the reasons which influenced the selection of the routes which were
adopted upon them.
In the course of the past five seasons my early practices were
revolutionised. My antipathy to snow was overcome, and my pre-
dilection for rocks was modified. Like all those who are not
mountaineers born, I was, at the first, extremely nervous upon
steep snow. The snow seemed bound to slip, and all those who
were upon it to go along with it. Snow of a certain quality is
undoubtedly liable to slip when it is at a certain inclination* The
exact states which are dangerous, or safe, it is not possible to
describe in writing. That is only learnt by experience, and con-
fidence upon snow is not really felt until one has gained experience.
Confidence gradually came to me, and as it came so did my par-
tiality for rocks diminish. For it was evident, to use a common
expression, that it paid better to travel upon snow than upon
rocks. This applies to snow-beds pure and simple, or to snow
which is lying over glacier ; and in the selection of routes it has,
latterly, always been my practice to look for the places where snow
slopes, or snow-covered glaciers, reach highest into mountains. - )*
* See pp. 116, 170, and 249. f Sec p. 197.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/315]]==
chap. xin. ON CHOICE OF ROUTES. 265
It is comparatively seldom, however, that an ascent of a great
mountain can be executed exclusively upon snow and glacier.
Eidges peep through which have to be surmounted. In my earlier
scramblings I usually took to, or was taken upon, the summits (or
aretes) of the ridges, and a good many mountaineers habitually
take to them on principle, as the natural and proper way. Accord-
ing to my experience, it is seldom well to do so when any other
course is open. As I have already said, and presently shall repeat
more particularly, the crests of all the main ridges of the great
peaks of the Alps are shattered and cleft by frost ; and it not un-
frequently happens that a notch in a ridge, which appears perfectly
insignificant from a distance, is found to be an insuperable barrier
to further progress ; and a great detour, or a long descent, has to
be made to avoid the obstacle. When committed to an arete one
is tied, almost always, to a particular course, from which it is diffi-
cult to deviate. Much loss of time must result if any serious
obstruction occurs ; and total defeat is not at all improbable.
But it seldom happens that a great alpine peak is seen that is
cut off abruptly, in all directions, from the snows and glaciers which
surround it. In its gullies snow will cling, although its faces may be
too steep for the formation of permanent snow-beds. The merits
of these snow-gullies (or couloirs) have been already pointed out,*
and it is hardly necessary to observe, after that which was just now
said about snow, that ascents of snow-gullies (with proper pre-
cautions) are very much to be preferred to ascents of rocky aretes.
By following the glaciers, the snow-slopes above, and the
couloirs rising out of them, it is usually possible to get very close
to the summits of the great peaks in the Alps. The final climb will,
perhaps, necessarily be by an arete. The less of it the better.
It occasionally occurs that considerable mountain slopes, or
faces, are destitute of snow-gullies. In that case it will, very
likely, be best to adhere to the faces (or to the gullies or minor
ridges upon them) rather than take to the great ridges. Upon a
* See y>]>. 225-7.
2 M
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/316]]==
266 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xiii.
face one can move to the right or to the left with more facility
than upon the crest of a ridge ; and when a difficulty is arrived at,
it is, consequently, less troublesome to circumvent.
In selecting the routes which were taken in 1865, I looked,
first, for places where glaciers and snow extended highest up into
the mountains which were to be ascended, or the ridges which were
to be crossed. Next, for gullies filled with snow leading still
higher ; and finally, from the heads of the gullies we completed the
ascents, whenever it was practicable, by faces instead of by aretes.
The ascent of the Grand Cornier (13,022), of the Dent Blanche
(14,318), Grandes Jorasses (13,700), Aiguille Yerte (13,540), Eui-
nette (12,727), and the Matterhorn (14,780), were all accomplished
in this way ; besides the other excursions which will be referred to
by and by. The route selected, before the start was made, was in
every case strictly followed out.
We inspected all of these mountains from neighbouring heights
before entering upon their ascents. I explained to the guides the
routes I proposed to be taken, and (when the courses were at all
complicated) sketched them out on paper to prevent misunder-
standing. In some few cases they suggested variations, and in
every case the route was well discussed. The execution of the work
was done by the guides, and 1 seldom interfered with, or attempted
to assist in it.
The 13th of June 1865 I spent in the valley of Lauterbrunnen
with the Eev. W. H. Hawker and the guides Christian and Ulrich
Lauener ; and on the 14th crossed the Petersgrat with Christian
Aimer and Johann Tannler to Turtman (Tourtemagne) in the
Yalais. Tannler was then paid off, as Michel Croz and Franz
Biener were awaiting me.
It was not possible to find two leading guides who worked
together more harmoniously than Croz and Aimer. Biener's part
was subordinate to theirs, and he was added as a convenience rather
than as a necessity. Croz spoke French alone ; Aimer little else
than German. Biener spoke both languages, and was useful on
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/317]]==
chap. xitt. REGRETS. 267
that account ; but he seldom went to the front, excepting during
the early part of the day, when the work was easy, and he acted
throughout more as a porter than as a guide.
The importance of having a reserve of power on mountain
expeditions cannot be too strongly insisted upon. We always had
some in hand, and were never pressed, or overworked, so long as
we were together. Come what might, we were ready for it. But
by a series of chances, which I shall never cease to regret, I was
first obliged to part with Croz, and then to dismiss the others ; * and
so, deviating from the course that I had deliberately adoj)ted,
which was successful in practice because it was sound in principle,
became fortuitously a member of an expedition that ended with
the catastrophe which brings this book, and brought my scrambles
amongst the Alps, to a close.i"
* See Chapter xx.
+ I engaged Croz for 1865 before I parted from him in 1864 ; but upon writing to
him in the month of April to fix the dates of his engagement, I found that he had
supposed he was free (in consequence of not having heard from me earlier), and had
engaged himself to a Mr. B from the 27th of June. I endeavoured to hold him
to his promise, but he considered himself unable to withdraw from his later obliga-
tion. His letters were honourable to him. The following extract from the last one
he wrote to me is given as an interesting souvenir of a brave and upright man : —
[ d ]/ JZ>6VC ^**~ff^*JLs ^y^^, x^t*2^X-/ ^2^****>r ^<^2-^**^A-=~ J^f^-ck-—
Qu^ *JtU&/.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/318]]==
268 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xiii.
On June 15 we went from Turtman to Z'meiden, and thence
over the Forcletta pass to Zinal. We diverged from the summit of
the pass up some neighbouring heights to inspect the Grand Cornier,
and I decided to have nothing to do with its northern side. The
mountain was more than seven miles away, but it was quite safe to
pronounce it inaccessible from our direction.
On the 16th we left Zinal at 2.5 a.m., having been for a moment
greatly surprised by an entry in the hotel-book,* and ascending by
the Zinal glacier, and giving the base of our mountain a wide berth
in order that it might the better be examined, passed gradually
right round to its south, before a way up it was seenf" At 8.30
we arrived upon the plateau of the glacier that descends towards
the east, between the Grand Cornier and the Dent Blanche, and
from this place a route was readily traced. We steered to the
north (as shown upon the map) over the glacier, towards the ridge
that descends to the east ; gained it by mounting snow-slopes, and
followed it to the summit, which was arrived at before half-past
twelve. From first to last the route was almost entirely over
snow.
The ridges leading to the north and to the south from the
summit of the Grand Cornier, exhibited in a most striking manner
the extraordinary effects that may be produced by violent alter-
nations of heat and cold. The southern one was hacked and
split into the wildest forms ; and the northern one was not less
cleft and impracticable, and offered the droll piece of rock-carving
wdiich is represented upon page 270. Some small blocks actually
* It was an entry describing an ascent of the Grand Cornier (which we supposed
had never been ascended) from the very direction which we had just pronounced to
be hopeless ! It was especially startling, because Franz Biener was spoken of in it
as having been concerned in the ascent. On examining Biener it was found that he
had made the excursion, and had supposed at the time he was upon his summit that
it was the Grand Cornier. He saw afterwards that they had only ascended one of
the several points upon the ridge running northwards from the Grand Cornier — I
believe, the Pigue de l'Allee (11,168 feet) !
+ For route, see the map of the Valley of Zermatt.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/319]]==
CHAP. XIII.
THE GREAT MIDGES SUFFER MOST.
2G9
tottered and fell before our eyes, and, starting others in their down-
ward course, grew into a perfect avalanche, which descended with
a solemn roar on to the glaciers beneath.
It is natural that the great ridges should present the wildest
forms — not on account of their dimensions, but by reason of their
FART OF THE SOUTHERN RIDGE OF THE GRAND CORNIER.
positions. They are exposed to the fiercest heat of the sun, and
are seldom in shadow as long as it is above the horizon. They are
entirely unprotected, and are attacked by the strongest blasts and
by the most intense cold. The most durable rocks are not proof
against such assaults. These grand, apparently solid — eternal —
mountains, seeming so firm, so immutable, are yet ever changing
and crumbling into dust. These shattered ridges are evidence of
their sufferings. Let me repeat that every principal ridge of every
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/320]]==
270
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XIII.
great peak in the Alps amongst those I have seen has been shat-
tered in this way ; and that every summit, amongst the rock-
summits upon which I have stood, has been nothing but a piled-up
heap of fragments.
The minor ridges do not usually present such extraordinary
forms as the principal ones. They are less exposed, and they are
less broken up ; and it is reasonable to assume
that their annual degradation is less than that
of the summit-ridges.
The wear and tear does not cease even in
winter, for these great ridges are
never completely covered up by
snow,* and the sun has
still power. The destruc-
tion is incessant, and
increases as time goes
on ; for the greater the
surfaces which are ex-
posed to the practically
inexhaustible powers of sun and frost, the greater ruin will be
effected.
The rock-falls which are continually occurring upon all rock
u llilf
PART OF THE NORTHERN RIDGE OF THE GRAND CORNIER.
* I wrote in the Athenccum, August 29, 1863, to the same effect. "This action
of the frost does not cease in winter, inasmuch as it is impossible for the Matterhorn
to be entirely covered by snow. Less precipitous mountains maybe entirely covered
up during winter, and if they do not then actually gain height, the wear and tear is,
at least, suspended. . . . We arrive, therefore, at the conclusion that, although
such snow-peaks as Mont Blanc may in the course of ages grow higher, the Matter-
horn must decrease in height. " These remarks have received confirmation.
The men who were left by M. Dollfus-Ausset in his observatory upon the summit
of the Col Theodule, during the winter of 1865, remarked that the snow was partially
melted upon the rocks in their vicinity upon 19th, 20th, 21st, 22d, 23d, 26th, 27th
December of that year, and upon the 22d of December they entered in their Journal,
"Nous axons vu au Matterhorn que la neige sefondait sur roclics ct qiCil s'en ecoulait
de Veau" — Materiaux pour V etude des Glaciers, vol. viii. parti, p. 246, 1868; and
vol. viii. part ii. p. 77, 1869.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/321]]==
chap. xiii. FROST AND FIRE DO THE WORK. 271
mountains (such as are referred to upon pp. 32, 92-3) are, of course,
caused by these powers. No one doubts it ; but one never believes
it so thoroughly as when the quarries are seen from which their
materials have been hewn ; and when the germs, so to speak, of
these avalanches have been seen actually starting from above.
These falls of rock take place from two causes. First, from the
heat of the sun detaching small stones or rocks which have been
arrested on ledges or slopes and bound together by snow or ice. I
have seen such released many times when the sun has risen high ;
fall gently at first, gather strength, grow in volume, and at last
rush down with a cloud trailing behind, like the dust after an
express train. Secondly, from the freezing of the water which
trickles, during the day, into the clefts, fissures, and crannies. This
agency is naturally most active in the night, and then, or during
very cold weather, the greatest falls take place.*
When one has continually seen and heard these falls, it is
easily understood why the glaciers are laden with moraines. The
wonder is, not that they are sometimes so great, but that they are
not always greater. Irrespective of lithological considerations, one
knows that this debris cannot have been excavated by the glaciers.
The moraines are borne by glaciers, but they are born from the ridges.
They are generated by the sun, and delivered by the frost. " Fire,"
it is well said in Plutarch's life of Camillus, " is the most active
thing in nature, and all generation is motion, or at least, with motion ;
all other parts of matter without warmth lie sluggish and dead, and
crave the influence of heat as their life, and when that comes upon
them, they immediately acquire some active or passive qualities."t
* In each of the seven nights I passed upon the south-west ridge of the Matter-
horn in 1861-3 (at heights varying from 11,844 to 12,992 feet above the level of the
sea), the rocks fell incessantly in showers and avalanches. See p. 175.
+ Tonson's Ed. of 1758. Bacon may have had this passage in mind when lie
wrote, " It must not be thought that heat generates motion, or motion heat (though
in some respects this be true), but that the very essence of heat, or the substantial
self of heat, is motion and nothing else." — Novum Organum, book ii. Devey's
Translation.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/322]]==
272 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xiii.
If the Alps were granted a perfectly invariable temperature, if
they were no longer subjected, alternately, to freezing blasts and
to scorching heat, they might more correctly be termed ' eternal.'
They might still continue to decay, but their abasement would be
much less rapid.
When rocks are covered up by a sheet of glacier they do enjoy
an almost invariable temperature. The extremes of summer and
winter are unknown to rocks which are so covered up, — a range of
a very few degrees is the most that is possible underneath the ice*
There is, then, little or no disintegration from unequal expansion
and contraction. Frost, then, does not penetrate into the heart of
the rock, and cleave off vast masses. The rocks, then, sustain
grinding instead of cleaving. Atoms, then, come away instead of
masses. Fissures and overhanging surfaces are bridged, for the ice
cannot get at them ;f and after many centuries of grinding have
been sustained, we still find numberless angular surfaces (in the
lee-sides) which were fashioned before the ice began to work.
The points of difference which are so evident between the
operations of heat, cold, and water, and the action of glaciers upon
rocks, are as follow. The former take advantage of cracks, fissures,
joints, and soft places ; the latter does not. The former can work
'underneath overhanging masses ; the latter cannot. The effects
produced by the former continually increase, because they continu-
ally expose fresh surfaces by forming new cracks, fissures, and holes.
The effects which the latter produces constantly diminish, because
the area of the surfaces operated upon becomes less and less, as they
become smoother and natter.
What can one conclude, then, but that sun, frost, and water, have
* Doubtless, at the sides of glacier -beds, the range of temperature is greater. But
there is evidence that the winter cold does not penetrate to the innermost recesses of
glacier-beds in the fact that streams continue to flow underneath the ice all the year
round, winter as well as summer, in the Alps and (I was informed in Greenland) in
Greenland. Experimental proof can be readily obtained that even in midsummer the
bottom temperature is close to 32° Faht.
+ See pp. 148-4.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/323]]==
chap. xin. ARRIVAL AT ABRICOLLA. 273
had infinitely more to do than glaciers with the fashioning of
mountain-forms and valley-slopes ? Who can refuse to believe that
powers which are at work everywhere, which have been at work
always, which are so incomparably active, capable, and enduring,
must have produced greater effects than a solitary power which is
always local in its influence, which has worked, comparatively, but
for a short time, which is always slow and feeble in its operations,
and which constantly diminishes in intensity ?
Yet there are some who refuse to believe that sun, frost, and
water have played an important part in modelling the Alps, and
hold it as an article of their faith that the Alpine region " owes its
present conformation mainly to the action of its ancient glaciers " ! *
My reverie was interrupted by Croz observing that it was time
to be off. Less than two hours sufficed to take us to the glacier
plateau below (where we had left our baggage) ; three quarters of
an hour more placed us upon the depression between the Grand
Cornier and the Dent Blanche (Col du Grand Cornier t), and at
6 p.m. we arrived at Abricolla. Croz and Biener hankered after
milk, and descended to a village lower down the valley ; but Aimer
and I stayed where we were, and passed a chilly night on some
planks in a half-burnt chalet.J
* Professor Tyndall " On the Conformation of the Alps," Phil. Mag., Sept. 1862.
t This had been crossed, for the first time, a few months before.
X The following details may interest mountain-climbers. Left Zinal (5505 feet)
2.5 a.m. Thence to plateau S.E. of summit of Grand Cornier, 5 h. 25 min. Plateau
to summit of mountain, 2\ hours. The last 300 feet of the ridge followed were ex-
ceedingly sharp and narrow, with a great cornice, from which huge icicles depended.
We were obliged to go underneath the cornice, and to cut a Avay through the icicles.
Descent from summit to plateau, 1 h. 40 min. Sharp snowstorm, with thunder.
Plateau to summit of Col du Grand Cornier (rocks easy), 45 min. From the summit
of the Col to the end of glacier leading to the west, 55 min. Thence to Abricolla
(7959), 15 min.
2 x
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/324]]==
CHAPTEE XIV.
THE ASCENT OF THE DENT BLANCHE.
" God help thee, Trav'ller, on thy journey far ;
The wind is bitter keen, — the snow o'erlays
The hidden pits, and dang'rous hollow-ways,
And darkness will involve thee. — No kind star
To-night will guide thee."
H. Kieke White.
Ckoz and Biener did not return until past 5 a.m. on June 17, and
we then set out at once for Zermatt, intending to cross the Col
d'Herens. But we did not proceed far before the attractions of the
Dent Blanche were felt to be irresistible, and we turned aside up
the steep lateral glacier which descends along its south-western
face.
The Dent Blanche is a mountain that is little known except to
the climbing fraternity. It was, and is, reputed
to be one of the most difficult mountains in the
Alps. Many attempts were made to scale it
before its ascent was accomplished. Even Leslie
Stephen himself, fleetest of foot of the whole
Alpine brotherhood, once upon a time returned
discomfited from it.
It was not climbed until 1862 ; but in that
year Mr. T. S. Kennedy, with Mr. Wigram, and
the guides Jean B. Croz and Kronie, managed
l I'M. Hi STEPHEN.
&J
to conquer it.
They had a hard fight though before they gained
* The brother of my guide Michel Croz.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/325]]==
chap. xiv. FIRST ASCENT OF THE DENT BLANCHE. 275
the victory ; a furious wind and driving snow, added to the natural
difficulties, nearly turned the scale against them *
Mr. Kennedy started from Abricolla between 2 and 3 a.m. on
July 18, 1862, and ascending the glacier that is mentioned in the
opening paragraph, went towards the point marked 3912 metres
upon the map ;-f* then turned to the left (that is, to the north), and
completed the ascent by the southern ridge, — that which overhangs
the western side of the Schonbiihl glacier.
Mr. Kennedy described his expedition in a very interesting-
paper in the Alpine Journal. His account bore the impress of
truth ; but unbelievers said that it was impossible to have told (in
weather such as was experienced) whether the summit had actually
been attained, and sometimes roundly asserted that the mountain,
as the saying is, yet remained virgin.
I did not share these doubts, although they influenced me to
make the ascent. I thought it might be possible to find an easier
route than that taken by Mr. Kennedy, and that if we succeeded in
discovering one we should be able at once to refute his traducers,
and to vaunt our superior wisdom. Actuated by these elevated
motives, I halted my little army at the foot of the glacier, and in-
quired, " Which is best for us to do ? — to ascend the Dent Blanche,
or to cross to Zermatt?" They answered, with befitting solemnity,
" We think Dent Blanche is best."
From the chalets of Abricolla the south-west face of the Dent
Blanche is regarded almost exactly in profile. From thence it is
seen that the angle of the face scarcely exceeds thirty degrees, and
after observing this I concluded that the face would, in all pro-
bability, give an easier path to the summit than the crest of the
very jagged ridge which was followed by Mr. Kennedy.
We zigzagged up the glacier along the foot of the face, and
looked for a way on to it. We looked for some time in vain, for a
mighty bergschrund effectually prevented approach, and, like a
fortress' moat, protected the wall from assault. W T e went up and
* See note to p. 108. f See map of the Valley of Zermatt.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/326]]==
276 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xiv.
up, until, I suppose, we were not more than a thousand feet below
the point marked 3912 metres ; then a bridge was discovered, and
we dropped down on hands and knees to cross it.
A bergschrund, it was said on p. 238, is a schrund, and some-
thing more than a schrund. A schrund is simply a big crevasse.
A bergschrund is frequently, but not always, a big crevasse. The
term is applied to the last of the crevasses that one finds, in ascend-
ing, before quitting the glacier, and taking to the rocks which
bound it. It is the mountains' schrund. Sometimes it is very
large, but early in the season (that is to say in the month of June,
or before) bergschrunds are usually snowed up, or well bridged over,
and do not give much trouble. Later in the year, say in August,
they are frequently very great hindrances, and occasionally are
completely impassable.
They are lines of rupture consequent upon unequal motion. The
glaciers below move quicker than the snow or ice which clings
immediately to the mountains ; hence these fissures result. The
slower motion of that which is above can only be attributed to its
having to sustain greater friction ; for the rule is that the upper
portion is set at a steeper angle than the lower. As that is the
case, we should expect that the upper portion would move quicker
than the lower, and it would do so, doubtless, but for the retarda-
tion of the rocks over which, and through which, it passes*
We crossed the bergschrund of the Dent Blanche, I suppose, at
a height of about 12,000 feet above the level of the sea. Our
work may be said to have commenced at that point. The face,
although not steep in its general inclination, was so cut up by
little ridges and cliffs, and so seamed with incipient couloirs, that
it had all the difficulty of a much more precipitous slope. The
difficulties were never great, but they were numerous, and made
a very respectable total when put together. We passed the
* Couloirs arc invariably protected at their bases by bergschrunds. An example
of a couloir with a double bergschrund is given on p. 225.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/327]]==
Ill
■iBil! :
THE BERCSCHRUNO ON THE DENT BLANCHE IN 1865.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/328]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/329]]==
chap. xtv. UNWELCOME ATTENTIONS. 277
bergschrund soon after nine in the morning, and during the next
eleven hours halted only five-and-forty minutes. The whole of
the remainder of the time was occupied in ascending and descend-
ing the 2400 feet which compose this south-western face ; and
inasmuch as 1000 feet per hour (taking the mean of ascent and
descent) is an ordinary rate of progression, it is tolerably certain
that the Dent Blanche is a mountain of exceptional difficulty.
The hindrances opposed to us by the mountain itself were,
however, as nothing compared with the atmospheric obstructions.
It is true there was plenty of, "Are you fast, Aimer?" "Yes."
" Go ahead, Biener." Biener, made secure, cried, " Come on, sir,"
and Monsieur endeavoured. " No, no," said Aimer, " not there, —
Jiere," — pointing with his baton to the right place to clutch. Then
'twas Croz's turn, and we all drew in the rope as the great man
followed. " Forwards " once more — and so on.
Five hundred feet of this kind of work had been accomplished
when we were saluted (not entirely unexpectedly) by the first gust
of a hurricane which was raging above. The day was a lovely one
for dwellers in the valleys, bnt we had, long ago, noted some light,
gossamer clouds, that were hovering round our summit, being
drawn out in a suspicious manner into long, silky threads. Croz,
indeed, prophesied before we had crossed the schrund, that we
should be beaten by the wind, and had advised that we should
return. But I had retorted, "No, my good Croz, you said just
now 'Dent Blanche is best ;' we must go up the Dent Blanche."
I have a very lively and disagreeable recollection of this wind.
Upon the outskirts of the disturbed region it was only felt occa-
sionally. It then seemed to make rushes at one particular man,
and when it had discomfited him, it whisked itself away to some
far-off spot, only to return, presently, in greater force than before.
My old enemy — the Matterhorn — seen across the basin of the
Z'Muttgletscher, looked totally unassailable. " Do you think," the
men asked, "that you, or any one else, will ever get up that
mountain?" And when, undismayed by their ridicule, I stoutly
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/330]]==
278 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xiv.
answered, " Yes, but not upon that side," they burst into derisive
chuckles. 1 must confess that my hopes sank ; for nothing can
look, or he, more completely inaccessible than the Matterhorn on
its northern and north- west sides.
" Forwards " once again. We overtopped the Dent d'Herens.
" Not a thousand feet more ; in three hours we shall be on the
summit." a You mean ten" echoed Croz, so slow had been the
progress. But I was not far wrong in the estimate. At 3.15 we
struck the great ridge followed by Mr. Kennedy, close to the top of
the mountain. The wind and cold were terrible there. Progress
was oftentimes impossible, and we waited, crouching under the lee
of rocks, listening to ' the shrieking of the mindless wind,' while
the blasts swept across, tearing off the upper snow and blowing it
away in streamers over the Schonbuhl glacier — "nothing seen
except an indescribable writhing in the air, like the wind made
visible."
Our goal was concealed by mist, although it was only a few
yards away, and Croz's prophecy, that we should stay all night
upon the summit, seemed likely to come true. The men rose with
the occasion, although even their fingers had nearly lost sensation.
There were no murmurings, nor suggestions of return, and they
pressed on for the little white cone which they knew must be near
at hand. Stopi^ed again ; a big mass perched loosely on the
ridge barred the way ; we could not crawl over, and scarcely dared
creep round it. The wine went round for the last time. The
liquor was half-frozen, — still we would more of it. It was all
gone ; the bottle was left behind, and we pushed on, for there
was a lull.
The end came almost before it was expected. The clouds
opened, and I saw that we were all but upon the highest point,
and that, between us and it, about twenty yards off, there was a
little artificial pile of stones. Kennedy was a true man, — it was a
cairn which he had erected. "What is that, Croz?" "Homme des
pierre.%" he bawled. It was needless to proceed further ; I jerked
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/331]]==
chap. xiv. A RACE FOR LIFE. 279
the rope from Biener, and motioned that we would go back. He
did the same to Aimer, and we turned immediately. They did not
see the stones (they were cutting footsteps), and misinterpreted the
reason of the retreat. Voices were inaudible, and explanations
impossible*
We commenced the descent of the face. It was hideous work.
The men looked like impersonations of Winter, with their hair all
frosted, and their beards matted with ice. My hands were numbed
— dead. I begged the others to stop. " We cannot afford to stop ;
we must continue to move" was their reply. They were right ; to
stop was to be entirely frozen. So we went down ; gripping rocks
varnished with ice, which pulled the skin from the fingers. Gloves
were useless ; they became iced too, and the batons slid through
them as slippery as eels. The iron of the axes stuck to the fingers
— it felt red-hot ; but it was useless to shrink, the rocks and the
axes had to be firmly grasped — no faltering would do here.
We turned back at 4.12 p.m., and at 8.15 crossed the berg-
schrund again, not having halted for a minute upon the entire
descent. During the last two hours it was windless, but time was
of such vital importance that we pressed on incessantly, and did
not stop until we were fairly upon the glacier. Then we took
stock of what remained of the tips of our fingers ; there was not
much skin left ; they were perfectly raw, and for weeks afterwards
I was reminded of the ascent of the Dent Blanche by the twinges
which I felt when I pulled on my boots. The others escaped with
some slight frost-bites ; and, altogether, we had reason to congra-
tulate ourselves that we got off so lightly. The men compli-
mented me upon the descent, and I could do the same honestly
to them. If they had worked less vigorously, or harmoniously, we
should have been benighted upon the face, where there was not a
single spot upon which it was possible to sit ; and if that had hap-
pened, I do not think that one would have survived to tell the tale.
The summit of the Dent Blanche is a ridge, perhaps one hundred yards in
length. The highest point is usually at its north-eastern end.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/332]]==
280
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XIV.
We made the descent of the glacier in a mist, and of the moraine
at its base, and of the slopes below, in total darkness, and regained
the chalets of Abricolla at 11.45 p.m. We had been absent eighteen
and a half hours, and out of that time had been going not less than
seventeen. That night we slept the sleep of those who are
thoroughly tired *
Two days afterwards, when walking into Zermatt, whom should
we meet but Mr. Kennedy. " Hullo !" we said, "we have just seen
your cairn on the top of the Dent
Blanche." " No, you haven't," he
answered, very positively. " What
do you mean ?" " Why, that you
cannot have seen my cairn, be-
cause I didn't make one !" " Well,
but we saw a cairn." " No doubt ;
it was made by a man who went
up the mountain last year with
Lauener and Zurfluh." " O-o-h,"
we said, rather disgusted at hear-
ing news when we expected to
communicate some, " O-o-h ! good morning, Kennedy." Before this
happened, we managed to lose our way upon the Col d'Herens ;
but an account of that must be reserved for the next chapter.
* The ascent of the Dent Blanche is the hardest that I have made. There was
nothing upon it so difficult as the last 500 feet of the Pointe des Ecrins ; but, on the
other hand, there was hardly a step upon it which was positively easy. The whole
of the face required actual climbing. There was, probably, very little difference
in difficulty between the route we took in 1865, and that followed by Mr. Kennedy
in 1862.
\i
T. S. KENNEDY.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/333]]==
CHAPTEE XV.
LOST ON THE COL D'HERENS. — MY SEVENTH ATTEMPT
TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN.
" Oh ! ye immortal gods, where in the world are we ?"
Cicero.
We should have started for Zermatt about 7 a.m. on the 18th, had
not Biener asked to be allowed to go to mass at Evolene, a village
about two and a half hours from Abricolla. He received permission,
on the condition that he returned not later than mid-day, but he
did not come back until 2.30 p.m., and we thereby got into a pretty
little mess.
The pass which we were about to traverse to Zermatt — the Col
d'Herens — is one of the few glacier-passes in this district which
have been known almost from time immemorial. It is frequently
crossed in the summer season, and is a very easy route, notwith-
standing that the summit of the pass is 11,417 feet above the level
of the sea.*
From Abricolla to the summit the way lies chiefly over the flat
Glacier de Ferpecle. The walk is of the most straightforward kind.
The glacier rises in gentle undulations ; its crevasses are small and
easily avoided ; and all you have to do, after once getting upon the
ice, is to proceed due south, in the most direct manner possible.
If you do so, in two hours you should be upon the summit of the
pass.
We tied ourselves in line, of course, when we entered upon the
* See map of the Valley of Zermatt. The route taken upon June 19 is alone
marked.
2 o
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/334]]==
282 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xv.
glacier ; and placed Biener to lead, as he had frequently crossed the
pass ; supposing that his local knowledge might save us some time
upon the other side. We had proceeded, I suppose, about half-
way up, when a little, thin cloud dropped down upon us from
above ; but it was so light, so gauzy, that we did not for a moment
suppose that it would become embarrassing, and hence I neglected
to note at the proper moment the course which we should steer, —
that is to say, to observe our precise situation, in regard to the
summit of the pass.
Tor some little time Biener progressed steadily, making a toler-
ably straight track ; but at length he wavered, and deviated some-
times to the right, and sometimes to the left. Croz rushed forward
directly he saw this, and taking the poor young man by his
shoulders gave him a good shaking, told him that he was an im-
becile, to untie himself at once, and go to the rear. Biener looked
half- frightened, and obeyed without a murmur. Croz led off briskly,
and made a good straight track for a few minutes ; but then, it
seemed to me, began to move steadily round to the left. I looked
back, but the mist was now too thick to see our traces, and so we
continued to follow our leader. At last the others (who were
behind, and in a better position to judge) thought the same as I
did, and we pulled up Croz to deliver our opinion. He took
our criticism in good part, but when Biener opened his mouth that
was too much for him to stand, and he told the young man again,
" You are imbecile ; I bet you twenty francs to one that my track
is better than yours ; twenty francs, now then, imbecile !"
Aimer went to the front. He commenced by returning in the
track for a hundred yards or so, and then started off at a tangent
from Croz's curve. We kept this course for half-an-hour, and then
were certain that we were not on the right route, because the
snow became decidedly steep. We bore away more and more to
the right, to avoid this steep bank, but at last I rebelled, as we
had for some time been going almost south-west, which was
altogether the wrong direction. After a long discussion we
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/335]]==
chap. xv. BEWILDERED. 283
returned some distance in our track, and then steered a little east
of south, but we continually met steep snow-slopes, and to avoid
them went right or left as the case might require.
We were greatly puzzled, and could not in the least tell
whether we were too near the Dent Blanche or too close to the
Tete Blanche. The mists had thickened, and were now as dense as
a moderate London fog. There were no rocks or echoes to direct us,
and the guidance of the compass brought us invariably against these
steep snow-banks. The men were fairly beaten ; they had all had
a try, or more than one, and at last gave it up as a bad job, and
asked what was to be done. It was 7.30 p.m. and only an hour of
daylight was left. We were beginning to feel used up, for we had
wandered about at tip-top speed for the last three hours and a half, so
I said, " This is my advice ; let us turn in our track, and go back as
hard as ever we can, not quitting the track for an instant." They
were well content, but just as we were starting off, the clouds lifted
a little, and we thought we saw the Col. It was then to our right,
and we went at it with a dash, but before we had gone a hundred
paces down came the mist again. We kept on nevertheless for
twenty minutes, and then, as darkness was perceptibly coming on,
and the snow was yet rising in front, we turned back, and by run-
ning down the entire distance managed to get clear of the Ferpecle
glacier just as it became pitch dark. We arrived at our cheerless
chalet in due course, and went to bed supperless, for our food was
gone ; all very sulky — not to say savage — agreeing in nothing
except in bullying Biener.
At 7 a.m. on the 19th, we set out, for the third time, for the
Col d'Herens. It was a fine day, and we gradually recovered our
tempers as we saw the follies which had been committed on the
previous evening. Biener' s wavering track was not so bad ; but
Croz had swerved from the right route from the first, and had
traced a complete semicircle, so that when we stopped him we
were facing Abricolla — whence we had started. Aimer had com-
menced with great discretion ; but he kept on too long, and crossed
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/336]]==
284 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xv.
the proper route. When I stopped them (because we were going
south-west), we were a long way up the Teite Blanche ! Our last
attempt was in the right direction ; we were actually upon the
summit of the pass, and in another ten yards we should have com-
menced to go down hill ! It is needless to point out that if the
compass had been looked to at the proper moment — that is, im-
mediately the mist came down — we should have avoided all our
troubles. It was little use afterwards, except to tell us when we
were going wrong.
"We arrived at Zermatt in six and a half hours' walking from
Abricolla, and Seller's hospitable reception set us all right again.
On the 20th we crossed the Theodule pass, and diverged from its
summit up the Theodulhorn (11,391) to examine a route which I
suggested for the ascent of the Matterhorn ; but before continuing
an account of our proceedings, I must stop for a minute to explain
why this new route was proposed, in place of that up the south-
western ridge.
The Matterhorn may be divided into three sections* The first,
facing the Z'Muttgletscher, which looks, and is, completely unas-
sailable ; the second, facing the east, which seems inaccessibility
itself ; the third, facing Breil, which does not look entirely hope-
less. It was from this last direction that all my previous attempts
were made. It was by the south-western ridge, it will be remem-
bered, that not only I, but Mr. Hawkins, Professor Tyndall, and
the chasseurs of Val Tournanche, essayed to climb the mountain.
Why then abandon a route which had been shown to be feasible up
to a certain point ?
I gave it up for four reasons. 1. On account of my growing
disinclination for aretes, and preference for snow and rock faces
(see Chap, xiii.) 2. Because I was persuaded that meteorologi-
cal disturbances (by which we had been baffled several times)
might be expected to occur again and again -f* (see Chaps, v. and
* See Chap. iv. pp. 82-4.
f Subsequent experiences of others have strengthened this opinion.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/337]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/338]]==
THE MATTER HORN FROM THE RIFFELBERG,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/339]]==
chap. xv. EASTERN FACE OF THE MATTERHORN. 285
vii.) 3. Because I found that the east face was a gross imposition
— it looked not far from perpendicular, while its angle was, in fact,
scarcely more than 40°. 4. Because I observed for myself that the
strata of the mountain dipped to the west-south-west. It is not
necessary to say anything more than has been already said upon the
first two of these four points, but upon the latter two a few words
are indispensable. Let us consider, first, why most persons receive
such an exaggerated impression of the steepness of the eastern face.
When one looks at the Matterhorn from Zermatt, the mountain
is regarded (nearly) from the north-east. The face that fronts the
east is consequently neither seen in profile nor in full front, but
almost half-way between the two ; it looks, therefore, more steep
than it really is. The majority of those who visit Zermatt go up
to the Eiffelberg, or to the Gornergrat, and from these places
the mountain naturally looks still more precipitous, because its
eastern face (which is almost all that is seen of it) is viewed more
directly in front. From the Riffel hotel the slope seems to be set
at an angle of 70°. If the tourist continues to go southwards, and
crosses the Theodule pass, he gets, at one point, immediately in
front of the eastern face, which then seems to be absolutely per-
pendicular. Comparatively few persons correct the erroneous im-
pressions they receive in these quarters by studying the face in
profile, and most go away with a very incorrect and exaggerated
idea of the precipitousness of this side of the mountain, because
they have considered the question from one point of view alone.
Several years passed away before I shook myself clear of my
early and false impressions regarding the steepness of this side of
the Matterhorn. First of all, I noticed that there were places on
this eastern face where snow remained permanently all the year
round. I do not speak of snow in gullies, but of the considerable
slopes which are seen upon the accompanying engraving, about half-
way up the face. Such beds as these could not continue to remain
throughout the summer, unless the snow had been able to accumu-
late in the winter in large masses ; and snow cannot accumulate
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/340]]==
286 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xv.
and remain in large masses, in a situation such as this, at angles
much exceeding 45° .* Hence I was bound to conclude that the
eastern face was many degrees removed from perpendicularity ;
and, to be sure on this point, I went to the slopes between the
Z'Muttgletscher and the Matterhorngletscher, above the chalets of
Staffel, whence the face could be seen in profile. Its appearance
from this direction would be amazing to one who had seen it only
from the east. It looks so totally different from the apparently
sheer and perfectly unclimbable cliff one sees from the Biffelberg,
that it is hard to believe the two slopes are one and the same
thing. Its angle scarcely exceeds 40°.
A great step was made when this was learnt. This know-
ledge alone would not, however, have caused me to try an ascent
by the eastern face instead of by the south-west ridge. Forty
degrees may not seem a formidable inclination to the reader, nor
is it for only a small cliff. But it is very unusual to find so steep
a gradient maintained continuously as the general angle of a
great mountain-slope, and very few instances can be quoted from
the High Alps of such an angle being preserved over a rise of 3000
feet.
I do not think that the steepness or the height of this cliff
would have deterred climbers from attempting to ascend it, if it
had not, in addition, looked so repulsively smooth. Men despaired
of finding anything to grasp. Now, some of the difficulties of the
south-west ridge came from the smoothness of the rocks, although
that ridge, even from a distance, seemed to be well broken up.
How much greater, then, might not have been the difficulty of
climbing a face which looked smooth and unbroken close at
hand ?
A more serious hindrance to mounting the south-west ridge is
found in the dip of its rocks to the west-south-west. The great
mass of the Matterhorn, it is now well ascertained, is composed of
* I prefer to be on the safe side. My impression is that snow cannot accumulate
in large masses at 45°.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/341]]==
chap. xv. STRATIFICATION OF THE MATTERHORN.
287
This is shown in
and the annexed
Pig. 1.
Fiff. 2.
regularly stratified rocks,* which rise towards the east. It has been
mentioned in the text, more than once, that the rocks on some por-
tions of the ridge leading from the Col du Lion to the summit dip
outwards, and that fractured edges overhang.*!*
the illustrations facing pp. 119 and 127 ;
diagram, Fig. 1, exhibits the same thing
still more clearly. It will be readily
understood that such an arrangement
is not favourable for climbers, and that
the degree of facility with which rocks
can be ascended that are so disposed,
must depend very much upon the fre-
quency or paucity of fissures and joints.
The rocks of the south-west ridge are
sufficiently provided with cracks, but if
it were otherwise, their texture and ar-
rangement would render them unassail-
able.:}:
It is not possible to go a single time upon the rocks of the
south-west ridge, from the Col du Lion to the foot of the Great
Tower, without observing the prevalence of their outward dip, and
that their fractured edges have a tendency to overhang ; nor can
one fail to notice that it is upon this account the debris, which is
rent off by frost, does not remain in situ, but pours down in
showers over the surrounding cliffs. Each day's work r so to speak,
is cleared away ; the ridge is swept clean ; there is scarcely any-
thing seen but firm rock.§
* Upon this subject I beg to refer the reader to the valuable note furnished by
Signor F. Giordano in the Appendix.
t See pp. 94 and 11].
