THE ASCENT OF MONT BLANC 



891 



But — after this digression — we are 

 still at the entrance of the Grand Plateau. 

 The snow bridge across the crevasse of 

 the Dome is easily found and crossed 

 without any difficulty, as at this time in 

 the morning — towards 7 o'clock — the sun 

 had not yet softened the snow, and we 

 finally stand on the last plateau. From 

 here we have the choice of two routes to 

 the summit, mounting the ridge on either 

 side of this snow valley and proceeding 

 along its crest to the top. 



As the eye ranges upward along the 

 plateau it falls upon a cluster of bare 

 rocks protruding through the snow near 

 the top of the valley to the left and just 

 under the summit. These rocks are 

 known as the "Rochers Rouges," and 

 along the narrow path over their crest 

 lies the route discovered by Balmat and 

 followed by all the early climbers of the 

 mountain. But the approach to these 

 rocks over the loose masses of snow in 

 the upper part of the valley was always 

 considered the most dangerous part of 

 the undertaking, for the least jar is often 

 enough to precipitate an avalanche which 

 will bury the climber or sweep him into 

 a yawning crevasse. 



In 1827 a new route, known as the 

 ''corridor," was found, by which the 

 whole upper part of the plateau could be 

 avoided. This route traverses the Grand 

 Plateau for a short distance, then mounts 

 to the top of the ridge by skirting the 

 base of the lower Rochers Rouges, and 

 thereafter follows this ridge all the way 

 to the top, passing the upper end of 

 the Rochers Rouges 14,794 feet high 

 (where there is a tiny refuge-hut just 

 where the old route, the "Ancien Pass- 

 age," joins the new one), the Petits 

 Rochers Rouges 250 feet higher, and the 

 Petits Mulcts only 350 feet below the 

 summit. 



THi: WORST ACCIDE:nT IN THE HISTORY OF 

 THE MOUNTAIN 



At these last rocks there occurred, in 

 1870, the worst accident in the history 

 of the mountain, wherein 11 persons lost 

 their lives. The party had persevered in 

 reaching the summit in awful weather, 

 the wind blowing so frightfully that the 

 swirling snow on the summit was even 



visible from Chamonix. They were just 

 descending, and were seen at two o'clock 

 near these rocks, and it was observed 

 how often they had to throw themselves 

 down to escape being blown off the 

 slope. The top of the mountain was in- 

 visible for the next eight days. 



As no one returned, a rescuing party 

 of 14 guides finally started out, but could 

 not even reach the Grand Mulcts. A 

 week later another party of 23 reached 

 the summit, where the bodies of five of 

 the unfortunate climbers were found 

 frozen stiff" in the snow. 



A note-book found in the pocket of 

 one, a Mr. Bean, of Tennessee, had the 

 following entry of September 7 : 



"My dear HessiE: We have been on 

 Mont Blanc for two days in a terrible, 

 storm. We have lost our way and are in 

 a hole scooped out of the snow at a 

 height of 15,000 feet. I have no hope 

 of descending. . . . We have no food. 

 My feet are already frozen and I am ex- 

 hausted. I have only strength to write 

 a few words." And, lower down, almost 

 illegibly: "Morning. Intense cold. Much 

 snow, which falls tminterruptedly ; guides 

 restless." 



The five frozen bodies were drawn 

 down the mountain in sacks, the six 

 others never being found. 



We, however, chose the other route 

 from the Grand Plateau, the one which 

 mounts to the ridge connecting the Dome 

 du Gouter with the central cone. Soon 

 we reached the Rochers des Bosses and 

 the Vallot Refuge, just below the sum- 

 mit of the Dome (see pp. 890 and 892). 

 This little hut and observatory are 14,320 

 feet in the air. They were planned by 

 Vallot, a French mountain enthusiast, 

 who, in 1887, performed the unprece- 

 dented feat of camping out under canvas 

 on the very summit of Mont Blanc for 

 three days and nights ! I may mention 

 the fact that Professor Tyndall, in 1859, 

 had stayed one night on the summit, 

 but his experiences with the cold and 

 mountain-sickness were disagreeable. 



Vallot's party could eat nothing those 

 three days without the greatest distress, 

 even a cup of tea producing disastrous 

 effects. 



On the third night they were can^^ht 



