MONT BLANC.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 318, 6 November 1860, Page 4

MONT BLANC.

A correspondent of the Times communicates the story of a frightful accident which recently took place upon Mont Blanc, by which three Englishmen and a guide lost their lives:—

"On Wednesday, the 15th of August, three English travellers—viz,, Mr. J. M. Rochester and Mr. F. Vavassour, both of Cardiff, and Mr. B. Fuller, of London, left the Montanvert, near Chamouny, at five o'clock in the morning, with the intention of crossing the Col dv Geant for Cormayeur, attended by three guides, of whom Frederic Tairraz, the brother of the well-known Jean Tairraz, who keeps the Hotel de Mont Blanc at Aosta, was the chief; a porter carrying their knapsacks. The weather seemed favorable. Some time, however, before they reached the summit a thick fog came on, accompanied by a storm?, of hail and rain.

The travellers were extremely fatigued by the long ascent, rendered more difficult by a recent fall of snow, into which they sa»k up to their knees. This, and the state of the weather, caused the guides to urge them to turn back. They, however, refused to comply with this advice, alleging that they were too tired to return, and preferred proceeding. At about four o'clock in the afternoon they reached the summit. The travellers had been tied together by a new rope, of sufficient strength, at intervals of ten feet; two guides held the ends of the rope twisted round their hands, one preceding the party, the other following, while Tairraz walked with the travellers, grasping the rope from time to time. In this manner they descended for a considerable distance without any accident, the guides continually urging the travellers to plant their heels firmly in the snow, and to walk as steadily as they were able. About six o'clock they reached a place where it was necessary to traverse a steep projecting ridge by a muddy and slippery path, the descent of which was, however, gradual. This path was then covered by fresh and sloppy snow to the depth of about a foot. The tired travellers were advancing on this path with unsteady steps, when all at once, at the very angle of the ridge, one of them slipped, fell, and dragged with him his two companions, with the three guides, over a steep and long slope of snow. The two guides at the ends of the rope made every effort in their power to arrest their progress, but in vain; and seeing that they were all upon the point of being launched over the precipice, they let go the rope, forced their hands and feet into the snow, and stopped themselves as by a miracle at the very verge of an abyss, into which their unfortunate companions were immediately plunged. They made their way to the foot of the precipice, where they found three bodies in such a sad condition as to leave no doubt of the fate of the fourth, and then hastened down to Corma^eur, where they arrived soon after eight o'clock." The letter then describes the starting of a small expedition of inquiry, the discovery of the bodies of the three Englishmen and Tairraz, and their interment at Chamouny.