% Weathered granite is an admirable rock to climb ; its gritty texture giving ex-
cellent hold to the nails in one's boots. But upon such metamorphic schists as
compose the mass of the great peak of the Matterhorn, the texture of the rock itself
is of no value.
§ I refer here only to that portion of the ridge which is between the Col du Lion
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/342]]==
288 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xv.
The fact that the mountain is composed of a series of stratified
beds was pointed out long ago. De Saussure remarked it, and
recorded explicitly, in his Travels (§ 2243), that they " rose to the
north-east at an angle of about 45°." Forbes noticed it also ; but
gave it as his opinion that the beds were " less inclined, or nearly
horizontal." He added, " De Saussure is no doubt correct."* The
truth, I think, lies between the two.
I was acquainted with both of the above-quoted passages, but
did not turn the knowledge to any practical account until I re-ob-
served the same fact for myself. It was not until after my repulse
in 1863, that I referred the peculiar difficulties of the south-west
ridge to the dip of the strata ; but when once persuaded that struc-
ture and not texture was the real impediment, it was reasonable to
infer that the opposite side, that is to say the eastern face, might
be comparatively easy. In brief, that an arrangement should be
found like Fig. 2, instead of like Fig. 1. This trivial deduction
was the key to the ascent of the Matterhorn.
The point was, Did the strata continue with a similar dip
throughout the mountain? If they did, then this great eastern
face, instead of being hopelessly impracticable, should be quite the
reverse. In fact, it should be a great natural staircase, with steps
inclining inwards ; and, if it were so, its smooth aspect might be
of no account, for the smallest steps, inclined in this fashion, would
afford good footing.
They did so, as far as one could judge from a distance. When
snow fell in the summer time, it brought out long terraced lines
upon the mountain ; rudely parallel to each other ; inclined in the
direction shown (approximately) upon the figures in the accom-
panying plate : and the eastern face, on those occasions, was often
whitened almost completely over ; while the other sides, with the
and the Great Tower. The remarks would not apply to the rocks higher up (see p.
118) ; higher still the rocks are firm again ; yet higher (upon the " Shoulder ") they
are much disintegrated ; and then, upon the final peak, they are again firm.
* Travels through the Alps, 2d ed. p. 317.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/343]]==
THE MATTERHORN FROM THE SI
IT OF THE THEODULE PASS.
THE MATTERHORN FROM THE NORTH-EAST,
THE SPACES BFTWEEN THE PARALLEL RED LINES REPRESENT, ON AN AVERAGE, A VERTICAL HEIGHT OF ABOUT
60 FEET; BUT, CN ACCOUNT OF FCRESHCRTENING, THE HEIGHT BETWEEN THE UPPERMOST LINES IS SOMEWHAT
MORE THAN THIS AMOUNT.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/344]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/345]]==
chap. xv. WE TRY ANOTHER ROUTE. 289
exception of the powdered terraces, remained black — for the snow
could not rest upon them.
The very outline of the mountain, too, confirmed the conjecture
that its structure would assist an ascent on the eastern face,
although it opposed one on all other sides. Look at any photograph
of the peak from the north-east (or, failing one, the outline facing
page 288, which is carefully traced from one), and you will see
that upon the right-hand side (that facing the Z'Muttgletscher)
there is an incessant repetition of overhanging cliffs, and of slopes
all trending downwards ; in short, that the character of the whole
of that side is similar to Fig. 1, p. 287 ; and that upon the left
hand (or south-east) ridge, the forms, as far as they go, are sug-
gestive of the structure of Tig. 2. There is no doubt that the con-
tours of the mountain, seen from this direction, have been largely
influenced by the direction of its beds.
It was not, therefore, from a freak, that I invited Mr. Eeilly to
join in an attack upon the eastern face, but from a gradually-ac-
quired conviction that it would prove to give the easiest path to
the summit ; and, if we had not been obliged to part, the mountain
would, doubtless, have been ascended in 1864.
My guides readily admitted that they had been greatly deceived
as to the steepness of the eastern face, when they were halted to
look at it in profile, as we came down the Z'Muttgletscher, on our
way to Zermatt ; but they were far from being satisfied that it
would turn out to be easy to climb, and Aimer and Biener ex-
pressed themselves decidedly averse to making an attempt upon it.
I gave way temporarily before their evident reluctance, and we
made the ascent of the Theodulhorn to examine an alternative
route, which I expected would commend itself to them in prefer-
ence to the other, as a great part of it led over snow.
There is an immense gully in the Matterhorn, which leads
up from the Glacier du Mont Cervin to a point high up on the
2 p
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/346]]==
290 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xv.
south-eastern ridge * I proposed to ascend this to its head, and to
cross over the south-east ridge on to the eastern face. This would
have brought us on a level with the bottom of the great snow-slope
shown upon the centre of the eastern face in the engraving facing
p. 285. This snow-slope was to be crossed diagonally, with the
view of arriving at the snow upon the north-east ridge, which is
shown upon the same engraving, about half-an-inch from the
summit. The remainder of the ascent was to be made by the
broken rocks, mixed with snow, upon the north side of the moun-
tain. Croz caught the idea immediately, and thought the plan
feasible ; details were settled, and we descended to Breil. Luc
Meynet, the hunchback, was summoned, and expressed himself
delighted to resume his old vocation of tent-bearer ; and Favre's
kitchen was soon in commotion preparing three days' rations, for I
intended to take that amount of time over the affair — to sleep on
the first night upon the rocks at the top of the gully ; to make a
push for the summit, and to return to the tent on the second day ;
and upon the third to come back to Breil.
We started at 5.45 a.m. on June 21, and followed the route of the
Breuiljoch-f- for three hours. We were then in full view of our gully,
and turned off at right angles for it. The closer we approached,
the more favourable did it look. There was a good deal of snow in
it, which was evidently at a small angle, and it seemed as if one-
third of the ascent, at least, would be a very simple matter. Some
suspicious marks in the snow at its base suggested that it was not
free from falling stones, and, as a measure of precaution, we turned
off on one side, worked up under cover of the cliffs, and waited to
see if anything should descend. Nothing fell, so we proceeded up
its right or northern side, sometimes cutting steps up the snow
and sometimes mounting by the rocks. Shortly before 10 a.m. we
arrived at a convenient place for a halt, and stopped to rest upon
* Its position is shown "by the letter F, on the right of the outline, on p. 128.
See also map of the Matterhorn and its glaciers,
f See p. 137.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/347]]==
chap. xv. "SAUVE QUI PEUT!" 291
some rocks, immediately close to the snow, which commanded an
excellent view of the gully.
While the men were unpacking the food I went to a little pro-
montory to examine our proposed route more narrowly, and to
admire our noble couloir, which led straight up into the heart of
the mountain for fully one thousand feet. It then bent towards
the north, and ran up to the crest of the south-eastern ridge. My
curiosity was piqued to know what was round this corner, and
whilst I was gazing up at it, and following with the eye the
exquisitely drawn curves which wandered down the snow in the
gully, all converging to a large rut in its centre, I saw a few little
stones skidding down. I consoled myself with thinking that they
would not interfere with us if we adhered to the side. But then a
larger one came down, a solitary fellow, rushing at the rate of sixty
miles an hour — and another — and another. I was unwilling to
raise the fears of the men unnecessarily, and said nothing to them.
They did not hear the stones. Aimer was seated on a rock, carving
large slices from a leg of mutton, the others were chatting, and the
first intimation they had of danger was from a crash — a sudden
roar — which reverberated awfully amongst the cliffs, and, looking up,
they saw masses of rocks, boulders and stones, big and little, dart
round the corner eight hundred feet or so above us, fly with fearful
fury against the opposite cliffs, rebound from them against the
walls on our side, and descend ; some ricochetting from side to
side in a frantic manner ; some bounding down in leaps of a hun-
dred feet or more over the snow ; and more trailing down in a
jumbled, confused mass, mixed with snow and ice, deepening the
grooves which, a moment before, had excited my admiration.
The men looked wildly around for protection, and, dropping the
food, dashed under cover in all directions. The precious mutton
was pitched on one side, the wine-bag was let fall, and its contents
gushed out from the unclosed neck, while all four cowered under
defending rocks, endeavouring to make themselves as small as
possible. Let it not be supposed that their fright was unreason-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/348]]==
292 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xv.
able, or that I was free from it. I took good care to make myself
safe, and went and cringed in a cleft until the storm had passed.
But their scramble to get under shelter was indescribably ludicrous.
Such a panic I have never witnessed, before or since, upon a
mountain-side.
This ricochet practice was a novelty to me. It arose, of course,
from the couloir being bent, and from the falling rocks having
acquired great pace before they passed the angle. In straight
gullies it will, probably, never be experienced. The rule is, as I
have already remarked (p. 225), that falling stones keep down the
centres of gullies, and they are out of harm's way if one follows the
sides.
MY TENT-BEARER — THE HUNCHBACK.
There would have been singularly little amusement, and very
great risk, in mounting this gully, and we turned our backs upon
it with perfect unanimity. The question then arose, "What is
to be done?" I suggested climbing the rocks above ns, but this
was voted impossible. I thought the men were right, but would
not give in without being assured of the fact, and clambered up to
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/349]]==
chap. XT. REPULSED. 293
settle the question. In a few minutes I was brought to a halt. My
forces were scattered ; the little hunchback alone was closely fol-
lowing me — with a broad grin upon his face, and the tent upon his
shoulder ; Croz, more behind, was still keeping an eye upon his
Monsieur ; Aimer, a hundred feet below, sat on a rock with his
face buried in his hands ; Biener was nowhere, out of sight. " Come
down, come down," shouted Croz ; " it is useless," and I turned at
length, convinced that it was even as he said. Thus my little plan
was knocked on the head, and we were thrown back upon the
original scheme.
We at once made a straight track for Mr. Morshead's Breuiljoch,*
(which was the most direct route to take in order to get to the
Hornli, where we intended to sleep, preparatory to attacking the
eastern face), and arrived upon its summit at 12.30 p.m. We were
then unexpectedly checked. The pass, as one, had vanished ! and
we found ourselves cut off from the Furggengletscher by a small
but precipitous wall of rock ; — the glacier had shrunk so much
that descent was impracticable. During the last hour clouds had
been coming up from the south ; they now surrounded us, and it
began to blow hard. The men clustered together, and advocated
leaving the mountain alone. Aimer asked, with more point than
politeness, " Why don't you try to go up a mountain which can be
ascended? " "It is impossible," chimed in Biener. "Sir," said Croz,
" if we cross to the other side we shall lose three days, and very
likely shall not succeed. You want to make ascents in the chain
of Mont Blanc, and I believe they can be made. But I shall
not be able to make them with you if I spend these days here,
for I must be at Chamounix on the 27th." There was force in
what he said, and his words made me hesitate. I relied upon his
strong arms for some work which it was expected would be un-
usually difficult. Snow began to fall ; that settled the matter, and
I gave the word to retreat. We went back to Breil, and on to the
village of Val Tournanche, where we slept ; and the next day pro-
* See note to p. 138.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/350]]==
294 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xv.
ceeded to Chatillon, and thence up the valley of Aosta to Cor-
mayeur.
I cannot but regret that the counsels of the guides prevailed.
If Croz had not uttered his well-intentioned words, he might still
have been living. He parted from us at Chamounix at the appointed
time, but by a strange chance we met again at Zermatt three
weeks later, and two days afterwards he perished before my eyes
on the very mountain from which we turned away, at his advice,
on the 21st of June.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/351]]==
CHAPTER XVI.
VALLEY OF AOSTA, AND ASCENT OF THE GRANDES JORASSES.
* * * " When we were boys,
Who would believe that there were mountaineers
Dew-lapp'd like bulls, whose throats had hanging at them
Wallets of flesh ? " ......
Shakespeare.
The valley of Aosta is famous for its Bouquetins, and infamous for
its Cretins. The Bouquetin, Steinbock, or Ibex, was formerly widely
distributed throughout the Alps. It is now confined almost entirely,
or absolutely, to a small district on the south of the valley of
Aosta, and fears have been repeatedly expressed in late years that
it will speedily become extinct.
But the most sanguine person does not imagine that cretinism
will be eradicated for many generations. It is widely spread
throughout the Alps ; it is by no means peculiar to the valley of
Aosta ; but nowhere does it thrust itself more frequently upon
the attention of the traveller, and in no valley where " every pro-
spect pleases," is one so often and so painfully reminded that " only
man is vile."
It seems premature to fear that the bouquetin will soon be-
come extinct. It is not easy to take a census of them, for, although
they have local habitations, it is extremely difficult to find them at
home. But there is good reason to believe that there are at least
600 still roaming over the mountains in the neighbourhood of the
valleys of Grisanche, Ehemes, Savaranche, and Cogne.
It would be a pity if it were otherwise. They appeal to the
sympathies of all as the remnants of a diminishing race, and no
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/352]]==
296 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
mountaineer or athletic person could witness without sorrow the
extinction of an animal possessing such noble qualities ; — which a
few months after birth can jump over a man's head at a bound,
without taking a run ; which passes its whole life in a constant
fight for existence ; which has such a keen appreciation of the
beauties of nature, and such disregard of pain that it will " stand for
hours like a statue, in the midst of the bitterest storm, until the tips
of its ears are frozen" ! and which, when its last hour arrives, "climbs
to the highest mountain-peaks, hangs on a rock with its horns,
twists itself round and round upon them until they are worn off,
and then falls down and expires " ! ! * Even Tschudi himself calls
this story wonderful. He may well do so. I disclaim belief in it,
— the bouquetin is too fine a beast to indulge in such antics.
Forty-five keepers, selected from the most able chasseurs of the
district, guard its haunts. Their task is not a light one, although
they are, naturally, acquainted with those who are most likely to
attempt poaching. If they were withdrawn, it would not be long
before the ibex would be an extinct wild animal, so far as the
Alps are concerned. The passion for killing something, and the
present value of the beast itself, would soon lead to its extermina-
tion. Tor as meat alone the bouquetin is valuable ; the gross
weight of one that is full grown amounting from 160 to 200 lbs ;
while its skin and horns are worth £10 and upwards, according to
condition and dimensions.
In spite of the keepers, and of the severe penalties which may
be inflicted for killing a bouquetin, poaching occurs constantly.
Knowing that this was the case, I inquired at Aosta, upon my last
visit, if any skins or horns were for sale, and in ten minutes was
taken into a garret where the remains of a splendid beast were
concealed, — a magnificent male, presumed to be more than twenty
years old, as its massive horns had twenty-two more or less strongly
marked knobby rings. The extreme length of the skin, from the
tip of the nose to the end of the tail, was 1 metre 09 centimetres
* Tschudi's Sketches of Nature in the Alps.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/353]]==
CHAP. xvr.
THE BOUQUET IN.
297
(about 5 feet 7 inches),* and from the ground to the top of its back
had been, apparently, about 77 centimetres. It is rare to meet
with a bouquetin of these dimensions, and the owner of this
skin might have been visited with several years' imprisonment
if it had been known that it was in his possession.
THE BOUQUETIN.
The chase of the bouquetin is properly considered a sport fit
for a king, and his Majesty Victor -Emmanuel, for whom it is
reserved, is too good a sportsman to slaughter indiscriminately an
animal which is an ornament to his dominions. Last year (1869)
* Probably stretched in skinning.
2 Q
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/354]]==
298 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
seventeen fell to his gun at one hundred yards and upwards. In
1868 his Majesty presented a fine specimen to the Italian Alpine
Club. The members banqueted, I believe, upon its flesh, and they
have had the skin stuffed, and set up in their rooms at Aosta. It
is said by connoisseurs to be badly stuffed, — that it is not broad
enough in the chest, and is too large behind. Still it looks well
proportioned, although it seems made for hard work rather than for
feats of agility. From this specimen the accompanying engraving
has been made.
It is a full-grown male, about twelve years old, and if it stood
upright would measure 3 feet 3 J inches from the ground to the
base of its horns. Its extreme length is 4 feet 7 inches. Its
horns have eleven well-marked rings, besides one or two faintly-
marked ones, and are (measured round their curvature) 54J centi-
metres in length. The horns of the specimen referred to on p. 296
(measured in the same way) had a length of only 53 1 centimetres,
although they were ornamented with nearly double the number of
rings, and were presumably of double the age of the former *
The keepers, and the chasseurs of this district, not only say that
the rings upon the horns of the ibex tell its age (each one reckon-
ing as a year), but that the half-developed ones, which sometimes
are very feebly marked indeed, show that the animal has suffered
from hunger during the winter. Naturalists are sceptical upon this
point ; but inasmuch as they offer no better reason against the re-
puted fact than the natives do in its favour (one saying that it is
not so, and the other saying that it is so), we may, perhaps, be per-
mitted to consider it an open question. I can only say that if the
faintly-marked rings do denote years of famine, the times for the
bouquetin are very hard indeed ; since, in most of the horns which
I have seen, the lesser rings have been very numerous, and some-
times more plentiful than the prominent ones.
* Mr. King, in his Italian Valleys of the Atys, says, " In the pair (of horns) I
possess, which are two feet long, there are eight of these yearly rings." It would seem,
therefore (if the rings are annual ones), that the maximum length of horn is attained
at a comparatively early age.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/355]]==
chap. xvi. ON CRETINISM. 299
The Chef of the keepers (who judges by the above-mentioned
indications) tells me that the ibex not unfrequently arrives at the
age of thirty years, and sometimes to forty or forty-five. He says,
too, that it is not fond of traversing steep snow, and in descending
a couloir that is filled with it, will zig-zag down, by springing from
one side to the other, in leaps of fifty feet at a time ! Jean Tairraz,*
the worthy landlord of the Hotel du Mont Blanc at Aosta (who has
had opportunities of observing the animal closely), assures me that
at the age of four or five months it can easily clear a height of nine
or ten feet at a bound !
Long live the bouquetin ! and long may its chase preserve the
health of the mountaineering king, Victor-Emmanuel. Long life
to the bouquetin ! but down with the cretin !
The peculiar form of idiocy which is called Cretinism-)- is so
highly developed in the Valley of Aosta, and the natives are so
familiarised with it, that they are almost indignant when the sur-
prised traveller remarks its frequency. One is continually reminded
that it is not peculiar to the valley, and that there are cretins else-
where. It is too true that this terrible scourge is wide-spread
throughout the Alps and over the world, and that there are places
where the proportion of cretins to population is, or has been, even
greater than in the Valley of Aosta ; but I have never seen, or
heard of, a valley so fertile and so charming, of one which — apart
from cretinism — leaves so agreeable an impression upon the way-
farer, where equal numbers are reduced to a condition which any
respectable ape might despise.
The whole subject of cretinism is surrounded with difficulty.
The number of those who are afflicted by it is unknown ; its cure
is doubtful ; and its origin is mysterious. It has puzzled the most
Jean Tairraz was the leading guide of the late Albert Smith on his celebrated
ascent of Mont Blanc.
t " Cretinism may be looked upon as being the highest stage of Idiocy, although
it differs from it, in having a vitiated state of the body, in conjunction with the loss
of the faculties of the mind. Thus it is composed of two distinct elements,— the
one, Idiocy, the other, bad habit of body."— Blackie, On Cretinism, p. 6.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/356]]==
300
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XVI.
acute observers, and every general statement in regard to it must
be fenced by qualifications.
It is tolerably certain, however, that the centre of its distribu-
tion in the valley of Aosta is about the centre of the valley. The
city of Aosta itself may be regarded as its head-quarters. It is
there, and in the neighbouring towns of Gignod, Villeneuve, St.
Vincent, and Verrex, and in the villages and upon the high-road
between those places, that these distorted, mindless beings, more like
brutes than men, commonly excite one's disgust by their hideous,
loathsome, and uncouth appearance, by their obscene gestures, and
by their senseless gabbling.
The accompanying portrait
of one is by no means over-
drawn — some are too fright-
ful for representation.
How can we account for
this particular intensity to-
wards the middle of the val-
ley ? Why is it that cretins
become more and more nu-
merous after Ivrea is passed,
attain their highest ratio and
lowest degradation at or
about the chief town of the
valley, and then diminish in
numbers as its upper ter-
mination is approached ?
This maximum of intensity
must certainly point to a cause, or to a combination of causes, operat-
ing about Aosta, which are less powerful at the two extremities of
the valley ; and if the reason for it could be determined, the springs
of cretinism would be exposed.
The disease would be even more puzzling than it is if it were
confined to this single locality, and the inquirer were to find not
A CKETIN OF AOSTA.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/357]]==
chap. xvi. SUPPOSED CAUSES OF CRETINISM. 301
merely that it was almost unknown upon the plains to the east
and in the districts to the west, but that the vallevs radiating
north and south from the main valley were practically unaffected
by it. For it is a remarkable circumstance, which has attracted
the notice of all who have paid attention to cretinism, that the
natives of the tributary valleys are almost free from the malady ;
— that people of the same race, speaking the same language,
breathing the same air, eating the same food, and living the same
life, enjoy almost entire immunity from it, while, at the distance of
a very few miles, thousands of others are completely in its power.
A parallel case is found, however, on the other side of the Pen-
nine Alps. The Ehone valley is almost equally disfigured by
cretinism, and in it, too, the extremities of the valley are slightly
affected compared with the intermediate districts — particularly
those between Brieg and St. Maurice* This second example
strengthens the conviction that the great development of cretinism
in the middle of the valley of Aosta is not the result of accidental
circumstances.
It was formerly supposed that cretinism arose from the
habitual drinking of snow and glacier- water. De Saussure opposed
to this conjecture the facts, that the disease was entirely unknown
precisely in those places where the inhabitants were most dependent
upon these kinds of water, and that it was most common where
such was not the case ; — that the high valleys were untainted,
while the low ones were infected.i* The notion seems to have
proceeded from cretins being confounded with persons who were
merely goitred ; or, at least, from the supposition that goitre was
an incipient stage of cretinism.
Goitre, it is now well ascertained, is induced by the use of
It was stated a few years ago that one in twenty-five of the natives of the Can-
ton Valais (which is chiefly occupied by the valley of the upper Rhone) were cretins.
This would give about 3500 to the canton. At the same time the valley of Aosta
contained about 2000 cretins.
t Voyages dans Us Alpes, § 1033.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/358]]==
302 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
chemically impure water, and especially hard water ; and the in-
vestigations of various observers have discovered that goitre has an
intimate connection with certain geological formations.* In har-
mony with these facts, it is found that infants are seldom born
with goitres, but that they develop as the child grows up ; that
they will sometimes appear and disappear from mere change of
locality ;*f- and that it is possible to produce them intentionally.
It is not so certain that the causes which produce goitre should
be regarded as causes of the production or maintenance of cretinism.
It is true that cretins are very generally goitrous, but it is also
true that there are tens of thousands of goitrous persons who are
entirely free from all traces of cretinism. Not only so, but that
there are districts in the Alps, and outside of them (even in our
own country), where goitre is not rare, but where the cretin is un-
known. Still, regarding the evil state of body which leads to
goitre as being, possibly, in alliance with cretinism, it will not be
irrelevant to give the former disease a little more attention before
continuing the consideration of the main subject.
In this country the possession of a goitre is considered a mis-
fortune rather than otherwise, and individuals who are afflicted
with these appendages attempt to conceal their shame. In the
Alps it is quite the reverse. In France, Italy, and Switzerland,
it is a positive advantage to be goitred, as it secures exemption
from military service. A goitre is a thing to be prized, exhibited,
preserved — it is worth so much hard cash ; and it is an unques-
tionable fact that the perpetuation of the great goitrous family
is assisted by this very circumstance.
When Savoy was annexed to France, the administration took
stock of the resources of its new territory, and soon discovered
* Dr. Moffat communicated a paper on this subject at the last (1870) meeting of
the British Association at Liverpool, in which he stated he had ascertained that in
a Carboniferous district goitre was prevalent, and that it was absent on New Red
Sandstone.
t Goitre is endemic at Briancon, and frequently affects, temporarily, the soldiers
who are stationed in that fortress. Chabrand (a doctor of Briancon) says that no less
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/359]]==
chap. xvi. ON GOITRE. 303
that, although the acres were many, the conscripts would be few.
The government bestirred itself to amend this state of affairs, and
after arriving at the conclusion that goitre was produced by drink-
ing bad water (and that its production was promoted by sottish
and bestial habits), took measures to cleanse the villages, to
analyse the waters (in order to point out those which should not be
drank), and to give to children who came to school lozenges con-
taining small closes of iodine. It is said that out of 5000 goitrous
children who were so treated in the course of eight years, 2000 were
cured, and the condition of 2000 others was improved ; and that the
number of cures would have been greater if the parents " had not
opposed the care of the government, in order to preserve the privilege
of exemption from military servicer * These benighted creatures
refused the Marshal's baton and preferred their " wallets of flesh !""f
No wonder that the Prefet for Haute-Savoie proposes that
goitrous persons shall no longer be privileged. Let him go farther,
and obtain a decree that all of them capable of bearing arms shall
than one in twenty-five of the men of the 34th regiment of infantry, who were in garri-
son in 1857, became goitrous during their stay. This regiment came from Perpignan,
where the disease is not common. — Goitre et Cretinisme endemique, Paris, 1864, p. 56.
* The substance of this paragraph is taken from the Bullettino del Club Alpino
Italiano, No. 13, 1869.
+ Blackie says that " Dr. Mottard mentions the case of a so-called goitre well near
St. Julien in Maurienne, the water of which encrusted the trees in the vicinity with
lime, and the use of which produced goitre in a couple of months ; and he mentions
five young men who had voluntarily drunk its water, and produced goitre, in order
to be free from military service."
Chabrand, in the pamphlet already quoted, says, "It is deplorable that young
people who have a swelling of the thyroid gland (in the Brianconnais), far from en-
deavouring to get rid of it, occupy themselves only Avith making it bigger, in order
to escape military service. Especially as the time of drawing for the conscription
approaches, do they use every means supposed to be capable of producing goitre ;
drink much water, take ' courses ' with burdens " (on their heads ?) " and tighten the
cravat above the swelling. . . . From 1842 to 1847 inclusive, 91 in 1000 ob-
tained exemption on account of goitre in the Department of the High Alps." The
same writer places the number of goitrous persons in France at 450,000, and of
cretins at 35,000 to 40,000.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/360]]==
304 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
be immediately drafted into the army. Let them be formed into
regiments by themselves, brigaded together, and commanded by
cretins. Think what esprit de corps they would have ! Who could
stand against them ? Who would understand their tactics ? He
would save his iodine, and would render an act of justice to the
non-goitred population. The subject is worthy of serious attention.
If goitre is really an ally of cretinism, the sooner it is eradicated
the better.*
De Saussure substituted heat and stagnation of air as the cause
of cretinism in the place of badness of water. But this was only
giving up one unsatisfactory explanation for another equally un-
tenable ; and since there are places far hotter and with pernicious
atmospheres where the disease is unknown, while, on the other
hand, there are situations in which it is common where the heat is
not excessive, and which enjoy a freely circulating atmosphere, his
assumption may be set aside as insufficient to account for the
cretinism of the Valley of Aosta. And in regard to its particular
case, it may be questioned whether there is anything more than an
imaginary stagnation of air. For my own part, I attribute the op-
pression which strangers say they feel, in the middle of the valley,
not to stagnation of air but to absence of shadow, in consequence
of the valley's course being east to west ; and believe, that if the
force of the wind were observed and estimated according to the
methods in common use, it would be found that there is no defi-
ciency of motion in the air throughout the entire year. Several
towns and villages, moreover, where cretins are most numerous, are
placed at the entrances of valleys and upon elevated slopes, with
abundant natural facilities for drainage- — free from malaria, which
* "Goitrous persons, exempt from military service, remain in their native dis-
tricts, marry, and thus cause the disease to become hereditary. If, on the contrary,
they were drawn, and were sent into untainted departments (particularly those upon
the sea-coast), they would return perfectly cured at the expiration of their term of
service. Further, if goitrous persons were not exempt, a greater number of healthy
individuals would remain at home, would marry, and would become parents of sound
and vigorous children." — Guy and Dagand.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/361]]==
chap. xvi. A PROBABLE CONJECTURE. 305
has been suggested as accounting for the cretinism of the Khone
valley.
Others have imagined that intemperance,* poor living, foul
habits, and personal uncleanliness, sow the seeds of cretinism, and
this opinion is entitled to full consideration. Intemperance of
divers kinds is fruitful in the production of insanity,-)- and herding
together in filthy dwellings, with little or no ventilation, may pos-
sibly deteriorate physique, as much as extreme indulgence may the
mind. These ideas are popularly entertained because cretins are
more numerous amongst the lower orders than amongst the well-to-do
classes. Yet they must, each and all, be regarded as inadequate to
account for the disease, still less to explain its excess in the centre
of the valley. For in these respects there is little or no distinction
between it, the two extremities, and the neighbouring districts.
A conjecture remains to be considered regarding the origin of
cretinism, which is floating in the minds of many persons (although
it is seldom expressed), which carries with it an air of probability
that is wanting in the other explanations, and which is supported
by admitted facts.
The fertility of the Valley of Aosta is proverbial. It is covered
with vineyards and corn-fields ; flocks and herds abound in it ; and
its mineral resources are great. There is enough and to spare both
for man and beast. There are poor in the valley, as there are
everywhere, but life is so far easy that they are not driven to seek
for subsistence in other places, and remain from generation to
* An instance was mentioned to me, in 1869, of a small proprietor in the Valley
of Aosta, who had a wife and several healthy children, having, successively, two good
years with his vines. He ate and drank the proceeds up, instead of husbanding his
resources, and in the two following years two cretin children were born to him.
Several indifferently-good years have succeeded since then, he has been obliged to
live frugally, and has had several more children, all of whom are healthy. The
parents are apparently free from all taint of cretinism.
t See Dr. Robert Christison On some of the Medico-legal Relations of the Habit of
Intemperance, 1861 ; Dr. Edward Jarvis On the Causes of Insanity, 1851 ; and
Reports of the Commissioners in Lunacy.
2r
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/362]]==
306 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
generation rooted to their native soil. The large numbers of persons
who are found in this valley having the same surnames is a proof
of the well-known fact that there is little or no emigration from the
valley, and that there is an indefinite amount of intermarriage be-
tween the natives. It is conjectured that the continuance of these
conditions through a long period has rendered the population more
or less consanguineous, and that we see in cretinism an example,
upon a large scale, of the evil effects of alliances of kindred.
This explanation commends itself by reason of its general
applicability to cretinism. The disease is commonly found in
valleys, on islands,* or in other circumscribed areas, in which cir-
culation is restricted, or the inhabitants are non-migratory ; and it
is rare on plains, where communications are free. It will at once
be asked, " Why, then, are not the tributary valleys of the valley of
Aosta full of cretins ?" The answer is, that these lateral valleys
are comparatively sterile, and are unable to support their popula-
tion from their internal resources. Large numbers annually leave,
and do not return, — some come back, having formed alliances else-
where. There is a constant circulation and introduction of new
blood. I am not aware that there are returns to show the extent
to which this goes on, but the fact is notorious. - )*
* Dr. Blackie gives the remarkable instance of "the island of Medworth (Nieder-
worth ?), near Coblence, where the inhabitants hold no connection with those on
shore, and consequently intermarry constantly with one another." This island,
according to Dr. Blackie, had no less than 40 cretins out of a population of 750.
t The case of the Val Sesia is not strictly in point, since it is not a tributary of
the Val d'Aoste, but it may be quoted to show the extent to which this migration
goes on. Mr. King says, " The population of the whole Val Sesia being estimated
at 35,000, it is evidently utterly unable to maintain a tithe of that number from its
own resources. The necessary result is, a regular periodical migration of all the able-
bodied and active males, for varying lengths of time, into different parts of Europe.
... A large number of the towns of Italy and France, as Genoa, Milan, Turin, and
even Paris, are supplied with an immense influx of skilled labourers and artificers
from these Vals. Some idea of the extent of this migration may be formed from the
fact, that 8000 Val Sesians leave their homes annually, many of them for years. " —
Italian Valleys of the Alps, p. 373.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/363]]==
chap. xvi. POINTS IT EXPLAINS. 307
This conjecture explains, far better than the other guesses, why
it is that cretinism has so strong a hold upon the lower classes,
while it leaves the upper ones almost untouched ; for the former
are most likely to intermarry with people of their own district,
whilst the latter are under no sort of compulsion in this respect.
It gives a clue, too, to the reason of the particular intensity in the
centre of the valley. The inhabitants of the lower extremity com-
municate and mix with the untainted dwellers on the plains, whilst
the conditions at the upper extremity approximate to those of the
lateral valleys. Before this explanation will be generally received,
a closer connection will have to be established between the assumed
cause and the presumed effect* Accepting it, nevertheless, as a
probable and reasonable one, let us now consider what prospect
there is of checking the progress of the disease.
It is, of course, impossible to change the habits of the natives
of the valley of Aosta suddenly, and it would, probably, be very
difficult to cause any large amount of emigration or immigration.
In the present embarrassed condition of Italian finances there is
very small chance of any measure of the sort being undertaken if
it would involve a considerable expenditure. The opening of a
railway from Ivrea to Aosta might possibly bring about, in a natural
way, more movement than would be promoted by any legislation,
and by this means the happiest effects might be produced.-f-
There is little hope of practical results from attempts to cure
* It may be mentioned, as a link in the evidence, that the Department of the Hautes
Alpes (which contains a prodigious number of cretins) has, according to Chipault, a
larger proportion of deaf and dumb persons to its population than any other depart-
ment of France, viz. 1 in 419. The Department of the Basses Pyrenees comes next,
with 1 in 677.
t "M. Rambuteau (Prefet of the Department of the Simplon, under the first
Napoleon) and M. Fodere assure us, that at the close of last century the number of
cretins in the Canton Valais diminished to a very great degree. The former attri-
buted this amelioration to the embankment of the Rhone, and the draining of the
marshes ; to the clearing of the land ; and the consequent changes in the character of
the inhabitants, who became more industrious and active, and less given to gluttony
and drunkenness. The latter author rather imputed it to the opening of the great
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/364]]==
308 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
cretins. Once a cretin, you are always one.* The experiments of
the late Dr. GuggenMhl demonstrated that some half-cietms may
even become useful members of society, if they are taken in hand
early in life ; but they did not show that the nature of the true or
complete cretin could be altered.*!* He essayed to modify some of
the mildest forms of cretinism, but did not strike at the root of the
evil. If fifty Guggenbiihls were at work in the single valley of
Aosta, they would take several generations to produce an appreci-
able effect, and they would never extirpate the disease so long as
its sources were unassailed.
Nor will the house which has been built at Aosta J to contain
200 cretin beggars do much, unless the inmates are restrained from
perpetuating their own degradation. Even the lowest types of
cretins may be procreative, and it is said that the unlimited liberty
which is allowed to them has caused infinite mischief. A large
proportion of the cretins who will be born in the next generation
will undoubtedly be offspring of cretin parents. It is strange
that self-interest does not lead the natives of Aosta to place their
cretins under such restrictions as would prevent their illicit inter-
course ; and it is still more surprising to find the Catholic Church
actually legalising their marriage. There is something horribly
grotesque in the idea of solemnising the union of a brace of idiots ;
pass of the Simplon, and consequent more easy communication with other countries,
the people being thus more incited to bestir themselves," etc. ; Blackie, p. 53. This
testimony, from authors who held totally different opinions as to the origin of
cretinism, is strongly confirmatory of the conjecture last advanced.
* " Le cretinisme acheve est incurable ; l'etat physique et intellectuel des cre-
tineux et des demi-cretins est susceptible d' amelioration par un traitement conven-
able, des soins et l'education ; mais jamais on ne pourra faire d'eux des homines
complets sous le rapport physique, moral, et intellectuel." — Guy and Dagand on
Cretinisme dans le Departement de la Haute- Savoie.
t Great expectations were raised some years ago by the reports of Dr. Guggenbuhl,
and by those of visitors to his establishment on the Abendberg, at Interlachen ; but
they have been disappointed, and the institution itself has been closed.
X At the expense of some unknown charitable person. Besides this establish-
ment, there is an hospital at Aosta, belonging to the order of St. Maurice et Lazare,
containing twelve beds for cretin children.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/365]]==
chap. xvi. POSSIBILITY OF CHECKING THE DISEASE. 309
and since it is well known that the disease is hereditary, and
develops in successive generations, the fact that such marriages
are sanctioned is scandalous and infamous *
The supply, therefore, is kept up from two sources. The first
contingent is derived from apparently healthy parents ; the second,
by inheritance from diseased persons. The origin of the first is
obscure ; and before its quota can be cut off, or even diminished,
the mystery which envelopes it must be dissipated. The remedy
for the second is obvious, and is in the hands of the authorities —
particularly in those of the clergy. Marriage must be prohibited
to all who are affected ; the most extreme cases must be placed
under restraint ; and cretins whose origin is illegitimate must be
subject to disabilities. Nothing short of the adoption of these
measures will meet the case. Useless it will be, so long as the
primary sources of the disease are untouched, to build hospitals, to
cleanse dwellings, to widen streets, or to attempt small ameliora-
tions of the social circumstances of the natives. All of these things
are good enough in themselves, but they are wholly impotent to
effect a radical change.
No satisfactory conclusion will be arrived at regarding the
origin of cretinism until the pedigrees of a large number of examples
have been traced. The numerical test is the only one which is
likely to discover the reality. The necessary inquiries are beyond
the powers of private persons, and their pursuit will be found suf-
* It should be stated, that some of the clergy, at least, refuse to unite the worst
kinds of cretins. I have heard it said, however, that all are not so particular ; and,
again, others have told me that cretins are never legally married in the valley of
Aosta. I imagine the truth to be, that some of the priests are scrupulous, and that
others are not. The evidence of the natives upon this subject was so conflicting,
that I applied to the Canon Carrel (of Aosta) for information. His answer was suffi-
ciently explicit as to the general custom : — " II y a des cretins qui parlent avec une
certaine intelligence, et qui sont capables d'apprendre quelques verites et quelques
notions necessaires aux devoirs sociaux. Ceux-ci contractent quelquefois mariage.
Quant a ceux qui ont l'intelligence tres obtuse, on ne leur permet pas le mariage,
quoiqu'ils puissent encore engendrer ce qui tient plus de la loi naturelle que de la
loi civile."
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/366]]==
310 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
ficiently difficult by official investigators. Great reluctance will be
exhibited to disclose the information which should be sought, and
the common cry will certainly be raised, that such scrutiny is with-
out general advantage, and is painful to private feelings. But, in
matters which affect mankind in general, individual feelings must
always be subordinated to the public interest ; and if the truth is
to be arrived at in regard to cretinism, the protests of the ignorant
will have to be overridden.
Hitherto, those who have written upon the disease have con-
fined themselves, almost exclusively, to guessing at its origin ; and
accurate data, from which sound deductions can be made, are, I
believe, entirely wanting* We, however, are not in a position to
taunt others with neglect of inquiry. Only a few months ago the
House of Commons rejected, by a considerable majority, a proposi-
tion that was designed to throw light upon the causes of idiocy ;
and the opponents of the words which it was sought to introduce,
although strictly parliamentary in their arguments and language,
afforded a deplorable proof that cretinism is not unknown in our
own country.-f-
Cr^tinism is the least agreeable feature of the valley of Aosta,
but it is, at the same time, the most striking. It has been touched
upon for the sake of its human interest, and on account of those
unhappy beings who — punished by the errors of their fathers — are
powerless to help themselves ; — the first sight of whom produced
such an impression upon the most earnest of all Alpine writers,
that he declared, in a twice-repeated expression, its recollection
would never be effaced from his memory. \
At some very remote period the valley of Aosta was occupied
* For further information upon cretinism, see the works of Ferrus, Niepce,
Fabre, Seguin, Nystrom, Morel, etc.
t Debate on the Census Bill, on the motion by Sir John Lubbock to insert the
words "whether married to a first cousin." The opponents of Sir J. Lubbock's motion
should read Chipault Sur les Mariages Consanguines : Paris, 1863.
