Alpine Tragedies and Heroes:
Octroi System Again Rousing Wrath: Good Wine Harvest Fro Our Ows Paris, Aug. 22.
The usual August list of casualties among Alpine climbers has Geen made illustrious this year by some very fine instances of devotion and contempt of danger, Last week, two Frenchmen, 3M. M.
Daurenson and Clot, set out on the Tuesday morning to scale the Petit Dru, a steep peak in the Mont Blane massif. They were accompanied by two friends but had no guide. While climbing a chimney, Daurenson, who had already shown signs of fatigue, let go his hold and fell about 12 feet on to a small rock platform As he fell, his head struck the side fof the cliff and he was rendered helpless: possibly his skull was fractured. He was carried to a wider ridge a little lower down and Clot romained with him while the others went for help.
On the afternoon of the follo ing day, three young Swiss—the brothers Fiaroli and Joseph Paillard—reached the spot with provisions, a spirit stove and other necessaries. They were unable to remove the injured man but went away search of a party of guides deprived themselves of part of their own warm clothing to make Daurenson and Clot more comfortable, About a couple of hours after the departure of the three Swiss, terrific storm broke over the Dru.
Daurenson's prostrate body was soon covered with hailstones, which Clot swept away with his hands as Dest he could. The hail was followed by snow, which came in gusts and eddies, and the wind was 40 strong that it was impossible ight the stove. The night was terrible, and Clot, though uninjured, could hardly endure the cold. He huddled close to his unfortu companion, who gave few life beyond an occasional moan, Soon after daybreak Clot saw a party of men moving over the snow below and tried to cheer Daurenson by telling him that help was hand, but he was tov far gone, and his mind soon began to wander As Clot afterwards learnt, the rescuers whom he saw were not making in kis direction, but were ing to the assistance of another Party of rescuers headed by a guide named Armand Charlet, who, as will be related further on, had met with a bad accident. At one a gallant effort to carry on but soon collapsed, and his companions had to carry'him down on the stretcher intended for Daurensot.
When he reached hospital it was discovered that he had fractured hone at the back of the skull and, even if he escapes meningitis, will be invalided for months, In the meantime another tragedy was happening not far away, Ths three Swiss who so courageously carried supplies 29 Daurenson art Clot were caught in the storm about ro hours after leaving the stranded mountaineers. There bein no shelter they were obliged to push on and battle their way through the raging wind and snow, Joseph Paillard, who was only twenty, collapsed under the stret and succumbed. One of "avalls was frost-bitten in the arm and legs and he and his brother kad the greatest dificclty in reaching the hut, Daurenson's body cdult not be brought down until five days later.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.