A TREACHEROUS CLIFF

Shannon News, 17 November 1925, Page 1

A TREACHEROUS CLIFF

THRILLS OF BEACHY IIEAD DEATH TRAPS IN CHALK. \ Year alter year that majectic headland of England, Boachy Head, takes toll of the life-weary aiid the venture, some. To enjoy the thrill of gazing over the sheer wall of chalk to the sea t sooft. below visitors from Eastbburne which lies in the trough of the Downs to the east, toil up the steep grassy slopes of the headland in their thousands. The boom of the surf comes upland like a white finger pointing- up from the blue waters,, stands ( the new lighthouse foiir.square to th e \dinds. A small signal station and a tall, windshaken wireless tower stand on .the summit. For the. man in charge of this station Beachy Head . has long since ceased to be a thing- of beauty and grandeur. _ It has become a silent 'menace,--a monster greedy for human life, a challenger of daringspirits, and the tempter of the weakminded and life.weary. When Petty-oflicer Walter FrederHartfield watches from Ills windows the little groups of visitors standing against the skyline he breathes freely But when he follows the movements of some solitary figure dread comes upon him. He knows better than any other living man, the lure of that sheer chalk cliff. Beachy Head demands its human sacrifices as inexorably as an idol of the Incas. There is nothing to prevent the would.be'suicide casting himself from the dizzy height; and'-year after year the Eastbourne coroner holds inquest on the battered remains of those who yield to the malign, impelling- fascination of the headland. Mr. Hartfield has other troubles, too. He knows the fascination this great cliff has for adventurous spirits exploring- the yellow sands below. It iooks so easy to climb!

Yet every upward step is a death trap! Tiie soft chalk, loose and crumbling:, is a snare for the adventurer, a trap to send him hurtling- to certain death. / Seven Calls in Three Weeks Mr. Hartfield has many times been called on to wrestle with this grim cliff. Recently two scoutmasters and two scouts attempted the climb. They reached 400 ft, —and then stuck. After struggles one of* the sCoutmdsters scrambled t’o the top and ran to the signal station. It was the seventh S.O.S. call.in three weeks that Mr. Hartfield was called upon to answer. At the risk of his own life h e brought, the three adventurers to the top in safety. "_ Short, lithe, sinewy and modest with the tanned face and the clear eyes of the old seamen Mr. Hartfield does not pretend that he enjoys these heroic rescuers. “It is ' a terribly dangerous climb,”' he said in an interview, “yet foolish folk will attempt it. The face of the cliff is soft as cheese. There are no secure footholds. And there is always great danger that a mass of loosened chalk will be_ sent hurtling down on the heads of the climbers.-. *T have been nearly killed' _ mOre than once by falling- lumps of chalkchalk I have loosened in my scramble down, to the marooned parties. B'ut I have learnt my lesson. Now I follow one route down the cliff's face, shif' across to the partyl am after, and come up by another way.” Mr. Hartfield does not see himsell as others see him—as a hero worthy; of the finest traditions of British seamanship. - If he hates those perilous climbs, he i;Utes. the risks .of

them philosophically, ns all part of a day’s work. Yet his record jof life, saving- is a truly magnificent one. Banning the Climber. When Mr. Hartfield was loading seaman on the Ip.higenia, he dashed into a fiercely burning house in Southsea and rescued two little children from a horrible death. Only a yeat ago, when he was stationed at St. Anne’s head, Milfred- Haven, he rescued a boy who had fallen from the cliff top. For that exploit he received the certificate of the Royal Humane Society. When he was asked whether lie con. sidcrcd the time had come when Peachy Head should be railed off, Mr. • Hartficld would offer no opinion. But in Eastbourne the feeling- is growing ■that the time has come when something should be done to make impossible the foolhardy climbs of the grim headland from the beach below, and to make safe the jagged edge of the cliff. “Beachy Head will never bo closed to Ihe public,” said one Eastbourne Town Hall official, “but file question of taking measures for -making it safe have been debated many times with-, out any decision being reached.” Jt will remain open to the public because it is one of the wonder-sights of Sussex. But the fact remains it is a beauty spot marred by a sinister record.