J De Saussure, §§ 954, 1030.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/367]]==
chap. xvi. THE ANCIENT GLACIER OF AOSTA. 311
by a vast glacier, which flowed down its entire length from Mont
JBlanc to the plain of Piedmont, remained stationary, or nearly so,
at its month for many centuries, and deposited there enormous
masses of debris. The length of this glacier exceeded 80 miles,
and it drained a basin 25 to 35 miles across, bounded by the
highest mountains in the Alps. It did not fill this basin. Neither
the main stream nor its tributaries completely covered up the
valleys down which they flowed. The great peaks still rose several
thousand feet above the glaciers, and then, as now, shattered by
sun and frost, poured down their showers of rocks and stones, in
witness of which there are the immense piles of angular fragments
that constitute the moraines of Ivrea * The wine which is drunk
in that town is produced from soil that was borne by this great
glacier from the slopes of Monte Eosa ; and boulders from Mont
Blanc are spread over the country between that town and the Po,
supplying excellent materials for building purposes, which were
known to the Eomans, who employed them in some of their
erections at Santhia.-(*
The moraines around Ivrea are of extraordinary dimensions.
That which was the lateral moraine of the left bank of the glacier
is about thirteen miles long, and, in some places, rises to a height of
2130 feet above the floor of the valley ! Professor Martins terms
it " la plus elevee, la plus reguliere, et la mieux caracterisee des
Alpes." | It is locally called la Serra. The lateral moraine of the
right bank also rises to a height of 1000 feet, and would be deemed
enormous but for the proximity of its greater comrade ; while the
terminal moraines cover something like twenty square miles of
country.
The erratic nature of the materials of these great rubbish-heaps
was distinctly pointed out by De Saussure (Voyages, §§ 974-
978) ; their true origin was subsequently indicated by Messrs.
Studer (1844) and Guyot (1847) ; and the excellent account of
* See General Map. t lam indebted for this fact to Professor Gastaldi.
X Revue des Deux Mondes.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/368]]==
312 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
them which has recently been published by Professors Martins and
Gastaldi leaves nothing to be desired either in accuracy or com-
pleteness .* It is not my purpose, therefore, to enter into a descrip-
tion of them, but only to discuss some considerations arising out of
the facts which have been already mentioned.
It has been proved beyond doubt that these gigantic mounds
around Ivrea are actually the moraines of a glacier (now extinct)
which occupied the valley of Aosta ; and it is indisputable that
there are boulders from Mont Blanc amongst them. The former
facts certify that the glacier was of enormous size, and the latter
that it must have existed for a prodigious length of time.
The height of la Serra indicates the depth of the glacier. It
does not fix the depth absolutely, inasmuch as its crest must have
been degraded during the thousands of years which have elapsed
since the retreat of the ice ; and, further, it is possible that some
portions of the surface of the glacier may have been considerably
elevated above the moraine when it was at its maximum altitude.
Anyhow, at the mouth of the valley of Aosta, the thickness of the
glacier must have been at least 2000 feet, and its width, at that
part, five miles and a quarter.
The boulders from Mont Blanc, upon the plain below Ivrea,
assure us that the glacier which transported them existed for a
prodigious length of time. Their present distance from the cliffs
from which they were derived is about 420,000 feet, and if we
assume that they travelled at the rate of 400 feet per annum, their
journey must have occupied them no less than 1055 years ! In all
probability they did not travel so fast. But even if they were to
be credited with a quicker rate of motion, the length of time which
their journey must have taken will be sufficient for my purposes.f
* Essai sur les terrains superficiels de la Vallee du Po, extrait du Bulletin de la
Societe Geologique de France, 1850.
+ See Forbes' Occasional Papers on the Theory of Glaciers, pp. 193-95, and
Travels through the Alps of Savoy, 2d ed. pp. 86-7, for information bearing upon the
mean annual motion of existing Alpine glaciers. In the former work an account is
given of the discoveiy of the remains of a knapsack ten years after it had been
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/369]]==
chap. xvr. THE MORAINES OF IVREA. 313
The space of 1055 years, however, by no means represents the
duration of the life of the glacier of Aosta. It may have existed
for immense periods both anterior and posterior to the journeys of
the Mont Blanc boulders. The frontal terminal moraines, which
stretch from Caluso to Viverone (a distance of more than ten miles),
are evidence that the snout of the glacier remained stationary, or
nearly so, for a length of time which must at least be estimated by
centuries, and probably extended over thousands of years. These
moraines constitute important chains of hills whose bases are
several miles across, and which attain a height of more than a
thousand feet ; and, as they were formed by the gradual and slow
spreading out of the medial and lateral moraines, it is evident that
they were not built up in a day.
Moreover, when the glacier of Aosta shrank away from Ivrea,
its retrogression may have been comparatively rapid, or it may
have been conducted with extreme deliberation. But, under any
circumstances, the extinction of such a tremendous body of ice
must have extended over many years, and for a portion of that
time a large part of the mass must have been advancing down the
valley, although the snout of the glacier was retreating, and al-
though the entire mass was diminishing in volume. If the time is
dropped in a crevasse, at a horizontal distance of 4300 feet from the place at which it
had been lost, showing an average annual motion of 430 feet. In the latter work
there is a relation of the recovery of the remains of a ladder used by De Saussure,
which had travelled about 13,00.0 feet in 44 years, or 295 feet per annum. Forbes
says that the first of these two examples is better ascertained in all its particulars
than the other. It should be observed that the knapsack in question made the
descent of the well-known " ice-fall " of the Glacier de Talefre, and that there was a
difference of level between the place at which it was lost and that at which it was
found of 1145 feet ; that is to say, it descended one foot in every four that it advanced.
This rapid descent undoubtedly accelerates the motion of the Glacier de Talefre. The
town of Ivrea, on the other hand, is 768 feet (Ball) above the level of the sea, while
Entreves (at the foot of Mont Blanc) is 4216 feet (Mieulet). So that the glacier
which once spread over the sites of these two places (which are about 65 miles apart)
descended by an average gradient of almost exactly 1 in 100. This moderate rate of
inclination would as certainly tend to retard the motion of the glacier.
2s
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/370]]==
314 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
considered which was consumed during this phase of its life, and
the time which elapsed during its prolonged sojourn at Ivrea, and
the time which passed before it attained its maximum dimensions,
it must be conceded that the period of 1055 years was, in all pro-
bability, only a small portion of the epoch during which the Valley
of Aosta sustained the grinding of this enormous mass of ice.
Let us confine ourselves to certainties. Here, then, was a
glacier which flowed down the Valley of Aosta for more than a
thousand years, having a thickness of 2000 feet,* a width of several
miles, and a length of eighty miles. The existing glaciers of the
Alps do not approach these dimensions, and even in the period
when the ice-streams of Europe had so great an extension there
were very few which surpassed them. Still fewer, perhaps, existed
for so long a period, and there are probably only one or two — such
as the ancient glacier of the Ehone — which have received as much
attention and have been as carefully studied. For these reasons it
seems to me to be more advantageous to refer to it than to instances
more imperfectly known and more open to doubt ; and I have
selected it, on account of these reasons, as a valley which should
afford strong testimony in support of the theories which assert that
the valleys and many of the lake-basins of the Alps have been
excavated by glaciers.
The latter of these two theories was communicated to the
Geological Society, by Professor Ramsay, on March 5, 1862.-f It
received much attention, and excited much criticism. I am not
aware that Professor Ramsay replied to any of his critics, excepting
Sir Roderick Murchison and Sir Charles Lyell. But in answer to
the objections which were raised against the reception of his theory
* This is understating the case. The thickness of the glacier exceeded 2000 feet
at the mouth of the valley, "where it had a width of 5| miles. In the valley itself,
where the width was less, the thickness appears to have been considerably more than
2000 feet.
f Professor Ramsay's paper was printed in the Quarterly Journal Geol. Soc, August
1862. The germs of the Professor's theory are to be found in his Old Glaciers of
Switzerland and North Wales, 1860, pp. 86, 107, 109, 110.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/371]]==
chap. xvi. RAMSAY S EROSION THEORY. 315
by these distinguished geologists, he published two papers in the
Philosophical Magazine ; * and, in endeavouring to present my
reader with a resume of the Professor's views, I shall draw from
these papers as freely as from his original memoir, for they afford
amplification and elucidation of his argument, -f-
Professor Kamsay said, in opening his case, " There is no point in
physical geography more difficult to account for than the origin of
most lakes. When thought about at all, it is easy to see that lakes
are the result of the formation of hollows, a great proportion of
which are true rock-basins, that is to say, in hollows entirely sur-
rounded by solid rocks, the waters not being retained by loose
detritus." J It is in reference to such ones alone that his theory is
propounded. He then went on to state, in especial reference to
lakes of this class in the Alps —
§ 1. " That the theory of an area of special subsidence for each
lake is untenable.
§ 2. That none of them lie in lines of gaping fracture (rents and
fissures).
§ 3. That none of them occupy simple synclinal basins formed
by the mere disturbance of the strata after the close of the Miocene
epoch." §
And he therefore argued that they must have been produced by
erosion ; but
§ 4. They do not lie in hollows of common watery erosion, nor
can they be effects of marine denudation.
He consequently concluded, "If we have disposed of these
hypotheses for the formation of such hollows, what is left ?
§ 5. The only remaining agent is the denuding power of ice."||
He then proved that, in the Alps and elsewhere,
* October 1864, and April 1865.
f I shall also occasionally refer to his Physical Geology and Geography of Great
Britain, and to Old Glaciers of Switzerland, etc.
% Physical Geology and Geography of Great Britain, p. 86.
§ Proc. Geol. Soc, Aug. 1862, p. 200. || Physical Geology and Geography, p. 88.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/372]]==
316 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
§ 6. " Each of the lakes lies in an area once covered by a vast
glacier." *
And went on to reason —
§ 7. " If a glacier can round, polish, and cover with striatums the
rocks over which it passes — if, flowing from its caverns, it can
charge rivers thickly with the finest mud, then it can wear away
its rocky floor and sides." f
§ 8. He assumed that glaciers are competent to produce lake-
basins, and that they have done so by scooping out softer parts of
the country, leaving hollows surrounded by a framework of harder
rocks ; "but perhaps more generally they (the rock-basins) were
formed by the greater thickness and weight, and consequently pro-
portionally greater grinding pressure of glacier-ice in particular
areas," J "the situations of which may have been determined by
accidental circumstances, the clue to which is lost, from our
inability perfectly to reconstruct the original forms of the
glaciers." §
The particular manner in which he supposed the great lake-basins
of the Alps were formed was as follows : —
§ 9. " It will be evident that when the general inclination of a
valley was comparatively steep, a glacier could have had no oppor-
tunity of cutting for itself any special basin-shaped hollows. Its
course, with a difference, is like that of a torrent. But in a flat-
bottomed part of a valley, or in a comparative plain that lies at the
base of a mountain range, the case is not the same. For instance,
to take an extreme case, if a glacier tumble over a slope of 45°, no
one would dream of the ice-flow producing any special effect, except
that in the long run, the upper edge of the rock that forms the
cataract being worn away, its average angle would be lowered.
And so of minor slopes ; if the ice flowing fast (for a glacier)
rendered the rocky surface underneath unequal, such inequalities
could not become great and permanent ; for the rapidly-flowing ice
* Proc. Geo!. Soc, p. 199. t Phil. Mag., October 1864, p. 303.
J Proc Choi. Soc, 1802, p. 188. § Ibid. p. 200.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/373]]==
chap. xvi. TYND ALL'S THEORY. 317
would attack the projecting parts with greater power and effect than
the minor hollows, and so preserve an approximate uniformity, or
an average angle of moderate inclination. But when a monstrous
glacier descended into a comparative plain, or into a low flat valley,
the case was different. There, to use homely phrases, the ice had
time to select soft places for excavation, and there, if from the
confluence of large glaciers, or for other reasons, the downward
pressure of the ice was of extra amount, the excavating effect, I
contend, must have been unusually great in special areas, and have
resulted in the formation of rock-bound hollows."*
He accounted for the deep parts of the lakes by supposing
that —
§ 10. " The grinding action lasted after a glacier had retired
above the position of the present lake-barrier, so that the waste of
the rocky floor being long continued, by degrees the glacier wore
out a depression deeper and deeper, till, on its final retirement,
the space once occupied by ice became filled with the water
drainage of the valley/'")*
The shallowness at their mouths was thus explained : —
§ 11. As the glaciers "progressed and melted, the ice must
have been thinner, and must have exercised less erosive power
than where it was thick, whence the gradual slope of the bottom of
these lakes towards their outflows."]:
§ 12. " Therefore I have been forced to the conclusion, from a
critical examination of many of the lakes in and around the Alps,
that their basins were scooped out by the great glaciers of the
glacial period." §
The astonishment which Professor Eamsay's theory created had
not subsided when Professor Tyndall brought forward opinions of
an even bolder character, || and avowed his belief that the valleys of
* Phil. Mag., October 1864, p. 305. $ Phil. Mag., April 1865, p. 298.
t Old Glaciers, pp. 104-5. § Phys. Geol. and Geog. p. 90.
|| Phil. Mag. Sept. 1862.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/374]]==
318 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, xvl
the Alps had been (entirely?) excavated by glaciers ! His summing
up was as follows : —
" That such an agent was competent to plough out the Alpine valleys
cannot, I think, be doubted ; while the fact that during the ages which have
elapsed since its disappearance the ordinary denuding action of the atmo-
sphere has been unable, in most cases, to obliterate even the superficial traces
of the glaciers, suggests the incompetence of that action to produce the same
effect. That the glaciers have been the real excavators seems to me far more
probable than the supposition that they merely filled valleys which had been
previously formed by water denudation. Indeed the choice lies between these
two suppositions : shall we assume that glaciers filled valleys which were
previously formed by what would undoubtedly be a weaker agent ? or shall
we conclude that they have been the excavators which have furrowed the up-
lifted land with the valleys which now intersect it 1 I do not hesitate to
accept the latter view." — Phil. Mag., Sept. 1862, p. 172.
Except for the character of the magazine in which Dr.
Tyndali's paper appeared, it might have been supposed that he was
poking fun at his readers and at Professor Eamsay. For although
to some persons he might have seemed to be supporting the views
of the Professor, he was, in reality, advancing opinions which were
directly opposed to them. Professor Eamsay promptly repudiated
this doubtful extension of his theory. Indeed, he could hardly do
otherwise, after having spoken of "the well-ascertained fact, that
previous to the Tertiary glacial epoch, most of the grander contours of
hill and valley were in Britain (and elsewhere in Europe and
America), nearly the same as now!'* He now repeated the same
statement in slightly different words. " The evidence is imperfect ;
but such as it is, it gives much more than a hint that the large
valleys were in their main features approximately as deep as now,
before they were filled with ice;"-)* and, further, he produced in
evidence a potent reason for declining to believe that the Valley of
Aosta had been excavated by glaciers. This latter passage will pre-
sently be quoted at length, on account of its importance. \
For a time Dr. Tyndall made no sign in reply, but, in October
* Old Glaciers of Wales, p. 94. t Phil. Mag. Nov. 1862, p. 379.
X See pp. 341-2.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/375]]==
chap. xvi. CONTRADICTIONS. 3 1 9
1864, he communicated another paper to the Philosophical Magazine,
in which he modified his views to a certain extent (and made the
important admission that it was perhaps impossible to say whether
water or ice had produced the greatest amount of erosion), although
upon the whole he adhered to his former assertions. This paper
contained one remarkable passage ; remarkable, because it partly
showed the workings of its author's mind, and because it was, ap-
parently, intended to controvert Professor Eamsay's theory. It
was as follows : —
" On the higher slopes and plateaus — in the region of cols — the power
(of glaciers) is not fully developed ; but lower down tributaries unite, erosion
is carried on with increased vigour, and the excavation gradually reaches a
maximum. Lower still the elevations diminish and the slopes become more
gentle ; the cutting power gradually relaxes, and finally the eroding agent quits
the mountains altogether, and the grand effects which it produced in the earlier
portions of its course entirely disappear."* — Phil. Mag., Oct. 1864, p. 264.
That is to say, precisely in the situations where Professor Earn-
say required glaciers to produce the greatest effects, Dr. Tyndall
asserted they produced none whatever ! Professor Kanisay did not
allow much time to elapse before he contradicted these statements
categorically.
" Every physicist," said he, " knows that when such a body as glacier-ice
descends a slope, the direct vertical pressure of the ice will be proportional to
its thickness and weight and the angle of the slope over which it flows. If
the angle be 5°, the weight and erosive power of a given thickness of ice will
be so much, if 10° so much less, if 20° less still, till at length, if we may
imagine the fall to be over a vertical wall of rock, the pressure against the
wall (except accidentally) will be nil. But when the same vast body of ice has
reached the 'plain, then motion and erosion would cease, were it not for pres-
sure from behind (excepting what little motion forward and sideways might
be due to its own weight). This pressure, however, must have been constant
as long as supplies of snow fell on the mountains, and therefore the inert
mass in the plain was constantly urged onwards ; and because of its vertical
pressure its direct erosive power would necessarily be proportional to its thickness,
and greater than when it lay on a slope ; for it would grate across the rocks, as
* The italics are not in the original.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/376]]==
320 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
it were, unwillingly and by compulsion, instead of finding its way onwards
more or less by virtue of gravity. Indeed the idea is forced on the mind, that the
sluggish ice would have a tendency to heap itself up just outside the mouth of the
valley, and there attain an unusual thickness, thus exercising, after its descent, an
extra erosive power." * — Phil. Mag., April 1865, p. 287.
Professor Tyndall does not appear to have found the reply con-
vincing. He is reported to have said at the last Birmingham
meeting of the British Association, " that he was convinced that
the glaciers of the Alps were competent to scoop out the valleys of
the Alps," -f and I am unaware that his opinions have undergone
any alteration since that time. In 1869 he gave a hard side-blow
to Professor Kamsay, in Maemillanh Magazine, by proving that
some existing Alpine glaciers exercise little or no erosion upon
their beds near and at their terminations (snouts), because at such
places they are almost stationary. %
It is impossible to criticise these two theories at the same
moment. Both of them agree in attributing enormous powers of
excavation to glaciers, but they disagree totally and completely as
to the modus operandi by which the effects were produced. They
differ even in their general conclusions. One asserts that the
greatest effects were produced upon the plains, and that very little
was done amongst the mountains ; whilst the other declares that
the mountains owe their actual forms to the carving of glaciers,
and that the plains did not suffer at all ! There is no wonder that
the unenlightened public enquired, " Who shall decide between the
disagreements of these doctors ?" But it is surprising to find
numerous persons accepting as gospel truth the contradictory dieta
of these eminent men, and speaking and writing as if it were
* Comparison of the sentences placed in italics, with the preceding one from Dr.
Tyndall, will show how irreconcilable were the opinions of these two writers.
+ Birmingham Daily Post, September 13, 1865.
X It must not be understood that anything of the nature of a controversy was
carried on, in the magazines cited, by the two Professors. They did not refer to each
other by name ; but it was impossible to read the passages which have been quoted,
without feeling that they were intended to be replies to objections on the other side.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/377]]==
chap. xvi. GLACIER-EROSION IN THE VALLEY OF AOSTA. 321
established that lake-basins and mountain-valleys have been
excavated by glaciers.
It is not requisite to decide between all the differences contained
in these two theories, in order to arrive at a tolerably correct
judgment upon the general conclusions. Professor Eamsay, for
example, attributes the production of the greatest effects to the
weight of glaciers. Professor Tyndall, on the other hand, assigns
most power to the motion. I shall ignore these points, because I have
no data from which to arrive at a satisfactory decision, and because
it is not necessary for them to be mixed up with a discussion of the
question, Were the valleys of the Alps excavated by glaciers ? For
the consideration of this subject, let us now return to the Valley of
Aosta.
The town of Ivrea is placed at the mouth of, but not actually
within the valley, and several miles of flat, dusty road have to be
traversed before it is entered. Upon this portion of the country
civilisation is doing its best to efface the traces of the glacial
period. Cultivation of the soil disturbs all deposits, and the
hammers of the masons destroy the erratics. After quitting
Ivrea, almost the first object of interest is the castle of Montalto,
perched on a commanding crag, nearly in the centre of the valley.
Thence, from Settimo Vittone up to the foot of the existing glaciers
of the range of Mont Blanc, there are traces of glacier-action upon
each hand. The road need not be quitted to seek for them ; — they
are everyivhere. I refer especially to the rocks in situ. The rock-
forms called roches moutonnees are universally distributed, and it is
needless, at the present moment, to point to any in particular.
Although of varying degrees of resistancy, they have, upon the
whole, stood the weathering remarkably well of the thousands of
years which have elapsed since the glacier covered them. The
floor of the valley, generally speaking, has not been lowered since
that time, by the combined agencies of sun, frost, and water, to any
appreciable extent. The forms which the roches moutonnees present
to-day, are the forms which they presented, perhaps, ten thousand
2t
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/378]]==
322 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
years ago. Many of those which are freely exposed to the atmo-
sphere retain a high polish and fine striations. If the soil were to
be removed that covers the natter portions of the valley we, should
doubtless find higher polish, and still finer striations. Nevertheless,
those which are visible remain so perfect, that it is certain weathering
has done exceedingly little to alter their contours, and we may
argue regarding them as if their icy covering had been but just
removed. This point is of no small importance ; and, it seems to me,
it may be demonstrated from the very contours of these glaciated
rocks, that the valley was not excavated by glaciers, and indeed, that
it was eroded by glaciers only to a very limited extent.
For the forms which are called moutonntfes preponderate very
largelv. The rocks which I have ventured to term roches niveUes,
are comparatively rare,* although they are sufficiently numerous to
show that the valley was subjected to severe grinding for a great
length of time. They are found upon the floor of the valley, or in
places where it narrows, or upon the lower sides of little ravines
(now watercourses) which the glacier had to cross, into which it
was forced down when in the act of crossing, and out of which it
escaped by mounting the opposite bank. In brief, they are found
precisely where they should be found. In those places where the
thickness of the ice was greatest, and where the motion was
(probably) quickest ; where the glacier was compressed laterally,
so that its power was distributed over a smaller area of rock-surface ;
and where erosion had produced ruts into which the glacier was
pressed down, and out of which it could only extricate itself by a
severe struggle.
Throughout the valley, in conjunction with the roches mou-
tonnees, there are innumerable angular rock-surfaces which seem
never to have been abraded by glacier. These lee-sides^ are found
right up to the bases of the existing glaciers. That is to say,
they are found in spots which were not only covered by ice during
the whole of the period in which the ancient glacier of Aosta
* See p. 146. t See p. 145.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/379]]==
chap. xvi. THE DEGREE OF GLACIER-EROSION. 323
extended to Ivrea, but have been covered by it in quite recent
times. Glacier moved over them, probably, ages before the great
glacier rilled the valley ; and, for aught we know to the contrary, it
has done the same almost ever since. Yet, to all appearance, ice
has never touched the lee-sides, or, if it has done so, it has been done
so tenderly, that the marks have been subsequently obliterated.
Now, whilst it may readily be admitted that atmospheric action
is capable of completely effacing feeble traces of glacier-erosion,*
we cannot in the present instances admit any more. The contiguous
surfaces to the lee-sides which are highly polished and bearing fine
striations, show that sun, frost, and water, have done very little
upon them since the ice departed. It would be absurd to suppose
that these powers have been able to rub out all traces of ice-action
(if the traces were other than very feeble) in one square yard,
when in the next, upon the same rock, they have been unable even
to roughen the surface, or get rid of fine scratches. It is doubly im-
possible to suppose that the rock-surfaces were uniformly ground
down by ice, and that all the inequalities seen at the present time
are the result of subsequent decomposition. I do not think any
one will have the hardihood to assert the contrary.
It is stated, therefore — 1. That the glacier-eroded rocks in the
Valley of Aosta are chiefly characterised by convexity, and princi-
pally belong to the class termed movionnees. 2. That there are
examples of roches nivelees in the valley ; that they are rare in com-
parison with the roches moutonnees ; and that they are mostly found
upon the floor of the valley, or in places where it is narrowest, or
where unusual obstructions have occurred. 3. That there are in-
numerable angular rock-surfaces (intermingled with these glaciated
surfaces upon the floor and on the sides of the valley) which cannot
have been produced since glacier covered the rocks. For the
bearing of these facts upon Dr. Tyndall's theory, I must now re-
capitulate from Chapter VI.
In the preliminary remarks at pp. 142-3, after appealing to
* Or, given sufficient time, of destroying highly-glaciated surfaces.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/380]]==
324 . SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
Studer's observation that glacier-erosion was distinguished by the
production of convex forms, I proceeded to show that such forms
naturally resulted from glacier working upon surfaces which had
been antecedently broken up by diverse actions ; and pointed out
that when glacier-action was long continued, the obliteration of all
angular surfaces, and of almost all curves, was inevitable. I con-
cluded, therefore (and am prepared to accept all the responsibility
which attaches to the conclusion), that the convexity of roches mou-
tonne'es was to be regarded as a proof that no great amount of glacier-
erosion had occurred ; that rock-surfaces with a small degree of
convexity, which had obviously been glaciated, indicated a greater
erosion ; and that the degree of flatness bore a direct relation
to the amount of power which had been employed. And further,
that when unworn, angular rock-surfaces were found in the imme-
diate vicinity of glaciated rocks, they were to be regarded as addi-
tional and confirmatory evidence that the depth of matter taken
away by the glacier could not have been important, unless it could
be shown that the angularity was due to subsequent operations.
Applying these conclusions to the case of the Valley of Aosta,
we find — 1. That as recent denudation has been unequal, through-
out the valley, to obliterate polish and fine striations on the rocks,
we are unable to believe that the vast number of angular surfaces
which are found in contiguity to the abraded ones can possibly
have been produced subsequently to the retreat of the glacier.
2. Their existence in connection with innumerable convex glaciated
surfaces, throughout the valley, is irrefutable evidence that the
valley was not excavated by glaciers. 3. The comparative scarcity
of roches nivetees, combined with the other evidence, affords a strong-
presumption that the so-called excavation has not amounted, through-
out the valley, to more than a very few feet of depth.
Hitherto, I have chiefly appealed to the bed (or floor) of the
valley. Almost equally stubborn facts are obtainable from the slopes
of its bounding mountains. If the valley had been excavated by
glaciers, very emphatic traces would have been left behind every-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/381]]==
chap. xvi. THE ALPS ARE NOT UNIVERSALLY GLACIATED. 325
where, — above as well as below. I contend that if the entire valley
had been excavated by glaciers, the surface of the rocks would have
been as smooth as glass, from one end to the other, when the ice
retired * Now, I have frankly admitted (note to p. 323) that, given
sufficient time, sun, frost, and water, are capable of destroying
highly glaciated surfaces ; but I will not admit the possibility of
such perfection of glaciation as I have just indicated being com-
pletely effaced (say, at heights exceeding 9000 feet), while a
few yards lower down ice-marks are seen, and seen every-
where. For it is well known to all who have scrambled
amongst the Alps, that those mountains are not glaciated from
summit to base. The marks of the great glaciers of the olden
time extend up to a certain height, and then they cease. This is
the case throughout the Alps generally. The limit of glaciation is
usually placed at about 9000 feet. Above this limit the moun-
tains are more or less rugged and angular. Below it, the traces of
the glacial period are more or less apparent. Above it, you seek in
vain for glacier-eroded rocks.~f* Below it, they are found almost
everywhere. Here is the evidence of Agassiz upon this point :■ —
" Every mountain-side in the Alps is inscribed with these ancient charac-
ters, recording the level of the ice in past times. . . . Thousands of feet
above the present level of the glacier, far up towards their summits, we find
the sides of the mountains furrowed, scratched, and polished, in exactly the
same manner as the surfaces over which the glaciers pass at present. These
marks are as legible and clear to one who is familiar with glacial traces
as are hieroglyphics to the Egyptian scholar ; indeed, more so, — for he not
only recognizes their presence, but reads their meaning at a glance. Above
the line at which these indications cease, the edges of the rocks are sharp and
angular, the surface of the mountain rough, unpolished, and absolutely devoid of
* See p. 152.
f It is not, of course, meant that there are no traces of glacier-action above 9000
feet, upon rocks bounding, or surrounded by, the existing glaciers. There are, for
example, many islands of rock in the Alps, surrounded by glacier, at elevations con-
siderably exceeding 9000 feet, which are highly glaciated. I refer to those moun-
tains which are away from the existing glaciers, and which have never been influenced
by them.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/382]]==
326 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS chap. xvi.
all those marks resulting from glacial action.* On the Alps these traces are
visible to a height of nine thousand feet." — Atlantic Monthly, Feb. 1864.
If these facts mean anything, they mean that the great glaciers
of the glacial period did not extend above this limit. For I cannot
suppose that Dr. Tyndall is a believer in the childish notion of
the late Dollfus-Ausset, that glaciers are, and were, permanently
frozen to the rocks at heights exceeding 9000 feet, and therefore do
not, and did not, erode them!*f- If that idea is correct, why are
there any crevasses at heights exceeding 9000 feet? In what manner
is the continuity of the glaciers maintained, if their lower portions
move down, whilst their upper ones are immovable? Dr. Tyndall
is far too well acquainted with glaciers to believe any such absurdity.
I maintain that this evidence (although scarcely so conclusive
as that which has preceded it) affords strong grounds for believing
that the valleys of the Alps were never completely filled by glaciers,
and therefore that the valleys were not excavated by glaciers.
The evidence from the mouths of the valleys of the Alps is not
less hostile to Dr. Tyndall's theory. For, observe, 1. The glaciers
existed for a briefer period at the mouths of the valleys than at
their upper portions. 2. The glaciers must have moved there, as a
rule, at a slower rate than at the upper portions ; because, as a rule,
the gradients at the mouths were more moderate, and frequently
(as in the case of the Valley of Aosta), there was a dead level. 3.
The glaciers had usually received, before arriving at the mouths of
the valleys, the whole of their most important affluents, and must
have been rapidly diminishing in volume. The conclusion which
is inevitable from these considerations is, that the glaciers must
have exercised less erosion at the mouths of the valleys than at
their upper portions ; and this conclusion agrees very well with
that arrived at by Dr. Tyndall himself, namely — " Lower still the
elevations diminish and the slopes become more gentle ; the cutting
* The italics are not in the original.
t See Materialise pour V etude des Glaciers, vol. i. part iii. p. 11. The same idea
is repeated in many other places in the same work.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/383]]==
chap. xvi. THE VALLEYS REPUDIATE TYNDALL'S THEORY. 327
power gradually relaxes, and finally the eroding agent quits the
mountains altogether, and the grand effects which it produced in
the earlier portion of its course entirely disappear."* But does this
conclusion agree with the fact that the valleys are usually wider
— much wider — at their mouths than elsewhere, and that the beds
of the valleys at their mouths are at a lower level than at the upper
extremities ? If the glaciers had flowed up the valleys, these facts
might be explicable ; but they are unintelligible if the valleys were
excavated by glaciers which flowed down them.
The mouths, the beds, the walls, and the terminations of the
valleys, and the slopes of the mountains which bound them, pro-
claim alike that the present modelling of the Alps has been only
slightly modified by glaciers. It would, however, be unreasonable
to conclude, because such is the case, that glaciers are incompetent
to excavate valleys under any circumstances ; and, before taking
leave of Professor Tyndall, it is only due to him to examine his
opinions upon the subject. He is, like Professor Kamsay, a great
believer in soft places. He believes that glaciers not only erode
soft rocks more rapidly than hard ones (which is a reasonable
belief), but he considers that all the chief inequalities which are now
seen in valleys that have been eroded by glaciers are due to the
greater or less resistancy of the rocks to the action of the ice. " Were
its bed uniform in the first instance, the glacier would, in my
opinion, produce the inequalities." "f* Now, I could not differ greatly
from Dr. Tyndall, if he were to say that glaciers must erode soft
rocks more rapidly than hard ones, and that they might, in conse-
quence, ultimately produce inequalities, if set to work upon a smooth
surface containing both hard and soft places. But he goes far
beyond this. It is necessary for him to explain how it comes to
pass that such masses are left behind as that at Montalto, at the
entrance of the Valley of Aosta, or those upon which the castles of
Sion stand. The valleys of Aosta and of the Ehone, he says, have
been excavated by glaciers, yet here are these obstinate crags stand-
* Phil. Mag., Oct. 1864, p. 264. f Phil. Mag., Oct. 1864, p. 266.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/384]]==
328 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvt.
ing in the very centres of the valleys. They must have been ex-
posed to the full force of the glaciers ; nay, the ice-streams were
evidently split by them, and had to flow upon either side and over
them. " Assuredly," says Dr. Tyndall, " a glacier is competent to
remove such barriers, and they probably have been ground down
in some cases thousands of feet. But being of a more resisting
material than the adjacent rock, they were not ground down to the
level of that rock." * Examination of such masses has led me to
form a very different opinion. The contours of their rocks, upon
the sides opposed to the direction of the flow of the glaciers, are
frequently flatter, and suggestive of a greater degree of abrasion,
than the adjacent and lower rocks. They have been lowered more,
not less, than their surroundings. Yet the indications are, as a rule,
that these obtrusive crags have only been lowered to a trifling ex-
tent, and, most certainly, not thousands of feet. Still, let us sup-
pose, for the sake of argument, that the adjacent rocks were actually
softer, and were ground down a hundred or more feet upon each
side of the hard crags, which, in consequence, became that amount
above the level of their surroundings. The adjacent rocks would
then, according to my opinion, have been prodigiously eroded ; all
their angles would have been obliterated ; they would have become
exceeding flat, and such forms as they would present would be
characteristic of a high degree of glaciation. Yet we find that such
is not the case. The rocks adjacent to the crags are frequently less
flat, less abraded than the crags,*)* and, to all appearance, their sur-
faces have not been lowered more than a very few feet. The con-
clusions are inevitable in such cases that the adjacent rocks have
suffered less than the obtrusive crags, and that any real or imagi-
nary softness of rock has not assisted glacier-erosion to the extent
assumed by Dr. Tyndall.
The enormous amount of excavation assumed by Dr. Tyndall is
further accounted for by him upon the supposition that glaciers
* Phil Mag., Oct. 1864, p. 266.
+ I do not know an instance where the reverse is the case.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/385]]==
chap. xvi. ON 'ROOTING AWAY' OF ROCKS BY GLACIERS. 329
are competent to " root masses (of rock) bodily away."* He seems
to feel that mere grinding, rasping, and polishing would not be
equal to the production of valleys, thousands of feet in depth, in any
reasonable length of time, and so invokes this quicker process to
get himself out of the difficulty. When and how Dr. Tyndall be-
came possessed of this extraordinary idea I have no means of tell-
ing. Comparison of the following passages would lead one to sup-
pose that it was acquired posterior to the publication of his
Glaciers of the Alps : —
" The lighter debris is scattered
by the winds far and wide over the
glacier, sullying the purity of its
surface. Loose shingle rattles at in-
tervals down the sides of the moun-
tains, and falls upon the ice where it
touches the rocks. Large rocks are
continually let loose, which come
jumping from ledge to ledge, the
cohesion of some being proof against
the shocks which they experience ;
while others, when they hit the
rocks, burst like bomb-shells, and
shower their fragments upon the ice.
Thus the glacier is incessantly loaded
along its borders with the ruins of
the mountains which limit it." —
Glaciers of the Alps, Chapter on
Moraines, p. 263 (1860).
" In the vast quantities of
moraine-matter which cumbers many
of the valleys we have also sugges-
tions as to the magnitude of the
erosion which has taken place. This
moraine-matter, moreover, is only in
part derived from the falling of rocks
from the eminences upon the glacier ;
it is also in great part derived from the
grinding and ploughing-out of the
glacier itself This accounts for the
magnitude of many of these ancient
moraines, which date from a period
when almost all the mountains were
covered with ice and snow, and when
consequently the quantity of moraine-
matter derived from the naked crests
cannot have been considerable." t —
Phil. Mag., Oct. 1864, p. 271.
It has been already shown (pp. 325-6) that the notion that the
mountains were completely covered by glaciers (or anything like
completely covered) is erroneous, and the evidence which leads to
that conclusion is clearly supported by the fact that a great propor-
tion (I think it may be said the great proportion) of the materials
are angular which compose the moraines of the past, as well as of
Phil. Mag., Oct. 1864, p. 265.
2u
f See p. 245.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/386]]==
330 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
the existing glaciers of the Alps.* Their angularity is a certain
proof that they were borne upon the glaciers, and were not trans-
ported under them. For, if they had been forced along underneath
the ice, they would most certainly have become, at the least, sub-
angular, or rounded or scratched. It is well known that this is
what takes place at the present time in regard to debris under-
neath glaciers, and that the pebbles and boulders which are
moved along in such a way acquire a character of their own
which is unmistakable. The moraines, then, do not support, but
clearly reject, Dr. Tyndall's notion. Nor is the evidence of the
rocks from which he supposes that masses have been "rooted
away" less distinctly against him. How could these masses be
broken away without angular surfaces being left behind ? and how
is it that in those places where glacier-action has been most power-
ful angular surfaces are most ivanting ? Dr. Tyndall appeals to
the magnitude of the old glaciers, and to the enormous pressure
which they exerted upon their beds, to explain his " rooting-away,"
as confidently as if his case was completely proved thereby. Yet,
in those places where glaciers are and have been the greatest, and
where their pressure has been the most tremendous, and exerted
for the greatest length of time, we find the rocks which have been
worked upon are the most highly polished, the most flat in contour,
and the most devoid of all angularity whatsoever !
It is clear, therefore, that the theory of " soft places," as applied
by Dr. Tyndall, cannot be sustained, and does not in the least
assist us to determine how far glaciers are competent to excavate
valleys. The idea is plausible that soft rocks must suffer under
the grinding of glaciers more rapidly than hard ones, and may be
admitted ; but it will be shown presently that there are things to
be said upon the other side. The notion that glaciers root away
* I am, of course, aware that there are glacial deposits in Great Britain, and else-
where, in which sub-angular and scratched stones are largely in excess of those which
are simply angular. The manner in which such deposits were formed is not yet
clearly understood.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/387]]==
chap. xvi. CONCLUSIONS ABOUT TYNDALVS THEORY. 331
masses of rock incessantly, or to any great extent, must be unhesi-
tatingly rejected as being opposed to reason and to facts.* How-
ever, " confining the action of glaciers to the simple rubbing away
of the rocks, and allowing them sufficient time to act, it is not a
matter of opinion, but a physical certainty, that they " would pro-
duce cavities or depressions of one sort or another. Given eternity,
glaciers might even grind out valleys of a peculiar kind. Such
valleys would bear remarkably little resemblance to the valleys of
the Alps. They might be interesting, but they would be miserably
unpicturesque. The hob-nailed boots of the Alpine tourists would be
useless iu them ; we should have to employ felt slippers or skates.
I have advanced only a few of the more obvious objections to
Dr. Tyndall's theory. Many others might be urged, for the posi-
tion taken up by the Doctor has been from the first an essen-
tially false one, and has permitted him to be attacked from nearly
every direction. Had he confined himself to stating that glaciers
were competent to excavate valleys, without offering examples, and
without attempting to show how they would do it, many persons
might have differed from him, but would have done so chiefly in
degree. The declaration that the valleys of the Alps had been so
excavated was a statement of a much more advanced and of a
much graver nature, and I cannot but think that in making it Dr.
Tyndall has materially retarded the progress of knowledge. There
are many persons, I am convinced, who would learn with satisfaction
that he repudiates a doctrine which can be disproved in a multi-
tude of ways, and which is flatly contradicted by a host of facts.
