THE LANCASHIRE DAILY POST

Preston, Lancashire, England

11 September1905

(page 2)

CLIMBING THE HIMALAYAS.

FOUR MOUNTAINEERS KILLED

ON A SNOW SLOPE.

News has been received from Dr. Jacot-Guillarmod’s [Jules Jacot Guillarmod] expedition, which went to the Himalayas and endeavoured to scale Kinchinjunga (28,155ft.), or, at least, to beat the record made by Mr. Graham on that mountain.

The expedition, which left Darjeeling on Aug. 8, was composed of Dr. Jacot-Guillarmod, of Neuchatel; Mr. A. E. Crowley, engineer, of Ireland; Lieutenant Alexis Pache, of Morgres; and M. Charles Reymond [Charles-Adolphe Reymond] of Neuchatel. No Swiss guides accompanied the party, and the British Government supplied an escort of Goorkhas, who are capital mountaineers.

The following telegram has been received from Darjeeling:—“This is despatched from our highest camp on Sept. 1. Pache has been swept away by an avalanche and killed. Insurmountable difficulties, caused by natives, compel us to retrace our steps, and we are returning to Darjeeling, where we expect to arrive about Sept. 20.”

HEIGHT OF 21,000 FEET.

In a fuller account to the “Daily Mail” Mr. Allister Crowley says—Our advance guard attacked the south-most face of the mountain and reached easily an altitude of 21,000ft. Unfortunately at this stage some members of the party decided to return. I solemnly warned them against the folly of descending late in the evening over “avalanchy” snow. However, a party of six closely roped and started, set going an avalanche of snow, and fell.

Pache and three natives were killed, the doctor and De Righi [Alcesti de Righi] slightly injured, and Reymond was rescued. The latter had to cut the ropes to release themselves. The bodies of the dead are buried under many feet of snow, and are being searched for. As the avalanche was neither large nor steep, I am of opinion that if a rope had not been employed the accident would not have happened.

WARM NIGHT FOGS.

In consequence of this loss of life I declined to resume further responsibility, and returned with the remainder of the expedition. I am not altogether disappointed with the present results. I know enough to make certain of success another year with a properly equipped and disciplined expedition.

A notable feature of the climb has been the warm persistent fog after eight o’clock in the morning, and all absence of wind, flowers growing at an altitude of 20,000ft., the excellence of properly treated coolies, the comparative infrequency of large earthquakes, and the unseemly reluctance of nature to correspond with the published maps of Kinchinjunga.

M. Pache, says Reuter, was a lieutenant in the Swiss Cavalry. He was 31 years of age, and most energetic in character. He joined the expedition chiefly in order to hunt in the Himalayas. His love of adventure led him to fight among the Boers in the late war in the Transvaal.