Sketcher.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, 27 August 1903, Page 7

Sketcher.

A FATALITY AND ITS SEQUEL FATAL accident in 1820, which lawK7 maa y 7 oars l ft fcer culminated in a 3aOK moefc curieuj Bequel. The story is told at some length in Stephen d'Arve's 'Histoire du Mont Blano/and also in Mark Twain's 'Tramp Abroad.' It appears that a party consisting of twe Englishmen, a Russian and seven pit'des were approaching the summit of this giant of the Alps, when an avalanche swept several of them down a elope of two hundred feet, and fcucled live of the guides into one of the crevasses of tbe glacier. T sro of them were saved, almost miraculously. A long barometer which was strapped to the back of one bridged the crevasse and held him suspended until he was rescued, the other in a similar manner was saved by his alpenstock, The three men lost were burled down into the unfathomable depths of the crevasse. Their names were Pieree Balmat, Pierre Carrur and Aup inte Tairraz. Actjsb Forty one Yeaus.

Dr. Forbes, the eminent English geologist, who had made a particular study of the movement of glaciers, estimated that the remains of the lost guidsi would be found at the foot of the mountain in thirty five, or possibly forty years from the time of the accident, His prediction came curie u ily near to the truth. The author of the ' Histoire du Mont Blanc ' describes how, forty-one years after the catastrophe, on the 12th of 4 u*usr, 1861, at the'hour of the close of Mass,'a guide arrived out of breath at the mairie of Chamounix bearing on his back a sack containing human remain?; which he had gathered from the orifbe in a crevasse on the Glacier des Bossons. He conjectured that they were the remains of the victims of the accident of 1830, and an inquest proved that his supposition was the correct one. A Pathetic Incident, People were called to identify these sad relic 3, and among them were the two guides who were so miraonlcu ly saved from a similar fate—Mani Couttet and Julien Davouassoux. A touching scene ensusd. Divouassoux was over eighty years of age, and his intelligence and memory were feeble, and he, could enly contemplate these sad remains with a vacant, yet mournful eye. BuYConttet, who was but seventy-two, had all kin faculties about him, and exhibited great emotion. 'This is Balmat's hand,' he said; 'lremember it so well.' And the old man bent down and kissed it reverently, then, closed his fingers upon it in an aff actibnate grasp, saying: 'I could never have dared to believe that before qrittmg this world it would be granted me to press once more tho hand of one of those brave comrades, the hand of my good friend Bilmat.'

«I'm surprised at you,' said the Weleh magistrate; 'I shall fine you sixpence and put you on the Black List.' •The naughty old • lady produced ft shilling. .„, " ~ „ 'I haven't any change; said the acorn-: ": ful clerk,' go and fetch it.' And then the poor old woman shuffled sadly into the nearest tavern, bought feef*--.-.-* • -■ ■• self two 'thrae^enmel' "'itf gu»i*\iftS, ; presently returned to court with the aix* pence change. " , _.~, ; Teacher 1 . 'Whaiia an island f* •■' - . Willie t * A wart on the ocean.'