Whatever may be the popular opinion about Professor Eam-
say's theory regarding the formation of rock-basins, its author is
entitled to credit for having attempted to grapple with an acknow-
ledged difficulty, and to be congratulated upon the number of valu-
* It has been already admitted (§ 5, p. 145) that the minor asperities of rocks
suffer, and may be actually crushed or scraped away. That this happens cannot be
doubted, but this (comparatively) speedily comes to an end. Tt is mere brushing of
the surface preparatory to polishing.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/388]]==
332 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
able facts which he has elicited. Exceptions can be taken to it, of
course. It may be asked, at the very outset, Is it absolutely
necessary to accept this dogma that the only remaining agent is the
denuding power of ice ? Have we arrived at the end of all know-
ledge? And the cogency of the reasoning may be doubted by
which the conclusion is derived, that rock-basins have necessarily
been excavated by ice, because they are commonly found in dis-
tricts which were formerly covered by glacier. It may be said
that the connection which has been shown between the two* may
be nothing more than an accidental coincidence, and that, taken
by itself, it is scarcely more convincing than that icebergs have
made the Arctic seas, because those seas are full of icebergs. Such
objections, however, do not touch Professor Kamsay's main argu-
ments ; and I think that any one who honestly endeavours to
master them will feel that they are very ingenious, and that they
are by no means easy to refute.
It is impossible to deny a certain limited power of erosion to
glaciers ; and it is difficult to see why a great glacier should not
make a hollow (a shallow one) if it were to come down upon a plain,
and work there for a long time. For example, let A C B D, in the
accompanying diagram, be a transverse section of a glacier which
is moving over level ground, AGDFB, The glacier would natu-
rally be thickest towards the centre, and its motion would probably
be greatest in the same neighbourhood. It should therefore erode
its bed to a greater extent at or about the point d than anywhere
else ; and as the motion and weight of the ice would be greater
at or about F and G than at points between F B or G A, so also
would the erosion be greater thereabouts. In short, it is reasonable
to conclude that in course of time the glacier might form a hollow
in its previously level bed, such as is represented by the dotted
* Professor Ramsay claims to be the first who has pointed out this connection.
Professor Dana extends the statement still further : — " Another great fact that belongs
to the Drift latitudes on all the continents, and may have the same origin, is the occur-
rence, on the coasts, of fiord valleys, — deep, narrow channels, occupied by the sea,
and extending inward often 50 or 100 miles."— Manual of Geology, 1867, p. 541.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/389]]==
chap. xvi. ON < HEAPING UP? 333
line A E B. This would account for the hollowing out of rock-
basins across their shorter axes. I do not merely think that this
c
is what might happen, but that it is what must happen in course of
time ; and saying as much is practically admitting the power of
glaciers to produce concavities in large areas of rock. It may
seem now as if all were conceded that is required by Professor
Eamsay. It is not so. His principle appears to me to be sound,
but his conclusions entirely unwarrantable. There is not the least
doubt that rocks underneath the thicker parts of the existing
glaciers are being eroded to a greater extent than those which are
covered by a small amount of ice. The same must have happened
during the glacial period. But these differences in the depth of
the erosion may, I think, be disregarded, because the difference be-
tween the maximum and the minimum in any given area would
not amount to more than a very few feet ; as the evidence which
has already been recounted tends to show that glacier-erosion has
been insignificant at any and every part of the valleys ; and the
valleys, it must always be remembered, were occupied by the glaciers
for more time than the plains out of which Professor Eamsay would
have us believe that his great lake-basins were excavated.
To the foregoing remarks the Professor has two answers. First,
he has the idea that the retardation which a glacier would ex-
perience upon its arrival on a plain would tend to " heap-up "
the ice (see p. 320). This is no doubt correct. He considers that the
glacier would in consequence " attain an unusual thickness, thus
exercising, after its descent, an extra erosive power." Here we get
into the region of surmises. To this we may demur. For he
overlooks, or, at least, does not notice, that the glacier would be
melting at a rapid rate, at or near its end, and that, in all pro-
bability, the extra ablation would counterbalance whatever thick-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/390]]==
334 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
ening might arise from the tendency to " heap-up." The " unusual
thickness " by which he gets his " extra erosive power," is entirely
conjectural, and, judging by the glaciers of the present time, it is
very doubtful if it had any existence whatever. If the Professor
could point to a single glacier which is doubled in thickness
through retardation, he would materially fortify his argument ; but,
in the absence of any such evidence, we may be permitted to doubt
if there is much force in his idea.*
Secondly, the great basins which Professor Eamsay believes
were excavated by glaciers,*)* are assumed to have been scooped
out of areas filled by especially soft strata, which were removed
with comparative facility, and at a rapid rate. Very eminent geo-
logists disbelieve in the existence of these especially soft areas. J
Others, again, offer evidence which leads us to believe that some of
the great Alpine lake-basins existed before the glacial period. §
But let us suppose that they are all wrong, and that the Professor
is right. Let us suppose, too, that retardation actually doubled
the thickness of the glaciers. Taking all this for granted, it is
still incomprehensible how the ancient glacier of the Ehone
managed to excavate the bed of the Lake of Geneva to the depth
of 984 feet (opposite to Evian), when it was unable to remove a
tenth part of that amount from the valley of the Ehone (say
between Sion and Sierre) ; for it was working for a greater
* No one can consult the excellent map which accompanies Martins' and Gastaldi's
Terrains Superficiels without seeing in a moment, from the disposition of the
moraines, that the great glacier of Aosta spread itself out directly it arrived upon the
'plain. Hence, any material thickening through retardation was impossible. It can
readily be shown that this spreading-out frequently occurs to the glaciers of the pre-
sent time, when they pass from confined places on to open spaces (places where the
valleys widen).
t The basins of the lakes of Geneva, Neuchatel, Thun, Zug, Lucerne, Zurich,
Constance, etc. etc.
X For example, see the remarks of Prof. Favre upon the Lake of Geneva, in
Phil. Mag., March 1865.
§ Sir Charles Lyell, for example. In regard to the lakes of Zurich, etc., see his
Antiquity of Man, 3d cd., pp. 314-16.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/391]]==
chap. xvi. ON < SOFT PLACES. 7 335
length of time in the valley, and no doubt with a higher rate of
motion, than it was upon the bed of the Lake of Geneva.
I have often wondered, considering the extent to which Pro-
fessors Kamsay and Tyndall lean upon soft places, that they, or
some of their adherents, have not thought it worth while to point
out examples, upon a small and upon a large scale, of soft rocks
which have been eroded by glaciers to a greater extent than harder
rocks in their immediate vicinity. If Professor Eamsay is correct
in supposing that glaciers wear away soft rocks with much greater
rapidity than hard ones, it ought to be a very easy thing to pro-
duce examples. Yet, as far as I know, not one of the principal
writers upon the subject has ever attempted to prove that glacier-
erosion proceeds at an accelerated rate upon soft rocks, and is
retarded by hard ones. It has been repeatedly asserted, or
assumed, that such is the case, but proofs have been very rarely
advanced.
"Whilst this is the case, it has been continually remarked by
writers upon glacier-action (who have not, however, attached any
particular importance to the fact), that quartz-veins are cut down,
by the passage of ice over them, to the level of the rocks in which
they are found. Quartz, one of the very hardest of commonly
diffused minerals, is unable to resist the grinding of glacier. Its
hardness does not prevent its being polished down to the same ex-
tent as the much less resistant rocks which enclose it. If it
suffered less than its surroundings, it would, of course, protrude.
It does not, because it is eroded equally with the much softer rock.
No distinction is made by the glacier, and the presence of the quartz
is not sensible to the touch from any elevation or depression.
If glacier-eroded rocks containing veins of quartz are exposed
to the influences of sun, frost, and water, it is not long before the
quartz begins to assert its superior resistancy. If it is in gneiss,
the gneiss in contact with it speedily suffers. Minute cracks
radiate from the junction of the two substances over the surface
of the weaker material. Water enters the tiny fissures, and, ex-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/392]]==
336
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XVI.
panding under the influence of cold, rends away grain by grain,
until at length, as in the accompanying
diagram at A and B, little ravines are
formed upon each side of the quartz-
vein Q. *
If, on the other hand, the eroded
rocks continue to experience the grind-
ing of glacier, nothing of this kind
results. The tendency of the quartz to protrude is incessantly
checked, because, at the slightest suspicion of protrusion, it is at-
tacked by the ice with increased power. If by any chance it
becomes elevated above the surrounding rock, it bears off the
weight of the ice from the surrounding rock, and this condition
of affairs continues until both quartz and gneiss are brought to the
same level.
There is little difference of opinion about these matters. It is
perfectly well known that projections in the bed of a glacier are
attacked by the ice, and that depressions escape abrasion through the
protection afforded by the eminences.! Hence it is that ultimately
all angles and almost all curves are obliterated from the surfaces of
rocks upon which glaciers work. Hence it is that in a district which
has been severely eroded by glacier we find the rocks more flat —
that is, less convex — than in one which has been less eroded.
It is evident, then, that glacier does not and cannot dig away
into soft places occupying limited areas. This is not a matter of
opinion, but a certainty ; and it seems to me to be entirely un-
* In Greenland I have seen gneiss cracked away from quartz-veins in glacier-
eroded rocks, in this manner, to a depth of two inches and more. Where the same
veins had been protected from the atmosphere, they were without the little trenches
on each side. To the same effect see Geikie On Modern Denudation, Trans. Geol.
Soc. Glasgow, 1868.
f " In descending from the summit of the "Weisshorn on the 19th of August last
I found, near the flanks of one of its glaciers, a portion of the ice completely roofing a
hollow, over which it had been urged without being squeezed into it." — Tyndall's Moun-
taineering in 1861, p. 73. Dr. Tyndall's testimony is especially valuable, because he
is by no means prejudiced in favour of the views which I am supporting.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/393]]==
chap. xvi. MISAPPLICATIONS. 337
warrantable to assert, in the face of a well-ascertained fact like this,
that the pools and small tarns lying in rock-basins (which are
numerous in almost all mountainous countries) owe their existence
to the excavating power of glacier, merely because glacier has passed
over the spots which they occupy ; and, to say the least, to be in-
judicious to apply terms like " scooping out" to the rounding and
polishing-up of the beds of such pools, because those terms convey
an impression that is entirely erroneous. The hollows in which
such pools are found would necessarily have been obliterated, not
deepened, if the glaciers had worked for a greater length of time.*
Professor Eamsay holds the directly contrary opinion. Unless
I am entirely mistaken in regard to his ideas, he supposes that the
beds of almost all pools, tarns, and lakes, which lie in true rock-
basins, have been scooped out or excavated by glaciers. As a rule
he does not consider that these lakes occupy hollows which were
formed either entirely or in part through upheaval or subsidence,
(either or both), or antecedent erosion, but that the lake-basins are
simply holes which glaciers have dug out. How or in what way
the glaciers did the work, I have not the most remote idea. I turn
the Professor's pages over and over without gaining the slightest
clue.*)* But I gather from the Proceedings of the Geological Society,
* Sir Charles Lyell remarks with much force, in the 6th ed. of his Elements, p. 170,
"Where opportunities are enjoyed of seeing part of a valley from which a glacier has
retreated in historical times, no basin-shaped hollows are conspicuous. Dome-shaped
protuberances, the roches moutonnees before described, are frequent ; but the converse
of them, or cup-and-saucer-shaped cavities, are wanting. " The justness of these ob-
servations is undeniable. The perusal of Professor Kamsay's papers would lead any
one personally unacquainted with glacier-eroded rocks to conclude that the reverse
was the case — that saucer-shaped hollows were abundant, or, in other words, that
concavities predominated.
f I cannot find anything more explicit than this : — "The greater number lie in
rock-basins formed by the grinding of glacier-ice. " This is simple assertion ; now for
the proof. "Sometimes in the convolutions of the strata (conjoined with preglacial
denudation subsequent to the contortion of the beds) softer parts of the country may
have been scooped out ; but perhaps more generally they were formed by the greater
thickness and weight of glacier-ice on particular areas, due to accidents to which it is
now often difficult or impossible to find the clue."— Proc. Geol. Soc, 1862, p. 188.
2x
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/394]]==
338 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
that it was from the examination of the small pools he first came to
the conclusion that glaciers scooped out basins in rock ; that he
was at first "too timid to include the larger lakes ;" and that be-
coming convinced the larger lakes occupied true rock-basins, he in-
cluded them in the category of lakes which had been formed by the
agency of glacier, because glacier alone, in his opinion, is capable of
excavating true rock-basins !
The smaller idea has been shown to be fallacious, and it might
be said that the larger one, which is built upon it, necessarily falls
through. This is scarcely the case. The former deals with square
yards, and the latter with square miles. A glacier we know, as a
matter of fact, polishes down a quartz-vein in the same way as it
does a bed of soft limestone. A plane which is adapted for plan-
ing wood may cut through a nail in a plank whilst taking off a
shaving. But the plane is unable to take a shaving off a solid mass
of iron, and it might be said, with some plausibility, that a glacier
might be equally impotent if it had to work over square miles of
quartz instead of square feet. To form a just idea of the probability
of a glacier producing a lake-basin in one place (in soft strata), when
during the same, or a longer, period, it only slightly erodes the sur-
face at another place (hard strata), we ought to find out the effects
which are actually produced by glaciers when working over a series
of strata of unequal hardness, where the strike of the beds coincides
with the direction of the motion of the ice. The idea, indeed, has
often occurred to me, that insignificant quartz-veins might resist the
grinding of glacier if they were worked upon longitudinally. It
is not, of course, an easy thing to find a vein of quartz which has
been worked upon longitudinally for a considerable distance ; and
I have never observed a better example than that which is described
in the following paragraph.
In 1867, upon the shores of a fiord, about nine miles to the east
of the settlement of Claushavn in North Greenland, I had the good
fortune to discover the finest examples of roches nivelees which I have
seen anywhere. The great interior mer de glace was near at hand,
and a branch of it closed the inlet with an unbroken wall of ice,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/395]]==
chap. xvi. GLACIER-EROSION IN GREENLAND. 339
which was nearly a mile across. This branch had formerly filled
the fiord, and had apparently covered the place to which I refer at
no very remote date. Tremendous evidences of its power had been
left behind. The gneiss upon the shores was literally levelled, and
extended for hundreds of yards in continuous sheets, with polished
surfaces destitute of all detritus, difficult to walk upon, for there
was nothing to arrest the feet when they slipped. In these rocks
there were two great veins of quartz, each three to four feet thick,
which attracted notice at a considerable distance by their excessive
brilliancy when the sun fell upon them. These ran roughly parallel
to each other for about eighty yards, and throughout that distance
their direction had nearly coincided with that in which the glacier
had moved. The glacier had passed over them at an angle of about
10°. Upon this quartz my hammer danced and rang, and made
scarcely any impression. I chipped away the gneiss without diffi-
culty. The glacier had worked upon two substances of unequal
resistancy. Yet, if a line had been stretched between the highest
points across any hundred feet of these sheets of rock, I do not
think that any part of the rock would have been depressed one foot
below the cord. The quartz, instead of standing up in ridges, as I
thought it might have done, was cut down to the same level as the
gneiss ; the keenest scrutiny could not detect the least difference.
It was evident, from the entire obliteration of form, that these
rocks had had enormous power exerted upon them, and that a not
inconsiderable depth of rock had been removed. It is immaterial
whether the effects had been produced by comparatively limited
force spread over an enormous length of time, or whether by greater
force in a less time. The same effects would have been produced
if the same amount of abrading power had been exerted over an
equal area of similar rock in the Alps. But it is doubtful, perhaps,
if there is in the Alps an equal area of rock which can be compared
for perfection pf glaciation to that of which I have spoken. I think
it may certainly be asserted that there is not either in the Valley of
the Ehone or in the Valley of Aosta. The glacier-eroded rocks of
those valleys, and of the Alps generally, are notable for their con-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/396]]==
340 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
vexity, and this affords evidence that the Alps have been subjected
to less abrading power than the district in Greenland to the east of
Clanshavn. Now, if there is any truth in the assumption that
glaciers dig away into soft rocks with much greater rapidity than into
hard ones, there is, of course, greater opportunity for the exercise
of this discriminative excavation when great power is exerted and
when great erosion occurs, than when less power is exercised and
less matter is removed. In Greenland, although enormous power
has been exerted, and a considerable depth of rock has been un-
doubtedly removed, we find no appreciable distinction made in the
treatment of two materials of very different degrees of hardness.
How, then, is it possible to suppose that the prodigious amount of
distinction could have been made which is assumed by Professor
Ramsay in the less eroded Alps ?
These are by no means the only obstacles which stand in the
way of acceptance of his theory.* The difficulty is great of ex-
plaining how the glaciers excavated the rock-basins which exist,
but it is still more troublesome to account for the non-existence of
those which ought to have been made. The Professor explained at
considerable length why they would not be formed upon steep
ground (§ 9, p. 316), and I cordially agree with the first part of his
remarks ; but he went on to say that when a glacier descended into
a " flat valley the case was different. There, to use homely phrases,
the ice had time to select soft places for excavation." " Why, then,"
asked several eminent persons — Mr. John Ball and Professor Pavre
amongst the number — "are there not lakes in the Valley of Aosta ?"
The valley is precisely the kind of one in which they should have
been formed. Its inclination, as I have shown (p. 313), is very
moderate, and several parts of it (the site of the city of Aosta, for
example) are almost plains. The glacier which occupied it, one
would have thought, was thick enough to have ground out basins in
* For some of the more important objections, see Sir R. Murchison's Address to
the Royal Geog. Soc. 1864 ; Sir C. Ly ell's Antiquity of Man and Elements of Geology;
Prof. Studer's Originc des Lacs Suisses; Prof. Favre in Phil. Mag. March 1865 ; and
Mr. John Ball in Phil. Mag. Feb. 1863.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/397]]==
chap. xvi. LAKE-BEDS WANTED. 341
the rock at any part, and retardation thickened it still more, occa-
sionally* Are there no soft places throughout this great valley ?
Were there no accidents, which caused exceptional grinding on par-
ticular areas, throughout the whole of that long period during which
the valley was occupied by glacier ? Apparently there were not ;
anyhow, there are no lakes in the valley worthy of mention, nor
are there, as far as can be told, any places where basins were ex-
cavated in the rock. The Professor evidently feels that the great
glacier of Aosta did not behave as it should have done, and seems
to be nettled by the references which have been made to its unac-
countable remissness. " I have attempted," said he, " to explain
why the rock-basins are present, and not why they are absent."f
He had, in fact, already accounted for their non-formation. He had
shown that the great valleys of the Alps were approximately the
same in their general features before they were filled with ice as
they are at the present time. He had brought forward proof that
this was the case with the Valley of Aosta, had shown that the great
glacier which issued on to the plain at Ivrea had been unable to
remove loose river-gravel, and had declared explicitly that the rea-
son was that time was wanting. The entire passage is as follows : —
" When lately south of the Alps, it was proved to me by Mr. Gastaldi,*
that at the mouths of the great Alpine valleys opening on the plain of the Po,
there were ancient alluvial fan-shaped masses of gravel quite analogous to those
that by the agency of existing torrents have issued from the gorges on either
side (for instance) of the valleys of the Rhone or the Dora, or of those that still
issue at their mouths. These were deposited on a plain rather lower than the
existing one, above Pliocene marine deposits, at a time when the true mountain
valleys — at all events near their mouths — were just about as deep as they are
* Professor Guyot has remarked striations ascending towards the mouth of the
valley in places where the valley narrows. See Gastaldi's Terrains Superjiciels.
+ Phil. Mag., Oct. 1864, pp. 305-6.
X Professor Gastaldi had published the same fact more than* twelve years before. " On
voit au ravin du torrent de Boriana, qui descend de la tourbiere de San -Giovanni, que
le terrain glaciare eparpille supporte la moraine superficielle, et se confond lui-meme
avec le diluvium Alpin qui repose inferieurement sur le pliocene marin." — Terrains
Superjiciels, 1850.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/398]]==
342 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
now ; for the great glaciers that filled the larger valleys issued out upon and
overflowed these low-lying river-gravels, and deposited their moraines above
them, only in part scooping them away, apparently because the glaciers did
not endure long enough of sufficient size to complete their destruction. No
better proof could be required that in great part the valleys of the Alps were
approximately as deep before the glacial epoch as they are at present ; and I
believe, with the Italian geologists, that all that the glaciers as a whole effected
was only slightly to deepen these valleys." — Phil. Mac/., Nov. 1862, p. 379.
This passage was, I presume, intended to upset the doctrines of
Dr. Tyndall, and it did so, conclusively, as far as the mouth of the
Valley of Aosta was concerned. It struck almost as severely at the
opinions of its author. Indeed, there is scarcely anything more
damaging to be found in the whole of the remarks which the publi-
cation of his original memoir called forth. At the mouth of the
Valley of Aosta, during the glacial epoch, the whole of the condi-
tions were found which Professor Eamsay requires for the formation
of lake-basins. There was a vast glacier that issued out upon a
plain, and which, in consequence of retardation, worked with un-
usual effect (?). It is demonstrable that it existed upon the plain
for an enormous length of time ; it is certain that it was extra-
ordinarily thick ; and the particular area upon which it worked was
undoubtedly favo urablefor excavation. Yet the Professor is obliged
to confess that the ice was unable to remove loose river-gravel lying
upon the surface (indeed, that the glacier actually left another
stratum of drift upon the gravel), and that the solid rock beneath
did not experience any excavation whatever ! There are many
other places at which the same thing is known to have occurred,
and so far from there being any especial tendency to excavate to-
wards the snouts of glaciers, well-established facts lead rather to the
opposite conclusion. A glacier which is bearing moraines always
has those moraines brought together, jumbled together, towards its
snout. Much of this moraine-matter falls down the sides of the
glacier, and gets wedged between the ice and the bed-rock ; much
more falls over the terminal face of ice, and forms a stratum over
which the glacier has to pass. This continually happens as the
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/399]]==
chap. xvi. CONCLUSIONS ABOUT RAMSAY'S THEORY. 343
glacier progresses ; and until this stratum, interposed by the glacier
itself, is ground away, the bed-rock (or whatever may happen to be
over the bed-rock) is not assailed. The evidence is that the stratum
of glacial drift which was deposited in this way at the mouth of the
Valley of Aosta was able to resist the grinding of the glacier during
the whole of its prolonged operations around Ivrea, and this fact gives,
perhaps, a clearer idea of the extremely limited power of glaciers
for excavation than any other which can be brought forward.
The weight of evidence seems to me to bear heavily against
Professor Eamsay's theory. In support of it, he has literally
nothing more than the facts that glaciers abrade rocks over which
they pass, and that there are numerous rock-basins (occupied or
not occupied by lakes) lying within areas which were formerly
covered by glacier. Here certainty ends. There are nothing but
conjectures left, most of which have not even probability on their
side. The idea that all petty pools and small tarns (which lie in
rock-basins) occupy areas which have been subjected to special
grinding, seems to me to be fully as absurd as the notion that each
one lies in an area of special subsidence ; and if all the geologists
in the world were to swear that it was a solemn verity, I could not
believe it, after what I have seen of the behaviour of glaciers upon
rocks. The notion that the great lake-basins occupy areas that
were filled with especially soft strata, which were subjected to
exceptional grinding, seems to me not to be warranted. It is
doubtful if the soft strata had any existence ; it is doubtful if
there was exceptional grinding ; and it is highly improbable that the
glaciers would have worked upon those basins at a rate ten, fifty,
or a hundred times faster than they did in other places, even if the
basins were filled with soft strata. More evidence is wanted upon
this head ; but it will be surprising if fresh facts upset those which
have been already observed. Looking at all this doubt and con-
jecture on one side, and the numerous facts upon the other which
prove that very small glacier-erosion has occurred throughout the
Alps generally, and the extremely limited capacity of glaciers for
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/400]]==
344 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvi.
excavation under any circumstances, it seems less probable that
Professor Ramsay's theory will work its way to popular acceptance,
than that it will quietly take its place amongst the exploded dogmas
which are left behind in the progress of scientific inquiry.
Our thoughts were more than usually set upon roches mouton-
nees, and rocks of that genus, upon the 23d of June 1865. My
guides and I were reposing upon the top of Mont Saxe, scanning the
Grandes Jorasses, with a view to ascending it. Five thousand feet
of glacier-covered precipices rose above us, and up all that height
we tracked a way to our satisfaction. Three thousand feet more
of glacier and forest -covered slopes lay beneath, and there, there
was only one point at which it was doubtful if we should find a
path. The glaciers were shrinking, and were surrounded by bas-
tions of rounded rock, far too polished to please the rough moun-
taineer. We could not track a way across them. However, at 4
a.m. the next day,* under the dexterous leading of Michel Croz,
we passed the doubtful spot. Thence it was all plain sailing, and
at 1 p.m. we gained the summit. The weather was boisterous in the
upper regions, and storm-clouds driven before the wind, and wrecked
against our heights, enveloped us in misty spray, which danced
around and fled away, which cut us off from the material universe,
and caused us to be, as it were, suspended betwixt heaven and
earth, seeing both occasionally, but seeming to belong to neither.
The mists lasted longer than my patience, and we descended
without having attained the object for which the ascent was made.
At first we followed the little ridge shown upon the accompanying
engraving, leading from our summit -f* towards the spectator, and
* For route, see map of the chain of Mont Blanc.
t The ascent of the Grandes Jorasses was made to obtain a view of the upper part
of the Aig. Verte. and upon that account the westernmost summit was selected in
preference to the highest one. Both summits are shown upon the accompanying en-
graving. That on the right is (as it appears to be) the highest. That upon its left
is the one which we ascended, and is about 100 feet lower than the other. A couple
of days after our ascent, Henri Grati, Julien Grange, Jos. Mar. Perrod, Alexis Clusaz,
and Daniel Gex (all of Courmayeur), followed our traces to the summit in order to
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/401]]==
THE CRANDES JORASSES AND THE DOIRE TORRENT, VAL FERRET (D'lTALIE).
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/402]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/403]]==
chap. xvi. DESCENT OF THE GEANDES JORASSES. 345
then took to the head of the corridor of glacier on its left, which in
the view is left perfectly white. The slopes were steep and covered
with new-fallen snow, flour-like and evil to tread upon. On the
ascent we had reviled it, and had made our staircase with much
caution, knowing full well that the disturbance of its base would
bring down all that was above. In descending, the bolder spirits
counselled trusting to luck and a glissade ; the cautious ones advo-
cated avoiding the slopes and crossing to the rocks on their farther
side. The advice of the latter prevailed, and we had half-traversed
the snow, to gain the ridge, when the crust slipped and we went
along with it. "Halt!" broke from all four, unanimously. The
axe-heads flew round as we started on this involuntary glissade.
It was useless, they slid over the underlying ice fruitlessly. " Halt ! "
thundered Croz, as he dashed his weapon in again with superhuman
energy. ISTo halt could be made, and we slid down slowly, but
with accelerating motion, driving up waves of snow in front, with
streams of the nasty stuff hissing all around. Luckily, the slope
eased off at one place, the leading men cleverly jumped aside out of
the moving snow, we others followed, and the young avalanche
which we had started, continuing to pour down, fell into a yawning
crevasse, and showed us where our grave would have been if we
had remained in its company five seconds longer. The whole affair
did not occupy half-a-minute. It was the solitary incident of a
long day, and at nightfall we re-entered the excellent house kept
by the courteous Bertolini, well satisfied that we had not met with
more incidents of a similar description.
learn the way. As far as my observation extends, such things are seldom done by
money-grasping or spiritless guides, and I have mueh pleasure in being able to men-
tion their names. The highest point (13,799) was ascended on June 29-30, 1868, by
Mr. Horace Walker, with the guides Melchior Anderegg, J. Jaun, and Julien Grange.
2v
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/404]]==
CHAPTEE XVII.
THE COL DOLENT.
"Men willingly believe what they wish." — Cesar.
Feeethinking mountaineers have been latterly in the habit of going
up one side of an Alp and coining down the other, and calling the
route a pass. In this confusion of ideas may be recognised the re-
sult of the looseness of thought which arises from the absence of
technical education. The true believer abhors such heresies, and
observes with satisfaction that Providence oftentimes punishes the
offenders for their greediness by causing them to be benighted.
The faithful know that passes must be made between mountains,
and not over their tops. Their creed declares that between any
two mountains there must be a pass, and they believe that the end
for which big peaks were created — the office they are especially de-
signed to fulfil — is to point out the way one should go. This
is the true faith, and there is no other.
We set out upon the 26th of June to endeavour to add one more
to the passes which are strictly orthodox. We hoped, rather than
expected, to discover a quicker route from Courmayeur to Cha-
mounix than the Col du Geant, which was the easiest, quickest, and
most direct pass known at the time across the main chain of Mont
Blanc* The misgivings which I had as to the result caused us to
start at the unusual hour of 12.40 a.m. At 4.30 we passed the
chalets of Pre du Bar, and thence, for some distance, followed the
track which we had made upon the ascent of Mont Dolent, over the
* The view of Mont Blanc from a gorge on the south of the Italian Val Ferret,
mid-way between the villages of La Vachey and Praz See, and about 3000 feet above
them, is, in my opinion, the finest which can be obtained <>l that mountain range any-
where upon the Italian side.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/405]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/406]]==
1 <\ " V
■
IHE SUMMIT OF THE COL DO LENT,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/407]]==
chap. xvii. THE COL DOLENT. 347
glacier of the same name (p. 239). At a quarter past 8 we ar-
rived at the head of the glacier, and at the foot of the only steep
gradient upon the whole of the ascent.
It was the beau-ideal of a pass. There was a gap in the moun-
tains, with a big peak on each side (Mont Dolent and the Aig. de
Triolet). A narrow thread of snow led up to the lowest point
between those mountains, and the blue sky beyond said, Directly
you arrive here you will begin to go down. We addressed ourselves
to our task, and at 10.15 a.m. arrived at the top of the pass.
Had things gone as they ought, within six hours more we should
have been at Chamounix. Upon the other side we knew that there
was a couloir in correspondence with that up which we had just
come. If it had been filled with snow all would have been well.
It turned out to be filled with ice. Croz, who led, passed over to
the other side, and reported that we should get down somehow, but
I knew from the sound of his axe how the somehow would be, and
settled myself to sketch, well assured that / should not be wanted
for an hour to come. What I saw is shown in the engraving. A
sharp aiguille (nameless), perhaps the sharpest in the whole range,
backed on the left by the Aig. de Triolet ; queer blocks of (probably)
protogine sticking out awkwardly through the snow ; and a huge
cornice from which big icicles depended, that broke away occa-
sionally and went skiddling down the slope up which we had come.
Of the Argentiere side I could not see anything.
Croz was tied up with our good Manilla rope, and the whole 200
feet were payed out gradually by Aimer and Biener before he ceased
working. After two hours' incessant toil, he was able to anchor
himself to the rock on his right. He then untied himself, the rope
was drawn in, Biener was attached to the end and went down to
join his comrade. There was then room enough for me to stand by
the side of Aimer, and I got my first view of the other side. For
the first and only time in my life I looked down a slope more than
a thousand feet long, set at an angle of about 50°, which was a sheet
of ice from top to bottom. It was unbroken by rock or crag, and
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/408]]==
348 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvii.
anything thrown down it sped away unarrested until the level of
the Glacier d'Argentiere was reached. The entire basin of that noble
glacier* was spread out at our feet, and the ridge beyond, culmi-
nating in the Aig. d'Argentiere, was seen to the greatest advantage.
I confess, however, that I paid very little attention to the view, for
there was no time to indulge in such luxuries. I descended the
icy staircase and joined the others, and then we three drew in the
rope tenderly as Aimer came down. His was not an enviable posi-
tion, but he descended with as much steadiness as if his whole life
had been passed on ice-slopes of 50°. The process was repeated ;
Croz again going to the front, and availing himself very skilfully of
the rocks which projected from the cliff on our right. Our 200 feet
of rope again came to an end, and we again descended one by one.
From this point we were able to clamber down by the rocks alone
for about 300 feet. They then became sheer cliff, and we stopped
for dinner, about 2.30 p.m., at the last place upon which we could
sit. Four hours' incessant work had brought us rather more than
half-way down the gully. We were now approaching, although we
were still high above, the schrunds at its base, and the guides made
out, in some way unknown to me, that Nature had perversely placed
the only snow-bridge across the topmost one towards the centre of
the gully. It was decided to cut diagonally across the gully to the
point where the snow-bridge was supposed to be. Aimer and Biener
undertook the work, leaving Croz and myself firmly planted on the
rocks to pay out the rope to them as they advanced.
It is generally admitted that veritable ice-slopes (understanding
by ice something more than a crust of hard snow over soft snow)
are only rarely met with in the Alps. They are frequently spoken
of, but such as that to which I refer are very rarely seen, and still
more seldom traversed. It is, however, always possible that they
may be encountered, and on this account, if for no other, it is
* The next generation may witness its extinction. The portion of it seen from
the village of Argentiere is (1869) at least one quarter less in width than it was ten
years ago.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/409]]==
CHAP. XVII.
ON ICE-AXES.
349
Wff'MB
necessary for men who go mountaineering to be armed with ice-
axes, and with good ones. The form is of more importance than
might be supposed. Of course, if you intend to act as a simple
amateur, and let others do the work, and only follow in their steps,
it is not of much importance what kind of ice-axe you carry, so
long as its head does not fall off, or otherwise behave itself impro-
perly * There is no better weapon for cutting steps in ice than a
common pick-axe, and the form of ice-axe which is now usually
employed by the best guides is very like a miniature pick. My
own axe is copied from Melchior Anderegg's. It is of wrought iron,
with point and edge
steeled. Its weight,
including spiked
handle, is four
pounds. For cut-
ting steps in ice,
the pointed end of
the head is almost
exclusively em-
ployed ; the adze-
end is handy for
polishing them up,
but is principally
used for cutting in
hard snow. Apart
from its value as a
cutting weapon, it
is invaluable as a
grapnel. It is natu-
rally a rather awkward implement when it is not being employed
for its legitimate purpose, and is likely to give rise to much strong
* This observation is not made without reason. I have seen the head of one tumble
off at a slight tap, in consequence of its handle having been perforated by an inge-
nious but useless arrangement of nails.
MY ICE-AXE.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/410]]==
350
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
chap. xvir.
language in crushes at railway termini, unless its head is protected
with a leathern cap, or in some other way. Many attempts have
been made, for the sake of convenience, to fashion an ice-axe with
a movable head, but it seems difficult or impossible to produce one
except at the expense of cutting qualities, and by increasing the
weight.
KENNEDY ICE-AXE.
IS
the firm of Fairbairn &
quaintance with mountain-
and manufacture of tools,
ticularly valuable, has con-
seen ; but even it seems to
gidity, and not to be so
more common kind with
pie instrument which is
the invention of Mr. Leslie
Mr. T. S. Kennedy (of
Co.), whose practical ac-
eering, and with the use
makes his opinion par-
trived the best that I have
me to be deficient in ri-
powerful a weapon as the
the fixed head. The sim-
shown in the annexed diagram
Stephen, and it an-
swers the purposes for
which he devised it,
namely, for giving bet-
ter hold upon snow
and ice than can be obtained from the common alpenstock, and for
cutting an occasional step. The amateur scarcely requires anything
more imposing, but for serious ice-work a heavier weapon is
indispensable.
To persons armed with the proper tools, ice-slopes are not so
dangerous as many places which appeal less to the imagination.
Their ascent or descent is necessarily laborious (to those who do the
work), and they may therefore be termed difficult. They ought not
to be dangerous. Yet they always seem dangerous, for one is pro-
foundly convinced that if he slips he will certainly go to the bottom.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/411]]==
char xvii. ON CRAMPONS. 351
Hence, any man, who is not a fool, takes particular care to pre-
serve his balance, and, in consequence, we have the noteworthy fact
that accidents have seldom or never taken place upon ice-slopes.
The same slopes covered with snow are much less impressive,
and may be much more dangerous. They may be less slippery, the
balance may be more easily preserved, and if one man slips he may
be stopped by his own personal efforts, provided the snow which
over-lies the ice is consolidated and of a reasonable depth. But if, as
is more likely to be the case upon an angle of 50° (or anything ap-
proaching that angle), there is only a thin stratum of snow which is
not consolidated, the occurrence of a slip will most likely take the
entire party as low as possible, and in addition to the chance of
broken necks, there will be a strong probability that some, at least,
will be smothered by the dislodged snow. Such accidents are far too
common, and their occurrence, as a rule, may be traced to the want
of caution which is induced by the apparent absence of danger.
I do not believe that the use of the rope, in the ordinary way,
affords the least real security upon ice-slopes. Nor do I think that
any benefit is derived from the employment of crampons. Mr.
Kennedy was good enough to present me with a pair some time
ago, and one of these has been
engraved. They are the best
variety I have seen of the
species, but I only feel com-
fortable with them on my feet
in places where they are not
of the slightest use, that is in
situations where there is no
possibility of slipping, and would not wear them upon an ice-slope for
any consideration whatever. All such adventitious aids are useless
if you have not a good step in the ice to stand upon, and if you have
got that, nothing more is wanted except a few nails in the boots.
Aimer and Biener got to the end of their tether ; the rope no
longer assured their safety, and they stopped work as we advanced
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/412]]==
352 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xvii.
and coiled it up. Shortly afterwards they struck a streak of snow
that proved to be just above the bridge of which they were in
search. The slope steepened, and for thirty feet or so we descended
face to the wall, making steps by kicking with the toes, and thrust-
ing the arms well into the holes above, just as if they had been
rounds in a ladder. At this time we were crossing the uppermost
of the schrunds. Needless to say that the snow was of an admir-
able quality ; this performance would otherwise have been impos-
sible. It was soon over, and we then found ourselves upon a huge
rhomboidal mass of ice, and still separated from the Argentiere
glacier by a gigantic crevasse. The only bridge over this lower
schrund was at its eastern end, and we were obliged to double back
to get to it. Cutting continued for half-an-hour after it was passed,
and it was 5.35 p.m. before the axes stopped work, and we could at
last turn back and look comfortably at the formidable slope upon
which seven hours had been spent, "f"
The Col Dolent is not likely to compete with the Col du
Geant, and I would recommend any person who starts to cross it to
allow himself plenty of time, plenty of rope, and ample guide-
power. There is no difficulty whatever upon any part of the route,
excepting upon the steep slopes immediately below the summit on
each side. When we arrived upon the Glacier d' Argentiere, our
work was as good as over. "We drove a straight track to the cha-
lets of Lognan, and thence the way led over familiar ground. Soon
after dusk we got into the high road at les Tines, and at 10 p.m.
arrived at Chamounix. Our labours were duly rewarded. Houris
brought us champagne and the other drinks which are reserved for
the faithful, but before my share was consumed I fell asleep in an
arm-chair. I slept soundly until daybreak, and then turned into
bed and went to sleep again.
* It occupies about one-sixth of an inch upon the map. I estimate its height at
1200 feet. The triangulation of Capt. Mieulet places the summit of the pass 11,624
feet ahove the sea. This, I think, is rather too high.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/413]]==
CHAPTER XVIII.
ASCENT OF THE AIGUILLE VERTE.
' ' Few have the fortitude of soul to honour
A friend's success, without a touch of envy."
^Eschylus.
Michel Ceoz now parted from us. His new employer had not
arrived at Chamounix, but Croz considered that he was bound by
honour to wait for him, and thus Christian Aimer, of Grindelwald,
became my leading guide.
Aimer displayed aptitude for mountaineering at an early age.
Whilst still a very young man he was known as a crack chamois-
hunter, and he soon developed into an accomplished guide. Those
who have read Mr. Wills' graphic account of the first ascent of the
Wetterhorn * will remember that, when his party was approaching
the top of the mountain, two stranger men were seen climbing by
a slightly different route, one of whom carried upon his back a
young fir-tree, branches, leaves, and all. Mr. Wills' guides were
extremely indignant with these two strangers (who were evidently
determined to be the first at the summit), and talked of giving them
blows. Eventually they gave them a cake of chocolate instead,
and declared that they were good fellows. "Thus the pipe of
peace was smoked, and tranquillity reigned between the rival
forces." Christian Aimer was one of these two men.
