THE TIMES OF INDIA

Mumbai, India

22 September 1905

(page 6)

KINCHENJUNGA FATALITY.

MR. CROWLEY’S NARRATIVE.

The Darjeeling correspondent of the “Statesman,” writing under date of the 16th September, gives the following account of Mr. Crowley’s connection with the expedition:—Mr. Crowley says he did not leave the Kinchenjunga Expedition till the 2nd September and after the fatal accident. They had been making camps at the distance of a day’s march on the glacier at a height of 21,000 feet, so that supplies could be pushed on from camp to camp. Mr. Righi [Alcesti de Righi] was in charge of the rear guard and Mr. Crowley of the advance party. On the 29th August, Messrs. Crowley and Pache [Alexis Pache] with Mr. Raymond [Charles-Adolphe Reymond] went to camp five, but Dr. Guillarmond [Jules Jacot Guillarmod] remained at camp four to see about a coolie who had fallen over a precipice and had been killed. Dr. Guillarmond did not forward any food to camp five on the 30th, neither Mr. Pache’s sleeping bag, so Mr. Crowley had to send for them. The food arrived on the 31st, but neither Dr. Guillarmond nor Mr. Pache’s valise. On the 1st September they pushed on to establish camp six, but failed, owing to Messrs. Pache and Raymond, after climbing a height, not having sent down the rope for Mr. Crowley and his loaded coolies. Mr. Crowley with the coolies therefore returned to camp five at two in the afternoon after waiting for four hours for the rope. Dr. Guillarmond and Mr. Righi had by that time arrived in camp five and Messrs. Pache and Raymond returned at four o’clock. All appeared discontented. Mr. Righi said he would leave the expedition. Mr. Pache was annoyed with Dr. Guillarmond about the valise. Dr. Guillarmond persuaded Mr. Pache to return to camp four for the valise and Mr. Righi accompanied them, but Messrs. Crowley and Raymond remained back with two coolies. Mr. Crowley warned them about the lateness of the hour, but they roped themselves five feet apart instead of thirty feet and by their weight brought down the avalanche which buried Mr. Pache and three coolies. Mr. Crowley came to camp four the next day and found Dr. Guillarmond and Mr. Righi badly bruised, but left them to search for Mr. Pache’s body, and then for Darjeeling. The others are expected to return in three days with the coolies.

WHERE IS “BANDOBAST”?

For one reason or another India is at the present moment filling a more prominent place than usual in the Home Press. The natural result is that readers in India are supplied with plenty of little blunders which add to the interest of English newspapers when they treat of matters occurring in this country. A very amusing example is furnished by the “Daily Mail,” which has been publishing the letters that have appeared in more than one of our Anglo-Indian contemporaries from Mr. Crowley of the ill-fated Kinchinjunga expedition. One of the letters, describing the party’s preliminary arrangements, was headed “Bandobast.” The word was too much for the bright sub-editors of Carmelite Street, who solved the puzzle by dating Mr. Crowley’s letter from “Bandobast,” Darjeeling, July 26th—“Statesman.”