This was in 1854. In 1858-9 he made the first ascents of the
Eigher and the Monch, the former with a Mr. Harrington (?), and
the latter with Dr. Porges. Since then he has wandered far and
Wanderings among the High Alps, 1858.
2z
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/414]]==
354
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XVIII.
near, from Dauphine to the Tyrol* With the exception of
Melchior Anderegg, there is not, perhaps, another guide of such
wide experience, or one who has been so invariably successful ;
and his numerous employers concur in saying that there is not a
truer heart or a surer foot to be found amongst the Alps.
CHRISTIAN ALMER.t
Before recrossing the chain to Courmayeur, we ascended the
Aiguille Verte. In company with Mr. Eeilly I inspected this
mountain from every direction in 1864, and came to the conclusion
that an ascent could more easily be made from the south than
upon any other side. We set out upon the 28th from Chamounix
to attack it, minus Croz, and plus a porter (of whom I will speak
more particularly presently), leaving our comrade very downcast
at having to kick his heels in idleness, whilst we were about to
scale the most celebrated of his native Aiguilles.
Our course led us over the old Mer de Glace — the glacier made
famous by De Saussure and Forbes. The heat of the day was
* Most of his principal exploits are recorded in the publications of the Alpine Club.
+ Engraved, by permission, from a photograph by Mr. E. Edwards.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/415]]==
CHAP. XVIII.
ON THE MER BE GLACE.
355
over, but the little rills and rivulets were still flowing along the
surface of the ice ; cutting deep troughs where the gradients were
small ; leaving ripple-marks where the water was with more diffi-
culty confined to one channel ; and falling over the precipitous
walls of the great crevasses, sometimes in bounding cascades, and
sometimes in diffused streams, which marked the perpendicular
It ,,
IIHii
, Jlffl
MM.S f/j
■H
■1
ON THE MER DE GLACE.
faces with graceful sinuosities* As night came on, their music
died away, the rivulets dwindled down to rills ; the rills ceased to
murmur, and the sparkling drops, caught by the hand of frost, were
bound to the ice, coating it with an enamelled film which lasted
until the sun struck the glacier once more.
* Admirably rendered in the accompanying drawing by Mr. Cyrus Johnson. The
" ripple-marks " are seen in the engraving upon p. 356.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/416]]==
356
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XVIII.
The weathering of the walls of crevasses, which obscures the
internal structure of the glacier, has led some to conclude that the
stratification which is seen in the higher glacier-regions is obliterated
in the lower ones. Others, Agassiz and Mr. John Ball for example,
have disputed this opinion,* and my own experiences accord with
those of these accurate observers. It is, undoubtedly, very difficult
to trace stratification in the lower ends of the Alpine glaciers ; but
ON THE MER DE GLACE.
we are not, upon that . account, entitled to conclude that the ori-
ginal structure of the ice has been obliterated. There are thou-
sands of crevasses in the upper regions upon whose walls no traces
of bedding are apparent, and we might say, with equal unreason-
ableness, that it was obliterated there also. Take an axe, and
clear away the ice which has formed from water trickling down
* See Agassiz in Atlantic Monthly, Dec. 1863 ; and Mr. J. Ball in Phil. Mag. Dec.
1857 (supplementary number), and April 1859.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/417]]==
chap, xviii. THE 'VEINED STRUCTURE' OF GLACIERS. 357
the faces, and the weathered ice beneath, and you will expose sec-
tions of the mingled strata of pure and of imperfect ice, and see
clearly enough that the primitive structure of the glacier has not
been effaced, although it has been obscured.
Notwithstanding all that has been written to the contrary by
very eminent authorities, I believe that the strata of ice which are
formed by weathering, upon the beds of snow that are deposited
in the higher regions, exist (unless they are originally of very small
thickness) to the ends of the glaciers, and that many of the veins
of blue ice which are seen on the surfaces of the lower parts of
Alpine glaciers are nothing more than the outcropping of .the
primarily horizontal strata.
Some of those who have maintained the contrary opinion, have
evidently had a very insufficient idea of the extent to which the
upper snows are pervaded by the strata of blue ice, and of their
thickness. In the Appendix it is shown that there were in the
upper 22 feet of snow at the summit of the Col de Valpelline, in
1866, no less than 75 layers of ice, one of which was more than
6 inches in thickness, whilst numerous others ranged from half-an-
inch to one inch. The total depth of these 75 layers amounted to
25f inches, or nearly one-tenth of the mass which we were able to
penetrate. As far as I am aware, it has not been proved experi-
mentally that it is possible (by compression, or in any other way)
to obliterate a plate of ice, even an inch in thickness, placed
between snow, or between ice of inferior density, except by lique-
faction of the entire mass.
Others who have pronounced against the possibility of the
horizontal strata of blue ice contributing any of the veins of blue
ice which constitute the veined structure* of glaciers, have done so
* The late Principal J. D. Forbes was the first to attach any importance to the
veined structure of glaciers. I gather the following definitions of it from different
pages of his Occasional Papers. " I cannot more accurately describe it, than by call-
ing it a ribboned structure, formed by thin and delicate blue and bluish-white bands
or strata, which appear to traverse the ice in a vertical direction, or rather which, by
their apposition, formed the entire mass of the ice. The direction of these bands was
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/418]]==
358 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, xviii.
upon the ground that all traces of stratification are obliterated
before the appearance of the veined structure. It is, however, now
well known that the primitive structure has been detected after
the appearance of the veins on the surfaces of glaciers — the veins,
indeed, have been observed in the walls of crevasses cutting the
original structure* It is proved thereby that the original struc-
ture remains in existence down to a low point, and that, so far at
least, it is not obliterated."!*
It has also been urged that " the blue veins of glaciers are not
always, nor even generally, such as we should expect to result from
stratification. The latter would furnish us with distinct planes ex-
tending parallel to each other for considerable distances through the
glacier ; but this, though sometimes the case, is by no means the
general character of the structure." With this observation I agree.
It amounts, however, only to saying, that it is impossible to con-
parallel to the length of the glacier" (p. 3.) "In some parts of the glacier it
appears more developed than in others. . . It penetrates the thickness of the
glacier to great depths. It is an integral part of its inmost structure " (p. 5.)
"The breadth of these (bands) varies from a small fraction of an inch to several
inches " (p. 8). " This structure consists in the alternation of more or less perfectly
crystallised ice in parallel layers, often thinning out altogether like veins in marble"
(p. 19).
Forbes' "veined structure " is frequently cut, both horizontally and vertically, by
other veins, which latter seem to me to have clearly a different origin from the former.
Proper discrimination has not hitherto been made between the two. Observers
sometimes call one, sometimes the other, and sometimes both, the " veined structure."
It would, I think, be convenient and appropriate to term Forbes' structure " the
laminated structure of glacier." In 1867, upon the surface of a glacier in the
Jakobshavn district, North Greenland, I saw three series of veins crossing each other
in three different directions, forming a cross-bar or net-work pattern upon the ice.
This was certainly not Forbes' structure.
* This of course proves that the origin of all the veins is not found in stratifica-
tion, but it does not prove (as some appear to think) that all of the veins have a
different origin.
t I believe that I have seen the planes of the original bedding still remaining
parallel to the surface in some icebergs floating into Disco Bay, which had come from
a glacier at least 20 miles long. If I am not mistaken, this is a most important and
significant fact.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/419]]==
chap, xviii. ORIGIN OF VEINS IN GLACIERS. 359
sider that all of the blue veins have their origin in the stratified
beds of snow and ice from which glaciers are born. Any person
who has been close to an " ice-fall " on one of the principal Alpine
glaciers, and observed the great seracs lurching forward, with the
primitive beds remaining parallel, or nearly so, to the surface of the
glacier, must feel that it is extremely improbable that the masses
will be so re-compacted lower down as to " furnish us with distinct
planes extending parallel to each other for considerable distances!'
It will be felt that some of the seracs will be so smashed up that
the original structure will be got rid of ; that others, which descend
more gently, will remain intact, but will settle down with their beds
more or less inclined to the horizon ; and that it will be a very ex-
traordinary chance if the dip of the strata of any two of the masses
coincides within many degrees.
Upon these grounds I believe that many of the veins of the
veined structure of glaciers are nothing more than the upturned
layers of blue ice which are formed upon and between the beds of
snow that are deposited in the higher regions.* I am far from
thinking that the occurrence of the whole of the veins of blue ice
which are found in glaciers should be accounted for in this way. I
do not believe that the combinations of different varieties of ice
that are found in glaciers, which have been referred to by various
authors as the veined structure, can be accounted for in two or even
in three ways. Avoiding disputed points, I will observe that there
are at least two other modes by which many veins of blue ice are
undoubtedly produced in glaciers.
First, by water freezing into crevasses. I have seen hundreds of
crevasses in Greenland nearly full of water ; never quite full : the
water seldom came within two or three feet of the surface of the
glacier. I have seen the entire surface of the water in such cre-
vasses frozen and freezing. I have seen the water sometimes frozen
solid at one end and remaining liquid at the other end ; and in the
walls of icebergs I have seen sections of crevasses that have been
* Sometimes, probably thickened by pressure.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/420]]==
360 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, xviii.
nearly filled with water, in which the water has been frozen solid *
These veins in icebergs are frequently one to three feet thick, and
can be seen at several miles' distance. If veins of bine ice are not-
formed in the Alpine glaciers in the same manner, it is only because
there are outlets from the crevasses by which the water escapes.
It is rare to see a crevasse even partly filled with water in the Alps."f-
Secondly, by the closing together of crevasses. The unequal
motion of the parts of a glacier causes crevasses continually to
open and to close up ; and the walls of these crevasses, whether
12,000 feet or more above the level of the sea, or whether only 5000,
all become weathered and more or less coated with pure ice. Even
narrow crevasses in the high regions, well bridged with snow, are
not exempt. The warm air of midsummer penetrates the chasms,
and, assisted by the percolation of snow water, glazes the walls from
top to bottom. The superficial coatings of ice which are thus formed
upon the sides of crevasses vary greatly in thickness according to
circumstances — in a single crevasse they may range from a thick-
ness of less than an inch to more than a foot.J The crevasses close
up ; the surfaces of their icy w T alls are brought into contact ; they
regele, and the coalesced films will then appear as veins of pure
ice in the generally whitish mass of the glacier. When one con-
siders the myriads of crevasses which there are in any glacier, and
the incessant opening and closing up that goes forward, it is easy to
see that a large proportion of the veins of pure ice which consti-
tute the veined structure of glaciers must be considered as the
scars of healed crevasses.
* These veins in icebergs are frequently seen intersecting each other. Dr. Rink
has shown this in an illustration in his Grbnland Gcographisk og Statistisk, vol. i.
1852.
f Charpentier long ago advanced the opinion that the motion of glaciers was pro-
moted by freezing of water in crevasses. His notion is commonly regarded as ex-
ploded, but there may be something in it after all.
X The same tiling is to be noticed in regard to the blue veins of the veined struc-
ture. The veins frequently thin out and are lost, or swell into lenticular masses.
This is best seen when the veins are regarded in vertical sections of the glacier.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/421]]==
chap, xviii. ASCENT OF THE AIGUILLE VERTE. 361
We camped on the Couvercle (7800) under a great rock, and
at 3.15 the next morning started for our aiguille, leaving the porter
in charge of the tent and of the food. Two hours' walking over
crisp snow brought us up more than 4000 feet, and within about
1600 feet of the summit.* From no other direction can it be
approached so closely with equal facility. Thence the mountain
steepens. After his late severe piece of ice-work, Aimer had a
natural inclination for rocks ; but the lower rocks of the final
peak of the Verte were not inviting, and he went on and on,
looking for a way up them, until we arrived in front of a great snow
couloir that led from the Glacier de Talefre right up to the crest
of the ridge connecting the summit of the Verte with the mountain
called Les Droites. This was the route which I intended to be
taken ; but Aimer pointed out that the gully narrowed at the
lower part, and that, if stones fell, we should stand some chance
of getting our heads broken ; and so we went on still more to the
east of the summit, to another and smaller couloir which ran up
side by side with the great one. At 5.30 we crossed the schrund
which protected the final peak, and, a few minutes afterwards,
saw the summit and the whole of the intervening route. " Oh !
Aiguille Verte," said my guide, stopping as he said it, " you are
dead, you are dead ; " which, being translated into plain English,
meant that he was cock-sure we should make its ascent.
Aimer is a quiet man at all times. When climbing he is
taciturn — and this is one of his great merits. A garrulous man is
always a nuisance, and upon the mountain-side he may be a danger,
for actual climbing requires a man's whole attention. Added to
this, talkative men are hindrances ; they are usually thirsty, and
a thirstv man is a drap\
Guide-books recommend mountain-walkers to suck pebbles, to
prevent their throats from becoming parched. .There is not much
goodness to be got out of the pebbles ; but you cannot suck them
Or, upon the map of the chain of Mont Blanc, to within a third of an inch
mmi
3 A
of the black triangle which marks the summit
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/422]]==
362 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, xviii.
and keep the mouth open at the same time, and hence the throat
does not become dry. It answers just as well to keep the mouth
shut, without any pebbles inside, — indeed, I think, better ; for if
you have occasion to open your mouth, you can do so without
swallowing any pebbles. * As a rule, amateurs, and particularly
novices, will not keep their mouths shut. They attempt to " force
the pace," they go faster than they can go without being compelled
to open their mouths to breathe, they pant, their throats and
tongues become parched, they drink and perspire copiously, and,
becoming exhausted, declare that the dryness of the air, or the
rarefaction of the air (everything is laid upon the air), is in fault.
On several accounts, therefore, a mountain-climber does well to
hold his tongue when he is at his work.
At the top of the small gully we crossed over the intervening
rocks into the large one, and followed it so long as it was filled
with snow. At last ice replaced snow, and we turned over to the
rocks upon its left. Charming rocks they were ; granitic in texture, "f"
gritty, holding the nails well. At 9.45 we parted from them, and
completed the ascent by a little ridge of snow which descended in
the direction of the Aiguille du Moine. At 10.15 we stood on the
summit (13,540), and devoured our bread and cheese with a good
appetite.
I have already spoken of the disappointing nature of purely
panoramic views. That seen from Mont Blanc itself is notoriously
unsatisfactory. When you are upon that summit you look
down upon all the rest of Europe. There is nothing to look up to ;
all is below ; there is no one point for the eye to rest upon.
The man who is there is somewhat in the position of one who has
attained all that he desires, — he has nothing to aspire to ; his
* I heard lately of two well-known mountaineers who, under the influence
of sudden alarm, swallowed their crystals. I am happy to say that they were
able to cough them up again.
f Hand specimens of the highest rocks of the Aiguille Verte cannot be distin-
guished from granite. The rock is almost identical in quality with that at the
summit of Mont Dolent, and is probably a granitoid gneiss.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/423]]==
chap, xviii. VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT. 363
position must needs be unsatisfactory. Upon the summit of the
Verte there is not this objection. You see valleys, villages, fields ;
you see mountains interminable rolling away, lakes resting in
their hollows ; you hear the tinkling of the sheep-bells as it rises
through the clear mountain air, and the roar of the avalanches as
they descend to the valleys : but above all there is the great white
dome, with its shining crest high above ; with its sparkling glaciers
that descend between buttresses which support them; with its
brilliant snows, purer and yet purer the farther they are removed
from this unclean world.
Even upon this mountain-top it was impossible to forget the
world, for some vile wretch came to the Jardin and made hideous
sounds by blowing upon a horn. Whilst we were denouncing him
a change came over the weather ; cumulous clouds gathered in all
directions, and we started off in hot haste. Snow began to fall
heavily before we were off the summit-rocks, our track was obscured
and frequently lost, and everything became so sloppy and slippery
that the descent took as long as the ascent. The schrund was re-
crossed at 3.15 p.m., and thence we raced down to the Couvercle,
intending to have a carouse there ; but as we rounded our rock a
howl broke simultaneously from all three of us, for the porter had
taken down the tent, and was in the act of moving off with it.
"Stop, there! what are you doing?" He observed that he had
thought we were killed, or at least lost, and was going to Chamounix
to communicate his ideas to the guide chef. " Unfasten the tent,
and get out the food." But instead of doing so the porter fumbled
in his pockets. " Get out the food," we roared, losing all patience.
"Here it is," said our worthy friend, producing a dirty piece of
bread about as big as a halfpenny roll. We three looked solemnly
at the fluff-covered morsel. It was past a joke, — he had devoured
everything. Mutton, loaves, cheese, wine, eggs, sausages — all was
* The summit of the Aiguille Verte was a snowy dome, large enough for a
quadrille. I was surprised to see the great height of Les Droites. Captain Mieulet
places its summit at 13,222 feet, but I think it must be very slightly lower than the
Verte itself.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/424]]==
364 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap, xviii.
gone — past recovery. It was idle to grumble, and useless to wait.
We were light, and could move quickly, — the porter was laden
inside and out. We went our hardest, — he had to shuffle and trot.
He streamed with perspiration ; the mutton and cheese oozed out
in big drops, — he larded the glacier. We had our revenge, and
dried our clothes at the same time, but when we arrived at the Mon-
tanvert the porter was as wet as we had been upon our arrival at
the Couvercle. We halted at the inn to get a little food, and at
a quarter past eight re-entered Chamounix, amidst firing of cannon
and other demonstrations of satisfaction on the part of the hotel-
keepers.
One would have thought that the ascent of this mountain,
which had been frequently assailed before without success, would
have afforded some gratification to a population whose chief
support is derived from tourists, and that the prospect of the
perennial flow of francs which might be expected to result from
it would have stifled the jealousy consequent on the success of
foreigners.*
It was not so. Chamounix stood on its rights. A stranger
had ignored their regulations, had imported two foreign guides,
and, furthermore, he had added injury to that insult — he had not
taken a single Chamounix guide. Chamounix would be revenged !
It would bully the foreign guides ; it would tell them they had
]ied, — they had not made the ascent ! Where were their proofs ?
Where was the flag upon the summit ?
Poor Aimer and Biener were accordingly chivied from pillar to
post, from one inn to another, and at length complained to me.
Peter Perm, the Zermatt guide, said on the night that we returned
that this was to happen, but the story seemed too absurd to be
true. I now bade my men go out again, and followed them
myself to see the sport. Chamounix was greatly excited. The
bureau of the guide chef was thronged with clamouring men.
* The Chamounix tariff price for the ascent of the Aiguille is now placed at £4
per guide.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/425]]==
chap, xviii. THE NOBLE ATTITUDE OF CHAMOUNIX. 365
Their ringleader — one Zacharie Cachat — a well-known guide, of
no particular merit, but not a bad fellow, was haranguing the
multitude. He met with more than his match. My friend
Kennedy, who was on the spot, heard of the disturbance and
rushed into the fray, confronted the burly guide, and thrust back
his absurdities into his teeth.
There were the materials for a very pretty riot ; but they man-
age these things better in France than we do, and the gensdarmes —
three strong — came down and dispersed the crowd. The guides
quailed before the cocked hats, and retired to cabarets to take little
glasses of absinthe and other liquors more or less injurious to the
human frame. Under the influence of these stimulants, they con-
ceived an idea which combined revenge with profit. " You have
ascended the Aiguille Verte, you say. We say we don't believe it.
We say, do it again ! Take three of us with you, and we will bet
you two thousand francs to one thousand, that you won't make the
ascent ! "
This proposition was formally notified to me, but I declined it,
with thanks, and recommended Kennedy to go in and win. I
accepted, however, a hundred franc share in the bet, and calcu-
lated upon getting two hundred per cent on my investment. Alas !
how vain are human expectations ! Zacharie Cachat was put into
confinement, and although Kennedy actually ascended the Aiguille
a week later, with two Chamounix guides and Peter Perm, the bet
came to nothing.*
The weather arranged itself just as this storm in a teapot blew
over, and we left at once for the Montanvert, in order to show the
Chamouniards the easiest way over the chain of Mont Blanc, in
return for the civilities which we had received from them during
the past three days.
* It should be said that we received the most polite apologies for this affair from
the chief of the gensdarmes, and an invitation to lodge a complaint against the ring-
leaders. We accepted his apologies, and declined his invitation. Needless to add,
Michel Croz took no part in the demonstration.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/426]]==
WESTERN SIDE OF THE COL DE TALEFRE.
CHAPTEE XIX.
THE COL DE TALEFRE.
" 'Tis more by art than force of numerous strokes."
Homer.
The person who discovered the Col du Geant must have been a
shrewd mountaineer. The pass was in use before any other was
known across the main chain of Mont Blanc, and down to the
present time it remains the easiest and quickest route from Cha-
mounix to Courmayeur, with the single exception of the pass that
we crossed upon the 3d of July, for the first time, which lies about
mid-way between the Aiguille de Triolet and the Aiguille de
Talefre, and which, for want of a better name, I have called the
Col de Talefre.
When one looks toward the upper end of the Glacier de Talefre
from the direction of the Jardin or of the Couvercle, the ridge that
bounds the view seems to be of little elevation. It is overpowered
by the colossal Grandes Jorasses, and by the almost equally magni-
ficent Aiguille Verte. The ridge, notwithstanding, is by no means
despicable. At no point is its elevation less than 11,600 feet. It
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/427]]==
chap. xix. THE COL DE TAL&FRE. 367
does not look anything like this height. The Glacier de Talefre
mounts with a steady incline, and the eye is completely deceived.
In 1864, when prowling about with Mr. Beilly, I instinctively
fixed upon a bent couloir* which led up from the glacier to the
lowest part of the ridge ; and when, after crossing the Col de
Triolet, I saw that the other side presented no particular difficulty,
it seemed to me that this was the one point in the whole of the
range which would afford an easier passage than the Col du Geant.
We set out from the Montanvert at 4 a.m. upon July 3, to see
whether this opinion was correct, and it fortunately happened that
the Eev. A. G. Girdlestone and a friend, with two Chamounix
guides, left the inn at the same hour as ourselves, to cross the Col
du Ge\int. We kept in company as far as our routes lay together,
and at 9.35 we arrived at the top of our pass, having taken the
route to the south of the Jardin. Description is unnecessary, as
our track is laid down very clearly on the engraving at the head
of this chapter, and upon the map.
Much snow had fallen during the late bad weather, and as we
reposed upon the top of our pass (which was about 11,650 feet
above the level of the sea, and 600 feet above the Col du Geant),
we saw that the descent of the rocks which intervened between us
and the Glacier de Triolet would require some caution, for the sun's
rays poured down directly upon them, and the snow slipped away
every now and then from ledge to ledge just as if it had been
water, — in cascades not large enough to be imposing, but sufficient
to knock us over if we got in their way. This little bit of cliff
consequently took a longer time than it should have done, for when
we heard the indescribable swishing, hissing sound which announced
a coming fall, we of necessity huddled under the lee of the rocks
until the snow ceased to shoot over us.
We got to the level of the Glacier de Triolet without misad-
* This couloir is narrow and not steeply inclined. As a general rule, broad cou-
loirs should be avoided, as they are usually of ice, if at all steep. Narrow couloirs are
almost always snowy.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/428]]==
368
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XIX.
venture, then steered for its left bank to avoid the upper of its two
formidable ice-falls, and after descending the requisite distance by
some old snow lying between the glacier and the cliffs which border
it, crossed directly to the right bank over the level ice between the
two ice-falls* The right bank was gained without any trouble,
and we found there numerous beds of hard snow (avalanche debris)
down which we could run or glissade as fast as we liked.
Glissading is a very pleasant employment when it is accom-
plished successfully, and I have never seen a place where it can be
more safely indulged in than
the snowy valley on the right
bank of the glacier de Triolet.
In my dreams I glissade de-
lightfully, but in practice I
find that somehow the snow
will not behave properly, and
that my alpenstock will get
between my legs. Then my
legs go where my head should
be, and I see the sky revolving
at a rapid pace ; the snow rises
up and smites me, and runs
away ; and when it is at last overtaken it suddenly stops, and we
come into violent collision. Those who are with me say that 1
tumble head over heels, and there may be some truth in what they
say. Streaks of ice are apt to make the heels shoot away, and stray
stones cause one to pitch headlong down. Somehow these things
always seem to come in the way, so it is as well to glissade only
when there is something soft to tumble intcf"
* Below the second ice-fall the glacier is completely covered up with moraine
matter, and if the left bank is followed, one is compelled either to traverse this howl-
ing waste or to lose much time upon the tedious and somewhat difficult rocks of
Mont Rouge.
+ In glissading an erect position should be maintained, and the point of the alpen-
stock allowed to trail over the snow. If it is necessary to stop, or to slacken speed,
the point is pressed against the slope, as shown in the illustration.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/429]]==
chap. xix. PASSES OVER THE RANGE OF MONT BLANC. 369
Near the termination of the glacier we could not avoid travers-
ing a portion of its abominable moraine, but at 1.30 p.m. we were
clear of it, and threw ourselves upon some springy turf conscious
that our day's work was over. An hour afterwards we resumed
the march, crossed the Doire torrent by a bridge a little below
Gruetta, and at five o'clock entered Courmayeur, having occupied
somewhat less than ten hours on the way. Mr. Girdlestone's party
came in, I believe, about four hours afterwards, so there was no
doubt that we made a shorter pass than the Col du Geant ; and I
believe we discovered a quicker way of getting from Chamounix to
Courmayeur, or vice versa, than will be found elsewhere, so long as
the chain of Mont Blanc remains in its present condition.*
* Comparison of the Col de Triolet with the Col de Talefre will show what a great
difference in ease there may be between tracks which are nearly identical. For a dis-
tance of several miles these routes are scarcely more than half-a-mile apart. Nearly
every step of the former is difficult, whilst the latter has no difficulty whatever. The
route we adopted over the Col de Talefre may perhaps be improved. It may be pos-
sible to go directly from the head of the Glacier de Triolet to its right bank, and, if
so, at least thirty minutes might be saved.
The following is a complete list of the so-called passes across the main ridge of
the range of Mont Blanc, with the years in which the first passages were effected, as
far as I know them : — 1. Col de Trelatete (1864), between Aig. du Glacier and Aig.
de Trelatete. 2. Col de Miage, between Aig. de Miage and Aig. de Bionnassay. 3.
€ol du Dome (1865), over the D6me du Gouter. 4. Col du Mont Blanc (1868), over
Mont Blanc. 5. Col de la Brenva (1865), between Mont Blanc and Mont Maudit.
6. Col de la Tour Ronde (1867), over la Tour Ronde. 7. Col du Geant, between la
Tour Ronde and Aigs. Marbrees. 8. Col Pierre Joseph (1866), over Aig. deTEboule-
ment. 9. Col de Talefre (1865), between Aigs. Talefre and Triolet. 10. Col de
Triolet (1864), between Aigs. Talefre and Triolet. 11. Col Dolent (1865), between
Aig. de Triolet and Mont Dolent, 12. Col d'Argentierc (1861), between Mont
Dolent and le Tour Noir. 13. Col du Chardonnet (1863), between Aigs. d' Ar-
gentine and Chardonnet. 14. Col du Tour, between Aigs. du Chardonnet and Tour.
3 B
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/430]]==
CHAPTEE XX.
ASCENT OF THE RUINETTE— THE MATTERHORN.
" In almost every art, experience is worth more than precepts."
QUINTILIAN.
All of the excursions that were set down in my programme had
been carried out, with the exception of the ascent of the Matter-
horn, and we now turned our faces in its direction, hut instead of
returning via the Val Tournanche, we took a route across country,
and bagged upon our way the summit of the Kuinette.
We passed the night of July 4, at Aosta, under the roof of the
genial Tairraz, and on the 5th went by the Val d'Ollomont and
the Col de la Fenetre (9140) to Chermontane.* We slept that
night at the chalets of Chanrion (a foul spot, which should be
avoided), left them at 3.50 the next morning, and after a short
scramble over the slope above, and a half-mile tramp on the glacier
de Breney, we crossed directly to the Euinette, and went almost
straight up it. There is not, I suppose, another mountain in the
Alps of the same height that can be ascended so easily. You have
only to go ahead : upon its southern side one can walk about
almost anywhere.
Though I speak thus slightingly of a very respectable peak, I
will not do anything of the kind in regard to the view which it
gives. It is happily placed in respect to the rest of the Pennine
Alps, and as a stand-point it has not many superiors. You see
mountains, and nothing but mountains. It is a solemn — some
would say a dreary — view, but it is very grand. The great Combin
* For routes, see Map of the Valley of Valpelline, etc.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/431]]==
chap. xx. VIEW FROM THE RUINETTE. 371
(14,164), with its noble background of the whole range of Mont
Blanc, never looks so big as it does from here. In the contrary
direction, the Matterhorn overpowers all besides. The Dent
d'Herens, although closer, looks a mere outher of its great neigh-
bour, and the snows of Monte Eosa, behind, seem intended for no
other purpose than to give relief to the crags in front. To the
south there is an endless array of Bee's and Becca's, backed by the
great Italian peaks, whilst to the north Mont Pleureur (12,159)
holds its own against the more distant Wildstrubel.
We gained the summit at 9.15,* and stayed there an hour and
a half. My faithful guides then admonished me that Prerayen,
whither we were bound, was still far away, and that we had yet to
cross two lofty ridges. So we resumed our harness and departed ;
not, however, before a huge cairn had been built out of the blocks
of gneiss with which the summit is bestrewn. Then we trotted
down the slopes of the Buinette, over the glacier de Breney, and
across a pass which (if it deserves a name) may be called the Col
des Portons, after the neighbouring peaks. From thence we pro-
ceeded across the great Otemma glacier towards the Col d'Olen.
The part of the glacier that we traversed was overspread with
snow which completely concealed its numerous pitfalls. We
marched across it in single file, and, of course, roped together.
All at once Aimer dropped into a crevasse up to his shoulders. I
pulled in the rope immediately, but the snow gave way as it was
being done, and I had to spread out my arms to stop my descent.
Biener held fast, but said afterwards, that his feet went through as
well, so, for a moment, all three were in the jaws of the crevasse.
We now altered our course, so as to take the fissures transversely,
and after the centre of the glacier was passed changed it again and
made directly for the summit of the Col d'Olen.
* After crossing the glacier de Breney, we ascended by some debris, and then by
some cliffy ground, to the glacier which surrounds the peak upon the south ; bore to
the left (that is to the west) and went up the edge of the glacier ; and lastly took to
the arete of the ridge which descends towards the south-west, and followed it to the
summit (12,727).
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/432]]==
372 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xx.
It is scarcely necessary to observe, after what was said upon
p. 116, that it is my invariable practice to employ a rope when
traversing a snow-covered glacier. Many guides, even the best
ones, object to be roped, more especially early in the morning when
the snow is hard. They object sometimes, because they think it
is unnecessary. Crevasses that are bridged by snow are almost
always more or less perceptible by undulations on the surface ; the
snow droops down, and hollows mark the courses of the chasms
beneath. An experienced guide usually notices these almost im-
perceptible wrinkles, steps one side or the other, as the case may
require, and rarely breaks through unawares. Guides think there
is no occasion to employ a rope because they think that they will
not be taken by surprise. Michel Croz used to be of this opinion.
He used to say that only imbeciles and children required to be
tied up in the morning. I told him that in this particular matter
I was a child to him. " You see these things, my good Croz, and
avoid them. I do not, except you point them out to me, and so
that which is not a danger to you, is a danger to me." The
sharper one's eyes get by use, the less is a rope required as a pro-
tective against these hidden pitfalls ; but, according to my experi-
ence, the sight never becomes so keen that they can be avoided
with unvarying certainty, and I mentioned what occurred upon
the Otemma glacier to show that this is so.
I well remember my first passage of the Col Theodule — the
easiest of the higher Alpine glacier passes. We had a rope, but
my guide said it was not necessary, he knew all the crevasses.
However, we did not go a quarter of a mile before he dropped
through the snow into a crevasse up to his neck. He was a heavy
man, and would scarcely have extricated himself alone ; anyhow,
he was very glad of my assistance. "When he got on to his legs
again, he said, " Well, I had no idea that there w T as a crevasse
there ! " He no longer objected to use the rope, and we proceeded ;
upon my part, with greater peace of mind than before. I have
crossed the pass thirteen times since then, and have invariably
insisted upon being tied together.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/433]]==
chap. xx. WHY GUIDES OBJECT TO BE TIED ON GLACIERS. 373
Guides object to the use of the rope upon snow-covered glacier,
because they are afraid of being laughed at by their comrades ;
and this, perhaps, is the more common reason. To illustrate this,
here is another Theodule experience. We arrived at the edge of
the ice, and I required to be tied. My guide (a Zermatt man of
repute) said that no one used a rope going across that pass. I
declined to argue the matter, and we put on the rope ; though
very much against the wish of my man, who protested that he
should have to submit to perpetual ridicule if we met any of his
acquaintances. We had not gone very far before we saw a train
coming in the contrary direction. "Ah!" cried my man, "there
is E — (mentioning a guide who used to be kept at the Eiffel
Hotel for the ascent of Monte Eosa) ; it will be as I said, I shall
never hear the end of this." The guide we met was followed by a
string of tom-fools, none of whom were tied together, and had his
face covered by a mask to prevent it becoming blistered. After
we had passed, I said, " Now, should E — make any observations
to you, ask him why he takes such extraordinary care to preserve
the skin of his face, which will grow again in a week, when he
neglects such an obvious precaution in regard to his life, which he
can only lose once." This was quite a new idea to my guide, and
he said nothing more against the use of the rope so long as we
were together.
I believe that the unwillingness to use a rope upon snow-
covered glacier which born mountaineers not unfrequently exhibit,
arises — First, on the part of expert men, from the consciousness
that they themselves incur little risk ; secondly, on the part of
inferior men, from fear of ridicule, and from aping the ways of
their superiors ; and, thirdly, from pure ignorance or laziness.
Whatever may be the reason, I raise up my voice against the
neglect of a precaution so simple and so effectual. In my opinion,
the very first thing a glacier traveller requires is plenty of good
rope.
A committee of the English Alpine Club was appointed in
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/434]]==
374
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XX.
1864 to test, and to report upon, the most suitable ropes for
mountaineering purposes, and those which were approved are
probably as good as can be found. One is made of Manilla and
another of Italian hemp. The former is the heavier, and weighs
a little more than an ounce per foot (103 ozs. to 100 feet). The
latter weighs 79 ozs. per 100 feet ; but I prefer the Manilla rope,
because it is more handy to handle. Both of these ropes will
sustain 168 lbs. falling 10 feet, or 196 lbs. falling 8 feet, and they
break with a dead weight of two tons* In 1865 we carried two
100 feet lengths of the Manilla rope, and the inconvenience arising
from its weight was more than made up for by the security which
it afforded. Upon several occasions it was worth more than an
extra guide.
Now, touching the use of the rope. There is a right way, and
there are wrong ways of using it. I often meet, upon glacier-
passes, elegantly got-up persons, who are clearly out of their
element, with a guide stalking along in front, who pays no
attention to the inno-
cents in his charge.
They are tied to-
gether as a matter of
form, but they evi-
dently have no idea
why they are tied up,
for they walk side by
side, or close together, with the rope trailing on the snow. If one
tumbles into a crevasse, the rest stare, and say, " La ! what is the
matter with Smith?" unless, as is more likely, they all tumble in
together. This is the wrong way to use a rope. It is abuse of the
rope.
It is of the first importance to keep the rope taut from man to
man. There is no real security if this is not done, and your risks
may be considerably magnified. There is little or no difficulty in
* Manufactured and sold by Messrs. Buckingham, Broad Street, Bloomsbury.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/435]]==
chap. xx. ON THE USE OF THE ROPE. 375
extricating one man who breaks through a bridged crevasse if the
rope is taut ; but the case may be very awkward if two break
through at the same moment, close together, and there are only
two others to aid, or perhaps only one other. Further, the rope
ought not upon any account to graze over snow, ice, or rocks,
otherwise the strands suffer, and the Hves of the whole party may
be endangered. Apart from this, it is extremely annoying to have
a rope knocking about one's heels. If circumstances render it
impossible for the rope to be kept taut by itself, the men behind
should gather it up round their hands,* and not allow it to
incommode those in advance. A man must either be incompetent,
THE RIGHT WAY TO USE THE ROPE.
careless, or selfish, if he permits the rope to dangle about the heels
of the person in front of him.
The distance from man to man must neither be too great nor
too small. About 12 feet between each is sufficient. If there are
only two or three persons, it is prudent to allow a little more —
say 15 feet. More than this is unnecessary, and less than 9 or 10
feet is not much good.
It is essential to examine your rope from time to time to see
that it is in good condition. If you are wise you will do this
yourself every day. Latterly, I have examined every inch of my
rope overnight, and upon more than one occasion have found the
strands of the Manilla rope nearly half severed through accidental
grazes.
* For example, when the leader suspects crevasses, and sounds for them, in the
manner shown in the engraving, he usually loses half a step or more. The second
man should take a turn of the rope around his hand to draw it back in case the
leader goes through.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/436]]==
376 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xx.
Thus far the rope has been supposed to be employed upon level,
snow-covered glacier, to prevent any risk from concealed crevasses.
On rocks and on slopes it is used for a different purpose (namely,
to guard against slips), and in these cases it is equally important
to keep it taut, and to preserve a reasonable distance one from the
other. It is much more troublesome to keep the rope taut upon
slopes than upon the level ; and upon difficult rocks it is all but
impossible, except by adopting the plan of moving only one at a
time (see p. 170).
There is no good reason for employing a rope upon easy rocks,
and I believe that its needless use is likely to promote carelessness.
On difficult rocks and on snow-slopes (frequently improperly called
ice-slopes) it is a great advantage to be tied together, provided the
rope is handled properly ; but upon actual ice-slopes, such as that
on the Col Dolent (p. 351), or upon slopes in which ice is mingled
with small and loose rocks, such as the upper part of the Pointe
des Ecrins (p. 214), it is almost useless, because the slip of one
person might upset the entire party * I am not prepared to say,
however, that men should not be tied together upon similar slopes.
Being attached to others usually gives confidence, and confidence
decidedly assists stability. It is more questionable whether men
should be in such places at all. If a man can keep on his feet upon
an escalier cut in an ice-slope, I see no reason why he should be
* When several persons are descending such places, it is evident that the last
man cannot derive any assistance from the rope, and so might as well be untied.
Partly upon this account, it is usual to place one of the strongest and steadiest men
last. Now, although this cannot be termed a senseless precaution, it is obvious that
it is a perfectly useless one, if it is true that a single slip would upset the entire party.
The best plan I know is that which we adopted on the descent of the Col Dolent,
namely, to let one man go in advance until he reaches some secure point. This one
then detaches himself, the rope is drawn up, and another man is sent down to join
him, and so on until the last. The last man still occupies the most difficult post,
and should be the steadiest man ; but he is not exposed to any risk from his com-
rades slipping, and they, of course, draw in the rope as he descends, so that his posi-
tion is less hazardous than if he were to come down quite by himself.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/437]]==
chap. xx. ALMER DECLINES THE MATTERHORN. 377
debarred from making use of that particular form of staircase. If
he cannot, let him keep clear of such places.
There would be no advantage in discoursing upon the use of the
rope at greater length. A single day upon a mountain's side will
give a clear idea of the value of a good rope, and of the numerous
purposes for which it may be employed, than any one will obtain
from reading all that has been written upon the subject ; but no
one will become really expert in its management without much
experience.
From the Col d'Olen we proceeded down the Combe of the
same name to the chalets of Prerayen, and passed the night of the
6th under the roof of our old acquaintance, the wealthy herdsman.
On the 7th we crossed the Ya Cornere pass, en route for Breil.
My thoughts were fixed on the Matterhorn, and my guides knew
that I wished them to accompany me. They had an aversion to
the mountain, and repeatedly expressed their belief that it was
useless to try to ascend it. " Any 'thing but Matterhorn, dear sir ! "
said Aimer ; " anything but Matterhorn." He did not speak of
difficulty or of danger, nor was he shirking work. He offered to
go anywhere; but he entreated that the Matterhorn should be
abandoned. Both men spoke fairly enough. They did not think
that an ascent could be made ; and for their own credit, as well as
for my sake, they did not wish to undertake a business which, in
their opinion, would only lead to loss of time and money.
* Upon this subject I refer the reader back to p. 113. If you are out upon an
excursion, and find the work becoming so arduous that you have great difficulty in
maintaining your balance, you should at once retire, and not imperil the lives of
others. I am well aware that the withdrawal of one person for such reasons would
usually necessitate the retreat of a second, and that expeditions would be often cut
short if this were to happen. With the fear of this before their eyes, I believe that
many amateurs continue to go on, albeit well convinced that they ought not. They
do not wish to stop the sport of their comrades ; but they frequently suffer mental
tortures in consequence, which most emphatically do not assist their stability,' and
are likely to lead to something even more disagreeable than the abandonment of the
excursion. The moral is, take an adequate number of guides.
3 c
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/438]]==
378 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xx.
I sent them by the short cut to Breil, and walked down to
Val Tournanche to look for Jean-Antoine Carrel. He was not
there. The villagers said that he, and three others, had started on
the 6th to try the Matterhorn by the old way, on their own
account. They will have no luck, I thought, for the clouds were
low down on the mountains ; and I walked up to Breil, fully
expecting to meet them. Nor was I disappointed. About half-
way up I saw a group of men clustered around a chalet upon the
other side of the torrent, and, crossing over, found that the party
had returned. Jean-Antoine and Caesar were there, C. E. Gorret,
and J. J. Maquignaz. They had had no success. The weather,
they said, had been horrible, and they had scarcely reached the
glacier du Lion.
I explained the situation to Carrel, and proposed that we,
with Csesar and another man, should cross the Theodule by moon-
light on the 9th, and that upon the 10th we should pitch the tent
as high as possible upon the east face. He was unwilling to
abandon the old route, and urged me to try it again. I promised
to do so provided the new route failed. This satisfied him, and he
agreed to my proposal. I then went up to Breil, and discharged
Aimer and Biener — with much regret, for no two men ever served
me more faithfully or more willingly.* On the next day they
crossed to Zermatt.
The 8th was occupied with preparations. The weather was
stormy ; and black, rainy vapours obscured the mountains. Towards
evening a young man came from Val Tournanche, and reported
that an Englishman was lying there, extremely ill. Now was the
time for the performance of my vow;*[* and on the morning of
Sunday the 9th I went down the valley to look after the sick man.
On my way I passed a foreign gentleman, with a mule and several
porters laden with baggage. Amongst these men were Jean-
* During the preceding eighteen days (I exclude Sundays and other non-
working days) we ascended more than 100,000 feet, and descended 98,000 feet.
t See p. 122.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/439]]==
chap. xx. DEFECTION OF THE CARRELS. 379
Antoine and Caesar, carrying some barometers. " Hnllo ! " I said,
"what are you doing?" They explained that the foreigner had
arrived just as they were setting out, and that they were assisting
his porters. " Very well ; go on to Breil, and await me there ; we
start at midnight as agreed." Jean- Antoine then said that he
should not be able to serve me after Tuesday the 11th, as he was
engaged to travel "with a family of distinction" in the valley of
Aosta. "And Caesar?" "And Caesar also." "Why did you not
say this before?" "Because," said he, "it was not settled. The
engagement is of long standing, but the day was not fixed. When
I got back to Val Tournanche on Friday night, after leaving you, I
found a letter naming the day." I could not object to the answer ;
but the prospect of being left guideless was provoking. They
went up, and I down, the valley.
The sick man declared that he was better, though the exertion
of saying as much tumbled him over on to the floor in a fainting fit.
He was badly in want of medicine, and I tramped down to Cha-
tillon to get it. It was late before I returned to Val Tournanche,
for the weather was tempestuous, and rain fell in torrents. A figure
passed me under the church-porch. " Qui vive ? " " Jean- Antoine."
I thought you were at Breil." " 'No, sir : when the storms came on
I knew we should not start to-night, and so came down to sleep
here." " Ha, Carrel !" I said ; " this is a great bore. If to-morrow
is not fine we shall not be able to do anything together. I have
sent away my guides, relying on you ; and now you are going to
leave me to travel with a party of ladies. That work is not fit for
you (he smiled, I supposed at the implied compliment) ; can't you
send some one else instead?" "No, monsieur. I am sorry, but
my word is pledged. I should like to accompany you, but I
can't break my engagement." By this time we had arrived at the
inn door. " Well, it is no fault of yours. Come presently with
Caesar, and have some wine." They came, and we sat up till
midnight, recounting our old adventures, in the inn of Val
Tournanche.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/440]]==
380 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xx.
The weather continued bad upon the 10th, and I returned to
Breil. The two Carrels were again hovering about the above men-
tioned chalet, and I bade them adieu. In the evening the sick man
crawled up, a good deal better ; but his was the only arrival. The
Monday crowd* did not cross the Theodule, on account of the con-
tinued storms. The inn was lonely. I went to bed early, and was
awoke the next morning by the invalid inquiring if I had " heard
the news." " No ; what news ?" " Why," said he, " a large party
of guides went off this morning to try the Matterhorn, taking with
them a mule laden with provisions."
I went to the door, and with a telescope saw the party upon
the lower slopes of the mountain. Favre, the landlord, stood by.
"What is all this about?" I inquired, "who is the leader of this
party?" "Carrel." "What! Jean-Antoine?" "Yes; Jean-
Antoine." " Is Caesar there too ?" " Yes, he is there." Then I saw
in a moment that I had been bamboozled and humbugged ; and
learned, bit by bit, that the affair had been arranged long before-
hand. The start on the 6th had been for a preliminary reconnais-
sance ; the mule, that I passed, was conveying stores for the attack ;
the 'family of distinction' was Signor F. Giordano, who had just
despatched the party to facilitate the way to the summit, and who,
when the facilitation was completed, was to be taken to the top
along with Signor Sella ! -f-
I was greatly mortified. My plans were upset ; the Italians
had clearly stolen a march upon me, and I saw that the astute
Favre chuckled over my discomfiture, because the route by the
eastern face, if successful, would not benefit his inn. What was to
be done ? I retired to my room, and soothed by tobacco, re-studied
my plans, to see if it was not possible to outmanoeuvre the Italians.
" They have taken a mule's load of provisions." That is one point
* Tourists usually congregate at Zermatt upon Sundays, and large gangs and
droves cross the Theodule pass on Mondays.
+ The Italian Minister. Signor Giordano had undertaken the business arrange-
ments for Signor Sella.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/441]]==
chap. xx. THE ITALIANS STEAL A MARCH. 381
in my favour, for they will take two or three days to get through
the food, and, until that is done, no work will be accomplished."
" How is the weather ?" I went to the window. The mountain was
smothered up in mist. " Another point in my favour." " They are
to facilitate the way. Well, if they do that to any purpose, it will
be a long job." Altogether, I reckoned that they could not pos-
sibly ascend the mountain and come back to Breil in less than
seven days. I got cooler, for it was evident that the wily ones
might be outwitted after all. There was time enough to go to
Zermatt, to try the eastern face, and, should it prove impracticable,
to come back to Breil before the men returned ; and then, it seemed
to me, as the mountain was not padlocked, one might start at the
same time as the Messieurs, and yet get to the top before them.
The first thing to do was to go to Zermatt. Easier said than
done. The seven guides upon the mountain included the ablest
men in the valley, and none of the ordinary muleteer-guides were
at Breil. Two men, at least, were wanted for my baggage, but not
a soul could be found. I ran about, and sent about in all direc-
tions, but not a single porter could be obtained. One was with
Carrel ; another was ill ; another was at Chatillon, and so forth.
Even Meynet, the hunchback, could not be induced to come ; he
was in the thick of some important cheese-making operations. I
was in the position of a general without an army ; it was all very
well to make plans, but there was no one to execute them. This
did not much trouble me, for it was evident that so long as the
weather stopped traffic over the Theodule, it would hinder the men
equally upon the Matterhorn ; and I knew that directly it improved
company would certainly arrive.
About midday on Tuesday the 11th a large party hove in sight
from Zermatt, preceded by a nimble young Englishman, and one of
old Peter Taugwalder' s sons* I went at once to this gentleman to
learn if he could dispense with Taugwalder. He said that he
* Peter Taugwalder, the father, is called old Peter, to distinguish him from his
eldest son, young Peter. In 1865 the father's age was about 45.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/442]]==
382 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xx.
could not, as they were going to recross to Zermatt on the morrow,
but that the young man should assist in transporting my baggage,
as he had nothing to carry. We naturally got into conversation.
I told my story, and learned that the young Englishman was Lord
Francis Douglas,* whose recent exploit — the ascent of the Gabel-
horn — had excited my wonder and admiration. He brought good
news. Old Peter had lately been beyond the Hornli, and had re-
ported that he thought an ascent of the Matterhorn was possible
upon that side. Aimer had left Zermatt, and could not be recovered,
so I determined to seek for old Peter. Lord Francis Douglas
expressed a warm desire to ascend the mountain, and before long
it was determined that he should take part in my expedition.
Favre could no longer hinder our departure, and lent us one of
his men. We crossed the Col Theodule on Wednesday morning
the 12th of July, rounded the foot of the Ober Theodulgletscher,
crossed the Furggengletscher, and deposited tent, blankets, ropes,
and other matters in the little chapel at the Schwarzsee.-)* All
four were heavily laden, for we brought across the whole of my
stores from Breil. Of rope alone there was about 600 feet. There
were three kinds. First, 200 feet of the Manilla rope ; second,
150 feet of a stouter, and probably stronger rope than the first ;
and third, more than 200 feet of a lighter and weaker rope than
the first, of a kind that I used formerly (stout sash-line).
We descended to Zermatt, sought and engaged old Peter, and
gave him permission to choose another guide. When we returned
to the Monte Eosa Hotel, whom should we see sitting upon the
wall in front but my old guide chef, Michel Croz. I supposed that
he had come with Mr. B , but I learned that that gentleman
had arrived in ill health, at Chamounix, and had returned to
England. Croz, thus left free, had been immediately engaged by
the Eev. Charles Hudson, and they had come to Zermatt with the
* Brother of the present Marquis of Queensberry.
t For route, and the others mentioned in the subsequent chapters, see map of
the Matterhorn and its glaciers.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/443]]==
chap. xx. MEETING WITH CROZ AND HUDSON. 383
same object as ourselves — namely, to attempt the ascent of the
Matterhorn !
Lord Francis Douglas and I dined at the Monte Eosa, and had
just finished when Mr. Hudson and a friend entered the salle d
manger. They had returned from inspecting the mountain, and
some idlers in the room demanded their intentions. We heard a
confirmation of Croz's statement, and learned that Mr. Hudson in-
tended to set out on the morrow at the same hour as ourselves.
We left the room to consult, and agreed it was undesirable that
two independent parties should be on the mountain at the same
time with the same object. Mr. Hudson was therefore invited to
join us, and he accepted our proposal. Before admitting his friend
— Mr. Hadow — I took the precaution to inquire what he had done
in the Alps, and, as well as I remember, Mr, Hudson's reply was,
" Mr. Hadow has done Mont Blanc in less time than most men."
He then mentioned several other excursions that were unknown to
me, and added, in answer to a further question, " I consider he is a
sufficiently good man to go with us." Mr. Hadow was admitted
without any further question, and we then went into the matter
of guides. Hudson thought that Croz and old Peter would be
sufficient. The question was referred to the men themselves, and
they made no objection.
So Croz and I became comrades once more ; and as I threw
myself on my bed and tried to go to sleep, I wondered at the
strange series of chances which had first separated us and then
brought us together again. I thought of the mistake through
which he had accepted the engagement to Mr. B ; of his un-
willingness to adopt my route ; of his recommendation to transfer
our energies to the chain of Mont Blanc ; of the retirement of
Aimer and Biener ; of the desertion of Carrel ; of the arrival of
Lord Francis Douglas ; and, lastly, of our accidental meeting at
Zermatt ; and as I pondered over these things I could not help
asking, " What next ?" If any one of the links of this fatal chain
of circumstances had been omitted, what a different story I should
have to tell !
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/444]]==
CHAPTEK XXL
THE ASCENT OF THE MATTERHORN.
1 ' Had we succeeded well,
We had been reckoned 'mongst the wise : our minds
Are so disposed to judge from the event. "
Euripides.
"It is a thoroughly unfair, "but an ordinary custom, to praise or blame designs
(which in themselves may be good or bad) just as they turn out well or ill, Hence
the same actions are at one time attributed to earnestness and at another to vanity."
Pliny Min.
We started from Zermatt on the 13th of July, at half-past 5, on a
brilliant and perfectly cloudless morning. We were eight in
number — Croz, old Peter and his two sons,* Lord F. Douglas,
Hadow, Hudson,*f* and I. To ensure steady motion, one tourist and
* The two young Taugwalders were taken as porters, by desire of their father, and
carried provisions amply sufficient for three days, in case the ascent should prove
more troublesome than we anticipated.
f I remember speaking about pedestrianism to a well-known mountaineer some
years ago, and venturing to remark that a man who averaged thirty miles a-day might
be considered a good walker. "A fair walker," he said, "a, fair walker." " What
then would you consider good walking?" "Well," he replied, "I will tell you.
Some time back a friend and I agreed to go to Switzerland, but a short time after-
wards he wrote to say he ought to let me know that a young and delicate lad was
going with him who would not be equal to great things, in fact, he would not be able
to do more than fifty miles a-day ! " " What became of the young and delicate lad ?"
"He lives." " And who was your extraordinary friend ? " " Charles Hudson." I
have every reason to believe that the gentlemen referred to were equal to walking
more than fifty miles a-day, but the)' were exceptional, not good pedestrians.
Charles Hudson, Vicar of Skillington in Lincolnshire, was considered by the
mountaineering fraternity to be the best amateur of his time. He was the organiser
and leader of the party of Englishmen who ascended Mont Blanc by the Aig. du
Gouter, and descended by the Grands Mulets route, without guides, in 1855. His
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/445]]==
chap. xxi. THE START FROM ZERMATT. 385
one native walked together. The youngest Taugwalder fell to my
share, and the lad marched well, proud to be on the expedition,
and happy to show his powers. The wine-bags also fell to my lot
to carry, and throughout the day, after each drink, I replenished
them secretly with water, so that at the next halt they were found
fuller than before ! This was considered a good omen, and little
short of miraculous.
On the first day we did not intend to ascend to any great
height, and we mounted, accordingly, very leisurely ; picked up the
things which were left in the chapel at the Schwarzsee at 8.20,
and proceeded thence along the ridge connecting the Hornli with
the Matterhorn."* At half-past 11 we arrived at the base of the
actual peak ; then quitted the ridge, and clambered round some
long practice made him surefooted, and in that respect he was not greatly inferior to
a born mountaineer. I remember him as a well-made man of middle height and age,
neither stout nor thin, with face pleasant — though grave, and with quiet unassuming
manners. Although an athletic man, he would have been overlooked in a crowd ;
and although he had done the greatest mountaineering feats which have been done,
he was the last man to speak of his own doings. His friend Mr. Hadow was a young
man of nineteen, who had the looks and manners of a greater age. He was a rapid
walker, but 1865 was his first season in the Alps. Lord Francis Douglas was about
the same age as Mr. Hadow. He had had the advantage of several seasons in the
Alps. He was nimble as a deer, and was becoming an expert mountaineer. Just
before our meeting he had ascended the Ober Gabelhorn (with old Peter and Jos.
Viennin), and this gave me a high opinion of his powers ; for I had examined that
mountain all round, a few weeks before, and had declined its ascent on account of its
apparent difficulty.
My personal acquaintance with Mr. Hudson was very slight — still I should have
been content to have placed myself under his orders if he had chosen to claim the
position to which he was entitled. Those who knew him will not be surprised to
learn that, so far from doing this, he lost no opportunity of consulting the wishes
and opinions of those around him. We deliberated together whenever there was
occasion, and our authority was recognised by the others. Whatever responsibility
there was devolved upon us. I recollect with satisfaction that there was no difference
of opinion between us as to w T hat should be done, and that the most perfect harmony
existed between all of us so long as we w-ere together.
* Arrived at the chapel 7.30 a.m. ; left it, 8.20 ; halted to examine route 9.30 ;
started again 10.25, and arrived at 11.20 at the cairn made by Mr. Kennedy in 1862
(see p. 97), marked 10,820 feet upon the map. Stopped 10 min. here. From the
3 D
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/446]]==
386 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxt.
ledges, on to the eastern face. We were now fairly npon the moun-
tain, and were astonished to find that places which from the Eiffel,
or even from the Furggengletscher, looked entirely impracticable,
were so easy that we could run about.
Before twelve o'clock we had found a good position for the
tent, at a height of 11,000 feet* Croz and young Peter went on
to see what was above, in order to save time on the following morn-
ing. They cut across the heads of the snow-slopes which descended
towards the Furggengletscher, and disappeared round a corner ; but
shortly afterwards we saw them high up on the face, moving
quickly. We others made a solid platform for the tent in a well-
protected spot, and then watched eagerly for the return of the
men. The stones which they upset told that they were very high,
and we supposed that the way must be easy. At length, just
before 3 p.m., we saw them coming down, evidently much excited.
"What are they saying, Peter?" "Gentlemen, they say it is no
good." But when they came near we heard a different story.
" Nothing but what was good ; not a difficulty, not a single diffi-
culty ! We could have gone to the summit and returned to-day
easily !"
We passed the remaining hours of daylight — some basking in
the sunshine, some sketching or collecting ; and when the sun went
down, giving, as it departed, a glorious promise for the morrow, we
returned to the tent to arrange for the night. Hudson made tea,
I coffee, and we then retired each one to his blanket-bag ; the Taug-
walders, Lord Francis Douglas, and myself, occupying the tent, the
Hornli to this point we kept, when possible, to the crest of the ridge. The greater
part of the way was excessively easy, but there were a few places where the axe had
to be used.
* Thus far the guides did not once go to the front. Hudson or I led, and when
any cutting was required we did it ourselves. This was done to spare the guides, and
to show them that we were thoroughly in earnest. The spot at which we camped
was just four hours' walking from Zermatt, and is marked upon the map — camp (1865).
It was just upon a level with the Furggengrat, and its position is indicated upon the
engraving facing p. 285 by a little circular white spot, in a line with the word CAMr.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/447]]==
chap. xxi. ASCENT OF THE EASTERN FACE. 387
others remaining, by preference, outside. Long after dusk the
cliffs above echoed with our laughter and with the songs of the
guides, for we were happy that night in camp, and feared no evil.
We assembled together outside the tent before dawn on the
morning of the 14th, and started directly it was light enough to
move. Young Peter came on with us as a guide, and his brother
returned to Zermatt.* We followed the route which had been
taken on the previous day, and in a few minutes turned the rib
which had intercepted the view of the eastern face from our tent
platform. The whole of this great slope was now revealed, rising
for 3000 feet like a huge natural staircase.-)- Some parts were more,
and others were less, easy ; but we were not once brought to a halt
by any serious impediment, for when an obstruction was met in
front it could always be turned to the right or to the left. For the
greater part of the way there was, indeed, no occasion for the rope,
and sometimes Hudson led, sometimes myself. At 6.20 we had
attained a height of 12,800 feet, and halted for half-an-hour ; we
then continued the ascent without a break until 9.55, when we
stopped for 50 minutes, at a height of 14,000 feet. Twice we
struck the KE. ridge, and followed it for some little distance,! — to
no advantage, for it was usually more rotten and steep, and always
more difficult than the face.§ Still, we kept near to it, lest stones
perchance might fall. ||
* It was originally intended to leave both of the young men behind. We found it
difficult to divide the food, and so the new arrangement was made.
t See pp. 285-9.
J For track, see the lower of the outlines facing p. 288.
§ See remarks on aretes and faces on pp. 265-6. There is very little to choose
between in the aretes leading from the summit towards the Hornli (N.E. ridge) and
towards the Col du Lion (S.W. ridge). Both are jagged, serrated ridges, which any
experienced climber would willingly avoid if he could find another route. On the
northern (Zermatt) side the eastern face affords another route, or any number of
routes, since there is hardly a part of it which cannot be traversed ! On the southern
(Breil) side the ridge alone, generally speaking, can be followed ; and when it becomes
impracticable, and the climber is forced to bear down to the right or to the left, the
work is of the most difficult character.
|| Very few stones fell during the two days 1 was on the mountain, and none came
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/448]]==
388 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxi.
We had now arrived at the foot of that part which, from the
Eiffelberg or from Zermatt, seems perpendicular or overhanging,
and could no longer continue upon the eastern side. For a little
distance we ascended by snow upon the arete* — that is, the ridge
— descending towards Zermatt, and then, by common consent,
turned over to the right, or to the northern side. Before doing so,
we made a change in the order of ascent. Croz went first, I
followed, Hudson came third ; Hadow and old Peter were last.
" Now," said Croz, as he led off, " now for something altogether
different." The work became difficult, and required caution. In
some places there was little to hold, and it was desirable that
those should be in front who were least likely to slip. The
general slope of the mountain at this part was less than 40 , and
snow had accumulated in, and had filled up, the interstices of the
rock-face, leaving only occasional fragments projecting here and
there. These were at times covered with a thin film of ice,
produced from the melting and refreezing of the snow. It was
the counterpart, on a small scale, of the upper 700 feet of the
Pointe des Ecrins, — only there was this material difference; the
face of the Ecrins was about, or exceeded, an angle of 50°, and the
Matterhorn face was less than 40°.")" It was a place over which
near us. Others who have followed the same route have not been so fortunate ; they
may not, perhaps, have taken the same precautions. It is a noteworthy fact, that the
lateral moraine of the left bank of the Furggengletscher is scarcely larger than that of
the right bank, although the former receives all the debris that falls from the 4000
feet of cliffs which form the eastern side of the Matterhorn, whilst the latter is fed by
perfectly insignificant slopes. Neither of these moraines is large. This is strong evi-
dence that stones do not fall to any great extent from the eastern face. The inward dip
of the beds retains the detritus in place. Hence the eastern face appears, when one
is upon it, to be undergoing more rapid disintegration than the other sides : in reality,
the mantle of ruin spares the mountain from farther waste. Upon the southern side,
rocks fall as they are rent off ; " each day's work is cleared away" every day ; and hence
the faces and ridges are left naked, and exposed to fresh attacks.
* The snow seen in the engraving facing p. 285, half-an-inch below the summit,
and a little to its left.
t This part was less steeply inclined than the whole of the eastern face.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/449]]==
chap. xxi. ARRIVAL ON THE SUMMIT. 389
any fair mountaineer might pass in safety, and Mr, Hudson
ascended this part, and, as far as I know, the entire mountain,
without having the slightest assistance rendered to him upon any
occasion. Sometimes, after I had taken a hand from Croz, or
received a pull, I turned to offer the same to Hudson ; but he
invariably declined, saying it was not necessary. Mr. Hadow,
however, was not accustomed to this kind of work, and required
continual assistance. It is only fair to say that the difficulty
which he found at this part arose simply and entirely from want
of experience.
This solitary difficult part was of no great extent .* We bore
away over it at first, nearly horizontally, for a distance of about
400 feet ; then ascended directly towards the summit for about
60 feet ; and then doubled back to the ridge which descends
towards Zermatt. A long stride round a rather awkward corner
brought us to snow once more. The last doubt vanished ! The
Matterhorn was ours ! Nothing but 200 feet of easy snow remained
to be surmounted !
You must now carry your thoughts back to the seven Italians
who started from Breil on the 11th of July. Four days had
passed since their departure, and we were tormented with anxiety
lest they should arrive on the top before us. All the way up
we had talked of them, and many false alarms of " men on the
summit" had been raised. The higher we rose, the more intense
became the excitement. What if we should be beaten at the last
moment ? The slope eased off, at length we could be detached,
and Croz and I, dashing away, ran a neck-and-neck race, which
ended in a dead heat. At 1.40 p.m. the world was at our feet, and
the Matterhorn was conquered. Hurrah ! Not a footstep could
be seen.
It was not yet certain that we had not been beaten. The
summit of the Matterhorn was formed of a rudely level ridge,
* I have no memorandum of the time that it occupied. It must have taken
about an hour and a half.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/450]]==
390
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
chap, xx r.
about 350 feet long* and the Italians might have been at its
farther extremity. I hastened to the southern end, scanning the
snow right and left eagerly. Hurrah ! again ; it was untrodden.
"Where were the men?" I peered over the cliff, half doubting,
half expectant. I saw them immediately — mere dots on the ridge,
" CKOZ ! CROZ ! ! COME HERE ! "
at an immense distance below. Up went my arms and my hat.
* The highest points are towards the two ends. In 1865 the northern end was
slightly higher than the southern one. In bygone years Carrel and 1 often suggested
to each other that we might one day arrive upon the top, and find ourselves cut off
from the very highest point by a notch in the summit-ridge which is seen from the
Theodule and from Breil (marked D on the outline on p. 128). This notch is very
conspicuous from below, but when one is actually upon the summit it is hardly
noticed, and it can be passed without the least difficulty.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/451]]==
chap. xxr. DISCOMFITURE OF THE ITALIANS. 391
" Croz ! Croz ! ! come here!" "Where are they, Monsieur?"
" There, don't you see them, down there ?." " Ah ! the coquins,
they are low down." " Croz, we must make those fellows hear us."
We yelled until we were hoarse. The Italians seemed to regard us
— we could not be certain. " Croz, we must make them hear us ;
they shall hear us I" I seized a block of rock and hurled it down,
and called upon my companion, in the name of friendship, to do
the same. We drove our sticks in, and prized away the crags, and
soon a torrent of stones poured down the cliffs. There was no
mistake about it this time. The Italians turned and fled *
Still, I would that the leader of that party could have stood
with us at that moment, for our victorious shouts conveyed to him
the disappointment of the ambition of a lifetime. He was the man,
of all those who attempted the ascent of the Matterhorn, who most
deserved to be the first upon its summit. He was the first to
doubt its inaccessibility, and he was the only man who persisted in
believing that its ascent would be accomplished. It was the aim
of his life to make the ascent from the side of Italy, for the honour
of his native valley. For a time he had the game in his hands :
he played it as he thought best ; but he made a false move, and he
lost it. Times have changed with Carrel. His supremacy is ques-
tioned in the Val Tournanche ; new men have arisen ; and he is no
longer recognised as the chasseur above all others : but so long as
he remains the man that he is to-day, it will not be easy to find his
superior.
The others had arrived, so we went back to the northern end
of the ridge. Croz now took the tent-pole, -J- and planted it in the
highest snow. "Yes," we said, "there is the flag-staff, but where
is the flag ?" " Here it is," he answered, pulling off his blouse and
* I have learnt since from J. -A. Carrel that they heard our first cries. They
were then upon the south-west ridge, close to the 'Cravate,' and twelve hundred and
fifty feet below us ; or, as the crow flies, at a distance of about one-third of a mile.
t At our departure the men were confident that the ascent would be made, and
took one of the poles out of the tent. I protested that it was tempting Providence ;
they took the pole, nevertheless.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/452]]==
392
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
chap, xx r.
fixing it to the stick. It made a poor flag, and there was no wind
to float it out, yet it was seen all around. They saw it at Zermatt —
at the Eiffel — in the Val Tournanche. At Breil, the watchers
cried, "Victory is ours!" They raised 'bravos' for Carrel, and
' vivas' for Italy, and hastened to put themselves en fete. On the
Jmm
■^ m- m
H " .twin i'V v.'
^
^
THE SUMMIT OF THE MATTERHORN IN 1865 (NORTHERN END).
morrow they were undeceived. " All was changed ; the explorers
returned sad — cast down — disheartened- — confounded — gloomy."
" It is true," said the men. " We saw them ourselves — they hurled
stones at us ! The old traditions are true, — there are spirits on
the top of the Matterhorn !"*
* Signor Giordano was naturally disappointed at the result, and wished the men
to start again. They all refused to do so, ivith the exception of Jean-Antoine. Upon
the 16th of July he set out again with three others, and upon the 17th gained the
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/453]]==
chap. xxi. MARVELLOUS PANORAMA. 393
We returned to the southern end of the ridge to build a cairn,
and then paid homage to the view* The day was one of those
superlatively calm and clear ones which usually precede bad
weather. The atmosphere was perfectly still, and free from all
clouds or vapours. Mountains fifty — nay a hundred — miles off,
looked sharp and near. All their details — ridge and crag, snow
and glacier — stood out with faultless definition. Pleasant thoughts
of happy days in bygone years came up unbidden, as we recognised
the old, familiar forms. All were revealed — not one of the princi-
summit by passing (at first) up the south-west ridge, and (afterwards) by turning over
to the Z'Mutt, or north-western side. On the 18th he returned to Breil.
Whilst we were upon the southern end of the summit-ridge, we paid some atten-
tion to the portion of the mountain which intervened between ourselves and the
Italian guides. It seemed as if there would not be the least chance for them if they
should attempt to storm the final peak directly from the end of the ' shoulder.' In
that direction cliffs fell sheer down from the summit, and we were unable to see
beyond a certain distance. There remained the route about which Carrel and I had
often talked, namely, to ascend directly at first from the end of the ' shoulder, ' and
afterwards to swerve to the left — that is, to the Z'Mutt side — and to complete the
ascent from the north-west. When we were upon the summit we laughed at this
idea. The part of the mountain that I have described upon p. 388, was not easy,
although its inclination was moderate. If that slope were made only ten degrees
steeper, its difficulty would be enormously increased. To double its inclination would
be to make it impracticable. The slope at the southern end of the summit-ridge,
falling towards the north-west, was much steeper than that over which we passed, and
we ridiculed the idea that any person should attempt to ascend in that direction, when
the northern route was so easy. Nevertheless, the summit was reached by that route
by the undaunted Carrel. From knowing the final slope over which he passed, and
from the account of Mr. F. C. Grove— who is the only traveller by whom it has been
traversed — I do not hesitate to term the ascent of Carrel and Bich in 1 865 the most
desperate piece of mountain-scrambling upon record. In 1869 I asked Carrel if
he had ever done anything more difficult. His reply was, "Man cannot do any-
thing much more difficult than that ! " See Appendix.
* The summit-ridge was much shattered, although not so extensively as the
south-w r est and north-east ridges. The highest rock, in 1865, was a block of mica-
schist, and the fragment I broke off it not only possesses, in a remarkable degree,
the character of the peak, but mimics, in an astonishing manner, the details of its
form. (See illustration on page 395.)
3 E
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/454]]==
394 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxi.
pal peaks of the Alps was hidden* I see them clearly now — the
great inner circles of giants, backed by the ranges, chains, and
massifs. First came the Dent Blanche, hoary and grand ; the Ga-
belhorn and pointed Bothhorn ; and then the peerless Weisshorn :
the towering Mischabelhorner, flanked by the Allaleinhorn, Strahl-
horn, and Eimpfischhorn ; then Monte Eosa — with its many
Spitzes — the Lyskamm and the Breithorn. Behind were the Ber-
nese Oberland, governed by the Finsteraarhorn ; the Simplon and
St. Gothard groups ; the Disgrazia and the Orteler. Towards the
south we looked down to Chivasso on the plain of Piedmont, and
far beyond. The Viso — one hundred miles away — seemed close
upon us ; the Maritime Alps — one hundred and thirty miles dis-
tant — were free from haze. Then came my first love — the Pel-
voux ; the Ecrins and the Meije ; the clusters of the Graians ; and
lastly, in the west, gorgeous in the full sunlight, rose the monarch
of all — Mont Blanc. Ten thousand feet beneath us were the green
fields of Zermatt, dotted with chalets, from which blue smoke rose
lazily. Eight thousand feet below, on the other side, were the
pastures of Breil. There were forests black and gloomy, and
meadows bright and lively ; bounding waterfalls and tranquil
lakes ; fertile lands and savage wastes ; sunny plains and frigid
plateaux. There were the most rugged forms, and the most grace-
ful outlines — bold, perpendicular cliffs, and gentle, undulating-
slopes ; rocky mountains and snowy mountains, sombre and solemn,
or glittering and white, with walls — turrets — pinnacles — pyramids
— domes — cones — and spires ! There was every combination that
the world can give, and every contrast that the heart could desire.
We remained on the summit for one hour —
" One crowded hour of glorious life."
It passed away too quickly, and we began to prepare for the
descent.
* It is most unusual to see the southern half of the panorama unclouded. A
hundred ascents may he made before this will be the ease again.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/455]]==
THE ACTUAL SUMMIT OF THE MATTERHORN IN 1865.
CHAPTER XXII.
DESCENT OF THE MATTERHORN*
Hudson and I again consulted as to the best and safest arrange-
ment of the party. We agreed that it would be best for Croz to
go first, t and Hadow second ; Hudson, who was almost equal to a
guide in sureness of foot, wished to be third ; Lord F. Douglas was
placed next, and old Peter, the strongest of the remainder, after
him. I suggested to Hudson that we should attach a rope to the
rocks on our arrival at the difficult bit, and hold it as we descended,
as an additional protection. He approved the idea, but it was not
definitely settled that it should be done. The party was being
* The substance of Chapter XXII. appeared in a letter in the Times, August 8,
1865. A few paragraphs have now been added, and a few corrections have been made.
The former will help to mate clear that which was obscure in the original account,
and the latter are, mostly, unimportant.
f If the members of the party had been more equally efficient, Croz would have
been placed last.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/456]]==
396 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxti.
arranged in the above order whilst I was sketching the summit,
and they had finished, and were waiting for me to be tied in line,
when some one remembered that our names had not been left in a
bottle. They requested me to write them down, and moved off
while it was being done.
A few minutes afterwards I tied myself to young Peter, ran-
down after the others, and caught them just as they were com-
mencing the descent of the difficult part * Great care was being
taken. Only one man was moving at a time ; when he was firmly
planted the next advanced, and so on. They had not, however,
attached the additional rope to rocks, and nothing was said about
it. The suggestion was not made for my own sake, and I am not
sure that it even occurred to me again. For some little distance
we two followed the others, detached from them, and should have
continued so had not Lord F. Douglas asked me, about 3 p.m., to
tie on to old Peter, as he feared, he said, that Taugwalder would
not be able to hold his ground if a slip occurred.
A few minutes later, a sharp-eyed lad ran into the Monte Eosa
hotel, to Seiler, saying that he had seen an avalanche fall from the
summit of the Matterhorn on to the Matterhorngletscher. The boy
was reproved for telling idle stories ; he was right, nevertheless,
and this was what he saw.
Michel Croz had laid aside his axe, and in order to give Mr.
Hadow greater security, was absolutely taking hold of his legs, and
putting his feet, one by one, into their proper positions.! As far as
I know, no one was actually descending. I cannot speak with
certainty, because the two leading men were partially hidden from
my sight by an intervening mass of rock, but it is my belief, from
* Described upon pp. 388-9.
f Not at all an unusual proceeding, even between born mountaineers. I wish
to convey the impression that Croz was using all pains, rather than to indicate
extreme inability on the part of Mr. Hadow. The insertion of the word ' absolutely '
makes the passage, perhaps, rather ambiguous. I retain it now, in order to offer the
above explanation.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/457]]==
chap. xxii. THE MATTEBHORN ACCIDENT. 397
the movements of their shoulders, that Croz, having done as I have
said, was in the act of turning round to go down a step or two him-
self; at this moment Mr. Hadow slipped, fell against him, and
knocked him over. I heard one startled exclamation from Croz,
then saw him and Mr. Hadow flying downwards ; in another
moment Hudson was dragged from his steps, and Lord F. Douglas
immediately after him.* All this was the work of a moment.
Immediately we heard Croz's exclamation, old Peter and I planted
ourselves as firmly as the rocks would permit :*f* the rope was taut
between us, and the jerk came on us both as on one man. We
held ; but the rope broke midway between Taugwalder and Lord
Francis Douglas. For a few seconds we saw our unfortunate com-
panions sliding downwards on their backs, and spreading out their
* At the moment of the accident, Croz, Hadow, and Hudson, were all close together.
Between Hudson and Lord F. Douglas the rope was all but taut, and the same
between all the others who were above. Croz was standing by the side of a rock
which afforded good hold, and if he had been aware, or had suspected, that anything
was about to occur, he might and would have gripped it, and would have prevented
any mischief. He was taken totally by surprise. Mr. Hadow slipped off' his feet
on to his back, his feet struck Croz in the small of the back, and knocked him right
over, head first. Croz's axe was out of his reach, and without it he managed to get
his head uppermost before he disappeared from our sight. If it had been in his
hand I have no doubt that he would have stopped himself and Mr. Hadow.
Mr. Hadow, at the moment of the slip, was not occupying a bad position. He
could have moved either up or down, and could touch with his hand the rock of
which I have spoken. Hudson was not so well placed, but he had liberty of motion.
The rope was not taut from him to Hadow, and the two men fell ten or twelve feet
before the jerk came upon him. Lord F. Douglas was not favourably placed, and
could neither move up nor down. Old Peter was firmly planted, and stood just
beneath a large rock which he hugged with both arms. I enter into these details to
make it more apparent that the position occupied by the party at the moment of the
accident was not by any means excessively trying. We were compelled to pass over
the exact spot where the slip occurred, and we found — even with shaken nerves —
that it was not a difficult place to pass. I have described the slope generally as diffi-
cult, and it is so undoubtedly to most persons ; but it must be distinctly understood
that Mr. Hadow slipped at an easy part.
f Or, more correctly, we held on as tightly as possible. There was no time to
change our position.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/458]]==
398
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XXTT.
hands, endeavouring to save themselves. They passed from our
sight uninjured, disappeared one by one, and fell from precipice to
precipice on to the Matterhorngletscher below, a distance of nearly
4000 feet in height. From the moment the rope broke it was impos-
sible to help them.
So perished our comrades ! For the space of half-an-hour we
remained on the spot without moving a single step. The two
men, paralysed by terror, cried like infants, and trembled in such
a manner as to threaten us with the fate of the others. Old Peter
rent the air with exclamations of " Chamounix ! Oh, what will
Chamounix say ? " He meant, Who would believe that Croz
could fall ? The young man did nothing but scream or sob, " We
are lost ! we are lost ! " Fixed be-
tween the two, I could neither
move up nor down. I begged
young Peter to descend, but he
dared not. Unless he did, we could
not advance. Old Peter became
alive to the clanger, and swelled
the cry, " W^e are lost ! we are
lost ! " The father's fear was
natural — he trembled for his son ;
the young man's fear was cow-
ardly — he thought of self alone.
At last old Peter summoned up
courage, and changed his position
to a rock to which he could fix
the rope ; the young man then de-
scended, and we all stood together.
Immediately we did so, I asked for the rope which had given way,
and found, to my surprise — indeed, to my horror — that it was the
weakest of the three ropes. It was not brought, and should not
have been employed, for the purpose for which it was used. It
was old rope, and, compared with the others, was feeble. It was
ROPE BROKEN ON THE MATTERHORN.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/459]]==
chap. xxn. ASTONISHING FOG-BOW. 399
intended as a reserve, in case we had to leave much rope behind,
attached to rocks. I saw at once that a serious question was
involved, and made him give me the end. It had broken in mid-
air, and it did not appear to have sustained previous injury.
For more than two hours afterwards I thought almost every
moment that the next would be my last ; for the Taugwalders,
utterly unnerved, were not only incapable of giving assistance, but
were in such a state that a slip might have been expected from
them at any moment. After a time, we were able to do that which
should have been done at first, and fixed rope to firm rocks, in
addition to being tied together. These ropes were cut from time
to time, and were left behind.* Even with their assurance the
men were afraid to proceed, and several times old Peter turned with
ashy face and faltering limbs, and said, with terrible emphasis, "/
cannot ! "
About 6 p.m. we arrived at the snow upon the ridge descending
towards Zermatt, and all peril was over. We frequently looked,
but in vain, for traces of our unfortunate companions ; we bent
over the ridge and cried to them, but no sound returned. Con-
vinced at last that they were neither within sight nor hearing, we
ceased from our useless efforts ; and, too cast down for speech,
silently gathered up our things, and the little effects of those who
were lost, preparatory to continuing the descent. When, lo ! a
mighty arch appeared, rising above the Lyskamm, high into the
sky. Pale, colourless, and noiseless, but perfectly sharp and de-
fined, except where it was lost in the clouds, this unearthly appari-
tion seemed like a vision from another world ; and, almost appalled,
we watched with amazement the gradual development of two vast
crosses, one on either side. If the Taugwalders had not been the
first to perceive it, I should have doubted my senses. They
thought it had some connection with the accident, and I, after a
while, that it might bear some relation to ourselves. But our
* These ends, I believe, are still attached to the rocks, and mark our line of
ascent and descent.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/460]]==
400 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxit.
movements had no effect upon it. The spectral forms remained
motionless. It was a fearful and wonderful sight ; unique in my
experience, and impressive beyond description, coming at such a
moment.*
I was ready to leave, and waiting for the others. They had
recovered their appetites and the use of their tongues. They
spoke in patois, which I did not understand. At length the son
* See Frontispiece. I paid very little attention to this remarkable phenomenon,
and was glad when it disappeared, as it distracted our attention. Under ordinary
circumstances I should have felt vexed afterwards at not having observed with
greater precision an occurrence so rare and so wonderful. I can add very little about
it to that which is said above. The sun was directly at our backs ; that is to say,
the fog-bow was opposite to the sun. The time was 6.30 p.m. The forms were at
once tender and sharp ; neutral in tone ; were developed gradually, and disappeared
suddenly. The mists were light (that is, not dense), and were dissipated in the
course of the evening.
It has been suggested that the crosses are incorrectly figured in the Frontis-
piece, and that they were probably formed by the
intersection of other circles or ellipses, as shown in
the annexed diagram. I think this suggestion is
very likely correct ; but I have preferred to follow
my original memorandum.
In Parry's Narrative of an Attempt to reach the
North Pole, 4to, 1828, there is, at pp. 99-100, an
account of the occurrence of a phenomenon analo-
gous to the above-mentioned one. " At half-past
live r.M. we witnessed a very beautiful natural
phenomenon. A broad white fog-bow first appeared
opposite to the sun, as was very commonly the case," etc. I follow Parry in using
the term fog-bow.
It may be observed that, upon the descent of the Italian guides (whose expedi-
tion is noticed upon p. 393, and again in the Appendix), upon July 17th, 1865, the
phenomenon commonly termed the Brocken was observed. The following is the
account given by the Abbe Ame Gorret in the Fcuille oVAoste, October 31, 1865 : —
" Nous etions sur l'epaule (the ' shoulder') quand nous remarquames un phenomene
qui nous fit plaisir ; le image etait tres-dense du cote de Yaltornanche, c'etait serein
en Suisse • nous nous vimes au milieu d'un cercle aux couleurs de l'arc-en-ciel ; ce
mirage nous formait a tons une couronne au milieu de laquelle nous voyions notre
ombre." This occurred at about 6.30 to 7 r.M., and the Italians in mention were
at about the same height as ourselves— namely, 14,000 feet.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/461]]==
CHAP. XXII.
AN INFAMOUS PROPOSITION.
401
said in French, " Monsieur." " Yes." "We are poor men ; we have
lost our Herr ; we shall not get paid; we can ill afford this."*
" Stop !" I said, interrupting him, "that is nonsense ; I shall pay
you, of course, just as if your Herr were here." They talked
together in their patois for a short time, and then the son spoke
again. " We don't wish you to pay us. We wish you to write in
the hotel-book at Zermatt, and to your journals, that we have not
been paid." " What nonsense are you talking ? I don't understand
you. What do you mean?" He proceeded — "Why, next year
there will be many travellers at Zermatt, and we shall get more
voyageurs." t
Who would answer such a proposition ? I made them no reply
in words,t hut they knew very well the indignation that I felt.
They filled the cup of bitterness to overflowing, and I tore down
the cliff, madly and recklessly, in a way that caused them, more
than once, to inquire if I wished to kill them. Night fell ; and
for an hour the descent was continued in
the darkness. At half-past 9 a resting-
place was found, and upon a wretched
slab, barely large enough to hold the three,
we passed six miserable hours. At day-
break the descent was resumed, and from
the Hornli ridge we ran down to the
chalets of Buhl, and on to Zermatt.
Seiler met me at his door, and followed
in silence to my room. "What is the
matter?" "The Taugwalders and I have
returned." He did not need more, and
burst into tears ; but lost no time in useless lamentations, and set
to work to arouse the village. Ere long a score of men had started
* They had been travelling with, and had been engaged by, Lord F. Douglas,
and so considered him their employer, and responsible to them.
t Transcribed from the original memorandum.
% Nor did I speak to them afterwards, unless it was absolutely necessary, so long
as we were together.
3 F
MONSIEUR ALEX. SEILEK.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/462]]==
402 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxii.
to ascend the Holilicht heights, above Kalbermatt and Z'Mutt,
which commanded the plateau of the Matterhorngletscher. They
returned after six hours, and reported that they had seen the bodies
lying motionless on the snow. This was on Saturday ; and they
proposed that we should leave on Sunday evening, so as to arrive
upon the plateau at daybreak on Monday. Unwilling to lose the
slightest chance, the Eev. J. M/Cormick and I resolved to start on
Sunday morning. The Zermatt men, threatened with excommuni-
cation by their priests if they failed to attend the early mass, were
unable to accompany us. To several of them, at least, this was a
severe trial, and Peter Perm declared with tears that nothing else
would have prevented him from joining in the search for his old
comrades. Englishmen came to our aid. The Eev. J. Eobertson
and Mr. J. Phillpotts offered themselves, and their guide Franz
Andermatten ;* another Englishman lent us Joseph Marie and
Alexandre Lochmatter. Frederic Payot, and Jean Tairraz, of
Chamounix, also volunteered.
We started at 2 a.m. on Sunday the 16th, and followed the
route that we had taken on the previous Thursday as far as the
Hornli. From thence we went down to the right of the ridge, - )"
and mounted through the sfracs of the Matterhorngletscher. By
8.30 we had got to the plateau at the top of the glacier, and
within sight of the corner in which we knew my companions must
be. J As we saw one weather-beaten man after another raise the
telescope, turn deadly pale, and pass it on without a word to the
next, we knew that all hope was gone. We approached. They
had fallen below as they had fallen above — Croz a little in advance,
Hadow near him, and Hudson some distance behind ; but of Lord
F. Douglas we could see nothing.§ We left them where they fell ;
* A portrait of Franz Andermatten is given in the engraving facing p. 262.
t To the point marked Z on the map. $ Marked with a cross on the map.
§ A pair of gloves, a belt, and boot that had belonged to him were found. This,
somehow, became publicly known, and gave rise to wild notions, which would not
have been entertained had it been also known that the wliolc of the boots of those
who had fallen were off, and were lying upon the snow near the bodies.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/463]]==
CHAP. xxn.
A SERIOUS QUESTION.
403
buried in snow at the base of the grandest cliff of the most
majestic mountain of the Alps.
All those who had fallen had been tied with the Manilla,
or with the second and
equally strong rope, and,
consequently, there had
been only one link — that
between old Peter and
Lord F. Douglas — where
the weaker rope had been
used. This had a very
ugly look for Taugwalder,
for it was not possible to
suppose that the others
would have sanctioned
the employment of a rope
so greatly inferior in
strength when there were
more than 250 feet of
.the better qualities still
remaining out of use.*
For the sake of the old
guide (who bore a good
reputation), and upon all
other accounts, it was de-
sirable that this matter should be cleared up ; and after my
examination before the court of inquiry which was instituted by the
Government was over, I handed in a number of questions which
were framed so as to afford old Peter an opportunity of exculpating
himself from the grave suspicions which at once fell upon him.
THE MANILLA ROFE.f
* I was one hundred feet or more from the others whilst they were being tied up,
and am unable to throw any light on the matter. Croz and old Peter no doubt tied
up the others.
f The three ropes have been reduced by photography to the same scale.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/464]]==
404 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxn.
The questions, I was told, were put and answered ; but the answers,
although promised, have never reached me.*
Meanwhile, the administration sent strict injunctions to recover
the bodies, and upon the 19th of July, twenty-one men of Zermatt
accomplished that sad and dangerous task."|" Of the body of Lord
Francis Douglas they, too, saw nothing ; it is probably still ar-
rested on the rocks above.! The remains of Hudson and Hadow
* This is not the only occasion upon which M. Clemenz (who presided over the
inquiry) has failed to give up answers that he has promised. It is greatly to be
regretted that he does not feel that the suppression of the truth is equally against the
interests of travellers and of the guides. If the men are untrustworthy, the public
should be warned of the fact ; but if they are blameless, why allow them to remain
under unmerited suspicion ?
Old Peter Taugwalder is a man who is labouring under an unjust accusation.
Notwithstanding repeated denials, even his comrades and neighbours at Zermatt
persist in asserting or insinuating that he cut the rope which led from him to Lord
F. Douglas. In regard to this infamous charge, I say that he could not do so at the
moment of the slip, and that the end of the rope in my possession shows that he did
not do so beforehand. There remains, however, the suspicious fact that the rope
which broke was the thinnest and weakest one that we had. It is suspicious, because
it is unlikely that any of the four men in front would have selected an old and weak
ropewhen there was abundance of new, and much stronger, rope to spare ; and, on
the other hand, because if Taugwalder thought that an accident was likely to happen,
it was to his interest to have the weaker rope where it was placed.
I should rejoice to learn that his answers to the questions which were put to him
were satisfactory. Not only was his act at the critical moment wonderful as a feat
of strength, but it was admirable in its performance at the right time. I am told
that he is now nearly incapable for work — not absolutely mad, but with intellect
gone and almost crazy ; which is not to be wondered at, whether we regard him as a
man who contemplated a scoundrelly meanness, or as an injured man suffering under
an unjust accusation.
In respect to young Peter, it is not possible to speak in the same manner. The
odious idea that he propounded (which I believe emanated from Mm) he has
endeavoured to trade upon, in spite of the fact that his father was paid (for both) in
the presence of witnesses. Whatever may be his abilities as a guide, he is not one
to whom I would ever trust my life, or afford any countenance.
t They followed the route laid down upon the map, and on their descent were in
great peril from the fall of a serac. The character of the work they undertook may
be gathered from a reference to p. 155.
X This, or a subsequent party, discovered a sleeve. No other traces have been found.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/465]]==
CHAP. XXII.
REQUIESCAT IN PACE.
405
were interred upon the north side of the Zermatt Church, in
the presence of a reverent crowd of sympathising friends. The
body of Michel Croz lies upon
the other side, under a simpler
tomb ; whose inscription bears
honourable testimony to his recti-
tude, to his courage, and to his
devotion*
So the traditional inaccessi-
bility of the Matterhorn was van-
quished, and was replaced by
legends of a more real character.
Others will essay to scale its
proud cliffs, but to none will it
be the mountain that it was to
its early explorers. Others may
tread its summit-snows, but none
will ever know the feelings of
those who first gazed upon its
marvellous panorama ; and none,
I trust, will ever be compelled to
tell of joy turned into grief, and
of laughter into mourning. It
proved to be a stubborn foe ; it
resisted long, and gave many a
hard blow ; it was defeated at last with an ease that none could
have anticipated, but, like a relentless enemy — conquered but not
THE SECOND ROPE.
crushed-
-it took terrible vengeance.
The time may come when
* At the instance of Mr. Alfred Wills, a subscription list was opened for the
benefit of the sisters of Michel Croz, who had been partly dependent upon his earn-
ings. In a short time more than £280 were raised. This was considered sufficient,
and the list was closed. The proceeds were invested in French Rentes (by Mr.
William Mathews), at the recommendation of M. Dupui, at that time Maire of
Chamounix.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/466]]==
406 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. chap. xxn.
the Matterhorn shall have passed away, and nothing, save a heap
of shapeless fragments, will mark the spot where the great moun-
tain stood ; for, atom by atom, inch by inch, and yard by yard, it
yields to forces which nothing can withstand. That time is far
distant ; and, ages hence, generations unborn will gaze upon its
awful precipices, and wonder at its unique form. However exalted
may be their ideas, and however exaggerated their expectations,
none will come to return disappointed !
The play is over, and the curtain is about to fall. Before we
part, a word upon the graver teachings of the mountains. See
yonder height ! 'Tis far away — unbidden comes the word " Im-
possible ! " " Not so," says the mountaineer. " The way is long,
I know ; it's difficult — it may be — dangerous. It's possible, I'm
sure ; I'll seek the way ; take counsel of my brother mountaineers,
and find how they have gained similar heights, and learned to avoid
the dangers." He starts (all slumbering down below) ; the path is
slippery — may be laborious, too. Caution and perseverance gain
the day — the height is reached ! and those beneath cry, " Incre-
dible ; 'tis superhuman ! "
We who go mountain-scrambling have constantly set before us
the superiority of fixed purpose or perseverance to brute force. We
know that each height, each step, must be gained by patient, labo-
rious toil, and that wishing cannot take the place of working ; we
know the benefits of mutual aid ; that many a difficulty must be
encountered, and many an obstacle must be grappled with or
turned, but we know that where there's a will there's a way : and
we come back to our daily occupations better fitted to fight the
battle of life, and to overcome the impediments which obstruct our
paths, strengthened and cheered by the recollection of past labours,
and by the memories of victories gained in other fields.
I have not made myself an advocate or an apologist for moun-
taineering, nor do I now intend to usurp the functions of a moralist ;
but my task would have been ill performed if it had been concluded
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/467]]==
chap. xxii. FINALE. 407
without one reference to the more serious lessons of the moun-
taineer. We glory in the physical regeneration which is the pro-
duct of our exertions ; we exult over the grandeur of the scenes
that are brought before our eyes, the splendours of sunrise and sun-
set, and the beauties of hill, dale, lake, wood, and waterfall ; but
we value more highly the development of manliness, and the
evolution, under combat with difficulties, of those noble qualities of
human nature — courage, patience, endurance, and fortitude.
Some hold these virtues in less estimation, and assign base and
contemptible motives to those who indulge in our innocent sport.
" Be tliou chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny."
Others, again, who are not detractors, find mountaineering, as
a sport, to be wholly unintelligible. It is not greatly to be
wondered at — we are not all constituted alike. Mountaineering is
a pursuit essentially adapted to the young or vigorous, and not to
the old or feeble. To the latter, toil may be no pleasure ; and it is
often said by such persons, " This man is making a toil of pleasure."
Let the motto on the title-page be an answer, if an answer be
required. Toil he must who goes mountaineering ; but out of the
toil comes strength (not merely muscular energy — more than that),
an awakening of all the faculties ; and from the strength arises
pleasure. Then, again, it is often asked, in tones which seem to
imply that the answer must, at least, be doubtful, " But does it
repay you?" Well, we cannot estimate our enjoyment as you
measure your wine, or weigh your lead, — it is real, nevertheless.
If I could blot out every reminiscence, or erase every memory,
still I should say that my scrambles amongst the Alps have repaid
me, for they have given me two of the best things a man can
possess — health and friends.
The recollections of past pleasures cannot be effaced. Even
now as I write they crowd up before me. First comes an endless
series of pictures, magnificent in form, effect, and colour. I see the
great peaks, with clouded tops, seeming to mount up for ever and
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/468]]==
408
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
CHAP. XXII.
ever ; I hear the music of the distant herds, the peasant's jodel,
and the solemn church-bells ; and I scent the fragrant breath of
the pines : and after these have passed away, another train of
thoughts succeeds — of those who have been upright, brave, and
true ; of kind hearts and bold deeds ; and of courtesies received at
stranger hands, trifles in themselves, but expressive of that good
will towards men which is the essence of charity.
Still, the last, sad memory hovers round, and sometimes drifts
across like floating mist, cutting off sunshine, and chilling the
remembrance of happier times. There have been joys too great to
be described in words, and there have been griefs upon which I
have not dared to dwell ; and with these in mind I say, Climb if
you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought
without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may- destroy
the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste ; look well to
each step ; and from the beginning think what may be the end.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/469]]==
APPENDIX.
3 G
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/470]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/471]]==
appendix. THE MONT GENIB TUNNEL. 411
A. Progress of the Great Tunnel through the Alps.
The advanced galleries of the Mont Cenis tunnel were successfully joined
upon Dec. 26, 1870.* Their progress in 1870 was unusually rapid. In
the first eleven months, 1511 metres were driven ; whereas in the whole
of 1869 they progressed only 1431 metres. At the end of 1870 about
1000 metres of the tunnel still remained to be lined with masonry, and it
was anticipated that it could be quite finished, ready for use, by July or
August 1871. The railway from Susa to Bardonneche will also be completed
by that time, but the line that is to connect Modaue with St. Michel will not
be ready until about the end of the year, so that the opening of the tunnel
will probably be delayed until this latter period.
Signor F. Giordano (inspector of Italian mines) made some observations
upon the natural temperature of the rock in the tunnel, at the end of 1870 ;
and I learn that the highest reading he obtained (near the centre) was 85 0, 1
Faht. The temperature of the air at the same part was slightly above 86°.
About 85° will doubtless be the temperature of the middle of the tunnel for
a considerable time, although it is sure to cool gradually. Travellers who go
through it in the winter time will, therefore, pass from an almost arctic
climate to a sub-tropical one in a distance of three and a half miles.']'
The following paragraph (appended as a note to pp. 78-9) explains itself: —
A Coal-pit on Fire. — On Friday morning, Jan. 13, it was discovered
that one of the coal-pits at West Ardsley, near Leeds, belonging to the West
Yorkshire Iron and Coal Company, had taken fire, and the most serious con-
sequences were imminent. The men and boys, amounting to several hundreds,
were drawn out of the pit with the utmost rapidity, and the usual measures
taken for extinguishing such fires. This pit is fortunately worked by machine
coal-cutters, driven by compressed air. The pipes which convey the com-
pressed air into the workings were promptly connected with the water reser-
voir at the surface, and the water transmitted through the pipes to the place
where the fire was raging. Through the great pressure of the water, the shaft
being 170 yards deep, there was a powerful stream steadily playing upon the
burning matter, and in less than an hour the fire was subdued and all danger
overcome. It seems that at the spot where the fire took place there is a
' throw,' or \ fault,' and some gas had accumulated, which, on the firing of
a shot, was ignited, and thus set fire to the coal and waste. The fortunate
circumstance that the pit is worked by air-machinery has saved the proprietors
from the loss of many thousands of pounds, which otherwise would have been
inevitable, and a very large population would have been thrown out of employ-
ment during this very inclement season. — Standard, Jan. 17, 1871.
* According to a letter in the Standard, Jan. 6, 1871, there was a mistake in the
determination of the length of the tunnel to the extent of sixteen metres.
*f" The temperature of the interior may, possibly, be reduced by artificial ventilation-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/472]]==
412 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
B. The Death of Bennen.*
On February 28, 1864, Mr. P. C. Gosset and Mr. B started from the
village of Ardon (about mid-way between Sion and Martigny), to make the
ascent of the Haut-de-Cry (9688 feet), with the guides J. J. Nance, F. Rebot,
A. Bevard, and J. J. Bennen. They arrived within a few hundred feet of
the summit before mid-day, and determined to complete the ascent by follow-
ing the crest of a ridge leading towards the east. Before this could be done
it was necessary to cross some steep snow ; and, while passing this, an ava-
lanche was unfortunately started. Bennen and Mr. B perished ; the
others happily escaped. The following narrative, from the pen of Mr. Gosset,
illustrates, in a very impressive manner, the danger of traversing new-fallen
snow at considerable inclinations : —
" We had to go up a steep snow-field, about 800 feet high, as well
as I remember. It was about 150 feet broad at the top, and 400 or
500 at the bottom. It was a sort of couloir on a large scale. During
the ascent we sank about one foot deep at every step. Bennen did
not seem to like the look of the snow very much. He asked the local
guides whether avalanches ever came down this couloir, to which they
answered that our position was perfectly safe. We had mounted on the
northern side of the couloir, and having arrived at 150 feet from the top, we
began crossing it on a horizontal curve, so as to gain the E. arete. The in-
flexion or dip of the couloir was slight, not above 25 feet, the inclination
near 35°. We were walking in the following order : — Bevard, Nance, Ben-
nen, myself, B., and Rebot. Having crossed over about three-quarters of the
breadth of the couloir, the two leading men suddenly sank considerably above
their waists. Bennen tightened the rope. The snow was too deep to think
of getting out of the hole they had made, so they advanced one or two
steps, dividing the snow with their bodies. Bennen turned round and told
us he was afraid of starting an avalanche ; we asked whether it would not be
better to return and cross the couloir higher up. To this the three Ardon
men opposed themselves ; they mistook the proposed precaution for fear, and
the two leading men continued their work. After three or four steps gained
in the aforesaid manner, the snow became hard again. Bennen had not
moved — he was evidently undecided what he should do ; as soon, however,
as he saw hard snow again, he advanced and crossed parallel to, but above,
the furrow the Ardon men had made. Strange to say, the snow supported
him. While he was passing I observed that the leader, Bevard, had ten or
twelve feet of rope coiled round his shoulder. I of course at once told him
to uncoil it and get on the arete, from which he was not more than fifteen
feet distant. Bennen then told me to follow. I tried his steps, but sank up
to my waist in the very first. So I went through the furrows, holding my
elbows close to my body, so as not to touch the sides. This furrow was about
twelve feet long, and as the snow was good on the other side, we had all come
to the false conclusion that the snow was accidentally softer there than else-
* See p. 86.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/473]]==
appendix. THE DEATH OF BENE EN. 413
where. Bennen advanced ; he had made but a few steps when we heard a
deep, cutting sound. The snow-field split in two about fourteen or fifteen
feet above us. The cleft was at first quite narrow, not more than an inch
broad. An awful silence ensued ; it lasted but a few seconds, and then it
was broken by Bennen's voice, ' We are all lost.' His words were slow and
solemn, and those who knew him felt what they really meant when spoken
by such a man as Bennen. They were his last words. I drove my alpen-
stock into the snow, and brought the weight of my body to bear on it. I
then waited. It "was an awful moment of suspense. I turned my head to-
wards Bennen to see whether he had done the same thing. To my astonish-
ment I saw him turn round, face the valley, and stretch out both arms.
The snow on which we stood began to move slowly, and I felt the utter use-
lessness of any alpenstock. I soon sank up to my shoulders, and began de-
scending backwards. From this moment I saw nothing of what had hap-
pened to the rest of the party. With a good deal of trouble I succeeded in
turning round. The speed of the avalanche increased rapidly, and before
long I was covered up with snow. I was suffocating when I suddenly came
to the surface again. I was on a wave of the avalanche, and saw it before me
as I was carried down. It was the most awful sight I ever saw. The head
of the avalanche was already at the spot where we had made our last halt.
The head alone was preceded by a thick cloud of snow-dust ; the rest of the
avalanche was clear. Around me I heard the horrid hissing of the snow, and
far before me the thundering of the foremost part of the avalanche. To pre-
vent myself sinking again, I made use of my arms much in the same way as
when swimming in a standing position. At last I noticed that I was moving
slower ; then I saw the pieces of snow in front of me stop at some yards'
distance ; then the snow straight before me stopped, and I heard on a large
scale the same creaking sound that is produced when a heavy cart passes over
frozen snow in winter. I felt that I also had stopped, and instantly threw up
both arms to protect my head in case I should again be covered up. I had
stopped, but the snow behind me was still in motion ; its pressure on my
body was so strong, that I thought I should be crushed to death. This
tremendous pressure lasted but a short time ; I was covered up by snow
coining from behind me. My first impulse was to try and uncover my head
— but this I could not do, the avalanche had frozen by pressure the moment
it stopped, and I was frozen in. Whilst trying vainly to move my arms, I
suddenly became aware that the hands as far as the wrist had the faculty of
motion. The conclusion was easy, they must be above the snow. I set to
work as well as I could ; it was time, for I could not have held out much
longer. At last I saw a faint glimmer of light. The crust above my head
was getting thinner, but I could not reach it any more with my hands ; the
idea struck me that I might pierce it with my breath. After several efforts
I succeeded in doing so, and felt suddenly a rush of air towards my mouth.
I saw the sky again through a little round hole. A dead silence reigned
around me ; I was so surprised to be still alive, and so persuaded at the first
moment that none of my fellow-sufferers had survived, that I did not even
think of shouting for them. I then made vain efforts to extricate my arms,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/474]]==
414 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix,
but found it impossible ; the most I could do was to join the ends of my
fingers, but they could not reach the snow any longer. After a few minutes
I heard a man shouting ; what a relief it was to know that I was not the sole
survivor ! to know that perhaps he was not frozen in and could come to my
assistance ! I answered ; the voice approached, but seemed uncertain where
to go, and yet it was now quite near. A sudden exclamation of surprise !
Rebot had seen my hands. He cleared my head in an instant, and was about
to try and cut me out completely, when I saw a foot above the snow, and so
near to me that I could touch it with my arms, although they were not quite
free yet. I at once tried to move the foot ; it was my poor friend's. A
pang of agony shot through me as I saw that the foot did not move. Poor
B. had lost sensation, and was perhaps already dead. Eebot did his best :
after some time he wished me to help him, so he freed my arms a little more
so that I could make use of them. I could do but little, for Rebot had torn
the axe from my shoulder as soon as he had cleared my head (I generally
carry an axe separate from my alpenstock — the blade tied to the belt, and the
handle attached to the left shoulder). Before coming to me Rebot had helped
Nance out of the snow ; he was lying nearly horizontally, and was not much
covered over. Nance found Bevard, who was upright in the snow, but
covered up to the head. After about twenty minutes the two last-named
guides came up. I was at length taken out ; the snow had to be cut with the
axe down to my feet before I could be pulled out. A few minutes after one
o'clock p.m. we came to my poor friend's face. - ... I wished the body to
be taken out completely, but nothing could induce the three guides to work
any longer, from the moment they saw that it was too late to save him. I
acknowledge that they were nearly as incapable of doing anything as I was.
When I was taken out of the snow the cord had to be cut. We tried the end
going towards Bennen, but could not move it ; it went nearly straight down,
and showed us that there was the grave of the bravest guide the Valais ever
had, and ever will have. The cold had done its work on us ; we could stand
it no longer, and began the descent."
C. Struck by Lightning upon the Matterhorn*
[Mr. R. B. Heathcote, of Chingford, Essex, whilst attempting to ascend the
Matterhorn by the southern route, was unfortunately used as a lightning-con-
ductor, when he was within 500 feet of the summit of the mountain. It may
be observed that the Matterhorn (like all isolated Alpine rock summits) is
frequently struck by lightning. Signor Giordano has pointed out elsewhere
that he found numerous traces of electric discharges upon the top of the
mountain.] t
"On July 30, 1869, in company with Peter Perm, Peter Taugwalder
junior, and Jos. Maquignaz, I commenced the ascent. The atmosphere was
clear, and the wind southerly. When very near to the summit an extremely
loud thunder-clap was heard, and we thought it prudent to descend. We
commenced the descent in the following order : — Taugwalder first, myself next,
* See ]». 175. f Malte-Brun's Annates des Voyages, April 1869.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/475]]==
appendix. THE MATTERHORN. 415
then Perm, and Maquignaz last. On approaching the Col cle Felicite* I re-
ceived a sharp, stinging blow on the leg, and thought, at first, that a stone had
been dislodged ; but a loud thunder-clap at once told me what it was. Perm
also said that he had been hit on the leg. In a few moments I received a hit
on the right arm, which seemed to run along it, and resembled a shock from
a galvanic battery. At the same time all the men gave a startled shriek, and
exclaimed that they were hit by lightning. The storm continued near us for
some little time, and then gradually died away. On arriving at the cdbane
I found that Perm had a long sore on his arm ; next morning his leg was
much swollen and very weak. We descended to Breil on the following day,
and crossed to Zermatt. The same day my hand began to swell, and it
continued very weak for about a week. Maquignaz's neck was much swollen
on each side ; the lightning hitting him (according to his account) on the back,
and upon each side of the neck. Taugwalder's leg was also slightly swollen.
The thunder was tremendous — louder than I have ever heard it before. There
was no wind, nor rain, and everything was in a mist."
D. Note to Chapter VIII. p. 179.
It was stated in the commencement of this chapter that -the Pointe des
Ecrins was the highest mountain in France. I have learned, since that para-
graph was written, that Captain Mieulet has determined that the height of the
Aiguille Verte is 13,540 feet ; that mountain is consequently 78 feet higher
than the Pointe des Ecrins, and is the highest in France.
E. Subsequent History of the Matterhorn. f
The Val Tournanche natives who started to facilitate the way up the south-
west ridge of the Matterhorn for MM. Giordano and Sella, pitched their
tent upon the third platform, at the foot of the Great Tower (12,992
feet), and enjoyed several days of bad weather under its shelter. On the
first fine day (13th of July) they began their work, and about midday on the
1 4th got on to the ' shoulder,' and arrived at the base of the final peak (the
point where Bennen stopped on July 28, 1862). The counsels of the party
were then divided. Two — Jean-Antoine Carrel and Joseph Maquignaz —
wished to go on ; the others were not eager about it. A discussion took
place, and the result was they all commenced to descend, and whilst upon the
' cravate ' (13,524) they heard our cries from the summit. $ Upon the 15th
they went down to Breil and reported their ill-success to M. Giordano (see p.
392). That gentleman was naturally much disappointed, and pressed the
men to set out again. § Said he, " Until now I have striven for the honour
* A place on the final peak, about half-way between the ' Shoulder ' and the summit.
t We resume here the account of the proceedings of the Italians who started from
Breil on the 11th of July 1865. See p. 380.
X The foregoing particulars were related to me by J. -A. Carrel.
§ The following details are taken from the account of the Abbe Ann'- Grorret (pub-
lished in the Feuille d'Aoste, Oct. 1865), who was at Breil when the men returned.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/476]]==
416 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
of making the first ascent, — fate lias decided against me, — I am beaten.
Patience ! Now, if I make further sacrifices it will be on your account, for
your honour, and for your interests. Will you start again to settle the
question, or, at least, to let there be no more uncertainty ?" The majority of
the men (in fact the whole of them with the exception of Jean-Antoine)
refused point-blank to have anything more to do with the mountain. Carrel,
however, stepped forward, saying, "As for me, I have not given it up ; if
you (turning to the Abbe Gorret) or the others will come, I will start again
immediateby." "Not I!" said one. "No more for me," cried a second.
" If you would give me a thousand francs I would not go back," said a third.
The Abbe Gorret alone volunteered. This plucky priest was concerned in
the very first attempts upon the mountain,* and is an enthusiastic moun-
taineer. Carrel and the Abbe would have set out by themselves had not
J. B. Bich and J.-A. Meynet (two men in the employ of Favre the innkeeper)
come forward at the last moment. M. Giordano also wished to accompany
them, but the men knew the nature of the work they had to undertake, and
positively declined to be accompanied by an amateur.
These four men left Breil at 6.30 a.m. on July 16, at 1 P.M. arrived at
the third tent-platform, and there passed the night. At daybreak on the
17th they continued the ascent by the route which had been taken before ;
passed successively the Great Tower, the i crete du coq,' the ' cravate,' and
the ' shoulder,' t and at 10 a.m. gained the point at the foot of the final
peak from which the explorers had turned back on the 1 4th. % They had
then about 800 feet to accomplish, and, says the Abbe, " nous allions entrer
en pays inconnu, aucun n'etant jamais alle aussi loin."
The passage of the cleft which stopped Bennen was accomplished, and
then the party proceeded directly towards the summit, over rocks which for
some distance were not particularly difficult. The steep cliffs down which
we had hurled stones (on the 14th) then stopped their way, and Carrel led
round to the left or Z'Mutt side. The work at this part was of the very
greatest difficulty, and stones and icicles which fell rendered the position of
the party very precarious ; § so much so that they preferred to turn up
directly towards the summit, and climb by rocks that the Abbe termed
" almost perpendicular." He added, " This part occupied the most time, and
gave us the greatest trouble." At length they arrived at a fault in the rocks
which formed a roughly horizontal gallery. They crept along this in the
direction of a ridge that descended towards the north-west, or thereabouts,
* See Appendix F, attempt No. 1.
+ These terms, as well as the others, Great Staircase, Col du Lion, Tete du Lion,
Chimney, and so forth, were applied by Carrel and myself to the various points^ in con-
sequence of real or supposed resemblances in the rocks to other things. A few of the
terms originated with the author, but they are chiefly due to the inventive genius of
J.-A. Carrel.
X This point is marked by the red letter E upon the lower of the two outlines
facing p. 83.
§ I have seen icicles more than a hundred feet long hanging from the rocks near the
summit of the Matterhom.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/477]]==
appendix. FIRST ASCENT ON THE ITALIAN SIDE. 417
and when close to the ridge, found that they could not climb on to it ; but
they perceived that, by descending a gully with perpendicular sides, they
could reach the ridge at a lower point. The bold Abbe was the heaviest and
the strongest of the four, and he was sacrificed for the success of the expedi-
tion. He and Meynet remained behind, and lowered the others, one by one,
into the gully. Carrel and Bich clambered up the other side, attained the
ridge descending towards the north-west, shortly afterwards gained an " easy
route, * they galloped," and in a few minutes reached the southern end of
the summit-ridge.
The time of their arrival does not appear to have been noticed. It was
late in the day, I believe about 3 p.m. Carrel and his comrade ouly waited
long enough to plant a flag by the side of the cairn that we had built three
days previously, then descended at once, rejoined the others, and all four
hurried down as fast as possible to the tent. They were so pressed for time
that they could not eat ! and it was 9 p.m. before they arrived at their camp
at the foot of the Great Tower. In descending they followed the gallery
above mentioned throughout its entire length, and so avoided the very diffi-
cult rocks over which they had passed on the ascent. As they were travers-
ing the length of the ' shoulder ' they witnessed the phenomenon to which I
have already adverted at the foot of p. 400.
When Carrel and Bich were near the summit they saw our traces upon
the Matterhorngletscher, and suspected that an accident had occurred ; they
did not, however, hear of the Matterhorn catastrophe until their return to
Breil, at 3 p.m. upon the 1 8th. The details of that sad event were in the
mouths of all, and it was not unnaturally supposed, in the absence of correct
information, that the accident was a proof that the northern side was fright-
fully dangerous. The safe return of the four Italians was regarded, on the
other hand, as evidence that the Breil route was the best. Those who were
interested (either personally or otherwise) in the Yal Tournanche made the
most of the circumstances, and trumpeted the praises of the southern route.
Some went farther, and instituted comparisons between the two routes to the
disadvantage of the northern one, and were pleased to term our expedition on
the 13-1 4th of July precipitate, and so forth. Considering the circumstances
which caused us to leave the Val Tournanche on the 12th of July, these
remarks were not in the best possible taste, but I have no feeling regarding
them. There may be some, however, who may be interested in a comparison
of the two routes, and for their sakes I will place the essential points in
juxtaposition. We (that is the Taugwalders and myself) were absent from
Zermatt 53 hours. Excluding halts and stoppages of one sort or another, the
ascent and descent occupied us 23 hours. Zermatt is 5315 feet above the
level of the sea, and the Matterhorn is 14,780 ; we had therefore to ascend
9465 feet. As far as the point marked 10,820 feet the way was known, so
we had to find the way over only 3960 feet. The members of our party (I
now include all) were very unequal in ability, and none of us could for a
moment be compared as cragsmen with Jean-Antoine Carrel. The four
Italians who started from Breil on the 16th of July were absent during 56 \
* The words of the Abbe. I imagine that he meant comparatively easy.
3 H
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/478]]==
418 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
hours, and as far as I can gather from the published account, and from con-
versation with the men, excluding halts, they took for the ascent and descent
23j hours. The hotel at Breil is 6890 feet above the sea, so they had to
ascend 7890 feet. As far as the end of the ' shoulder ' the way was known
to Carrel, and he had to find the way over only about 800 feet. All four
men were born mountaineers, good climbers, and they were led by the most
expert cragsman I have seen. The weather in each instance was fine. It is
seen, therefore, that these four nearly equally matched men took a longer
time to ascend 1500 feet less height than ourselves, although we had to find the
way over more than four times as much untrodden ground as they. This
alone would lead any mountaineer to suppose that their route must have been
more difficult than ours.* I know the greater part of the ground over which
they passed, and from my knowledge, and from the account of Mr. Grove, I
am sure that their route was not only more difficult, but that it was much
more difficult than ours.
This was not the opinion in the Val Tournanche at the end of 1865, and
the natives confidently reckoned that tourists would flock to their side in
preference to the other. It was, I believe, the Canon Carrel of Aosta (who
always takes great interest in such matters) who first proposed the construction
of a cabane upon the southern side of the Matterhorn. The project was taken
up with spirit, and funds for its execution were speedily provided — principally
by the members of the Italian Alpine Club, or by their friends. The inde-
fatigable Carrel found a natural hole upon the ledge called the l cravate '
(13,524), and this, in course of time, was turned, under his direction, into a
respectable little hut. Its position is superb, and gives a view of the most
magnificent character.
Whilst this work was being carried out, my friend Mr. F. Craufurd Grove
consulted me respecting the ascent of the Matterhorn. I recommended him
to ascend by the northern route, and to place himself in the hands of Jean-
Antoine Carrel. Mr. Grove found, however, that Carrel distinctly preferred
the southern side, and they ascended accordingly by the Breil route. Mr. Grove
has been good enough to supply the following account of his expedition. He
carries on my description of the southern route from the highest point I
attained on that side (a little below the ' cravate ') to the summit, and thus
renders complete my descriptions of the two sides.
"In August 1867 I ascended the Matterhorn from Breil, taking as guides
three mountaineers of the Valtournanche — J. A. Carrel, J. Bich, and S.
Meynet, — Carrel being the leader. At that time the Matterhorn had not
been scaled since the famous expedition of the Italian guides mentioned
above.
" Our route was identical with that which they followed in their descent
when, as will be seen, they struck out on one part of the mountain a different
line from that which they had taken in ascending. After gaining the Col
du Lion, we climbed the south-western or Breil arete by the route which has
been described in these pages, passing the night at the then unfinished hut con-
* The pace of a party is ruled by that of its least efficient member.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/479]]==
appendix. MB. CBAUFURD GROVE'S ASCENT. 419
structed by the Italian Alpine Club on the * cravate.' Starting from the
hut at daylight, we reached at an early hour the summit of the ' shoulder,'
and then traversed its arSte to the final peak of the Matterhorn. The passage
of this arete was perhaps the most enjoyable part of the whole expedition.
The ridge, worn by slow irregular decay into monstrous and rugged battle-
ments, and guarded on each side by tremendous precipices, is grand beyond
all description, but does not, strange to say, present any remarkable difficulty
to the climber, save that it is exceedingly trying to the head. Great care is
of course necessary, but the scramble is by no means of so arduous a nature as
entirely to absorb the attention ; so that a fine climb, and rock scenery, of
grandeur perhaps unparalleled in the Alps, can both be appreciated.
" It was near the end of this arete, close to the place where it abuts against
the final peak, that Professor Tyndall's party turned in 1862,* arrested by a
cleft in the ridge. From the point where they stopped the main tower of the
Matterhorn rises in front of the climber, abrupt, magnificent, and apparently
inaccessible. The summit is fully 750 feet in vertical height above this
spot, and certainly, to my eye, appeared to be separated from me by a yet
more considerable interval ; for I remember, when at the end of the arete,
looking upward at the crest of the mountain, and thinking that it must be a
good 1000 feet above me.
" When the Italian guides made their splendid ascent, they traversed the
arete of the shoulder to the main peak, passed the cleft which has been men-
tioned (p. 133), clambered on to the tremendous north-western face of the
mountain (described by Mr. WhympeT? at pp. 388 and 393), and then en-
deavoured to cross this face so as to get on to the Z'Mutt arete.f The passage of
this slope proved a work of great difficulty and danger. I saw it from very
near the place which they traversed, and was unable to conceive how any
human creatures managed to crawl over rocks so steep and so treacherous.
After they had got about half-way across, they found the difficulties of the
route and the danger from falling stones so great, that they struck straight up
the mountain, in the hope of finding some safer way. They were to a certain
extent successful, for they came presently to a small ledge, caused by a sort
of fault in the rock, running horizontally across the north-western face of the
mountain a little distance below the summit. Traversing this ledge, the
Italians found themselves close to the Z'Mutt arSte, but still separated from it
by a barrier, to outflank which it was necessary to descend a perpendicular
gully. Carrel and Bich were lowered down this, the other two men remaining
at the top to haul up their companions on their return, as otherwise they could
not have got up again. Passing on to the Z'Mutt arete without further diffi-
culty, Carrel and Bich climbed by that ridge to the summit of the mountain.
In returning, the Italians kept to the ledge for the whole distance across the
north-western face, and descended to the place where the arSte of the shoulder
abuts against the main peak by a sort of rough ridge of rocks between the
north-western and southern faces. When I ascended in 1867, we followed this
route in the ascent and in the descent. I thought the ledge difficult, in some
places decidedly dangerous, and should not care to set foot on it again ; but
* See pp. 126-9, and pp. 133-4.
t A ridge descending towards the Z'Muttgletscher.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/480]]==
420 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
assuredly it neither is so difficult nor so continuously dangerous as those gaunt
and pitiless rock-slopes which the Italians crossed in their upward route.
" The credit of making the Italian ascent of the Matterhorn belongs
undoubtedly to J.- A. Carrel and to the other mountaineers who accompanied
him. Bennen led his party bravely and skilfully to a point some 750 feet below
the top. From this point, however, good guide though he was, Bennen had to
retire defeated ; and it was reserved for the better mountain-craft of the Val-
tournanche guide to win the difficult way to the summit of the Matterhorn."
Mr. Craufurd Grove was the first traveller who ascended the Matterhorn
after the accident, and the natives of Val Tournanche were, of course, greatly
delighted that his ascent was made upon their side. Some of them, however,
were by no means well pleased that J. -A. Carrel was so much regarded. They
feared, perhaps, that he would acquire the monopoly of the mountain. Just
a month after Mr. Grove's ascent, six Valtournanchians set out to see whether
they could not learn the route, and so come in for a share of the good things
which were expected to arrive. They were three Maquignaz's, Caesar Carrel
(my old guide), J.-B. Carrel, and a daughter of the last named ! They left
Breil at 5 a.m. on Sept. 1 2, and at 3 p.m. arrived at the hut, where they passed
the night. At 7 a.m. the next day they started again (leaving J.-B. Carrel
behind), and proceeded along the ' shoulder ' to the final peak ; passed the
cleft which had stopped Bennen, and clambered up the comparatively easy
rocks on the other side until they arrived at the base of the last precipice,
down which we had hurled stones on July 14, 1865. They (young woman
and all) were then about 350 feet from the summit ! Then, instead of
turning to the left, as Carrel and Mr. Grove had done, Joseph and J.-Pierre
Maquignaz paid attention to the cliff in front of them, and managed to find a
means of passing up, by clefts, ledges, and gullies, to the summit. This was
a shorter (and it appears to be an easier) route than that taken by Carrel and
Grove, and it has been followed by all those who have since then ascended the
mountain from the side of Breil.* Subsequently, a rope was fixed over the
most difficult portions of the final climb.
In the meantime they had not been idle upon the other side. A hut was
constructed upon the eastern face, at a height of 12,526 feet above the sea,
near to the crest of the ridge which descends towards Zermatt (north-east
ridge). This was done at the expense of Monsieur Seiler and of the Swiss
Alpine Club. Mons. Seiler placed the execution of the work under the direc-
tion of the Knubels, of the village of St. Nicholas, in the Zermatt valley ; and
Peter Knubel, along with Joseph Marie Lochmatter of the same village, had
the honour of making the second ascent of the mountain upon the northern
side with Mr. Elliott. This took place on July 24-25, 1868.t Since then
* Joseph and J.-Pierre Maquignaz alone ascended ; the others had had enough and
returned. It should be observed that ropes ha I been fixed, by J. -A. Carrel and others,
over all the difficult parts of the mountain as high as the shoulder, before the ascent of
these persons. This explains the facility with which they moved over ground which had
been found very trying in earlier times. The young woman declared that the ascent (as
far as she went) was a trifle, or used words to that effect ; if she had tried to get to the
same height before 1862, she would probably have been of a different opinion.
f It was supposed by Mr. Elliott that he avoided the place where the accident
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/481]]==
appendix. SIGNOR GIORDANO'S ASCENT. 421
numerous ascents have been made, and of these the only one which calls for
mention is that by Signor Giordano, on September 3-5, 1868. This gentle-
man came to Breil several times after his famous visit in 1865, with the
intention of making the ascent, but he was always baffled by weather. In July
1866 he got as high as the ' cravate' (with J.- A. Carrel and other men), and
was detained there Jive days and nights, tenable to move either up or doivn ! At
last, upon the above-named date, he was able to gratify his desires, and
accomplished the feat of ascending the mountain upon one side and descend-
ing it upon the other. Signor Giordano is, I believe, the only geologist who
has ascended the Matterhorn. He spent a considerable time in the examina-
tion of its structure, and became benighted on its eastern face in consequence.
I am indebted to him for the valuable note and the accompanying section
which follow the Table of Ascents.*
The two tables upon pp. 422-23 explain themselves. The first exhibits
at a glance all the attempts which were made to ascend the Matterhorn before
July 1865, whether by natives or whether by stranger-amateurs ; and the
second, all of the ascents which have been actually made since that date.
Besides these successes, there have been a large number of failures. I have
been compelled to omit all mention of the latter, merely on account of their
number. Great trouble has been taken to make the following tables accurate ;
but it is, of course, possible that some names have been omitted which should
have been inserted.
The ascents have been equally divided between the two routes. The
northern one still remains, I believe, just what it was in 1865, with the
exception of the hut built upon the eastern face. The southern route, however,
has been rendered very much easier by the ropes which have been placed over
all the difficult places. It is another thing whether it is safer than it was.
Unless a greater amount of supervision is given to these ropes than I expect
will be given to them, and unless they are replaced from time to time by new
ones, they will be likely to render it more, rather than less, hazardous. In
difficulty, there is now probably little or no difference between the routes.
Very poor climbers may make, and have made, the ascent. Novices, in my
opinion, ought to be invariably deterred from attempting it, and if it ever
becomes fashionable (like the ascent of Mont Blanc, for example), the most
disastrous consequences may be anticipated.
occurred on July 14, 1865, and improved the route. Others who have made the ascent by
the northern route have thought the same ; but, as far as I can learn, there has not been any
material deviation from the route we took over the small difficult part of the mountain ; and
my information leads me to believe, that most of those who have ascended or descended
the northern route have passed over the exact place where the accident occurred.
* Signor Giordano carried a mercurial barometer throughout the entire distance, and
read it frequently. His observations have enabled me to determine with confidence and
accuracy the heights which were attained upon the different attempts to ascend the moun-
tain, and the various points upon it which have been so frequently mentioned throughout
this volume. He left a minimum thermometer upon the summit in 1868. This was
recovered by J. -A. Carrel in July 1869, and was found to register only 9° Fahrenheit
below the freezing point. It was supposed that it 'was protected from the winter cold by
a deep covering of snow. The explanation is scarcely satisfactory.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/482]]==
422
SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS.
APPENDIX.
F. TABLE OF ATTEMPTS MADE TO ASCEND THE MATTERHORN
PREVIOUS TO THE FIRST ASCENT.
o <o
Date.
Names.
Side upon which
the attempt was
made, and place
arrived at.
Greatest
height
attained.
Remarks.
1
1858-9.
J.-Antoine Carrel.
Breil side
12,650
Several attempts were made be-
J. -Jacques Carrel.
"Chimney."
fore this height was attained ;
Victor Carrel.
the men concerned cannot re-
member how many. See p. 84.
Gab. Maquignaz.
1860.
Abbe Gorret.
2
July
Alfred Parker.
Charles Parker.
Sandbach Parker.
Zermatt side.
East face.
11,500 ?
Without guides. P. 85.
3
August .
V. Hawkins.
Breil side
12,992
Guides — J. J. Bennen and J.-
J. Tyndall.
Hawkins got to
foot of "Great
Tower," Tyn-
dall a few feet
13,050 ?
Jacques Carrel. Pp. 85-7.
1861.
higher.
4
July
Messrs. Parker
Zermatt side.
East face.
11,700 ?
No guides. P. 87.
5
Aug. 29 .
J.-Antoine Carrel.
J. -Jacques Carrel.
Breil side
" Crete du Coq."
13,230
See p. 95.
6
Aug. 29-30
Edward Whymper .
Breil side
12,650
Camped upon the mountain, with
1862.
"Chimney."
an Oberland guide. Pp. 90-5.
7
January .
T. S. Kennedy
Zermatt side.
East face.
11,000?
Winter attempt. Pp. 96-7.
8
July 7-8 .
R. J. S. Macdonald.
Breil side
12,000
Guides — Johann zum Taugwald
Edward Whymper.
Arete below
" Chimney."
and Johann Kronig. Pp. 102-3.
9
July 9-10
R. J. S. Macdonald.
Breil side
12,992
Guides — J. -A. Carrel and Pession.
Edward Whymper.
"Great Tower."
P. 104.
55
July 18-19
»j >>
Breil side
Somewhat higher
than the lowest
part of the
"Cravate."
13,400
Alone. Pp. 105-119.
10
July 23-24
55 55
Breil side
" Crete du Coq."
13,150
Guides — J. -A. Carrel, Csesar Car-
rel, and Luc Meynet. P. 123.
11
July 25-26
55 55
Breil side
Nearly as high
as the highest
part of the
"Cravate."
13,460
With Luc Meynet. Pp. 125-6.
12
July 27-28
J. Tyndall .
Breil side
"The Shoulder,"
to foot of final
13,970
Guides — J. J. Bennen and Anton
Walter ; porters — J.-Antoine Car-
rel, Caesar Carrel, and another.
1863.
peak.
Pp. 126-9, 133-4.
13
Aug. 10-11
1865.
Edward Whymper .
Breil side
"Crete du Coq."
13,280
Guides — J. -A. Carrel, Csesar Car-
rel, Luc Meynet, and two porters.
Pp. 169-176.
14
June 21 .
55 55
South-east face
11,200 ?
Guides — Michel Croz, Christian
Aimer, Franz Biener ; porter-
Luc Meynet. Pp. 290-3.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/483]]==
APPENDIX.
TABLE OF ASCENTS.
423
G. ASCENTS OF THE MATTERHORN.
No. of
Ascent
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Date.
1865.
July 13-15
July 16-18
1867.
Aug. 13-15
Sept. 12-14
Oct. 1-3
1868.
July 24-25
July 26-28
Aug. 2-4
Aug. 3-4
Aug. 8*
Sept. 1-2
Sept. 2-3
Sept. 3-5
Sept. 8-9 .
1869.
July 20 .
Aug. 26-27
1870.
July 20 (?)
Names.
Lord Francis Douglas.
D. Hadow.
Charles Hudson.
Edward Whymper.
Jean-Antoine Carrel.
J. Baptiste Bich.
Ame Gorret.
J.-Augustin Meynet
F. Craufurd Grove .
Jos. Maquignaz.
J. -Pierre Maquignaz.
Victor Maquignaz.
Caesar Carrel.
J.-B. Carrel..
W. Leighton Jordan
J. M. Elliott
J. Tyndall
0. Hoiler.
F. Thioly.
G. E. Foster .
Paul Guessfeldt
A. G. Girdlestone.
F. Craufurd Grove.
W. E. U. Kelso.
G. B. Marke .
F. Giordano .
Paul Sauzet .
James Eccles .
R. B. Heathcote
Route taken.
Zermatt .
(Or Northern
route.)
Breil .
(Or Southern
route.)
Breil
Breil
Breil
Zermatt
Up Breil side
and down Zer-
matt side.
Seem to have as-
cended from
Zermatt and
descended to
Breil.
Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt
Ascended Breil
side and de-
scended to Zer-
matt.
Breil .
Breil .
Breil .
Zermatt
Remarks.
Guides — Michel Croz, Peter Taugwalder
pere, Peter Taugwalder fils. See pp. 384-
94.
The first two named only ascended to the
summit. See pp. 393, 416-7.
Guides — J.-A. Carrel, Salamon Meynet,
and J. B. Bich.
An easier route was discovered by this
party than that taken upon July 17, 1865.
The first two named only ascended to the
summit.
Guides — the three Maquignaz's just named,
Caesar Carrel, and F. Ansermin. The
Maquignaz's and Mr. Jordan alone reached
the summit.
Guides — Jos. Marie Lochmatter and Peter
Knubel.
Guides — Jos. and Pierre Maquignaz, and
three others.
Account given in hotel-book at Breil is
not very clear. Guides seem to have
been Jos. and Victor Maquignaz and
Elie Pession.
Guides — Hans Baumann, Peter Bernett,
and Peter Knubel.
Guides — Jos. Marie Lochmatter, Nich.
Knubel, and Peter Knubel.
Guides — Jos. Marie Lochmatter and the
two Knubels.
Guides — Nich. Knubel and Pierre Zur-
briggen (Saas).
Guides — J.-A. Carrel and Jos. Maquignaz.
Guides — J.-A. Carrel and Jos. Maquignaz.
Guides — J.-A. Carrel, Bich, and two Payots
(Chamounix).
Guides — the four Maquignaz's (Val Tour-
nanche).
One ascent only was made in 1870. No
details have come to hand.
* Although one day only is named for this and for a subsequent ascent, I have reason to believe
that two or more days have "been occupied upon all ascents which have, as yet, been made.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/484]]==
424 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
H. Courte Note sur la G£ologie du Matterhorn. Par Signor
F. Giordano, Ingenieur en Chef des Mines d'ltalie, etc. etc.
Le Matterhorn ou Mont Cervin est forme depuis la base jusqu'au sommet
de roches stratifiees en bancs assez reguliers, qui sont tous legerement releves
vers l'Est, savoir vers le Mont Kose. Ces roches quoiqn'evidemment d'origine
sedimentable ont nne structure fortement cristalline qui doit etre Feffet d'une
puissante action de metamorphisme tres-developpee dans cette region des
Alpes. Dans la serie des roches constituantes du Mont Cervin Ton peut faire
une distinction assez marquee, savoir celles formant la base inferieure de la
montagne, et celles formant le pic proprement dit.
Les roches de la base qu'on voit dans le Yal Tournanche, dans le vallon
de Z'Mutt, au col de Theodule et ailleurs, sont en general des schistes talqueux,
serpentineux, chloriteux, et amphiboliques, alternant fort souvent avec des
schistes calcaires a noyeaux quartzeux. Ces schistes calcaires de couleur
brunatre alternent ca et la avec des dolomies, des cargueules, et des quartzites
tegulaires. Cette formation calcareo-serpentineuse est tres etendue dans les
environs. Le pic au contraire est tout forme d'un gneiss talqueux, "souvent a
gros elements, alternant parfois a quelques bancs de schistes talqueux et
quartzeux, mais sans bancs calcaires. Vers le pied ouest du pic, le gneiss est
remplace par de l'euphotide granitoide massive, qui semble y former une grosse
lentille se fondant de tous cotes dans le gneiss meme. Du reste les roches du
Cervin montrent partout des exemples fort instructifs de passages graduels
d'une structure a l'autre, resultant du metamorphisme plus ou moins avance.
Le pic actuel n'est que le reste d'une puissante formation geologique
ancienne, triasique peut-etre, dont les couches puissantes de plus de 3500
metres enveloppaient tout autour comme un immense manteau le grand massif
granitoide et feldspathique du Mont Rose. Aussi son etude detaillee, qui par
exception est rendue fort facile par la profondeur des vallons d'ou il surgit,
donne la clef de la structure geologique de beaucoup d'autres montagnes des
environs. On y voit partout le phenomene assez curieux d'une puissante
formation talqueuse tres-cristalline,presque granitoide, regulierement superposee
a une formation schisteuse et calcarifere. Cette meme constitution geologique
est en partie la cause de la forme aigue et de l'isolement du pic qui en font la
merveille des voyageurs. En effet, tandis que les roches feuilletees de la base
etant facilement corrodees par Taction des meteores et de l'eau ont ete facile-
ment creusees en vallees larges et profondes, la roche superieure qui constitue
la pyramide donne lieu par sa durete a des fendillements formant des parois
escarpees qui conservent au pic ce profil elance et caracteristique alpin. Les
glaciers qui entourent son pied de tous les cotes en emportant d'une maniere
continue les debris tombant de ses flancs, contribuent pour leur part a main-
tenir cet isolement de la merveilleuse pyramide qui sans eux serait peut-etre
deja ensevelie sous ses propres mines.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/485]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/486]]==
CEOLOGICAL SECTION OF THE MATTERHORN. (MONT CERVIN
BY SIGXOR F. GIORDANO.
14780 SUMMIT
13970 THE "SHOULDER" [L'EPAULE]
13524 HUT ON THE ITALIAN SIDE [CRAVATE]
13320 PROFESSOR TYNDALUS CORD [1862]
12992 AUTHOR'S THIRD TENT PLATFORM
12550 THE SECOND TENT PLATFORM
1252G THE HUT ON THE SWISS SIDE
11844 COL DU LION
AUTHOR'S FIRST TENT PLATFORM
10089
B890 HOTEL AT GIOMKIN
em CHALETS OF 1SREIL
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/487]]==
appendix. GEOLOGY OF THE MATTERHORN. 425
References to the Geological Section of the Matterhorn.
I. Gneiss talqueux quartzifere. Beaucoup de traces de foudres.
II. Banc de 3 a 4 metres de scliistes serpentinenx et talqueux verts.
III. Gneiss talqueux a elements plus ou moms schisteux, avec quelque lit
de quartzite.
„ Gneiss et micaschistes ferrugineux a elements tres-fins, beaucoivp de
traces de foudre.
IV. Gneiss alternant avec des schistes talqueux et a des felsites en zones
blanches et grises.
V. Petite couche de schistes serpentineux, vert sombre.
VI. Gneiss et micaschiste avec zones quartziferes rubanees.
VII. Gneiss talqueux a elements schisteux.
VIII. Id. id. verdatre, porphyroide a elements moyens.
IX. Gneiss talqueux granitoide a gros elements et avec des cristaux de
feldspath.
X. Schistes grisatres.
XL Micaschistes ferrugineux.
XII. Gneiss talqueux vert sombre.
XIII. Gneiss et schistes quartzeux, couleur vert clair.
XIV. Euphotide massive (feldspath et diallage) a elements cristallins bien
developpes, traversee par des veines d'eurite blanchatre. Cette roche
forme im banc ou plutot une lentille de plus de 500 metres de
puissance intercalee au gneiss talqueux*
XV. Gneiss talqueux alternant avec des schistes talqueux et micaces.
XVI. Schistes compactes couleur vert clair.
XVII. Calcaire cristallin micace (calcschiste) avec veines et rognons de quartz.
II alterne avec des schistes verts chloriteux et serpentineux.
XVIII. Schistes verts chloriteux, serpentineux et talqueux, avec des masses
steatiteuses.
XIX. Calcschistes (comme ci-dessus) formant un banc de plus de 100
metres.t
XX. Schistes verts chloriteux.
XXI. Calcschistes (comme ci-dessus).
XXII. II suit ci dessous line serie fort puissante de schistes verts serpen-
tineux, chloriteux, talqueux et steatiteux alternant encore avec des
calcschistes. En plusieurs localites les schistes deviennent tres-
amphibologiques a petits cristaux noirs. Cette puissante formation
calcareo-serpentineuse repose inferieurement sur des micaschistes
et des gneiss anciens.
* Cette roche granitoide parait surtout a la base ouest du pic sous le col du Lion tandis
qu'elle ne parait pas du tout sur le flanc est ou elle parait passer au gneiss talqueux.
*t* En plusieurs localites des environs, cette zone calcarifere presente des bancs et des
lentilles de dolomie, de cargueule de gypse et de quartzites.
'6 i
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/488]]==
426 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
■ I. Stratification of Snow and Formation of Glacier-Ice.
In the spring of 1866, the late Principal J. D. Forbes urged me to
endeavour to find out more about the ' veined structure ' of glaciers, which he
then, and, I believe, until his death considered, was very much in want of
elucidation. After thinking the subject over, it seemed to me that its diffi-
culties were so considerable that it would be useless to attempt to grapple
with them except in a thorough manner, and that it would be necessary to
scrutinise and to follow out the gradual transition of snow into glacier-ice,
from beginning to end, in at least one glacier. Superficial examination was
almost worthless, for it was well known that the veined structure, or
structures, existed in glacier-ice above the snow-line ; and hence it appeared
that the only effectual procedure would be to sink a number of pits or
trenches through the superincumbent snow, commencing at the very birth-
place of the glacier, and watching its growth and structural development as it
descended to the lower regions. This opinion I still entertain.
I left England at the end of July, with the intention of sinking several
pits in the Stock glacier, which descends towards the north-east from the
Col de Valpelline.* In the first instance it was desirable that a trench
should be made in some position that was free from local interference, and in
this respect the Col de Valpelline was an excellent station. It was a snowy
plateau — almost a plain (without any protruding ridges or rocks) — which
gave birth to two great glaciers — one (the Stock glacier) descending gently
towards the north-east, the second (the Valpelline glacier) falling away rather
more rapidly to the south-west. Wretched weather and miserable workmen
retarded the work, and only one pit was sunk in the time at my disposal.
This was a little more than 22 feet in depth ; and, although it threw scarcely
any light upon the veined structure, it yielded some information respecting
stratification of snow and the formation of glacier-ice. I will describe, first of
all, how the work was done ; and secondly, what we observed.
I arrived at Zermatt on the 30th of July, possessed of a pickaxe (one
end of the head pointed and the other adze-shaped) and a couple of shovels ;
engaged three common peasants as labourers, and Franz Biener as guide, and
waited some days for the weather to improve. On the afternoon of August 2
we started, and camped on the rocks of the Stockje,t at a height of about
9000 feet. It was a very gusty night, and snow fell heavily. Great
avalanches poured down incessantly from the surrounding slopes into the
basin of the Tiefenmatten glacier, and minor ones from the slopes of our
tent. We left our camp at 9.20 a.m. on the 3d, and proceeded to the
summit of the Col (11,650) against a bitterly cold wind, and with the clouds
embracing everything. I marked out a place for excavation, immediately at
the summit of the pass, J 24 feet long by 5 wide, and the men soon threw out
enough snow to protect themselves from the wind. Two walls of the pit
* See map of the Valpelline, etc.
t Marked on the map of Matterhorn and its glaciers, Camp (1866).
X The pit was made about mid-way between the Tete Blanche and the nameless point
marked on the Dufour map 3813 metres.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/489]]==
appendix. EXCAVATION- ON THE COL. 427
were dressed tolerably smooth, a third was left rough, and the fourth was
occupied by an inclined plane that led from the surface to the workers.
Two men were always at work ; one hewing with the pick, and the other
throwing out with the shovel. The others rested, and relieved the workers
about every fifteen minutes. For seven or eight feet down they got along
rapidly, as the stuff could be thrown out ; but after a time the progress be-
came much slower, for the snow had to be carried out in baskets.
After 5 hours' exposure to the wind and drifting snow I was half frozen,
and in a much worse state than the men, who kept themselves alive by their
work. All our faces were massed with icicles. At length I beat a retreat,
and descended to the tent with Biener. The mists were so dense that we
dared not use either veils or spectacles, and I was snow-blind in consequence
for two days afterwards. On the morning of the 4th my eyelids refused
to open, and the light was painful even when they were closed. The men
started off at 6.45, leaving me with my head tied up in a handkerchief, unable
to eat or even to smoke ! Biener came back at 4.30 p.m. and reported that the
snow seemed to be getting softer rather than harder the farther they descended.
On the 5th (Sunday) my condition was slightly improved, and on Monday
morning I was able to make a start, and ascended to the Col to see what
the labourers had done in my absence. They certainly had not overworked
themselves ; for while on the first day they had got down more than 9 feet
in 5 hours, they had, during the time I had been away, only accomplished
4 feet more. They said that on Sunday night 3 feet of snow had drifted
into the pit, and almost as much on Friday night. This, of course, had con-
siderably added to the work. They were extremely anxious to get away ;
which was not surprising, as the wind was blowing ferociously from the
north-west, and was tearing away sheets of snow from the summit of the
pass. It was impossible to stand against it, and in a single hour we should
have been all frozen if we had remained upon the surface. I told them
(rather jesuitically) that they had only to reach glacier, and the work would
be over at that spot. This consoled them, and they promised to work hard
during our absence.
Biener and I passed the night of the 6th at Prerayen, and upon the 7th we
went down the Valpelline to Biona upon other business. On the 8th we re-
turned to the summit of the Col, and found all three men sitting on the
nearest rocks smoking their pipes. They admitted that they had done
nothing on that day, but excused themselves by saying that they had got down
to glacier. I found that the wretches had only gone down another foot during
our thirty-six hours' absence. My wrath, however, was somewhat appeased
when I went down into the pit. They had struck a layer of ice of much
greater thickness than any which had been previously met with. It extended
all round the floor of the pit to a depth of 6^ inches. The men went to work
again, and soon reached another stratum of ice of formidable thickness ; or,
rather, three layers which were barely separated from each other. After this,
the snow seemed to be no denser than it was above the great layer. I waited
some time ; but my eyes were still very weak, and could not be exposed for
many minutes together, so at length Biener and I went down to Zermatt
through a terrific thunderstorm and very heavy rain.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/490]]==
428 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
On the 9th we returned again to the Col, and whilst climbing the rocks
of the Stockje, discovered the dead chamois which was mentioned upon p.
156. It rained as far as our camp, and thenceforward we had to fight our way
up through continuously falling snow, against an easterly gale. It blew dead
in our teeth, and our progress was painfully slow. The snow was writhing
all around, as if tormented ; or caught by whirlwinds, and sent eddying high
aloft ; or seized by gusts and borne onwards in clouds which seemed to be
driven right through us. The wind was appalling ; once I was fairly blown
down, although tied to Biener, and many times we were sent staggering back
for ten or a dozen paces against our will. Our track was obliterated at the
summit, and we could not find the pit. We tried east, west, north, and
south, to no purpose. At last we heard a shout ! We halted, panting for
breath. Another ! It came with the wind, and we had to face the storm
again. After a long search we arrived at the pit, which by this time was a
huge hole twenty feet deep. The inclined plane had had to be abandoned, and
a regular staircase led down to the bottom. The men had again struck work,
having, they said, arrived at glacier ; the fact was, they were completely
cowed by the weather, and had taken to shouting, expecting that we should be
lost. I descended, and with two strokes of the pick went through their
glacier, which was only another thick stratum of ice.
The last day had arrived, and the next was to see me en route for London.
I drove the men to their work, and stood over them once more. The stuff
which came up in the baskets was different to that which I had seen last ! It
was not ice of a compact kind like the horizontal layers, still it was not snow.
Sometimes one could say, This is snow ; but at others no one would have said
that it was snow. On inquiry, they said that it had been like this for several
feet. I went down, took the tools in my own hands, and hewed the walls
smooth. It was then apparent that vertical glacification (if I may be per-
mitted to use such an expression) had commenced (see A A on section).
The men were anxious to leave, for the weather was terrible. The wind
howled over our heads in a true hurricane. I was unwilling to go until it
was absolutely necessary. At length they refused to work any longer ; I con-
cluded the measurements ; we tied in line, and floundered downwards, and at
9 p.m. arrived at Zermatt.
I will now proceed to describe what we saw.* For 1 1 inches from the
surface the snow was soft and white, or what is usually termed new snow.
There was then a very decided increase in density, and all the snow beneath
had a slight bluish tint.f At 21 inches from the surface the tone of the
snow seemed somewhat deeper than that which was above, but below this
point there was little or no increase in colour until the depth of 1 5 feet was
passed. The density of the snow naturally increased as we descended,
although much less rapidly than I expected. Down to the depth of 13j feet
(or to just above the broad blue band on the right-hand column of the
section) the mass was decidedly and unmistakably snowy ; that is to say,
* The reader is now referred to the section- at the end of the volume, drawn to a
scale of one inch to a foot from actual measurement.
t Compared with the 11 inches of snow at the surface, that beneath seemed dirty.
I hesitate, however, to term it dirty. We did not anywhere detect grit or sand.
UPft
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/491]]==
appendix. MINGLED STRATA OF SNOW AND ICE. 429
lumps could readily be compressed between the hands. This was also the
case in some places belotv the depth of 15 feet. For example, at B B, on the
section, the snow was not perceptibly denser than it was six or eight feet
higher up. In other places, A A, it could not be termed snowy ; it could
not be readily compressed in the hands ; and it looked and felt like an im-
perfect or wet and spongy form of ice. The colour at B B was perceptibly
stronger than at A A, but it should be said that the colour here, and of the
horizontal strata of ice, has been intentionally exaggerated upon the section
for the sake of clearness.
The entire mass was pervaded with horizontal strata of pure ice. In the
22 feet that we penetrated there were 75 such layers, varying from one-tenth
of an inch in thickness to 6^ inches, which amounted in the aggregate to 25|-
inch.es of solid ice. These strata were parallel to the surface of the snow,
and to each other. Not perfectly so ; sometimes they approached, and some-
times receded from each other. Neither was their substance (thickness)
constant. In some places they were more, and in others less thick.
For example, the stratum which is between the brackets marked 1863-4 1
and 1864-5 1 was in some places an inch and a half thick, but in others
scarcely an eighth of an inch. Upon the whole, the stouter strata were con-
tinued completely round the sides of the pit, and were tolerably uniform in
thickness. The finer strata, on the other hand, frequently died out in short
distances, and seldom or never could be traced completely round the walls.
The finer strata also were much more numerous towards the surface than
towards the bottom of the pit, and they were readily obscured by the drifting
snow. It was obvious, yet important to observe, that the strata or layers of
pure ice became fewer in number as one descended, and that they constantly,
although not regularly, became thicker.
I attempted to gain an idea of the temperature of the snow at different
depths, but I do not care to quote my readings, as they were, without a
doubt, falsified by the wind. I am not sure, moreover, that it is possible
under any circumstances to obtain correct readings of snow temperature in
the way that they were taken. The recorded temperatures, anyhow, must
have been influenced by the surrounding air. If they were correct they
proved that the lower strata were warmer than the upper ones.
We must now quit the region of facts, and descend to that of surmises
and conjectures. The differences in the quality and in the tone of the snow
of the first three feet below the surface were sufficiently marked to suggest
that we saw in them snow belonging to three different years. The unanimous
opinion of the four men was, that the uppermost 11 inches belonged to
1865-6, the next 10 inches to 1864-5, and the next 16 inches to 1863-4.
In this matter they were not, perhaps, altogether incompetent judges. I am
doubtful, however, whether their opinion was correct, and incline to the idea
that the uppermost 11 inches had fallen during the summer of 1866, and that
the succeeding 10 inches may have been all that remained of the preceding
winter's snow. Whatever surprise may be felt at so small a depth being
considered as representing a year's fall, must be modified when it is remem-
bered that the position at which the pit was sunk could scarcely have been
more exposed. We had evidence that a mere fraction only of the snow that
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/492]]==
430 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
fell remained in situ — the wind tore it away in sheets and streams. It will
be remembered, too, that no inconsiderable amount passes off by evaporation.
If other pits had been sunk to the north and to the south of the pass, Ave
should probably have found in them a greater dejjth of snow between each
of the horizontal layers of pure ice. This is mere conjecture, and it may be
taken for what it is worth. It is more important to note — 1. (a) That the
fine layers or strata of pure ice were numerous towards the surface ; (7>) disap-
peared as we descended ; (c) and that the lower strata were, upon the whole,
much thicker than those towards the surface. 2. That the thickness of these
strata of pure ice amounted to nearly one-tenth of the mass that we were
able to penetrate. 3. That, below the depth of 15 feet, vertical glacification
began to show itself. Upon each of these subjects I will now venture to
offer a few remarks.
1 (a.) The fine horizontal layers or strata of pure ice were numerous towards
the surface. All of these layers had been formed by weathering at the surface.
It is usual, even during the winter, for considerable periods of fine weather
to succeed heavy snow-falls ; and in these periods the surface of the snow is
alternately melted and refrozen, and, at length, is glazed with a crust or film
of pure ice. This, when covered up by another snow-fall, and exposed as in
the section, appears as a bluish horizontal line drawn through the whiter
mass. The snow between any two of these layers (near the surface) did not
therefore represent a year's snow, but it was the remnant, and only the rem-
nant, of a considerable fall, between whose deposition, and that of the
next stratum above, a considerable interval of time had probably elapsed.
(b.) The fine strata disappeared as we descended. I imagine that this was a
result of pressure from the superincumbent mass, but I leave to others to show
the exact manner in which these finer strata were got rid of. Is it possible to
liquefy by steady pressure a plate of ice (say, one-tenth of an inch in thickness)
placed in the interior of a mass of snow, without liquefaction of the snow ?
(c.) The lower strata of pure ice were, upon the whole, thicker than those
towards the surface. This, doubtless, was a result of vertical pressure. The
strata grew under pressure. But why should some grow and others dis-
appear ? I presume that the finest ones disappear, and that the stouter ones
grow. Can it be shown experimentally that it is possible to liquefy by
steady pressure a fine plate of ice placed in the interior of a mass of snow,
and at the same time, under the same conditions, to thicken another and
stouter plate of ice ?
2 . These horizontal strata of pure ice amounted in the aggregate to nearly
one-tenth of the thickness of the mass that we penetrated. It was perfectly well
known prior to 1866 that the upper snows (which give birth to glaciers) were
pervaded with strata of pure ice, and a host of observers had written before
that date upon stratification of snow and of glacier. It may be questioned,
however, whether any had an idea of the very important amount of glacifica-
tion that is effected by superficial weathering, and subsequent thickening of
the strata through vertical pressure. A search through the works of the
principal writers on glaciers has failed to show me that any person imagined
that one-tenth of the mass, or anything like that amount, was composed of
strata of pure ice.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/493]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/494]]==
CO
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/495]]==
appendix. REMARKABLE PINNACLES NEAR SACHAS. 431
There are two points in regard to these horizontal strata of pure ice that
are worthy of consideration : — (a) Does not their existence, and especially the
existence of the fine layers towards the surface, conclusively disprove the idea
that the production of glacier-ice is greatly promoted by infiltration of water
from the surface 1 (b) Can these numerous strata of pure ice (some of which are
of such considerable thickness, and extending over large areas) be obliterated
in the subsequent progress of the glacier ? If so, how are they obliterated ?
Or is it not reasonable to suppose that these thick strata of solid ice must con-
tinue to exist, must continue to thicken under pressure, and must supply many
of those plates of pure ice which are seen in the imperfect ice of the glacier,
and which have been referred to at different times and by various persons as
the e veined structure ? '
3. Below the depth of lb feet the appearances which I have ventured to term
vertical glacijication were first noticed. Were they accidental ? or will they be
found at or about the same depth in all other places 1 Into what would
those appearances have developed at a greater depth ? What produced them ?
These questions may perhaps be answered one day by future investigators.
I cannot answer them except by guesses or conjectures. Most unwillingly I
left the excavation just at the time when it promised to yield more valuable
information than it had done previously ; and since then I have never been
able to resume the work. I believe that the exposure of considerable sections
of the interior of a glacier, at different parts of its course, would yield infor-
mation of extreme interest ; and that more light would be thrown in such
way upon the doubts and difficulties which attend the formation of glacier-ice
and the ' veined structure,' than will ever be thrown upon those vexed subjects
by idle wandering upon the surface of glaciers and by peering into crevasses.
J. Denudation in the Valley of the Durance.
In the summer of 1869, whilst walking up the Valley of the Durance
from Mont Dauphin to Briancon, I noticed, when about five kilometres from
the latter place, some pinnacles on the mountain-slopes to the west of the
road. I scrambled up, and found the remarkable natural pillars which are
represented in the annexed engraving* They were formed out of an
unstratified conglomerate of gritty earth, boulders, and stones. Some of
them were more thickly studded with stones than a plum-pudding usually is
with plums, whilst from others the stones projected like the spines from an
echinoderm. The earth (or mud) was extremely hard and tenacious, and the
stones, embedded in it, were extricated with considerable difficulty. The
mud adhered very firmly to the stones that were got out, but it was readily
washed away in a little stream near at hand. In a few minutes I extracted
fragments of syenite, mica-schist, several kinds of limestone and conglomerates,
* They were 750 feet (by aneroid) above the road, and were not far from the village
of Sachas. There were a dozen of about the size of those shown in the engraving, and
also numerous stumps of other minor ones. There may have been more, and more con-
siderable ones, farther behind. I was pressed for time, and could not proceed beyond the
point shown in the illustration. I have thought the above imperfect account of these
pinnacles worth recording, as I believe they have never been described or observed
before.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/496]]==
432 SCRAMBLES AMONGST THE ALPS. appendix.
and some fossil plants characteristic of carboniferous strata. Most of the
fragments were covered with scratches, which told that they had travelled
underneath a glacier. The mud had all the character of glacier-mud, and
the hill-side was covered with drift. From these indications, and from the
situation of the pinnacles, I concluded that they had been formed out of an
old moraine. The greatest of them were 60 to 70 feet high, and the
moraine had therefore been at least that height. I judged from appearances
that the moraine was a frontal-terminal one of a glacier which had been an
affluent of the great glacier that formerly occupied the Valley of the Durance,
and which, during retrogression, had made a stand upon this hill-side near
Sachas. This lateral glacier had flowed down a nameless vallon which
descends towards the E.S.E. from the mountain called upon the French
Government map Sommet de l'Eychouda (8740).
Only one of all the pinnacles that I saw was capped by a stone (a small
one), and I did not notice any boulders lying in their immediate vicinity of a
size sufficient to account for their production in the manner of the celebrated
pillars near Botzen. The readers of Sir Charles Lyell's Principles (10th ed.
vol. i. p. 338) will remember that he attributes the formation of the Botzen
pillars chiefly to the protection which boulders have afforded to the under-
lying matter from the direct action of rain. This is no doubt correct — the
Botzen pinnacles are mostly capped by boulders of considerable dimensions.
In the present instance this does not appear to have been exactly the case.
Running water has cut the moraine into ridges (shown upon the right hand
of the engraving), and has evidently assisted in the work of denudation.
The group of pinnacles here figured, belonged, in all probability, to a ridge
which had been formed in this way, whose crest, in course of time, became
sharp, perhaps attenuated. In such a condition, very small stones upon
the crest of the ridge would originate little pinnacles ; whether these would
develop into larger ones, would depend upon the quantity of stones embedded
in the surrounding moraine-matter. I imagine that the largest of the Sachas
pinnacles owe their existence to the portions of the moraine out of which
they are formed having been studded with a greater quantity of stones and
small boulders than the portions of the moraine which formerly filled the
gaps between them ; and, of course, primarily, to the facts that glacier-mud is
extremely tenacious when dry, and is readily washed away. Thus, the present
form of the pinnacles is chiefly due to the direct action of rain, but their pro-
duction was assisted, in the first instance, by the action of running water.
Printed by "&. Clark, Edinburgh.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/497]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/498]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/499]]==
VERTICAL SECTION OF THE SNOW
ON THE SUMMIT OF THE COL DE VALPELLINE, AUG,
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/500]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/501]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/502]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/503]]==
EdwMd Weller,Lit.l-
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/504]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/505]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/506]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/507]]==
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==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/508]]==
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==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/511]]==
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==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/512]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/513]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/514]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/515]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/516]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/517]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/518]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/519]]==
THE MATTERHORN AND ITS GLACIERS.
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/520]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/521]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/522]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/523]]==
==[[Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/524]]==